This document discusses a distance learning project for teachers in rural Kenya. It provides background context on technology and education in Kenya. Access to technology is limited in rural areas, with few having access to computers or the internet. Education also faces challenges, including high dropout rates and lack of teacher training opportunities. The project aims to provide distance training to address these issues, while being culturally sensitive to the local context.
This is the presentation prepared for MyLISA OPENS
This presentation discusses the Unit-1 of UGC prescribed text for NET examination: Role of Information
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT Dr Lendy Spires
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT “The so-called digital divide is actually several gaps in one. There is a technological divide great gaps in infrastructure. There is a content divide. A lot of web-based information is simply not relevant to the real needs of people. And nearly 70 per cent of the world’s websites are in English, at times crowding out local voices and views.
There is a gender divide, with women and girls enjoying less access to information technology Introduction ICT and development The role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a tool for development has attracted the sustained attention of the United Nations over recent years. Strategic partnerships have been developed with donors, the private sector and civil society, and working groups and task forces have been established to enhance inter-agency collaboration throughout the United Nations system. In 2000, the Economic and Social Council adopted a Ministerial Declaration on the role of information technology in the context of a knowledge-based economy.
In 2001, the Secretary-General established a high-level Information and Communication Technologies Task Force to provide overall leadership to the United Nations on the formulation of strategies to put ICT at the service of development.2 The Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000 underscored the urgency of ensuring that the benefits of new technologies, especially ICT, are made available to all. To achieve this goal, a United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was planned in two phases. The first phase, the Geneva Summit in December 2003, aimed to develop political will and to establish the foundations for an Information Society for all.
In total, 175 Governments endorsed the Declaration of Principles3 and Plan of Action at the first phase.4 The second phase of WSIS is planned for November 2005 in Tunis. Information and Communication Technologies comprise a complex and heterogeneous set of goods, applications and services used to produce, process, distribute and transform information.
Introduction to the Global Digital DivideNiamh Headon
Introduction and brief overview the Global Digital Divide.
Definition
Internet access & Globalization of technology and technology skills
Challenges of Global Digital Access
World Summit on the Information Society
Education & Economics
Effective Government
Cultural and Economic differences
Social Class and Access to Technology
Individuals with disability
Information and communications
technologies (ICTs) are different tools
and technologies to transmit information
and communicate with the community
(one to one or in groups). Through the
use of computers and interconnected
networks it provides a feasible and
accurate platform to increase the mobility
of information for different issues and
exchange of knowledge.
Information and communication technology:a class presentationSelim Reza Bappy
its a powerpoint presentation of the student of hon's 2nd year (2012-13)of the department of Information Science and Library Management of the University of dhaka. It will be helpfull for the junior.
Evers, Hans-Dieter, and Solvay Gerke. 2012. "Local Knowledge and the Digital Divide: Focus on Southeast Asia." in Working Paper No.2, : Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
https://sites.google.com/site/iasworkingpapersseries/
Abstract
Abstract The production, dissemination and utilization of knowledge are essential for development and the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) is a precondition for developing a knowledge society. Countries, regions and populations are, however, divided, in terms of access to ICT. Socio-economic indicators on Brazil, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands and Germany are used to show that the existing global digital divide and the knowledge gap are widening between developing countries and the industrial countries and within individual nations. The moral and cultural issues of the digital divide and the knowledge gap are identified. Access to primary education and the acquisition of reading and writing skills is a basic human right and an internal digital divide between those that have access to further knowledge and others without access is unjust and not acceptable. Furthermore a civilization needs “meta-narratives” as a common ground, an anchorage for basic cultural values, which have to be disseminated, known and accepted by all members of a society to avoid violent conflict, fundamentalisms of various kinds and alienation. Some countries have embarked on an ambitious plan to close the digital divide and to use knowledge as a base for economic development, by-passing earlier stages of industrialization. Some commentators have, in contrast, asserted that it is doubtful that closing the digital divide will let developing countries leapfrog to higher levels of development as the knowledge economy will deepen the digital divide between regions and populations and actually expand the gap between rich and poor. The paper discusses this controversy by arguing that global knowledge has to be localized and local knowledge utilized in developing a knowledge society. If it seems unlikely that the digital gap between developing and developed countries will be closed completely at least narrowing the gap at the lower end should be targeted. For this purpose minimal standards of “basic digital needs” should be formulated.
https://sites.google.com/site/iasworkingpapersseries/
Presentation held by Mr.Goran Mitreski as a part of the Digital Divide Session at the 8th SEEITA and 7th MASIT Open Days Conference, 14th-15th October, 2010
Observing the e-Learning phenomenon: The case of school education. Analysing ...eLearning Papers
Author: Nikitas Kastis.
Over the past 25 years, the school sector has been the promising area for public policies and funding activities, as well as for commercial interests, to increase the availability of ICT in education.
Author:Tapio Varis.
Modern European university traditions during the last 500 years face major challenges in the 21st century. During the Enlightenment and the spirit of Kant, the emphasis was on the logic of human rationality. The Humbold tradition during the 19th century promoted culture and civilisation, a holistic idea of human beings as the ultimate goal of higher education.
Authors: Pedro Leão Ramos Ferreira Neto, Margarida Amaral.
This case study was conducted by the senior lecturer in charge of the Computer Architectural Aided Design (CAAD) course, with the support and active collaboration of Instituto de Recursos e Iniciativas Comuns da Universidade do Porto (IRICUP). CAAD is an optional course for fifth-year students at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP).
This is the presentation prepared for MyLISA OPENS
This presentation discusses the Unit-1 of UGC prescribed text for NET examination: Role of Information
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT Dr Lendy Spires
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT “The so-called digital divide is actually several gaps in one. There is a technological divide great gaps in infrastructure. There is a content divide. A lot of web-based information is simply not relevant to the real needs of people. And nearly 70 per cent of the world’s websites are in English, at times crowding out local voices and views.
There is a gender divide, with women and girls enjoying less access to information technology Introduction ICT and development The role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a tool for development has attracted the sustained attention of the United Nations over recent years. Strategic partnerships have been developed with donors, the private sector and civil society, and working groups and task forces have been established to enhance inter-agency collaboration throughout the United Nations system. In 2000, the Economic and Social Council adopted a Ministerial Declaration on the role of information technology in the context of a knowledge-based economy.
