Re: [DDN] Global Alliance: invitation to Kuala Lumpur meeting
Serge Kapto wrote: ... the Secretary-General of the United Nations has recently approved the creation of a Global Alliance for ICT and development...an open, inclusive multi-stakeholder...dialogue Am I the only one who read this and thought ICT4D - that's what I'm into - and seeing that it's open and inclusive I'll read on ... innovative ways to harness the potential of ICT...inviting you to participate.. So, I was thinking - when does that discussion list start - I'll find out how to subscribe.. inaugural meeting ... in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ... So - I thought - wrong again Pam - it's not open to people like me - it's open to people who can be in Kuala Lumpur - so somewhat out of my league opportunity to initiate discussions among stakeholders define priority issues to be addressed... Then I thought - without feeling very hopeful - well - if they really want to define some priority issues let's hope some bottom-up stuff manages to slide into the discussions from somewhere. Then it said We would appreciate your reaction at your earliest convenience. So - seeing that I was asked I decided to email my reaction (although maybe I'm not really the kind of person who is supposed to be replying because I'm not the kind of person who goes to conferences) Anyhow - that's my reaction - that I hope that as part of this open and inclusive dialogue (which is, after all, *about ICT*) there will be a chance for online discussion some time. Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] RE: Is the Pay As You Go Internet inevitable? Why Network Neutrality is critical.
Michael Maranda wrote: we don't need a deepening of the divide with the proposed tiered Internet. sought by major telco leadership. If they get what they want, it won't be the Internet anymore. . what shall we do about it? .. If you are ready to take action in your region, consider the value in sharing your experiences with those doing likewise in their region, or who are thinking about it... We can't just let it happen. After years of work, Cawdnet is gradually seeing opportunities opening up now in our community projects in rural Nigeria, opportunities which are dependant on increasing Internet access. We have information flows that are currently reliant on a mixture of Internet access and such things as a motorcycle based information courier system. We have good initiatives that could be scaled up, if only more could be done by Internet and less by people travelling on bad roads to share even the most trivial scraps of information face to face. Thanks to the Internet we are starting to bring people together from very different backgrounds to rub minds on various practical issues - different countries, different cultures, different areas of expertise, tackling shared concerns together thanks to the Internet.. There is so much happening in an interrelated way that I cannot start detail it here. In some ways it is only small scale (although literally thousands of people have been impacted in a small but positive way) but the smallness is simply a reflection of small initial resources. However it is about sustainable development, not aid, about hope and real progress to better futures - all based on genuine grassroots projects growing out of community need - where solutions can work better and be replicable as we integrate ICTs. We can't allow more barriers to be put up to make the Internet less accessible. I haven't taken much notice of this debate up till now, haven't thought about what action I can take; and have few resources; but - how can I help? Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] What does it mean to be a technology activist?
Andy Carvin wrote: What Does it Mean to be a Technology Activist? Taran Rampersad has just authored an insightful essay...Some highlights...technology activism ... means trying to bring about change with technology. I think that hits the nail on the head. Being a technology activist and working to bridge the digital divide isn't about putting an Internet PC so we can grow the market for e-commerce, online gaming or entertainment Instead, being a technology activist is something more basic: fostering equitable access to tools that will improve people's quality of life - quality as they define it, on their own terms Many thanks to you Taran for the term technology activist - I anticipate that those words will save me - and many other technology activists - lots of long complicated descriptions. Now we can simply say what we *are* - instead of having to describe what we are trying to do. Brilliant. Ref Andy's comments on quality of life http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/quality_of_life. Yes. I agree completely - and it's something I'm very aware of when I am in rural Nigeria. There are good and bad aspects to all cultures. Ideally ICTs can help us to learn from each other and gradually adopt things that are better. Quality of life isn't simply a matter of the latest ICTs (or time-saving gadgets or glossy-magazine-style living and other things people find attractive about the developed world). It is about other, less visible, things too, some of which I find are in more plentiful supply in rural Nigeria than back home in urban UK. For example - somewhere I read a description of social vitamins as a life-quality measurement. It was something to do with belonging and being recognised - e.g. a smile was worth 5 social vitamins, and being greeted by name was worth 20. Social vitamins are much higher in rural Nigeria that in urban UK. There are other things too that I appreciate. For example - here we have light pollution - there you can see the stars. There pea-nuts, sweet-corn, mangoes, bananas, pineapples and all kinds of exotic fruits are available locally and are usually organic - it's very different here. Such things contribute to the quality of life and are easily lost. I've heard mention of the law of unexpected consequences - and I am concerned about negative as well as positive implication of ICTs. Experienced ICT users know about the down side as well as benefits. Newbies can think it's all good. As a technology activist I want ICTs to do good. As a step in that direction I want ICTs to enable people from different cultures to exchange ideas and experience: to educate each other; to explore problems and possible plans of action. I believe we must rub minds across the digital divide in order to solve local problems that have global implications because (like it or not - and largely due to ICTs ) we are all, increasingly, part of a global society. Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Why Moodle could revolutionize how CTCs work
Dave A. Chakrabarti wrote: I sat down and took some time to look at Moodle today.. I think Moodle could revolutionize efforts to bridge the Digital Divide. ... Anyone using Moodle already? Other ideas, comments, suggestions? I completely agree that Moodle could revolutionize efforts to bridge the Digital Divide. We started exploring Moodle within CAWDnet at the end of last year and from what we have discovered so far we love it. Our explorations demonstrate the practicalities of the kind of thing that Dave is suggesting. To put my comments in context: CAWDnet is an ICT enabled network that began informally around six years ago when I helped a Nigerian friend with a few phone calls and emails - things grew from there. My role, with fellow CAWD volunteer Lorraine, is to act as an information channel between the rural communities and connected communities - such as DDN. We use our home computers here in the UK to help bridge the digital divide. We are bandwidth-rich and our friends in rural Nigeria range from bandwidth-challenged to bandwidth-starved. Once I started to act as a communication channel, I became increasingly interested in the reality behind the information I was communicating - which led to me taking working holidays with the projects - doing reality checks - and generally learning how to cross the cultural divide as well as the digital divide. I came back from my most recent trip - the seventh one - at the start of this month. We have known the value of emailing and other standard Internet uses since we started in 2000. In fact CAWDnet would not have come into being without the Internet. Email was our lifeline and source of growth even when sending an email entailed a two day trip round trip to use a city cyber cafe. We see Moodle as potentially serving our needs in many ways. I'll just mention a couple. 1 - At the unstructured end of learning (learning by doing - practical needs led projects) we have various Special Interest Groups with related Talking Groups which we started on yahoo. We see benefits in moving these groups over to Moodle. As we learn together we hope to gather up our unstructured discussions, hints, links, questions and answers into a more organised form - a kind of resource cupboard. (We have already experimented with a Wiki as a resource cupboard and have learnt useful lessons about its benefits and its limitations and how we want to be able to organise and access our information cupboard). Once we have a good resource cupboard for the SIG within Moodle, and once there are more people wanting to be part of the SIG in order to learn what it knows, then we could move to the next step. We could help them to dip into the resource cupboard more effectively,. by building a course structure around the relevant resources we have collected up. 2 - Starting from the other side i.e starting off with a formal - we do already have some taught course and so we are exploring how they can be delivered using Moodle. We have one particular course which is taught Face to Face - but which we need to cascade out. We have started to experiment with creating course units within Moodle, so that we can gradually replace the F2F content. Issues relating to effective and appropriate course delivery through Moodle are being explored and addressed. These are the practical details such as - Who exactly will access the online materials (teachers or learners)? - At what point do the materials need to change from digital to hard copy? (Some of our learners are considerable distances away from any kind of Internet access) - What is the right balance between class work (where a group of people study together under the guidance of a course presenter who is familiar with the materials) and independent distance learning? We have gone far enough to see the relevance of Moodle - but as a tiny organisation we are limited in how far and how fast we can implement what we believe we should be doing with it. We welcome any chance to link-up with others who have overlapping interests. It was great to see the call for Moodle users to come forward - let's see how together we can get Dave's Moodle Revolution moving.. Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Nigerian Question
Matt Armstrong wrote: All, I am working on a policy paper arguing for ICT4D as a stabilizer for failing / weak states. The country I'm targetting with this study is Nigeria. Cawdnet networks in rural Nigeria. ICT4D is a key ingredient in how we do what we do. I can certainly provide you detailed local information of all kinds (both ICT related and general social/cultural information). My main sources of information are networks related to grassroots community development projects based in North Central Nigeria and South West Nigeria. However our networks stretch much further. If you need other locations we may well be able to help you find appropriate contacts. What kind of information do you want? If I don't know it I can probably find someone who does. Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Are digital natives analog immigrants?
