Considerations and Suggestions for an ICT with a perspective for Developing Countries

1. Considerations and Suggestions for an ICT with a perspective for Developing Countries Gaetano La Russa University of Joensuu 1 April 2005

2. African Digital Doorway • Freestanding multimedia computer terminal • Keyboard • Touchpad • Robust kiosk (open 24 hours a day)

3. Digital Doorway project scopes • To verify results, in the South African context, of research conducted in Indiaindicating that: • children can acquire functional computer skills without any formal training • through their own intuition and exploration

4. Digital Doorway software • The Digital Doorway computer terminals house • regular word-processing software (for typing of letters or messages) • tools formathematics, science, music and language applications • an HIV/Aidspresentation • Internet and e-mail access • entry-level versions of Word and Excel

5. Digital Doorway:basic configuration? • The DD are configured to simulate actual computer usage conditions • They include multimediacapabilities to ensure an enriching learning experience for users

6. Usage of the digital doorway • Observations show that the Cwili Digital Doorway is used from as early as 5am until approximately 9.30pm (16½ hours a day) • with groups of 6 to 10 children, both boys and girls, aged between 9 and 15, regularly using the computer

7. Some results 1/2 • Within a month of installation, about 60% of the village's children had already taught each other basic computer functions, including the ability to drag icons, re-arrange windows and open applications

8. Some results 2/2 • The most popular programmes: • the Cwili children have been the educational programmes as well as the music programme • the older groups prefer the Internet and Word, as well as the music

9. A comparison to the India's Hole in the Wall • 75 kiosks around India • The Hole in the Wall is Windows-based • Accessible only to childrenunder the age of 15 • All programs in English • This project is funded from sources such as the World Bank, which is why it has become a large scale project that employs 20 technicians on a full time basis

10. What about DD? • 2 Digital Doorway kiosks have been installed in South Africa • The project falls within IST programme of icomtek • It is based on open source software • Accessible to both adults and children • It uses languages other than English in its programs: language modules have been added for isiZulu, isiXhosa, tshiVenda, Setswana, and Afrikaans

11. What’s similar in HW and DD • The two projects operate within the same socio-economic contexts • India is similar to South Africa with regard to the extreme poverty and the absence of telecommunications infrastructures, particularly in rural areas • Children's excited response to the project confirms that children across continents have the same aspirations and needs

12. The Future Paradigm: Social e-learning • Analysis of real e-learning practices towards e-inclusion have highlighted the following six key areas which are good starting points for both implementation and further research: • 1 Social solutions to social problems • 2 Community and awareness • 3 Towards the transparent PC • 4 Problem solving methodology for e-learning • 5 Internet for everybody

13. 1 Social solutions to social problems • Need to address the social problems that have turned people into digitally excluded, and NOT only consider the ones derived from lack of structure • To consider the qualitative difference between someone which is already excluded and need to understand and use ICT and someone which only needs some formal knowledge to jump in(DD?)

14. 2 Community and awareness • ITC can help real communities to expand their political, social and culturalhorizons • Isolated communities can use digital technologies to be better knownandrespected among our society • Dispersed members of a community can stay in touch and continue developing their own lifestyles and culture • These tools may be relevant to rural isolated communities and migrants butalso an important measure to fight sexism in the computer world and help women to join and transform ICT

15. 3 Towards the transparent PC • Computers and software (C&S)improvements makes things worse every year for the digitally excluded (elderly or people with disabilities) • Need to consider strategies and technologies to turn C&S more intuitive and easier to use • Can ICT be “easy”?

16. 4 Problem solving methodology for e-learning • Need to avoid academicism • To construct e-learning materials that are • Useful • Practical • Motivational • To focus on the specificsocial and cultural context • Be concretizing and less traditionalist

17. 5 Internet for everybody • Need to raise awareness, among software and hardware producers, on: • Cognitive adaptable contents • Sensorialadaptable contents • Adaptability to physical disabilities

18. Some considerations on ”standards” • Need to identify the bestlearning resources for own individual skill needs and be able to identify the sources of this information • Infrastructure and content production based on open standards will provide a dramatic acceleration of e-learning development and deployment

19. A study carried out in Spainsuggests that pupils with least motivation and the worst grades are those who experience greatest improvement when the computer and digital teaching materials are introduced into their education • The new technologies can play a “redistributor” role in the disseminationof information by stimulating the rhythm of information acquisition of those who know less and bringing it closer to that of those who know more • New technologies should exert influence in two essential aspects: motivation and learning processes

20. ICT: good or bad? • 1. ICT may constitute another exclusion factor to be added to the classics (age, poverty, illiteracy and so on). ICTs may therefore aggravate pre-existing problems • 2. ICT may help overcome some “traditional” exclusion, fostering as they do new methods of learning, and can especially benefitsocial groupsdistanced from traditional education

21. Thank youforYour Attention !!