In 2001, the Secretary-General established a high-level Information and Communication Technologies Task Force to provide overall leadership to the United Nations on the formulation of strategies to put ICT at the service of development.2 The Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000 underscored the urgency of ensuring that the benefits of new technologies, especially ICT, are made available to all. To achieve this goal, a United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was planned in two phases. The first phase, the Geneva Summit in December 2003, aimed to develop political will and to establish the foundations for an Information Society for all.
In total, 175 Governments endorsed the Declaration of Principles3 and Plan of Action at the first phase.4 The second phase of WSIS is planned for November 2005 in Tunis. Information and Communication Technologies comprise a complex and heterogeneous set of goods, applications and services used to produce, process, distribute and transform information.
Introduction to the Global Digital DivideNiamh Headon
Introduction and brief overview the Global Digital Divide.
Definition
Internet access & Globalization of technology and technology skills
Challenges of Global Digital Access
World Summit on the Information Society
Education & Economics
Effective Government
Cultural and Economic differences
Social Class and Access to Technology
Individuals with disability
Information and communications
technologies (ICTs) are different tools
and technologies to transmit information
and communicate with the community
(one to one or in groups). Through the
use of computers and interconnected
networks it provides a feasible and
accurate platform to increase the mobility
of information for different issues and
exchange of knowledge.
Information and communication technology:a class presentationSelim Reza Bappy
its a powerpoint presentation of the student of hon's 2nd year (2012-13)of the department of Information Science and Library Management of the University of dhaka. It will be helpfull for the junior.
Evers, Hans-Dieter, and Solvay Gerke. 2012. "Local Knowledge and the Digital Divide: Focus on Southeast Asia." in Working Paper No.2, : Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
https://sites.google.com/site/iasworkingpapersseries/
Abstract
Abstract The production, dissemination and utilization of knowledge are essential for development and the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) is a precondition for developing a knowledge society. Countries, regions and populations are, however, divided, in terms of access to ICT. Socio-economic indicators on Brazil, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands and Germany are used to show that the existing global digital divide and the knowledge gap are widening between developing countries and the industrial countries and within individual nations. The moral and cultural issues of the digital divide and the knowledge gap are identified. Access to primary education and the acquisition of reading and writing skills is a basic human right and an internal digital divide between those that have access to further knowledge and others without access is unjust and not acceptable. Furthermore a civilization needs “meta-narratives” as a common ground, an anchorage for basic cultural values, which have to be disseminated, known and accepted by all members of a society to avoid violent conflict, fundamentalisms of various kinds and alienation. Some countries have embarked on an ambitious plan to close the digital divide and to use knowledge as a base for economic development, by-passing earlier stages of industrialization. Some commentators have, in contrast, asserted that it is doubtful that closing the digital divide will let developing countries leapfrog to higher levels of development as the knowledge economy will deepen the digital divide between regions and populations and actually expand the gap between rich and poor. The paper discusses this controversy by arguing that global knowledge has to be localized and local knowledge utilized in developing a knowledge society. If it seems unlikely that the digital gap between developing and developed countries will be closed completely at least narrowing the gap at the lower end should be targeted. For this purpose minimal standards of “basic digital needs” should be formulated.
https://sites.google.com/site/iasworkingpapersseries/
Presentation held by Mr.Goran Mitreski as a part of the Digital Divide Session at the 8th SEEITA and 7th MASIT Open Days Conference, 14th-15th October, 2010
Observing the e-Learning phenomenon: The case of school education. Analysing ...eLearning Papers
Author: Nikitas Kastis.
Over the past 25 years, the school sector has been the promising area for public policies and funding activities, as well as for commercial interests, to increase the availability of ICT in education.
Author:Tapio Varis.
Modern European university traditions during the last 500 years face major challenges in the 21st century. During the Enlightenment and the spirit of Kant, the emphasis was on the logic of human rationality. The Humbold tradition during the 19th century promoted culture and civilisation, a holistic idea of human beings as the ultimate goal of higher education.
Authors: Pedro Leão Ramos Ferreira Neto, Margarida Amaral.
This case study was conducted by the senior lecturer in charge of the Computer Architectural Aided Design (CAAD) course, with the support and active collaboration of Instituto de Recursos e Iniciativas Comuns da Universidade do Porto (IRICUP). CAAD is an optional course for fifth-year students at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP).
Fingers on the Screen: Game-Based Learning for Students with Intellectual Dis...eLearning Papers
Author(s): Maria Saridaki, Costas Mourlas.
Game-Based Learning in the special education classroom is still regarded with skepticism by educators, or has been used mainly as an extrinsic reinforcement.
Social Software and the Establishment of Virtual Communities of Practice in t...eLearning Papers
Authors: Klaus Reich, Christian Petter, Kathrin Helling.
The concept of Communities of Practice can be seen as a central model that supports informal learning processes especially in workplace surroundings. Based on the assumption that Social Software tools and models are well suited to support collaboration within virtual networks, this paper aims to present and analyse the experiences made in the process of establishing Virtual Communities of Practice in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the tourism sector in Europe (involving the application of Social Software tools).
Designing for Change: Mash-Up Personal Learning EnvironmentseLearning Papers
Authors:Fridolin Wild, Felix Mödritscher, Steinn E. Sigurdarson.
Institutions for formal education and most work places are equipped today with at least some kind of tools that bring together people and content artefacts in learning activities to support them in constructing and processing information and knowledge. For almost half a century, science and practice have been discussing models on how to bring personalisation through digital means to these environments.
Inclusive education: helping teachers to choose ICT resources and to use them...eLearning Papers
Authors: Vincenza Benigno, Stefania Bocconi, Michela Ott.
This paper looks at the issue of school inclusion by referring to the concept of Universal Access to Education. It focuses on the strong potential Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide to avoid any kind of discrimination among students. The paper also argues that teachers play a fundamental role in capitalising the opportunities offered by new technologies to support the full inclusion of all students in mainstream education systems.
Research Inventy : International Journal of Engineering and Scienceinventy
Research Inventy : International Journal of Engineering and Science is published by the group of young academic and industrial researchers with 12 Issues per year. It is an online as well as print version open access journal that provides rapid publication (monthly) of articles in all areas of the subject such as: civil, mechanical, chemical, electronic and computer engineering as well as production and information technology. The Journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published by rapid process within 20 days after acceptance and peer review process takes only 7 days. All articles published in Research Inventy will be peer-reviewed.