I am taking key words and phrases from what Dr. Steve Eskow wrote in order to put my reply in context - please see the original for exactly what he was saying. : Perhaps ... need .. new conversational spaces ..not dominated .. by.. TechnoUtopians... and TechnoLuddites... We need.. to distinguish between our dealings with those on the two sides of the digital divide. Those without cell phones and computers who cannot use these devices to join the human conversation... should be helped to get them. Simple justice requires that continuing effort to narrow the divide. Those in the rich countries like the US I hope will begin to realize that we are entering a new phase... begin to think about how to create new educational forms... It is so encouraging to find people expressing opinions like this. A few years back if I mentioned ICTs and teachers I could expect either a TechnoUtopian or TechnoLuddite response - which made it hard to try to explain some of our hopes regarding rural Nigeria, ICTs, and InfoCentres or Community Learning Centres (CLCs). Now it seems there is more of a middle ground for discussion. I have many hopes about this. I hope that ~ The middle ground will open up ~ The people who move into it from the rich countries will have a genuine commitment to including people on both sides of the digital divide. ~ Those in the bandwidth-rich rich countries will be ready to read/listen and learn as well as write/speak and teach. ~ The bandwidth-rich people will be patient enough to work within the constraints of the more cumbersome communication systems of bandwidth challenged people on the other side of the digital divide. ~ ICTs will enable people from both sides to rub minds and share their expertise, and explore new educational solutions (and other solutions) - ones that will fit real conditions and solve real pressing. problems. In CAWDnet we have learnt a few lessons about crossing the digital divide, which may be of interest to those who do want to include bandwidth-challenged people in discussions on the middle ground. Throughout our five years of existence, we have always needed to communicate beyond the edge of the digital divide - beyond the city cyber cafes, beyond the mobile phone networks, and beyond the end of the effective formal postal service. ICTs have always enabled us to link from one continent to another - from the UK to Nigeria - i.e. from London to Ibadan, or Lagos, or Jos. But we needed to communicate, beyond the cyber cafes in the cities, with people in rural locations like Ago-Are, Okeho, and Bayan Loco. It was very difficult at first, but it is getting easier. At first we had to be very patient, and to accept the need for someone to travel between the rural area and the city, with its cyber cafes. Sometimes the person sending the email did the travelling. Sometimes it was an intermediary - an information courier. By the standards of the connected community it was excruciatingly slow. However compared to the previous method (waiting until someone - or a series of people - could physically carry a letter from country to country by hand) it was a breakthrough. Now things are easier.. VSATs in rural areas mean that emails are more frequent. Synchronous online communication between UK and rural Nigeria is almost a daily happening within CAWDnet. Even so, contacts are not easy. Online costs (including fuel for generators) can be prohibitive. Distance is still an issue for many of our contacts, and so we still need to arrange for motor-cycle couriers and other work-arounds - but the road journeys that are needed are much shorter now than they were five years ago. I emphasise Nigeria because it has the locations I know best, so I can help people to establish contacts, but there are other people with contacts elsewhere. If people want to communicate it is much easier now than ever before, the technology is spreading out from the cities, and the potential human networks are all around - through people in the Diaspora linking with people back home. Communicating with rural areas isn't easy, especially if it is being done on a shoestring, but it is increasingly possible. I like Steve's phrase the human conversation and his desire to help people on the other side of the digital divide to join in. In ICT there have been great advances - but sometimes that emphasis has been too much on the Technology and not enough on the people with their needs for Information and Communication. Let's move to the middle ground. Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] open university (in the united kingdom) adopts moodle.org
Phil Shapiro wrote: hi everyone - moodle, the free open source online learning system, is gathering even more momentum. http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/3460 - phil http://moodle.org And moodle is even making inroads at the opposite extreme too - little CAWD - Some of my computer club friends helped me to have a look at it. It seems to me that if I thought of CAWDnet's various Special Interest Groups as courses - and if the people connected with the groups became teachers or participants on these courses (depending on their level of involvement) then moodle could be useful to us. Our various SIGs could develop into various Online Learning Communities, using moodle as an appropriate tool for discussion and project based learning. It could replace things like yahoo groups, and also provide a mechanism for shared document creation and collection - our course content - which all SIG members could refer to - and which late joiners to the course could read. They could study our course to catch up with the work and knowledge of the SIG. I don't know when I will have time to follow these ideas up, to see if they are practical. If any list members have advice or comments on the practicality of the idea I'd be interested to hear from you - on or off list. Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: wsis panel on school networking
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: SchoolNet Africa, IICD and the WSIS Youth Caucus invite you to a panel discussion on: Lets Get Real:A Grassroots Perspective on School Networking in Africa. 18 November 2005 ~~~ This looks very interesting. It is something very dear to my heart - but I am too far away to attend. I hope some of the discussion will be shared on the list. Regarding Teachers in Africa - I would like to mention something that may interest some of the people attending - or considering attending Lets Get Real The following day - Saturday November 19th is the date set for the first annual re-union of the Teachers Talking group. All being well, a small group of teachers will be coming online from the Fantsuam Foundation Community Learning Centre in Kafanchan (in rural Nigeria). They are participants from the initial Teachers Talking (about ICTs) course, held in November last year. If you would like to join in yahoo chat with the teachers you can do so by joining http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CawdTeachersTalking/. If you want to learn something about the reality of teaching in rural Nigeria - this could be an ideal opportunity. We don't know how many will be able to attend yet, but their letters of invitation have gone out. The letters were sent out by motorbike, to be delivered by hand. This is the normal way of communicating important messages in this rural area where there are no phones and the postal service is poor. In case you are wondering what on earth we thought we were doing teaching these rural teachers about ICT when they come from schools with no electricity and few books, I will explain: - The teachers asked us to (the government has imposed a promotion ceiling on teachers who are not computer literate) - We know the schools they come from - so our course included a module called the no-computer computer course - to help them help their pupils to imagine and understand computers - and feel more confident about meeting them. - They may be able to get to the CLC or other cyber cafe in the future - so we wanted them to be able to go online, and to have a flavour of belonging to a learning community on the Internet.. - We hope that when computers do come to the rural areas some of our teachers will be able to enter into informed debate about what would and would not be useful to them. See http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/805.html for photos and more information about the course last year Pam. Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Yahoo chat from Nigeria brings news of DIY/pocket solar
