id21 Information - Communication

Teaching sustainable development through e-distance training

id21 — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:50:24 +0000

Decentralisation in many African countries means that local governments have more responsibility for managing resources. But how can we best teach the practical work-based skills needed for this? Successful distance learning programmes must be designed for sustainable development, particularly using computers and the Internet.

ICTs for education in Africa

id21 — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:41:53 +0000

It is believed information and communication technologies can be used to introduce and continue education reform in Africa. While the evidence suggests there is an increasingly widespread demand for the use of such technologies in education in African countries, there is little documentation of associated initiatives.

Reinforcing unequal gender relations in Zambia

id21 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:23:13 +0000

2007/10 - id21 [Mobile phones affect more than just communications. They can also reinforce society’s unequal power relations. A three-year study in Zambia looks at this, partly in terms of relationships between husbands and wives]

Training Ethiopia’s blind people in ICTs

id21 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:16:29 +0000

2005/06 - id21 [Blindness in Ethiopia results from a wide range of natural and man-made factors, and is also linked to underdevelopment and armed conflict. Neglect, discrimination and lack of awareness means blind people have little access to education, employment, information and other forms of social participation. Information and communication technologies are, however, beginning to overcome these barriers]

Trainers and businesses cooperate in Senegal

id21 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:06:54 +0000

2006/06 - id21 [In Africa the digital divide has prevented electronic delivery of lifelong learning. A programme in Senegal has shown that it is possible for educators to work with employers to establish a distance professional training scheme using appropriate information and communication technologies (ICTs)]

Empowering poor people through information and communication technologies

id21 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:01:23 +0000

2007/02 - id21 [Many working in development today believe that if poor people are given access to information and communication technologies, they will be better able to claim their rights and improve their lives. While this approach has great potential, care must be taken to ensure it does not perpetuate unequal power relations in rural communities]

Towards pro-poor innovation: putting public value into science and technology

id21 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:54:28 +0000

2008/11 - id21 [We live in a rapidly changing world. Technological advances are increasing productivity and income, quality of life and life expectancy… in the developed world, that is. The truth is that technological development is focused on meeting the wants of rich consumers. Scant attention is paid to the vital needs of people in the developing world]

Can open and distance learning help make South Asia competitive?

id21 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:51:02 +0000

2008/11 - id21 [Rapid advances in technology have made open and distance learning (ODL) more attractive to South Asian policymakers, but information about results is lacking. What role can ODL play in low-income countries’ skills strategies in a globalised knowledge economy? Can institutions become more accessible to the poor?]