EMPLOYEE COMPETENCIES AS THE PREDICTORS OF THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM:...IAEME Publication
The authors report the results of an empirical research study carried out, how the
employee competencies will effect Performance Management System in IT Enabled
Service companies. A survey of 900 employees working in IT Enabled Service
companies around Hyderabad Metro consisting of 550 men and 350 women employees
using a structured questionnaire was carried out. The study empirically measured the
effect of four independent variables, the employee competencies– personal
competencies, knowledge level competencies, job-related competencies and
communication and interpersonal competencies on a dependent variable performance
management system in IT Enabled Services companies
Innovative ICT Solutions and Entrepreneurship Development in Rural Area Such ...RSIS International
The use of internet and information communication
technology (ICT) infrastructures is an essential aspect of
learning, this is why a lot of information on entrepreneurship
career choices are available online. However, the emerging
growth in the use of information and communication
technologies and services towards entrepreneurship development
is a challenge for efficient information dissemination and
learning especially in rural areas. This paper pointed out an area
in which MCIU can use Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) resources/infrastructure it possess for
entrepreneurship development and poverty alleviation in its
community. Thereby, encouraging social and economic growth,
and overcome the gap between urban and rural areas
entrepreneurship development. An online learning platform,
using video may contribute greatly in rural entrepreneurship
development such as MCIU community. Some examples of some
programmes like learning make over, headgear tying, bead
making, cake designing, etc online for a period of 4 to 6weeks
Challenges of E-Learing in Nigerian University Education Based on the Experie...IJMIT JOURNAL
This paper present a review of the challenges of e-learning in Nigerian University education based on the experience of four developed countries, UK, Australia, Korea and France. The survey shows that these countries have: (i) vision and action plans for e-learning, (ii) they have good government policies and financial support, (iii) they earmark action programs and set committees with sufficient funds to pursue it goals, (iv) they believe in research as a fundamental part of e-learning strategy, and lastly (v) they embark on awareness, training and motivational programs. The paper pointed out that, for the challenges of Nigerian university education to be reduced to minimum, the Federal Government should improve on educational funding as UNESCO recommended 26% of the annual budget. In addition the government should fulfill her promise on the issue of improving Electricity supply in the country. Furthermore, the university administrators should embark on awareness and training of staff on the use of ICTs, with motivations attached. The Internet is a major driver of ICT in education and bandwidth is a major issue in the deployment of e-learning. Therefore government should make Internet connectivity a priority for higher education to be able to leverage on the promises and opportunities ICTs present.
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
Similar to Distance training of teachers in a rural area in Kenya (20)
OER in the Mobile Era: Content Repositories’ Features for Mobile Devices and ...eLearning Papers
Learning objects and open contents have been named in the Horizon reports from 2004 and 2010 respectively, predicting to have an impact in the short term due to the current trend of offering open content for free on the Web. OER repositories should adapt their features so their contents can be accessed from mobile devices. This paper summarizes recent trends in the creation, publication, discovery, acquisition, access, use and re-use of learning objects on mobile devices based on a literature review on research done from 2007 to 2012. From the content providers side, we present the results obtained from a survey performed on 23 educational repository owners prompting them to answer about their current and expected support on mobile devices. From the content user side, we identify features provided by the main OER repositories. Finally, we introduce future trends and our next contributions.
Designing and Developing Mobile Learning Applications in International Studen...eLearning Papers
This paper reports on an international collaboration in which students from different universities designed and developed mobile learning applications, working together in interdisciplinary teams using social and mobile media. We describe the concept, process and outcomes of this collaboration including challenges of designing and developing mobile learning applications in virtual teams.
This paper reports on the current challenges the professional sector faces when going mobile. The report discusses the role of mobile devices in the workforce and addresses challenges like compatibility, security and training. It also provides a comprehensive review of the mobile landscape, and reviews current best practices in mobile learning.
Standing at the Crossroads: Mobile Learning and Cloud Computing at Estonian S...eLearning Papers
This paper studies the impact of mobile learning implementation efforts in Estonian school system – a process that has created a lot of controversy during the recent years. Best practices in mobile learning are available from the entire world, forcing schools to keep up the push towards better connectivity and gadgetry. Even in the best cases where the schools are provided with the necessary tools, the process has met a lot of scepticism from teachers who are afraid to implement new methods. Teachers are often cornered with the ‘comply or leave’ attitude from educational authorities, resulting in a multi-sided battle between involved parties.
We have surveyed students, teachers, parents and management at five Estonian front-runner schools to sort out the situation. The results show different attitudes among students, school leaders and staff – while all of them mostly possess necessary tools and skills, teachers almost completely lack motivation to promote mobile learning. We propose some positive and negative scenarios – for example, we predict major problems if teacher training will not change, e-safety policies are inadequately developed or authorities will continue the tendency to put all the eggs into one basket (e.g. by relying solely on closed, corporate solutions for mobile learning platforms).
M-portfolios: Using Mobile Technology to Document Learning in Student Teacher...eLearning Papers
We briefly analyse the enhancement of eportfolio processes defined by Zubizarreta (2009) with the introduction of mobile technology. We give some examples of appropriation of mobile device usage in eportfolio processes carried out by student teachers. These examples become the evidence of the enhancement possibilities of one of the portfolio processes defined by Zubizarreta (2009), that of documentation.
GGULIVRR: Touching Mobile and Contextual LearningeLearning Papers
The quest of today’s learning communities is to creatively uptake and embed the emerging technologies to maintain the pace of change, of learning content and platforms, while satisfying learners’ needs and coping with limited resources. As information is delivered abundantly and change is constant, education focuses on driving 21st century fluency.
Project GGULIVRR, Generic Game for Ubiquitous Learning in Interactive Virtual and Real Realities, initiates the study of ubiquitous learning, investigating mobile and contextual learning, challenging small devices with sophisticated computing and networking capacities, testing the pervasive internet and exploring intelligent tags.
The goal of project GGULIVRR is to present learning communities a framework enabling learners to practice and enhance 21st century skills while generating and playing mobile contextual games.
Project GGULIVRR entices learners to get in touch. To play the contextual game one needs to physically go to a ‘touchable’ location, where real objects are tagged with an intelligent tag. By touching a tag one gets in touch with the contextual content. Through playing and developing GGULIVRR games one meets other gamers and developers as the project format induces interdisciplinarity, inter-social and intercultural communication and collaboration empowering local people to unlock contextual content with a minimal technical threshold.