Some time back during a discussion about the Solo computer Taran mentioned another solar related site that caught his attention - http://www.biodesign.org.uk/ The project described there is about a DIY approach to using solar energy - by assembling small solar powered devices to charge phones, radios, torches and suchlike. (As the devices are small we call this pocket solar within CAWDnet.) We are experimenting with pocket solar at the Fantsuam Foundation Community Learning Centre at Kafanchan. Setting up CAWDnet's pocket solar project has involved some years of gradual information exchange between people in the UK, Kenya and Nigeria. At first if was very difficult to exchange information - huge digital divide issues - so things were very slow. Now our information pathways are much better established - hence the news I got today during one of my regular yahoo chats with David Mutua - CAWDnet coordinator in Nigeria. David has recently set up a pocket solar group. He has a limited amount of solar glass and is teaching some people to assemble pocket solar. They are experimenting, and if all goes well, they will try to set up a small pocket solar business. During our yahoo chat David told me I have to go for the pocket solar trials. We have sun today... we have someone who will be sending all activities weekly...I have to go now... they are waiting for me. I hope he means that he has found someone (an infomediary) who will try to send me news each week. If anyone from DDN is interested in updates of the pocket solar experiments please contact me on or off list. Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Digital Divide academic journals
Audrey Alvear wrote: ... looking for articles about digital divide.. I would like to know if there are acadmic journal(s) related to this topic in specific.. You email arrived close to one from [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to JoDI Volume 6 Issue 2 Cliff McKnight JoDI is Journal of Digital Information It covers some issues relating to digital divide - including one on our project in Ago-Are, published last year. http://jodi.tamu.edu/Articles/v05/i04/McLean/ Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] A Littl' More On Bridging the Digital Divide in Africa
Steve and Taran have been discussing a village, in Africa perhaps, where 200 literates are ready to use computers. the 'social computer'... *telecenters*.. mobile phonesallowing all technology to be made available for them to peruse.. I would like to link this discussion to some practical realities that I have experienced in Nigeria. Certainly literacy is an issue - but illiteracy in Nigeria is not like illiteracy here in the UK for example. In the UK, most (not all) of the people who are illiterate have been taught in their mother tongue and (in theory at least) have had the opportunity to attend school for many years. In Nigeria, many people who are now adults only went to school for a short time, and were only taught to be literate in English - not in their mother tongue. I keep that thought in mind when the term illiterate is used. It also contributes to the respect I feel for my (bi-lingual and multi-lingual) African friends and acquaintances who did start off in little rural village schools and somehow made it to higher education and professional qualifications. It is true that, in the locations that I know, most poor farmers are illiterate- however there are other people who are illiterate too - people who are comparatively wealthy and successful. Just because illiteracy is a huge handicap in our society doesn't mean that literacy has exactly the same importance in every society. My knowledge of ancient history is very sketchy - but I have a feeling that quite a few kings and emperors in ancient times didn't bother with chores like reading, writing, and book-keeping. They had their various scribes, secretaries, chancellors and such like to sort it out for them. I, for one, could do with that kind of a support team to unlock the chains that keep me by my laptop ;-) I live in the UK (but this is probably also true of other industrialised, individualistic, DIY, consumer societies). When we think of bridging the digital divide we tend to think in terms of getting equipment to individuals - and if individuals have to access the equipment themselves, then they obviously need the related skills. But different societies have different ways of doing things. In Nigeria help is easily to hand - busy people send others to the cyber cafe to collect and send their emails - so they don't need to learn to operate the computers for themselves. I suggest that in rural communities in Africa we should take a wider view. I think we should be looking at creating the right interface (and overlap) between digital information and the local mechanism for sharing information. What that mechanism is depends on what kind of information is being shared. We need to recognise appropriate potential interfaces between digital information channels (of all kinds) and the information hubs of the community. The churches and mosques (with their regular weekly meetings) and other community networking structures provide the local information infrastructure. The teachers and religious leaders are the usual interface between the communities and the written word. They are actively involved in community decision making and hold many positions of leadership. I believe the best way to develop appropriate digital technology is to have the patience to find ways to rub minds with the local information experts. Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Being able to articulate and identify needs
J Cravens wrote: ref [DDN] Educating the philanthropic community One of the digital divides that needs to be bridged is helping people -- anywhere -- make informed choices about hardware and software, and being able to articulate and identify their own needs Absolutely. That is what CAWDnet is about. We enable people to rub minds. We link people in the connected community with people in rural Nigeria, so that Good Ideas and rural reality can come together for practical problem solving. It isn't just an idea - it is really happening. It was through CAWDnet that the Solo field trials were arranged in Nigeria in 2002, and that the Solo has come to Fantsuam for assembly. It was through CAWDnet that the ideas of pocket solar, and of solar cooking came to Fantsuam. CAWDnet is about local empowerment. The ability to express need is a central part of our vision for the Teachers Talking (about ICTs) course.. One of the expressed objectives for that course is that teachers who have attended will be able to enter into informed debate about their requirements regarding ICTs.. but that's a rather huge goal in and of itself... Yes and no. We are talking here about a goal related to communicating with people about their situations and their needs. That is an achievable goal. Aren't we all on this list because of an interest in ICTs? And isn't it called ICT because it's the Technology that enables us to Communicate Information? By definition, ICTs enable us to rub brains with other people irrespective of the physical distances separating us. I can't speak for digital divides between the haves and have nots everywhere - but I can speak for the community projects in rural Nigeria, that I represent . If anyone really wants to enter into debate with local people in rural Nigeria about what they genuinely need - well - it can be arranged. The communications technology is available now - and so are the social networks. Just ask Pam Pamela McLean CAWDnet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Creating the $100 Laptop
