Designing educational technology for developing regions: some preliminary hypotheses (original) (raw)

‘Bridging the gap’: Approaching ICTs for education in developing countries

2007

This discussion highlights the complex issues relating to the implementation of information communication technologies (ICTs) for education from early resistance to current achievements. Issues pertaining to the developing world are discussed. The author is of the opinion that there are sufficient success stories to serve as both resources and motivation for this context. But a radical approach will put valuable resources and morale at risk. An incremental approach in an enabling environment may contribute more to enhancing education through the use of ICTs in the long run.

The ICT Laboratory: An Analysis of Computers In Public High Schools In Rural India

Association of Advancement in Computing in …, 2006

"There has been a strong push towards e-literacy in India, particularly in the distribution and usage of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools for economic and social growth. As a result, the Vidhya Vahini scheme was launched in Kuppam, a marginalized village constituen- cy in Andhra Pradesh. This scheme strived to disseminate computers to all high schools by 2005 with the intention of scaling this pilot initiative nationwide. In this article, I argue that in spite of strong governmental initiative and multifari- ous private-public partnerships, there are considerable barriers in the implementation of computers in public high schools. To optimize these cost intensive resources, we need to address some of the chronic educational challenges prevalent in the school system. With the constant flux in participation by public and private actors in this process, the question of sustainability is critical in the transformation of schools as e-learning communities."

Computers in Education in Developing Countries: Why and How?

This technical note deals with the subject of the introduction of computers as teaching and learning tools within the educational systems in developing countries, although many of the concepts to be presented here are of general validity and could be applied to any country facing the decisions related to this area. I have tried to avoid the usual pitfall of many transfer-of-technology projects, which is to "copy" in a developing country a project that was successful in a developed country. This note is the result of my experience in implementing educational projects in the very different situations that arise in developed and developing countries.

A Study on the Permeation and Scope of ICT Intervention at the Indian Rural Primary School Level

Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, 2014

The provision of education for all in India remains a distant dream, despite substantial amounts of government and state investment going into it. The objective of this study is to highlight an alternative learning model that makes use of the e-revolution that has proliferated into every aspect of our lives. Although there have been attempts to incorporate ICT into rural classrooms, most of the focus has been on video-based digitized learning and has not efficiently addressed the best ways in which learning can be achieved. Our aim is thus to design a model that not only makes e-learning effective, but replaces the underqualified teachers in remote areas and allows for the free permeation of education in ways that might bridge the digital divide amongst students of various socio economic backgrounds. In this context our intervention focuses on a class of 16 students, 10 to 11 years of age (class 5) at Ma Sarada Shishu Tirtha, a school for tribal girls, located in Krishnanagar, West Bengal, India. The intervention involved a remote teacher delivering Math and English lessons in a classroom setting, (via the video conferencing software Skype, and PowerPoint Presentations) while also making the session interactive.

Towards a systemic view of educational technology in developing regions

IEEE Africon '11, 2011

This paper is aimed at educational technology specialists who work with multicultural and international projects in developing countries. Educational technology is increasingly portrayed as a cure for the developing countries' educational challenges. But as countries differ much from each other, and as developing regions differ in many ways from industrialized regions, naïve technology transfer just does not work. We propose a tentative framework for a systemic view of educational technology in developing regions. In that framework, we present 100 pedagogical, socioeconomic, and technical considerations that educational technology developers may need to rethink in projects in developing regions. We propose further research on developing the current framework into a proper analysis tool.

Towards Technology for Learning in a Developing World

2006

This paper addresses a significant concern in relation to educational technology to support developing countries: the impact of the developed world's notion of development upon its notion of learning. It argues that the very factors that lead us to regard a country as developed conspire to marginalize certain characteristic features of authentic learning, and naturally promote a more limited and circumscribed concept of learning ("closed learning"). Information and communications technology ? when cast in its traditional role - is itself viewed as a major indicator of development, and at the same time contributes to the promotion of closed learning. To privilege closed learning is to attribute a significance to 'understanding backwards' that is deprecated by William James in his philosophic attitude of Radical Empiricism. Empirical Modelling is briefly reviewed as an alternative conception of technology for developing worlds that also enables 'understanding forwards'.

Emerging trends in Learning Technology and their potential for Learning in Rural India

Ijca Proceedings on National Conference on Recent Trends in Computing, 2012

Technology continues to change the way we live, work, and play. Technology has a striking impact on learners and learning. Learning technologies can adapt to the needs, requirements and preferences of each individual user, therefore they can provide equal access to all. Learning technologies present the opportunity to augment or replace the role which was traditionally played by the teacher. Technology is also changing education in two ways: first, by offering new resources to engage students in learning, and second, by giving them an opportunity to learn about new technological fields. We would not dispute that a blackboard is a learning technology, but it is not the kind of artifact to focus. The fundamental interest is in how technologies expand human capabilities for knowledge creation, sharing, and learning, so the interest is in the technologies for learning. Today, we have an extraordinary technologies that range from Internet games to various types of handheld devices, and some of them are well-suited for immerse learning environments. This paper provides an overview of recent trends in industry and media that have made technology-based learning such a rapidly growing phenomenon. This paper gives the benefits and challenges that are associated with providing learning via technology. This paper also presents two emerging technologies-The Next Generation Internet and Natural Language Interfaces and discusses their potential for Learning in Rural India.

Technology-supported cross-cultural collaborative learning in the developing world

Third International Conference on Intercultural Collaboration, 2011

Technology (especially the Internet) has been touted as an important tool for cross-cultural exchange. In this paper we report on some of the challenges and successes of using a cross-cultural collaborative learning intervention design in rural Himalayan villages using participatory video. We describe some of the unique constraints of designing appropriate educational technology for the developing world, and we propose a fourfold framework to help identify local constraints for the design of such technologies.

The social complexities of user-centered design in ICTD: Experiences from four schools in India's villages and slums

… , 2007. ICTD 2007. …, 2007

Low levels of education remain a barrier to economic empowerment in the developing world. In our work on English language learning among underserved communities in India since 2004, we have observed differences between school communities in terms of their access to educational opportunities outside school, access to ICTs including cellphones and digital gaming, enthusiasm for visitors, and the relationships between students. We report on these observations and argue that they call for the greater use of a comparative approach in constructing models of the micro-cultures at various schools, so that user-centered design processes and methods can better account for the unique differences across communities.