Reaching Out with OER: The New Role of Public-Facing Open ScholareLearning Papers
Open educational resources (OER) and, more recently, open educational practices (OEP) have been widely promoted as a means of increasing openness in higher education (HE). Thus far, such openness has been limited by OER provision typically being supplier-driven and contained within the boundaries of HE. Seeking to explore ways in which OEP might become more needs-led we conceptualised a new ‘public-facing open scholar’ role involving academics working with online communities to source and develop OER to meet their needs.
To explore the scope for this role we focused on the voluntary sector, which we felt might particularly benefit from such collaboration. We evaluated four representative communities for evidence of their being self-educating (thereby offering the potential for academics to contribute) and for any existing learning dimension. We found that all four communities were self-educating and each included learning infrastructure elements, for example provision for web chats with ‘experts’, together with evidence of receptiveness to academic collaboration. This indicated that there was scope for the role of public-facing open scholar. We therefore developed detailed guidelines for performing the role, which has the potential to be applied beyond the voluntary sector and to greatly extend the beneficial impact of existing OER, prompting institutions to release new OER in response to the needs of people outside HE.
Managing Training Concepts in Multicultural Business EnvironmentseLearning Papers
Companies that need training and development services increasingly often operate in a context that consists of more than just one country, language and culture. While business operations are becoming international, companies expect their service providers being capable of catering them where needed. Succeeding in a very complex multinational customer-tailored training project takes more than a good concept. The concept must be flexible so that when language and cultural changes vary from country to country they do not endanger the content to be delivered. There can be several localised versions of the training concept under simultaneous delivery. Challenge is how to manage the concept.
Reflective Learning at Work – MIRROR Model, Apps and Serious GameseLearning Papers
This report discusses the initial results of a 4-year FP7 research project that developed a theoretical model and worked on the creation and evaluation of a range of ‘Mirror’ apps based on our Mirror reflection model. The findings divulge how the apps and serious games can facilitate reflectionº at work, by empowering employees to learn by reflection on their work practice and on their personal learning experiences.
SKILL2E: Online Reflection for Intercultural Competence GaineLearning Papers
The project SKILL2E aims to equip students on international work placements with intercultural competences. The model proposes a double loop learning cycle in which a shared online diary using guided questions is used for reflection. Preliminary results illustrate how this collaborative approach is conducive to the development of intercultural competences.
Experience Networking in the TVET System to Improve Occupational CompetencieseLearning Papers
This paper aims at considering the development and strengthening of networks in (T)VET systems as a means of improving employability and mobility of workers, through a system where occupational competences, required by the Labour Market, described in terms of Learning Outcomes that can be assessed and validated in all different contexts (formal, non formal and informal) developed following quality standards, will be abreast with changes and innovations of the global context requirements, in order to respond to those shortcomings that limit the potential growth of countries with serious implications for the participation in global markets, job growth, economical and social stability.
Leveraging Trust to Support Online Learning Creativity – A Case StudyeLearning Papers
The insights shared through this article build on data collected in real life situations. The work described here attempts to understand how trust can be used as leverage to support online learning and creative collaboration. This report explores this understanding from the teacher perspective. It examines trust commitments in an international setting within which learners from different European countries collaborate and articulate their learning tasks and skills at a distance. This research endeavour aims to recognize both individual and group vulnerabilities as opportunities to strengthen their cooperation and collaboration. We believe that by understanding how to assess and monitor learners’ trust, teachers could use this information to intervene and provide positive support, thereby promoting and reinforcing learners’ autonomy and their motivation to creatively engage in their learning activities.
The results gathered so far enabled an initial understanding of what to look for when monitoring trust with the intention of understanding and influencing learners’ behaviours. They point to three main aspects to monitor on students: (1) their perception of each others’ intentions, in a given context, (2) their level of cooperation as expressed by changes in individual and group commitments towards a particular activity; and, (3) their attitudes towards the use of communication mediums for learning purposes (intentions of use, actual use and reactions to actual use).
Innovating Teaching and Learning Practices: Key Elements for Developing Crea...eLearning Papers
This paper looks at how to innovate teaching and learning practices at system level. It describes the vision for ‘Creative Classrooms’ and makes a consolidated proposal for their implementation, clarifying their holistic and systemic nature, their intended learning outcomes, and their pedagogical, technological, and organisational dimensions for innovation. ‘Creative Classrooms’ (CCR) are conceptualized as innovative learning environments that fully embed the potential of ICT to innovate learning and teaching practices in formal, non-formal and informal settings.
The proposed multi-dimensional concept for CCR consists of eight encompassing and interconnected key dimensions and a set of 28 reference parameters (‘building blocks’). At the heart of the CCR concept lie innovative pedagogical practices that emerge when teachers use ICT in their efforts to organize newer and improved forms of open-ended, collaborative, and meaningful learning activities, rather than simply to enhance traditional pedagogies, such as expository lessons and task-based learning.
A preliminary analysis of two existing cases of ICT-enabled innovation for learning is presented in order to show (i) how the proposed key dimensions and reference parameters are implemented in real-life settings to configure profoundly diverse types of CCR and (ii) to depict the systemic approach needed for the sustainable implementation and progressive up-scaling of Creative Classrooms across Europe.
Website – A Partnership between Parents, Students and SchoolseLearning Papers
The website developed by the 1.b class at the Augusta Šenoa elementary school is, first and foremost, a pioneering work stemming from cooperation among teachers and parents. The purpose of the website is to inform, activate, and involve parents, students and teachers who work in the classroom. Each activity is documented, giving insight into the everyday activities, and making the classroom visible and transparent to everyone. The project uses new technology (forum, gallery of student work, class mail), and enlists a partnership of parents, who made parts of the website.
Academic Staff Development in the Area of Technology Enhanced Learning in UK ...eLearning Papers
This paper reports on a study on staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that took place in November, 2011. Data for this study were gathered via an online survey emailed to the Heads of e-Learning Forum (HeLF) which is a network comprised of one senior staff member per UK institution, leading the enhancement of learning and teaching through the use of technology. Prior to the survey, desk-based research on some universities’ publicly available websites gathered similar information about staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning. The online survey received 27 responses, approaching a quarter of all UK HEIs subscribed to the Heads of e-Learning forum list (118 is the total number). Both pre-1992 (16 in number) and post-1992 Universities (11 in number) were represented in the survey and findings indicate the way this sample of UK HEIs are approaching staff development in the area of TEL.