I have been catching up with this thread and have been encouraged by its inclusion of practical details beyond simple hardware. I was interested to read the emails about problems getting to a cyber cafe, and about maintenance costs and other issues regarding new and recycled computers. Perhaps list members would be interested in practical details, on related topics, from Nigeria. ~ Ref access to cyber cafe's from Ibadan in Nigeria. On Sundays I often try to be home from around 4 p.m, ready for a possible yahoo chat with my friend Chief Gbade Adejumo. He is chairman of Oke-Ogun Community Development Network, and we try to keep in touch on alternate weekends. Last Sunday he apologised for keeping me waiting. He explained it was the usual problem of congestion. He has been waiting an hour to get online. The previous session was even worse - as illustrated by the excerpt below taken from the start of our chat. hello Pam i'm oni hav been struggling since 4pm to get in touch.this the 3rd cafe i'm in the 1st was off air the 2nd i could not asaccess my box until i got here When Chief did finally get through to me it was 7pm. ~ Ref issues around new and recycled computers . Fantsuam Foundation has considerable experience of using recycled computers - and providing them to others - so it is well acquainted with their benefits and disadvantages. Fantsuam Foundation is currently working with ExpLAN on development of the Solo (low powered, low maintenance, long life, robust, open source software) computer. It won't be cheap - but its total cost of ownership will be very competitive. The Solo is designed for a long life in rural Africa and is being thoroughly tested to perform well in local conditions and to suit local needs. It will be assembled locally, on a small scale (probably around 100 units a month). Local assembly means that every purchase is accompanied by money circulating in the local economy. The design team has trained the small assembly team, and will keep them abreast of relevant new developments, so there will be ongoing technology transfer. The little maintenance that is likely to be required will be provided through the local producers. When demand grows additional small assembly centres will be set up elsewhere, in a similar way to the way things have developed at Fantsuam..Initial training took place earlier this year. The Fantsuam team has been testing and demonstrating the Solo in various places since, and working on the practicalities of sourcing components, raising start-up funds, attracting advance orders and so on A discussion of the limtations of PCs and the benefits of the Solo can be found at www.explan.co.uk/solo/appropriate.html. People in rural Nigeria need computers. The Solo may or may not be the ultimate ideal solution - I don't have the knowlege to judge it - but from the practical experience of people in and around Fantsuam it has proved itself to be uniquely suited to their needs and way out in front of anything else in many ways. Pam Pamela McLean [EMAIL PROTECTED] CAWDnet convenor www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Creating the $100 Laptop
Taran Rampersad wrote: I think that this link may also be useful on the Solo: http://www.explan.co.uk/solo/ ...It's really a good looking system and one I wouldn't mind getting my hands on to look at further. ... I'd like to hear how these systems are being used by people... If you click on the link there to markets you'll see some photos (taken in 2002, when I was in Oke-Ogun with the head of the design team for Mark 2 prototype field testing). We were using it, with a satellite phone, for email. This was quite something in an area with precious little electricity and far from the nearest telephone network - hence the doctor in the photo coming to us to ask if he could send an email, and save himself a journey of several hours to the nearest cyber cafe. I think the specs may relate to the Mark 2. Cost is also a question mark. My understand is that it's not cheap - but that total cost of ownership is competitive. Plus you have a computer that is genuinely designed for the realities of local needs and conditions, developed in collaboration with local people, and you have all the benefits of technology transfer and various kinds of local positive spin-offs. This is really a very cool project... I think so - and so do the health workers, teachers, community development activists and others I know who have had the chance to see it working in rural Nigeria As I understand it the design team are holding back commercial production until they can get *local* investment - so that there is full local control and financial benefit. Then what would help would be a full order book. I could be speaking out of turn here as I am not directly involved now - just interested because I helped to make some initial introductions - and remembering discussions I was part of back in 2002. As I understand it the ideal would be a project or two that would take a set number of computers per month for the first year. Imagine the benefit to a business start-up if there was a schools project, or health project, or some NGO order that could be relied on to take the computers it had ordered and pay promptly. If a philanthropist was around to donate the four room factory/show room that is needed then I imagine that would be a great help in kick starting the project too - but that is just my idea. The business plan we were discussing in 2002 required a building with four main rooms (plus toilet/wash-room) - office/private meeting room, clean assembly room, dirty assembly room/store room and showroom/customer training room. The cost would be trivial by developed world standard - but is a huge challenge to the Nigerian team trying to start the business. and one I am glad you brought to the fore I think perhaps I'll do some more digging into these things. Please do. I think you travel a lot - maybe you could visit Fantsuam Foundation some time to see for yourself. I'm not suggesting you ask them to pay your expenses - but if you did decide to travel in that direction I am confident that I could introduce you to people who would give you a great welcome and every help in arranging an interesting stay . The solar aspects are something I am practically exploring at this time. Something that fits with this is also this: http://www.biodesign.org.uk/ That is good stuff too - on a totally different scale. You can see assembly of that being tried out at Fantsuam too. There is plenty of solar energy in Nigeria - the previous Nigerian High Commissioner used to describe it God's own kilowatts. That's why we're also teaching people about solar cookers and solar cooking. I recognise that this discussion is wandering off topic - but this thread moved some time ago into the context of technology - not just the technology itself - and in CAWDnet everything is inter-related - what we teach/learn and how we teach/learn it - ICT4D - education and training (formal and informal) - appropriate technology - effective systems for communicating information - people from different cultures rubbing minds - learning from each other - using ICTs to overcome limitations of physical distance - F2F training and ODL (open and distance learning) - hardware .. the Solo ... software .. FOSS. We are concerned with all aspects of effective teaching/learning systems - content, study-skills, technology. Pam Pamela McLean [EMAIL PROTECTED] CAWDnet convenor www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Digital Dividends: A televised debate for BBC World TV
Thanks Christine Do you know what time it will be broadcast? Pam Christine wrote: Digital Dividends: A televised debate for BBC World TV http://www.apdip.net/news/ictpovertydebate What role do ICTs have in alleviating poverty? This is one of the many questions that will be fired at a distinguished panel on 30 September 2005 at the International Telecommunication Union Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The debate will be broadcast on BBC World Television on 22 October 2005. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] DDNers in the UK?
