Revisiting the Magic Box: Case Studies in Local Appropriation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

This FAO study is a follow up to a 2001 article addressing the same issue of "local appropriation". Local appropriation of ICTs "is about communities and groups selecting and adopting communication tools according to the different information and communication needs identified by them, and then adapting the technologies so that they become rooted in their own social, economic and cultural processes," noted the authors of the 2001 article. This document provides interesting case studies from Uganda, Costa Rica and Mexico.

What I was specifically looking for were reference to evaluation frameworks that may have been used to assess the impact of some of the projects and initiatives mentioned in the document.

The original paper had noted the lack of rigorous monitoring and evaluation of of projects and recommended the development of frameworks or guidelines for measuring impact. Yet this document laments that there is "still an absence of analytical tools and methodologies for monitoring and evaluating ICT interventions."

Tracking down 24 case studies that had been originally documented, the study found a clear absence of data that would demonstrate how well they were doing.

I have been trying to argue something for a while and this is the first time I see it written down in a paper: " several projects have received more attention than really justified because of connections with international organizations, while the global community has missed some projects... because of their low media profiles."

Unfortunately, the paper itself does not say much about new methodologies or tools to address the lack of rigorous evaluation of projects. The authors mention an upcoming document by Warren Feek entitled "Virtual Change: Criteria and Indicators for Assessing the Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Development Trends." I will keep an eye for it then....

Taking Charge of Learning: Tips for Students: Syllabus

David G. Brown

"My recurring pedagogical theme is that each student is at the center of his or her learning. As teachers-professors we catalyze. We coach. We connect. In the end, however, each student must take personal responsibility for learning. Properly used, each student's computer is an efficient and very effective tool that enhances the pursuit of this responsibility. "

I could not agree more.

Paving the Way to Excellence in eLearning

A report produced by the National Learning Network, a national partnership programme designed to increase the uptake of Information and Learning Technology (ILT) across the learning and skills sector in England.

Stephen's Web ~

Online Conference Discussions

This article by Stephen Downes provides some interesting suggestions for adding online components to face-to-face conferences. However, there are so many variables to take into account that generalizations are very difficult.

Under what conditions will an online component add the most value to an event? How does the online component help to address the conference's objectives?

What do we mean by an online component? Are we just talking about a conference web site with key documents, presentations, etc.. or a discussion space where conference participants can communicate before, during and after the live event?

What about conferences that are entirely online, live or asynchronous...

Who should be invited to participate in online discussions associated with a conference and what is the exact purpose of such discussions? Are these really "discussions" where participants are expected to interact with each other or is the purpose primarily to allow participants to post questions/comments, without truly interacting with each other and/or with speakers.

Announcing the online discussions in conjunction with the announcement for the live event can be tricky because the target audiences can be different. Are the expected online participants people who will be attending the live event as well or are those people who cannot attend the live event at all? One more complication: What if the people participating online are able to see a webcast of the live event but are not able to interact directly with speakers in any other way than through the online discussion element?