The Ageing Brain: Neuroplasticity and Lifelong LearningeLearning Papers
The role of adult education is becoming increasingly important in the framework of policies to promote lifelong learning. Adult participation in training activities, however, is still rather low, despite the incentives and initiatives aimed at allowing all citizens access
to education and training at all ages in their lives.
Participation tends to decrease concomitantly with increasing age: the major difficulty that elderly people have in learning is due to a deterioration of brain function, causing a progressive weakening of concentration, memory and mental flexibility. Today, advanced
researches in neuroscience show that brain ageing may be reversible: the brain
is plastic in all stages of life, and its maps can restructure themselves through learning experiences.
Checklist for a Didactically Sound Design of eLearning ContenteLearning Papers
The design of elearning content requires several areas of educational psychology to be
integrated. In order to enhance the design process, checklists can be used as a means of formative evaluation. We present a checklist for the design and formative evaluation of elearning modules.
It covers the content, segmenting, sequencing and navigation, adaptation to target audience,
design of text and graphics, learning tasks and feedback, and motivation. In the context of a project on designing elearning modules on renewable energies, this
checklist was successfully used for providing formative feedback to the developers.
The International Student and the Challenges of Lifelong LearningeLearning Papers
Although few people would oppose the view that lifelong learning is intended to be a positive experience, it should be borne in mind that an ageing student body might require the development of additional tools and skills for the online educator.
In this short paper we present two cases of challenges faced by international learners who brought with them into the learning environment some issues that were the product, not only of the age of the learner in question, but also of the geographical environment
in which they studied. The names of the learners have been changed.
Fostering Older People’s Digital Inclusion to Promote Active AgeingeLearning Papers
Within the framework of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, ECDL Foundation will partner with AGE Platform Europe to promote older people’s digital inclusion.
This collaboration involves the launch of an updated ICT training programme adapted to older people’s needs: a revised version of the ECDL Foundation’s accessible ICT training programme, EqualSkills.
eLearning and Social Networking in Mentoring Processes to Support Active AgeingeLearning Papers
Mentoring is a human resources development process often used to induct, introduce and guide staff into places of employment.
Training people on the job or using elderly people as mentors can be organised to address aspects like skill shortage in organisations, recruiting and retaining personal with the necessary knowledge and active involvement of older people. In this paper we present some aspects of mentoring, particularly the ICT support of such process and
give examples.
How to Add Chatter in the odoo 17 ERP ModuleCeline George
In Odoo, the chatter is like a chat tool that helps you work together on records. You can leave notes and track things, making it easier to talk with your team and partners. Inside chatter, all communication history, activity, and changes will be displayed.
How to Build a Module in Odoo 17 Using the Scaffold MethodCeline George
Odoo provides an option for creating a module by using a single line command. By using this command the user can make a whole structure of a module. It is very easy for a beginner to make a module. There is no need to make each file manually. This slide will show how to create a module using the scaffold method.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty,
International FDP on Fundamentals of Research in Social Sciences
at Integral University, Lucknow, 06.06.2024
By Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdf
Distance training of teachers in a rural area in Kenya
1. Distance training of teachers in a rural area in Kenya
Chiara Pozzi
University of Milano-Bicocca – Centro di Produzione Multimediale, Italy
Summary
Globalisation has intensified and delocalised social relations at a worldwide level; it has
connected “distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events
occurring many miles away and vice versa. Local transformation is as much a part of
globalisation as the lateral extension of social connections across time and space” (Giddens,
1990).
The revolutionary changes that have occurred in information technology and the ensuing
phenomenon of the digital divide are important aspects of this process. In this study, we
analyse the digital divide by looking at it from a peripheral perspective, compared to the
developed world, where this revolution has started. Africa and Kenya thus become the
changing local context from which we observe the penetration of new technologies as part of
the globalisation process.
In Africa, the situation concerning the digital divide, the social gap in the access and use of
information technologies and, in particular, the delay in the implementation of the infrastructure
required to ensure their availability and use, is inadequate. However, it should be noticed that
the globalisation process is contributing to a progressive penetration of new technologies in the
African continent. But the population should not only be able to use them - they should also be
able to promote, manage and regulate them. This is important because ICT carry major
consequences on both social practices and local culture.
This article illustrates a pilot e-learning project for teachers carried out in the Gwassi district, a
rural area in Kenya. We start with an overview of the national and local context and go on to
consider how culture mediates between the individual and technology. Finally, the paper looks
into the local situation and illustrates the context and the strategic issues in which the project
stakeholders are working on now.
Keywords: digital divide, Africa, e-learning, Kenya, globalisation, teachers, multicultural,
training, penetration, developing countries
1 Technologies, education, culture
1.1 New technologies and education in Africa
In Africa (except for South Africa), the delay in the realisation of the structures required to
guarantee the availability of information technologies is made worse by the absolute shortage
of skills in the use of these technologies. Manuel Castells highlights that “In the present state of
things, Africa is excluded from the IT revolution, except for a few financial and international
business nodes that are in any case directly linked to global networks and completely bypass
African economies and societies” (Castells, 1998). In this part of the world, there is no basic
infrastructure to enable the use of IT equipment and provide access to digital information. With
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2. regards to the question of infrastructure, Castells states that before moving to electronic
networks, Africa must be provided with a reliable electric supply.
Figure: Nighttime Lights of the World
Source: This image was created in 2003 by the Defense Meteorological SatelliteProgram
(DMSP), Operational Linescan System (OLS). http://sabr.ngdc.noaa.gov/ntl/?2003&global
The image above, which was realised from a composition of pictures taken by different
satellites, shows the lights of the world at night time. Some densely illuminated areas – like the
East Coast of North America and Western Europe - immediately catch the viewer’s eye, in
sharp contrast with some totally dark areas, some of which stretch over whole continents. Africa
seems to disappear from this map and its coasts are hard to spot. Dark areas, which spread
over the densely-populated African continent, are a sign that an entire “universe” of individuals,
families, communities, and even whole countries - disconnected because they are not part of
the economic grid - are excluded from the access to new technologies.
Looking at the “Nighttime Lights of the World” map in more detail, which indicates the presence
and use of electric power in the form of sources of light, it appears that within the geographic
borders of the African continent, there is an inhomogeneous concentration of glowing points.
Thus, rather than Africa, it would be more appropriate to refer to “different Africas”, which are
characterised by different geographical situations, but also by different cultural, political,
economic and social contexts. Developing countries, as well as the African continent as a
whole, are fragmented; they are characterised by different paces of development and by great
internal conflict, which cannot be understood and labelled by means of commonplace
definitions.