Katy Pearce wrote: I'm moving to London next week ... I'd love to meet with any DDNers in London... Please let me know where you are if you're interested in meeting Hi Katy I'm London area email me off list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a phone number if you want to make contact Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet convenor www.cawd.info ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] reporter's query on the use of skype
Phil asked for experiences with Skype. CawdNet has used Skype in various situations - and has some photos of its use in Ago-Are. We agree it has great potential for people in the Diaspora to link home. When David Mutua and I visited the InfoCentre in Ago-Are last December (our first visit since the VSAT was installed there ) we took along a headset and installed Skype. People were amazed to see us talking with friends in the UK. In a way it was even more amazing when we used Skype for contacting our friends in urban areas in Nigeria - using Skype to phone. Ago-Are is in a rural area and there are no phone networks for miles around. It had never before been possible to contact someone in Ibadan, from Ago-Are, to confirm arrangement for a planned visit to Ago-Are. The various friends in Ibadan found it quite hard to believe, at first, that we were actually speaking to them from Ago-Are. Word went round quickly - and the next morning the Oba (the local hereditary ruler) came to the InfoCentre to phone his daughter in Lagos. David is based at Fantsuam Foundation in Kafanchan now - which is another place with no telephones - and he uses Skype sometimes from there. Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.net and click on CawdNet Phil Shapiro wrote: hi everyone - yesterday i received a query from a reporter interested in writing an article about the uses of skype. here's the query: A newspaper reporter is looking to do a story about community groups that have used skype and similar such technology to allow immigrants to call home for free (or at rates far cheaper than previously possible). Additionally, if there are non-profits which previously paid high phone rates to keep in touch with their institutional partners abroad but are now calling for free using p2p technology, this reporter would also like to hear about it. Ideally, the reporter would like to find immigrant groups or non-profit organizations in NY city, but this is not requisite. Any and all leads welcome. if you have some stories to share on this topic, thanks for briefly describing them in an email to me. i'll forward them on to the reporter. - phil ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: The Personal vs the Social Computer Was: Update on the Simputer
Tom Abeles wrote: ...In one african village there is only enough fuel to run the generator for a few hours/day. the choice of how to use those precious KW/hrs is in the hands of the person controlling the keys to the generator. The decision has been made to use those electrons to run a TV set, for entertainment purposes Ref TV, generators and computers - As the OCDN InfoCentre in Ago-Are has similar equipment its situation may be of interest. The InfoCentre opened in 2002 with three computers. In 2004 a VSAT was installed (under the control of IITA) through a collaboration with IITA, COL and OCDN (International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Commonwealth of Learning, and Oke-Ogun Community Development Network). This was followed by a TV set (again IITA/COL)and with a plan to also have a video player, but I don't know if the video player has materialised yet. This year a satellite connection for the TV was installed. I don't know if the connection was arranged by IITA/COL or by the community. What I know came through email discussions when the young men were trying to find a way to get the satellite connection, and subsequently when there were problems about the centre being shut when important matches were being televised. My fragmented information comes from Please ma, we need your help emails and such like - rather than formal reports. It is harder to get details about things that are running okay. I will have to wait for my next visit for the full story, but this I know Sometimes people are allowed to watch the TV for no charge. I would imagine this can only happen when there is NEPA (grid electricity) or when the computers in the InfoCentre are earning enough money to justify running the generator. When there are top football matches, people pay to watch. These matches are often shown in the late evening or on Sundays, when the InfoCentre is normally closed, which means that the generator would not be running. I would guess that any really popular sports events will bring in enough money to pay for the generator to run. (Previously there was a man with a travelling business who sometimes came to the Town Hall to set up his TV etc so people could pay to watch a football match - but he did not come often and I was told that the quality of the reception was poor.) From what I know of the generator use for the present InfoCentre equipment, I would guess that it can power more that just the TV and a few light bulbs - in which case it should be able to run the InfoCentre computers as well as the TV and a few light bulbs. The InfoCentre (with its computers and the IITA-COL VSAT computers) is in a partitioned off section of the main hall where the TV is situated. The IITA-COL VSAT will presumably not be available if the building is opened outside of official hours. However the original InfoCentre computers are under the control of the InfoCentre manager so perhaps he will be able to arrange access to those - unless there are problems because of sharing space with the VSAT computers. If there is extra power and if there is no problem about allowing access out of hours then I will be interested to find out if the extra hours when the generator is running for TV will lead to people being able to get some extra time on the computers. Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cawd.net then click on CawdNet ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] networking to close the digital divide
Hi Melissa ref networking and the digital divide you may like to see our network. Go to www.cawd.net and clik on CawdNet. Pam CawdNet Convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN]The Personal vs the Social Computer Was: Update on the Simputer
and solar cooking http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/800.html This solar training is something that people have been requesting for over two years - so it has been wonderful to have the resources to respond now. Training about solar cooking was requested because the general idea of solar cooking had been discussed in Ago-Are, and people were taken with the idea. The initial information was shared because a local woman shared a cooking problem with someone on the CAWD side. On the CAWD side - the bandwidth rich side of CawdNet - it is easy to do research. Even on the rural Nigerian side - despite being bandwidth challenged - much more research is possible than where there is bandwidth starvation. This meant we could start to learn more about solar cooking, in theory, but for a couple of years we did not have the resources to move on. We could collect theoretical knowledge - but didn't have the capacity for practical implementation - to pay a trainer, to provide materials, to cover participants travel costs, and such like. Now we have been able to make a start with that. ICTs and social computing means that two way discussion becomes possible. It becomes practical to discuss questions like What's the problem? Would any of these ideas be any good? Why? What do you want to try out? How's it going? ICTs on their own aren't enough for such information exchange and knowledge development - but they are an essential element. In parallel to the recent solar cookers and solar cooking training there was also training in video production - another important part of ICTs/digital technology. The video training is important because when we do find good ideas worth sharing, and get the money to run courses, we want to have the video skills ready to share the training content more widely. It is hard to communicate the full picture as so much is tied in together. For example the solar cooking also ties in with The Positive Kitchen which ties in with the nutrition course being run in connection with the health service for people with HIV/AIDS. The point is, that in the real world of rural Nigeria, the issue isn't as narrow as personal computers (a very dubious priority) versus social computers. It's not just about bandwidth rich provision (requiring huge infrastructure development - just on the electrical power side) versus bandwidth poverty. It is about the next link - beyond the technology itself - into the social networks. For us it is about social computing - about people and communication, and needs for information, and how sharing and discussing problems across the digital divide can lead to the development of solutions. As a CawdNetter I find it encouraging to see the debate on particular pieces of equipment widening out to include the opinions of people who might be using social computers. If you want to get closer to the opinions of CawdNetters who are the bandwidth poor in rural Nigeria please contact me on or off list. Together we can explore the most appropriate and direct way for you to make links with the real local experts - the people who live the life. Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet Convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Solar powered ovens and HIV/AIDS
Janet Feldman wrote: Re: [DDN] Response to David: Rotary seeks to close digital divide ...in Kenya .everything from installation of Sun Ovens (solar-powered community ovens) to providing wheelchairs for youth and adults who need them to hosting holiday parties for children affected by HIV/AIDS. I would like to explore possible overlap between this and some CawdNet work. Also, are the sun ovens related to the HIV/AIDS work? This is our interest to date: CawdNet first became interested in solar cooking in 2002, through a book by Anna Pearce called Make All Things New. - but it is only recently, thanks to COL (Commonwealth of Learning) that there have been any resources to follow through. To see the women who wanted to know about solar cookers ( and to read more about their other needs expressed at the womens' meeting during a needs analysis) see http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/770.html For photos from the course on making solar cookers see http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/742.html For photos from the course on solar cooking see http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/800.html CawdNet has an HIV/AIDS Special Interest Group (SIG). At Fantsuam that includes education about nutrition, and a project called The Positive Kitchen. With CawdNet everything is interlinked - so the HIV/AIDS SIG was involved in the solar cooking training and a solar cooker may find its way into The Positive Kitchen - if it is judged to be appropriate. We would be interested to know more about your experiences with solar cooking. Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet Convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more about CawdNet go to www.cawd.info and click on CawdNet ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Solar powered ovens and HIV/AIDS (link edited)
(This is a re-send - as my first attempt had an incorrect url - this has been corrected - to For more about CawdNet go to www.cawd.net and click on CawdNet) Janet Feldman wrote: Re: [DDN] Response to David: Rotary seeks to close digital divide ...in Kenya .everything from installation of Sun Ovens (solar-powered community ovens) to providing wheelchairs for youth and adults who need them to hosting holiday parties for children affected by HIV/AIDS. I would like to explore possible overlap between this and some CawdNet work. Also, are the sun ovens related to the HIV/AIDS work? This is our interest to date: CawdNet first became interested in solar cooking in 2002, through a book by Anna Pearce called Make All Things New. - but it is only recently, thanks to COL (Commonwealth of Learning) that there have been any resources to follow through. To see the women who wanted to know about solar cookers ( and to read more about their other needs expressed at the womens' meeting during a needs analysis) see http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/770.html For photos from the course on making solar cookers see http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/742.html For photos from the course on solar cooking see http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/800.html CawdNet has an HIV/AIDS Special Interest Group (SIG). At Fantsuam that includes education about nutrition, and a project called The Positive Kitchen. With CawdNet everything is interlinked - so the HIV/AIDS SIG was involved in the solar cooking training and a solar cooker may find its way into The Positive Kitchen - if it is judged to be appropriate. We would be interested to know more about your experiences with solar cooking. Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet Convenor [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more about CawdNet go to www.cawd.net and click on CawdNet ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Rotary to help close the divide
Dear David Abel. On behalf of CawdNet I will respond to your email on two levels. 1 - Ref - Rotary International recently acknowledged the digital divide should be part of its focus and opened a discussion on how Rotary might help close it. 2 - Ref - ...projects that require fund raising, implementation, awareness or all three. I'm specifically looking for projects that are easily scalable... 1 - Regarding discussions First - to introduce CawdNet - it is a dual network: - Based in rural Nigeria where it is embedded in local communities - Based in the UK where it is embedded in the virtual communities of the Internet. It links the two communities for shared learning, mutual mentoring and practical problem solving. For more details see http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/715 I believe CawdNet could make useful contributions to your discussions. I would be happy to help Rotary International to make contacts with local people in rural Nigeria (who speak English and local languages) who can give accurate information about needs, infrastructure realities, local skills base, cultural norms, and so on, to help inform your decision making. 2 - reference scalable projects. CawdNet has small projects with big vision. Our projects started with tiny budgets (from our own pockets) small steps and a vision of replication. We have an approach to ICTs which is not just about *having the technology* - but about *using the technology* to communicate, to share ideas, and to implement good ones. You can get see some idea of our projects via our catalogue of programme activities and achievements http://www.cawd.net/daisy/CawdNet/g1/748.html - but please be aware that the site is a work in progress (with content being put up by two non-techie volunteers) and so not everything is covered there yet. ICTs are not always particularly visible - but are an essential part of enabling the work. The photos in the catalogue are a mixture of CawdNet initiatives at the InfoCentre in Ago-Are and at the Fantsuam Community Learning Centre (CLC) in Kafanchan. I will not list specific needs here, but if you contact me off list I can give you many suggestions for ways that money could be specifically and effectively targeted to satisfy the objectives you have in mind. Although the InfoCentre in Ago-Are and the Fantsuam Community Learning Centre are both featured in the catalogue, they are not explained. The original plan for the InfoCentre was that it should grow to become the co-ordinating centre for ten similar centres, one in each Local Government area in Oyo State. The story of one person at the centre (and the current state of our attempt to raise some money for some replication) will give you some idea of the InfoCentre See https://www.bmycharity.com/V2/MujiWedding More information about Fantsuam Foundation is at www.fantsuam.org The InfoCentre can now been seen as a satellite of the Fantsuam CLC. We are already exploring aspects of replication - but do not have the resources to follow through on that yet. CawdNet has taken first steps to bridge the digital divide, and has a good track record of self help and achievement - but needs help with fund raising to extend its present work, to implement future plans, and to raise awareness about its work. Our unusual information network means that anyone working with CawdNet can expect an unusually high level of feedback about the progress of any project. (It is this feedback, and the relationships which develop, that gives the UK CAWD volunteers their high level of interest and motivation). If your Rotary club decides to work with CawdNet then our emphasis on communication could be particularly beneficial regarding the quality of the learning experience, relationship building, and enabling your project to serve as a case study. Pamela McLean CawdNet Convenor. www.cawd.net Then click on CawdNet. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: Sharing Podcasts with those without connectivity )was Re: [DDN] Webheads and the Digital Divide Network)
Ross Gardler wrote:: Ross Gardler wrote: ...Remember that bandwidth need not be a live Internet connection It would be great if someone with a media bent could create a set of dramatisations on key subjects (such as HIV/AIDS) in an accessible form. Something along the lines of the BBC World Serice WestWay series (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/features/westway/index.shtml ) They get around the problem of being understandable by having lots of characters that are not native English speakers. Hence they speak in understandable ways. DOes anyone know a drama or media student looking for a final year project to do? Ross - you have got me thinking. Community radio has always been part of our plan - but for community radio you need a license... (and our problems there are another story.) We want to speak to people - preferably in Yoruba. We have played with ideas of audio cassettes.We even considered getting a PA system to use on market days But all of these ideas were too extravagant in time and/or money for our meager resources - so the spoken word side of things has been on hold. Maybe its time to start thinking again. As you say - no need for computers - a much cheaper way to disseminate information... I haven't followed the threads on podcasting - but gather its an easily accessible way of generating and sharing the spoken word. It could be a good supplement to the other work of our InfoCentre... If any media students do think of following up Ross's idea please also consider the farm radio scripts that are available - I forget the source but perhaps other DDN members know - if not I could hunt around. I have no time to follow through on this at the moment for Ago-Are - but it's back bubbling in my mind again - so thanks Ross for bringing forward again the issue of the spoken word and alternative strategies for disseminating it. Pam Pamela McLean [EMAIL PROTECTED] . . We considered a ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Webheads and the Digital Divide Network
Ross Gardler wrote: Remember that bandwidth need not be a live Internet connection. I recently passed a Compact Flash containing a number of key presentations from IT Conversations to a colleague in rural Guyana. In his village he doesn't even have a computer, let alone an Internet connection. Yet that lack of bandwidth does not limit him with podcasting, he'll be using an MP3 player to listen to the podcasts and will be using what he learns from them to convince the village community that they need an IT Centre. Ross Would this information be appropriate to share with the community in Ago-Are - to give them a clearer vision of the potential of their InfoCentre? They do have computers (not very high spec but some do include sound). Could the info go to them on a CD?. What are the accents like? How fast do the contributors speak? i.e. How well must my Ago-Are people understand English to make sense of it? (The people I have in mind to listen can understand my English - but not if I speak too fast - i.e my usual rate...). By the way does this renewed activity mean that the floods have gone down and life is getting a little easier there in Guyana now - I hope so.. Pam Pamela McLean [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] public computing, value and technology transfer