With regards to ICTs, this states of affairs begs the question as to whether the Internet and new
technologies are a chance for development or whether, on the contrary, they further contribute
to the exclusion of Africa from this process?
The Internet has brought about an intensification of social relations at a global scale: it has
connected distant places and it has opened up the possibility for individuals to benefit from
cultural and educational experiences that are separated from their spatial and temporal
dimension. This aspect, which is a typical feature of modern society and which sociologist
Antony Giddens defines as desembedding [1], can be easily observed when considering
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), which sets social relations in a context other than
the local one. Internet brings about a new virtual spatial dimension, which ironically reproduces
some spaces of exclusion connected to an “old”, physical notion of territoriality which can be
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3. found, for example, in countries in the South of the world. Here again, the context factor is of
paramount importance: it gives strength to “models of planning and development of new
technologies embedded in those countries where these technologies will be actually used” as
well as to policies aimed at encouraging “technological production and innovation in the
countries concerned, which cannot be reached without a stronger investment in training”
(Comunello, 2005).
This said, for an isolated and backward continent like Africa, Internet and new technologies
carry an enormous potential for connection, interaction, training, and development.
1.2 Information technologies in Kenya
Finding information and data on new technologies in Kenya has been particularly arduous.
International organisations’ databases and websites contain but little information. The available
figures that were most useful for this study were national aggregate data on Internet usage,
mobile telephone subscriptions, and the presence of Internet hosts. Institutional government
websites did not help much in this regard either: they seem to lack all information on the
presence, access, and use of PC’s and e-mail on a national scale, as well as on the access and
use of the Internet on a smaller territorial scale. This lack led researchers to establish personal
contacts with local experts of new communication and education technologies, who were mostly
university professors. This approach bore its fruit: a Kenyan professor who collaborates with the
MIT on a mobile learning project in Kenya indicated some Internet resources that had not been
found previously. These indications led to the identification of two websites that contain a
substantial wealth of information:
1. www.cck.go.ke (Communications Commission of Kenya)
2. http://www.researchictafrica.net (Research ICT Africa! is a network of African researchers)
The report published by the “Communication Commission of Kenya & International
Development Research Centre” in 2004 shows some interesting data about information
technologies in the country. It is assessed that in 2002/2003, in Kenya, there were about
400,000 Internet users; in other words, 1.27 people every 100 used the Internet. In 2006 this
data has grown up to 7.98 people every 100. Compared to the situation of some African
countries, this figure appears to be lower than Benin, Egypt, Sudan and Zimbawe, while is
higher than some Eastern Africa countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Somalia. (ITU,
2006)
The use of new technologies in a country like Kenya is a phenomenon which mainly involves
young affluent and well-educated people and which is concentrated in urban areas.
A national survey carried out by the Institute for Development Studies of the University of
Nairobi helps build a picture that, though it is not exhaustive, surely provides a good indication
on the use of new technologies in the country (Omosa & McCormick, 2004). This study
analyses the availability, the accessibility, and the use of communication services in Kenya’s
rural areas. In particular, it focuses on household-based services. The data it contains are of a
special interest thanks to their uniqueness and their territorial scale, which allows to put our
case study – which is located in a rural area of the country – into context.
The survey is based on a questionnaire that was administered to a sample of 1,139 families
living in rural areas of the country. When we compare some data in the report with the few
national data found in other sources, the impression is that rural areas have been depicted in a
worse way than we would have expected. In any case, this study still is a precious source
providing an invaluable overall picture.
This survey led to the collection of the following data concerning the computer as a tool: 42% of
the sample know what a computer is and two thirds of them saw a computer for the first time in
a shopping mall, a bank, or at the workplace; the remaining one third saw a PC for the first time
in public premises such as schools, hospitals, and offices. Only as few as 9% of the population
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4. who knows what a PC is also has the basic knowledge required to use it (about four people out
of ten).
Let us now analyse the reasons why these people have never used a computer. About 40%
reported they were illiterate [2]; 25% declared they did not have enough knowledge in order to
be able to use it; another 25% said that this tool was not readily available, that it could not be
found easily and that is was too expensive; finally, 10% claimed they did not feel a need for it.
If we try to draw a profile of those who have access to the use of a computer, it appears that
they are usually males aged under 55 (people over 65 have never used a computer) with a high
educational level (83.3% of them have university education) and high income.
Let us now have a quick glance at the Internet. Less than one person out of ten (8.6%) knows
what Internet is: 21% of them used it at least once (1.8 out of 100 people). Among those who
have used it at least once, two thirds are able to access it unaided (1.2 out of 100 people).
People living in rural areas live on average about 22 kilometres away from the closest Internet
access point but this value reaches, in some cases, a peak of 142 Km.
This survey contains another particularly interesting piece of information: little less than 12% of
those who use the Net do it for educational purposes: that is 2 people out of 1000.
1.3 Access to education in Kenya: related problems
In a study on the decrease of primary school enrolments carried out in 2003, some Kenyan
researchers emphasised that inside the country’s educational system, the situation is fraught
with several problems and is at a standstill (Bedia, Kimalub, Mandac & Nafulad, 2003). Some
factors of importance that were mentioned were the unvarying number of school repeaters, high
dropout rates and, most seriously, decreasing primary and secondary school enrolments rates.
The percentage of children who do not access the educational system, the so called “children
out-of-school”, was still as high as 36% in 2002; it decreased to 23% only as late as 2005
(UNESCO, 2005a).
In the last part of the last century, several factors in Kenya led to a decline in the importance
attached to school education as a tool to combat poverty. Moreover, the country’s educational
system is far too complex to be analysed in detail in this paper. In their study, the Kenyan
researchers pointed out that, from the mid 1980’s, the involvement of the population in training
and education started decreasing. In this respect, two elements were identified as carrying a
specific importance: the reform of school curricula of 1984-1985 and a policy of distribution of
resources within the educational system implemented in 1988 [3], which encumbered families
with a series of costs that had until then been paid by the government. This policy, as a result,
discouraged families from sending their children to school.
Besides these two important elements concerning educational policies, the Kenyan researchers
also pointed out some other factors that could play an important role in the outcome of the
policies adopted, such as pedagogical visions, school management practices, teachers’
motivation and training, and the strength of the teachers’ organisations.