has its workshop. # The Solo is designed for small scale local assembly and is part of a complete concept of technology transfer. # I have friends at my local computer club. # I guess that list members who are not techies know someone who will rescue them from ICT glitches and hassle.. If ICT is to work then the friendly techie and the computer have to be on the same side of the digital divide. In rural Nigeria all three issues are important. 1 - Enabling public computing rather than personal computing 2 - Considering value rather than initial price 3 - Developing local skills in computer maintenance and repair. Pam Pamela McLean - CAWD volunteer and CawdNet convenor CawdNet Networking in rural Nigeria and through the virtual communities of the Internet (CAWD is registered charity number 1104228). To subscribe to the newsletter http://lists.kabissa.org/mailman/listinfo/oocd2000plus To contribute www.bmycharity.com/V2/MujiWedding http://www.bmycharity.com/V2/MujiWedding For an introduction to CawdNet www.cawdnet-intro.blogspot.com http://www.cawdnet-intro.blogspot.com A CawdNet website bringing all these odd bits together will soon be set up on www.cawd.net http://www.cawd.net/ - depending on the conflicting demands of our volunteers baby and day job. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Achieving Sustainable Edtech Initiatives
Andy Carvin wrote quoting Ravi Venkatesan: To move forward, he said teachers and students must be at the center stage of ICT initiatives. Putting them center stage and using ICT to solve real problems rather than perceived problems is an important step. ... You also must get the community involved we really, really need to have local ownership of initiatives. I'd like to agree that on behalf of CawdNet, especially regarding using ICT to solve real problems rather than perceived problems One of CawdNet's long term aims is to teach communities about the *potential* of ICTs so that they can say how ICTs might usefully serve their needs. When we designed the Teachers Talking (about ICTs) course it wasn't just about teaching teachers to use computers, and it wasn't just about giving them relevant ICT content to teach back in school on their no computers computer courses. It was about enabling all of them to experience the *potential* of ICTs in ways that they could share with their pupils, their colleagues *and their communities* even where those communities have not seen computers.. Our vision is to run more courses, so that we get a good number of high-flyers coming through, people who will go forward to enter into informed debate about the role of computers in rural education and in rural development. The teachers want more courses. They want us to give their colleagues the same opportunity they have had. They also want more advanced courses to continue their own development. (They told us this and also wrote it, strongly, on their - anonymous- feedback sheets.) Government policy is that teachers must become computer literate but there is no government budget to support their training. Teachers are willing to pay but cannot afford sufficient fees to cover the full cost. Our first course was made possible through voluntary effort and the free use of Fantsuam Foundation facilities, plus a subsidy from the FF micro credit bank. This means that the course was paid for partly by the teachers themselves and partly through local - but unrepeatable - sponsorship. To me it seems amazing that the necessary sponsorship was from the profits of the FF micro-credit bank. This means that this initial course was made possible through the savings of poor women hoping to demonstrate that they are fit to be given loans and through the faithful repayments of those women who have borrowed (repayments are close to 100%). The course was run by Fantsuam Foundation (a CawdNet associate). Fantsuam Foundation was set up by Nigerian professionals, it is led by Nigerians for Nigerians, in a rural area, with a view to replication. Its training initiatives are already being shared with the InfoCentre in Ago-Are (another cawdnet associate) - two days journey away from FF's centre - but linked by VSAT. For details of the teachers course, including a photo of the participants with the children they taught as part of the no computers computer course practical sessions see http://teacherstalking.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/TeachersTalkingCourse We believe this is a good example of a community driven, appropriate way forward through teacher training, but have no resources to sponsor any follow up course yet. If list members know of any potential sponsors then CawdNet - and the teachers we are trying to serve - would appreciate help in finding them. Please consider passing this email on to appropriate contacts. Forgive me if this is not an appropriate request to make through the list, but it seems to me that members on this list do genuinely want to *act* to bridge the digital divide - not just *theorise* about it. Encouraging federal and state government to pay for training courses would be a useful action that some list members may be in a position to make. Sharing this need more widely, and thus gaining sponsorship, could result in another practical step towards reducing the digital divide. Pam Pamela McLean - CAWD volunteer and CawdNet convenor CawdNet Networking in rural Nigeria and through the virtual communities of the Internet (CAWD is registered charity number 1104228). To subscribe to the newsletter http://lists.kabissa.org/mailman/listinfo/oocd2000plus To contribute to CAWDs work www.bmycharity.com/cawd1 http://www.bmycharity.com/cawd1 For an introduction to CawdNet www.cawdnet-intro.blogspot.com http://www.cawdnet-intro.blogspot.com A CawdNet website bringing all these odd bits together will soon be set up on www.cawd.net http://www.cawd.net/ (time scale depending on the conflicting demands of our website volunteers baby and day job). ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Fortune Digital Divide and Global Leadership
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: (snip)I am very interested in learning more ..how we can make the world a less unequal and destructive place to live empower (people) to live the lives that they want and that they know makes them happy and is sustainable..how modern technologies could be of use as a creative tools to the marginalized and underdeveloped in moving everyone closer to the ideas of accomplishing the rediculously HUGE and inhumanly scaled problem we--all the people in the world--are faced with currently; Poverty. Thanks for listening. I would love to hear what you have to say Hi Chris. I think you might like what CawdNet is doing in rural Nigeria. To oversimplify the explanation - we are using ICTs to help people on both sides of the digital divide connect with each other and rub brains about how issues of rural poverty can be addressed. . CawdNet's approach is one of small small steps and then dissemination. We work through Special Interest Groups. A SIG can be tiny - it can even be as small as one person. But if the problem is likely to be shared by other people in a similar situation - a farmer, a health worker, a woman with a problem about cooking, a teacher, a young person who cannot find work. - then we think in terms of the start of a SIG... If we can solve the problem for one person - then we solve it for other potential SIG members... . In the past three months Cawdnet has: # Run an innovative training course for teachers, http://teacherstalking.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/TeachersTalkingCourse # Taken a farmer's problem to the GKD discussion list [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/ # Organised a workshop on solar cooking (I have some photos - but not on the Internet and I don't expect it is acceptable to send them as attachments with this email) CawdNet welcomes new people who are interested in working with us (especially from home using the Internet on our behalf) or supporting our work in any way. Do contact me on or off list. Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet convenor. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.8 - Release Date: 14/02/2005 ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Fwd: Student needs help to promote computer literacy in South Africa]
Ref Yared Ayale and ICT literacy help He might like to join the Teachers Talking group and see if any of the resources we have collected up on our Wiki there are of use to him. He will also be able to write to write to the list about his needs. The course that the TT group was initially set up to support has now happened, but the group continues. New members are welcome, but please explain *why* you want to join as it is a small group for people with an *active* interest. The home page of the Teachers Talking yahoo group join from here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CawdTeachersTalking/ Pam Pamela McLean CawdNet convenor. CawdNet - Linking rural communities in Nigeria with virtual communites on the Internet. Zoe Holbrooks wrote: Hi, I'm passing this to the list on the hope that someone can help this student from my alma mater. TIA, Zoe Original Message Dear Information School Community, Please find attached a letter and a request for help from Informatics Major, Yared Ayale, who is currently participating in a study abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa. Yared is seeking to promote computer literacy through work with Cape Town schools, but find that he is lacking basic resources to teach. (snip) Please contact me if you have any questions. I will offer my assistance in coordinating efforts as needed. Mariko ~~ Mariko Navin, Director Undergraduate Student Services Information School, Box 352840 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 206-616-1197 ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] RSS: The Next ICT Literacy Challenge? (firehose)
This email covers two things. First, many thanks to everyone who has sent explanations of RSS. I haven't digested all the information yet - but from a quick read through all that has been sent I'm feeling much less ignorant, and very glad that I did ask the question. Second , a response to what Kenan Jarboe wrote (the response linking in with reference to Wikis) : Ken Jarboe - But, to what extent is the problem aggravated (or even caused) by information overload? (snip)Our goal in closing the digital divide is to make sure people have the option -- not that we shove their face into that firehose stream of information around us with they want a simple drink. This is an important issue - and one that we are struggling to address through the Teachers Talking (about ICTs) group. If we train teachers in rural Nigeria to access the Internet (through cybercafes) then how do we ensure that their hard-won sessions online are effective? If *you* could only access the Internet a few times a year - what would you prioritise? This is not just a rhetorical question - I am genuinely trying to find the best way forward for the teachers. In planning the course our first attempt at a solution was to set up a yahoo group (so everyone involved could rub brains and people would have a friendly face starting point when logging on to the Internet). The group members are a mixed bunch. Think of them in three broad categories - teachers in rural Nigeria, active supporters of the teachers, people with an interest in the issues of ICT and education who only contribute occasionally, or simply lurk. Soon after setting up the Teachers Talking (TT) yahoo group we began to develop a Wiki as a kind of resource bank. Once the TT course started, it became obvious that the teachers would have little opportunity to search though the Wiki for themselves. The teachers went online during practical sessions - with an emphasis on using the TT group emailing list - and the time raced by. The supporters played an invaluable role emailing the teachers through the group list, and it was the supporters who referred to the Wiki. They emailed precise Wiki links to the course members (and the facilitators). The course is over now, but the group is ongoing. The initial TT course members plan a follow up meeting in February. The organisers plan to run additional courses if sponsors can be found (the teachers pay course fees but that does not cover the full costs). Links relevant to TT: Wiki front page http://teacherstalking.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome Wiki page including photo http://teacherstalking.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/TeachersTalkingCourse A description that emphasizes the Teachers Talking support group.This was written to a set structure on the Changemakers website so gives a different view of the project http://www.changemakers.net/journal/04november/case1-14-8-25.cfm Home page of Teachers Talking yahoo group (you can join TT from here) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CawdTeachersTalking/ This is not a problem relating only to teachers and CawdNet's education Special Interest Group (SIG). CawdNet is involved with other SIGs - women, health workers, youths and farmers. We'd like to support them in their potential Internet use too, and we know some of the issues they want us to find out about, but we don't have the resources to set up the support groups. I would be very interested to make contact with others who (to develop Kenan Jarboeuse analogy) are tackling (or interested in helping us to tackle) the problem of dipping into a torrent with a teaspoon. Pam Pamela McLean CAWD volunteer CawdNet convenor TT course facilitator ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] request for help: creating a podcast on our RSS/literacydiscussion
Hi Nick If you *have* to make an international phone call then downloading Skype www.skype.com to your computer is an excellent way to cut the costs. (You then use your computer mike and speakers - or headset - for your side of the phone call, and the costs are much lower that ordinary international phone calls.) If you are phoning to someone else's computer then its free - just like sending an email. Pam Nicki Gemmell wrote: Hi Andy, Not trying to be too difficult here, BUT, for many people not is the States, asking us to call a US phone number is going to cost money. How about setting up a gmail account and asking for mp3 attachments (a la Adam Curry) or asking people to ftp mp3 links to their own or even your website? Lots of us have things to say - what about (in the spirit of the DDN :) ) providing alternative ways to say it? Cheers Nicki Nicki Gemmell NixIT Teaching Technology P: 021 366 593 E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://nixit.co.nz or read my blog @ http://nixit.co.nz/wordpress -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Andy Carvin Sent: Sunday, 23 January 2005 10:44 a.m. To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [DDN] request for help: creating a podcast on our RSS/literacydiscussion Hi everyone, This discussion on RSS and literacy has been wonderful, and it's inspired me to put together a podcast on the subject. To do this, I'd like to ask for your help. Rather than reading what each of you have contributed to the conversation, I'd like to invite you to leave me a voicemail so I can incorporate your comments directly into the podcast. To send me a voicemail, please call 1-206-888-2762. Please introduce yourself so I know who you are (in case I don't know your voice), and try to keep it fairly short, since I won't be able to play everyone's comments in their entirety. Then, if I get enough comments by phone, I mix them into a podcast. If possible, please call by Monday morning so I can create the podcast sometime during the week. I'll make a transcript as well. thanks, ac - Andy Carvin Program Director EDC Center for Media Community acarvin @ edc . org http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org http://www.edwebproject.org/andy/blog/ - ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Re: [WWWEDU] RSS: The Next ICT Literacy Challenge?
Am I the only person wondering what RSS stands for? I confess I am only dipping in and out of the DDN list anyhow so may have missed something - or perhaps its something that everyone knows (Maybe I'll suddenly realise as soon as I click on the send button to confess my ignorance ..) I don't need all the techie details - but would appreciate a sentence or two.. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] UNESCO calls for Project Proposals: Information for All
Ken Callaghan wrote: Sorry - this page does not seem to want to be found. Is the link correct? I've had the same problem. In the end I got there by going to the site and doing a search - which got me to a page which did seem to be that link... Then there's a reference to another page - which was not a live link so I had to copy it. (Terrible time waster - but optimism won over experience again as I thought it wouldn't take long..) All the blurb seems to be about national and international things. It seems you have to be registered before you can get details about applying. I wonder if anyhow when I do finally get there it will prove to be too top down for the kind of groups I work with - even though we work across international boundaries as a matter of course. I've got to give up now and go to a day job. I'll be interested to know if you (or anyone else) gets further... Pamela McLean CawdNet. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] admin: thoughts on changing policy re: html messages
Maybe people don't always understand that their messages are going out as HTML messages, and/or don't know how to make the choice... Maybe there could be some helpful instructions about this when people join the list - repeated when/if the moderator needs to respond to a message that's been sent in HTML. Pam At 11:07 AM -0500 1/7/05, Andy Carvin wrote: Hi everyone, In recent months we've had some problems with getting list members' messages to the list because of the increasing number of messages in HTML. (snip) ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] ICT intiatives in Education
This information on the Teachers Talking (about ICTs) course which took place in rural Nigeria at the end of 2004 may interest you http://teacherstalking.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/TeachersTalkingCourse Pamela Mclean geeta pious wrote: HI, As part of making policy paper on ICT in Education, I am looking for the details unique initiatives in in education/e-learning. Can anybody help me to find the resources. Thanking you in advance Geeta Pious Mission Coodrinator Kerala State IT Mission India __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] wanted cheap e-democracy-type resource
I know you don't want ads - but then - you may not get your absolute ideal so this may be worth considering. We use yahoo groups for all kinds of things, and if they are simple enough for me to have become an enthusiastic user - and for contacts in Africa to find them usable via cyber cafes etc - then yahoo groups must be doing something very right ;-) Pamela McLean - CAWD volunteer and CawdNet convenor CawdNet Networking in rural Nigeria and in the virtual communities of the Internet. For an introduction to CawdNet www.cawdnet-intro.blogspot.com To subscribe to the newsletter http://lists.kabissa.org/mailman/listinfo/oocd2000plus To contribute to CAWD www.bmycharity.com/cawd1 For how it all started www.cawd.info CAWD - Charity for African Welfare and Development - is a UK registered charity. Smith, Ella wrote: Hi, A friend is looking for a cheapish tool for a group which includes a discussion forum, space to add documents, links etc, updateable events calendar and hopefully some sort of e-voting tool. They're trying to avoid having adverts on the site too. Ideally it would also be able to be used by those with either email or web access, but not both. In terms of technology there's plenty of know-how available to get it configured, but it would need to be used by (including updating content) by others with less technical confidence. Any suggestions gratefully received -Ella Ella Smith http://www.highlandyouthvoice.org/home.asp International Teledemocracy Centre Napier University 10 Colinton Road Edinburgh, EH10 5DT Telephone: +44 (0) 131 455 2392 Fax: +44 (0) 131 455 2282 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.teledemocracy.org ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