The level of teachers’ training appears to be have a significant bearing on primary and
secondary school enrolment rates; it seems to be even more important that the problem of the
high number of pupils in each class, which is caused by a lack of teaching staff. The Kenyan
average is of one teacher every 40 pupils (UNESCO, 2005a), but the number of pupils rises in
rural settings. Policies aimed at giving teachers the chance to acquire a higher level of
competences could therefore have a concrete effect on access rates with regards to primary
and secondary education.
In Kenya, although the government elected in 2002 launched a policy supporting teachers’
training and refresher courses, there are still no training courses free of charge. Often, teachers
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5. do not have the means to upgrade their skills and improve their professional position, since this
would carry excessively great costs for them. In a rural context, financial problems are made
worse by logistical problems, which make it difficult for them to actually attend the courses
because the few existing training centres are located in urban areas.
1.4 Cultural differences
Designing a distance educational project for an environment located far away from the one
where it originates raises the important and sensitive issue of cultural dimensions, which
deserves consideration during the project design and the monitoring phase. As with other terms
of the social sciences, there is no universally accepted definition of “culture”. This issue calls for
much wider speculation than that provided in this contribution, where we shall adopt one of the
most common definitions used to identify this phenomenon and its complexity.
The globalisation of knowledge is a truly momentous issue, whose dark side often turns into
“fear” of cultural standardisation. The question here is how to preserve cultural identity and local
traditions in the course of this process.
Instead of localising it in a given country, we shall consider “culture as a set of attitudes, values,
beliefs, and behaviours charred by a group of people, but different for each individual,
communicated from one generation to the next” (Matsumoto, 1996). Thus, enhancing the
project’s cultural dimension means including a wide variety of factors and welcoming different
expressions of diversity right from the start of the design phase.
The project will go even further: it will aim at identifying the critical factors that could help
distinguish the different components of the culture of a group or of an individual.
In this regard, a study by Geert Hofstede (1980) on IBM employees during the 1970’s proved
quite useful. Hofstede identified five factors for assessing cultural difference: power distance,
uncertainty avoidance [4], individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, and long-
term orientation vs. short-term orientation. In the Gwassi teachers’ training project, focus was
placed on two of the critical factors highlighted by Hofstede, which are also deemed important
to analyse this specific case: gender features and the individualism vs. collectivism.
In Africa, literacy levels as well as access to primary and secondary school and to university
education reveal considerable gender differences to the detriment of women. In Kenya, only 3%
of potential candidates enrol at university and only as few as 30% of them are women.
Moreover, collectivism appears to be a crucial element, since it is a distinctive feature of local
everyday practices and of the preservation of local knowledge. In Kenya, harambee, that
means “working together” in Swahili, is almost a philosophy of life. This aspect seems to be vital
for the success and the progress of training and education projects: varied experience shows
that the “African way” to the ownership and the use of media regards collectivism as a key
factor. Two telling examples are the increased use of the radio as an educational tool and the
sprawling of community computer centres, as related also in the UNESCO report “Using ITC for
develop literacy” (UNESCO, 2006).
In a poor environment, online training can be a tool for development that involves the
community as a whole in a process of learning and growth. The project aims to become firmly
established in the local community, thus triggering a virtuous sustainable and self-generating
cycle [5]. Project designers cannot simply work “from the outside” when planning to create a
space where culture can be expressed. On the contrary, they should be actively involved in the
shared identification of meanings and objectives; they should venture to the limits of
ethnographic research and be immersed in the local social context, thus becoming true actors
of the project.
To this end, it is important to use some research and project tools that can help prevent any
possible failure caused by an incomplete and mediated knowledge of local culture and of the
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6. local context. Some of these tools are: participatory observation; needs analysis; studies of
expectations and perceptions; teamwork; creation of a local project team with different skills to
work closely with the Italian team; constant monitoring.
2 Distance training of teachers in a rural area in Kenya
2.1 Project context
Nyandiwa is a fishing village situated on Lake Victoria in the Gwassi district - South Nyanza
region, west Kenya. This is an extremely isolated rural area, which is believed to be one of
Kenya’s poorest regions. Transport and communication infrastructure is insufficient or missing
altogether: there are few dirt roads, public transport is virtually non-existent and there are no
telephone lines or electricity supply. In this region, largely ignored by international aid
operations, the overall poverty rate is between 64% and 74% (KNBS) and life conditions are
further worsened by political instability, a devastating drought that has hit the region in the last
few years, and continued human rights violations.
In the Nyandiwa area, a local development programme has been running for a number of years
now, involving local institutions, the multipurpose IKSDP - Italian Kenyan Scout Development
Project- centre, and the Italian non-profit institution Fondazione Brownsea. So far, three
projects have been realised in the field of education: an educational exchange programme
between local and Italian schools; the establishment of a polytechnic school for vocational
training; an IT education project, which led to the creation of a sun-powered computer service
and the launching of computer literacy courses.
Recently, a broadband satellite Internet connection has been installed in the Centre. This is a
vital means of communication for the local community. In the framework of this local
development programme, the need to put this new technology to use has inspired a pilot e-
learning project to train teachers working in the schools participating in the educational
exchange programme.
2.2 Strategic issues
This project aims at promoting a “bottom-up” use of new technologies, so that they could
become the engine of community growth and start processes that would eventually reduce the
area’s isolation. In particular, the aim is to create a Community Learning Centre to offer an
increasing variety of computer literacy courses as well as training and continuing professional
development courses with the aid of new technologies. This objective is in line with the
declarations made by Kenya’s Education Ministry in the ICTs in Education Options Paper
(2005), which considers the creation of the Community Learning Centre as a great training
opportunity for all those local communities that do not have easy access to training
programmes as well as a key asset in support of the “in-service” government training
programme aimed at primary and secondary school teachers.
The reference frame discussed in this paper, together with the explorative field research
conducted with a group of 20 local teachers help us understand, on one side, the importance of
the teachers' training with the use of new technologies, and on the other that the project's
objectives cannot be met with an intervention only at the formative level.
New technologies are valid tools to start and carry out this transformation. School education,
teledensity, and computer penetration levels among families and in schools are internationally
considered to be development indicators needed to achieve development in the broader sense
of the term (Cerabino, 2005). However, the use of the Net and of new technologies for
education rests heavily on some material prerequisites, on sufficient cultural capital, that is,
widespread computer literacy, technological skills, and technological socialisation and on
sufficient social capital, that is, network building capacity.
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7. Focus is placed on the need to develop a culture of knowledge enabling not only “formal” but
also “effective” access. New technologies cannot be implanted from the top in deprived and
disadvantaged contexts; in order to be effective, they need to come as part of projects, actions,
and policies based on specific local needs by means of a “bottom up” process. It is therefore
paramount to start from local practices and involve all the actors concerned (at institutional and
non institutional levels) in the specific contexts where such projects and policies are
implemented.
The issue is not only to identify which digital technologies produce the smaller gaps - for
example PC, mobile telephones, land telephone lines, broadband - but also to recognise other
aspects such as the role played by the technology used; what is actually done with it; the nature
of the tasks that are carried out; the way the decision-making process works; the people who
benefit from project activities; finally, the way in which activities, actors, and tools are
connected.
In this perspective we should promote the use of new technologies by developing participation
and interpersonal interaction, thus leading to the creation of shared practices at a local level
and enhance local knowledge and competences in order to create an internal engine for
development, which should be as independent as possible from the influence of external actors
while, at the same time, maintaining a strong relationship, collaboration and dialogue with
international agencies.
The strategic issues project stakeholders are now working on are:
1. Encouraging the active involvement of local players and institutions in order to identify
some suitable professional development courses that could possibly be offered to
teachers. One key issue concerns course certification and its recognition by the local
educational system. In this regard, some important contacts have been started with local
educational authorities and with Maseno University in Kisumu [6], which already offers
some residential training courses for primary and secondary school teachers in the
region.
2. Creating an international network of people to transfer technological and methodological
knowledge and skills to local staff. Some support and training interventions have already
been started by the Centro di Produzione Multimediale of the University of Milan
Bicocca and by the Italian cultural association Elimu. This objective is key to ensuring
project sustainability.
3. Creating a local team that could eventually work autonomously as the project
progresses. The team will be composed of people with different professional expertise
and female participation will be guaranteed. The team will be the engine of project
development and will promote the dissemination of project activities and outputs in the
area.
4. Providing computer literacy courses for a higher number of teachers.
5. Enhancing Internet infrastructure as well as technological infrastructure. This will involve
installing more PC stations and solar panels in the IKSDP Centre.
6. Taking full advantage of local best practices. The joint participation of project staff from
Kenya and Italy to the e-learning Africa 2007 conference set this process in motion.
3 Conclusions
Drawing a conclusion of the work done so far, some aspects ensuing from our case study
deserve particular attention. This work does not claim to deliver ready-made technological and
educational solutions. On the contrary, it intends to illustrate a variety of different dimensions
that generate and, at the same time, stem from the digital divide. Also, it aims at identifying
some useful tools to develop a training project in technology for teachers. An attempt has been
made to define the space between technology, individual, and culture, starting from a bird’s eye
view of global processes concerning the digital divide, with a special focus on the African
continent, narrowing down to an analysis of the social, educational, and technological
conditions of a rural community in Kenya. Following this move from global to local, the contrast
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8. between the broad and unspecific nature of the former and the specific and detailed character
of the latter can be somewhat bewildering.
Rural areas in Africa are still generally excluded from the social, cultural, and technological
progress experienced by modern society. Nevertheless, we have noticed some burgeoning
changes in the penetration and the use of new technologies. For ICTs to have a significant
impact on individual lives as well as on local culture and everyday practices, it is important not
only to know and observe these changes, but also to promote them, learning to manage them
and give them a direction.
To this end, it is vital, on the one hand, to develop a network infrastructure and, on the other
hand, to strengthen knowledge, competences, as well as organisation and management skills
in local communities. This will guarantee sustainable development, exchange of experience,
and dissemination of best practices.
A local work team was formed, monitored and supported by a group of experts, and it was
involved in the decision-making process right from the start; the public sector was involved and
a network of local stakeholders was developed; finally, contents and objectives were defined
through a participatory process. All this with a common objective: promoting a bottom-up
process to give shape, impart meaning to and infuse life into this project “from within”.
Endnotes
[1] English sociologist Antony Giddens defines the disaggregation of social systems as the
removal of social relationships from a local context and their translation in a different time and
space.
[2] According to UNESCO figures on illiteracy in Kenya, in 2004, 24.4% of illiterates were found
among adults (aged over 15 years) and 19.3% among young people (aged between 15 and 24
years). The illiteracy rate grew in rural areas and among older population.
[3] In the article called The Decline in Primary School Enrolment in Kenya, the authors claim
that the main reason for declining school enrolment rates in the 1990’s was the introduction of a
different system for the allocation of expenses. In 1988, the new system cut government funds
for teachers’ salaries and charged the costs of school uniforms, stationery, textbooks, and
school materials in general to families. Moreover, families are expected to contribute to the
maintenance of school premises through harambee (community). The introduction of a formal
policy of cost sharing by families in 1988 replaced a previously existing informal system
whereby families already had to bear some costs. The real change was the reintroduction of
school fees – that had been abolished in the past – that are paid to receive the materials listed
above.
[4] It is the attempt to avoid uncertainty and it relates to the tolerance shown by a given society
towards uncertain or ambiguous situations.
[5] Ranieri (2004) deems self-generativity as a key factor when selecting macro teaching
strategies for e-learning. In this case, self-generativity has a broader perspective. It does not
only aim at promoting the creation of a professional community among the end users of training
programmes, but it focuses on the project in its entirety.
[6] The Maseno University is located in the town of Kisumu, Kenya’s third largest city. It has
promoted and hosted a workshop called “Maseno University BreakOut Workshop: ICT in Higher
Education” that was held in the framework of the international conference e-learning Africa
2007.
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9. References
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Omosa, M. & McCormick D. (2004). Universal Access to Communication Services in Rural
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10. Pozzi, C. (2007). PC e Internet a Nyandiwa (Kenya): quali possibilità di sviluppo in ambito
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eLearning Papers • www.elearningpapers.eu •
Nº 7 • February 2008 • ISSN 1887-1542
11. Author
Chiara Pozzi
University of Milano-Bicocca – Centro di Produzione Multimediale, Italy
chiara.pozzi@unimib.it
Citation instruction
Pozzi, Chiara (2008). Distance training of teachers in a rural area in Kenya. eLearning Papers,
Nº 7. ISSN 1887-1542. www.elearningpapers.eu
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11
eLearning Papers • www.elearningpapers.eu •
Nº 7 • February 2008 • ISSN 1887-1542