WINKER

Delegates gathering at the eLearning in Lusaka Zambia have been trying to debate whether African students will learn from mobile phones or desktop computers in classrooms The continent has moved several stages from traditional telecommunications development and now statistics show a third of the people are now mobile phones subscribers. Some debaters have gone ahead to research on mobile use in schools and are now arguing that the existence of these millions of phones means it may no longer be cost effective to use scarce resources to install laptops and desktop computers in schools. Despite some huge investments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in most African states, the millions of mobile telephones now in private hands may provide the best gateway to learning for students. Comparisons for availability of the two found that the number of people owning and using mobile phones was higher than access to internet or computers. Research done by the debaters also showe...

Digital learning recently introduced in schools has enhanced faster learning among the students in Kenya. The text books inform of digital material offer a chance to the students to have the visual, read and voice over materials thereby enabling them to easily remember what they have been taught. Under the project, KLB was to publish 10 of its school titles in English, Kiswahili, General Science and Social studies in digital format and sold in Compact Discs (CDs). Speaking at the Kenya Bureau of Standard stand at the on-start of the eLearning conference being held in Lusaka, KLB Marketing and Development Manager Mr. David Mwaniki said the students have been experiencing problems trying to remember what they had learnt during oral classes adding that with the introduction of text books in CD format, they could study up-to two books in less time and be able to recall. Last year, the giant publisher launched the digital editions of the text books in CD formats for the local market. The di...

Mrs. Rahab Thitai is a Standard Four Science teacher at the Infill Academy Nairobi. Recently, she put her lesson in a presentation form and sent it to Microsoft to so that they can transform it into a digital learning exercise for her class. Microsoft enabled the lesson to be presented on a screen/projector and accessed by the students via Mouse Mischief. Mouse Mischief lets students use computer mice to answer questions and participate in activities teachers create in PowerPoint presentations, said Mr. Ian Puttergill, Mobile Business development Manager for Microsoft. He says most developing countries cannot afford a computer for each student and this necessitated development of the mouse. The mouse Mischief integrates into Microsoft powerpoint 2010 and Microsoft power point 2007, letting one insert multiple choices questions, polls and drawing activity slides into the teacher’s lesson. “The software built for teachers to develop content can see approximately 5-25 students easily part...

Six organizations have partnered to strengthen government capacity in the integration of ICT in schools around Africa by introducing a course for policy implementers. Cisco, Education Impact, Microsoft, Intel, University of Witwatersand (Wits- South Africa) and the World Bank Institute have designed a blended learning programme called the “Certificate in ICT in Education for policy Implementers” for officials and professionals involved in the roll out of ICT in schools and colleges across the African continent. The programme is aimed at strengthening the knowledge of the middle and senior management government officials whose role is in curriculum leadership, management and policy or planning related to ICT. “Simply dropping off a computer in a classroom is not a solution to the challenges facing Africa educators, “ says Ntutule Tshenge, Citizenship lead at Microsoft East, West, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Island, adding that “It takes support from government to make ICT implemen...

Inequitable access to resources among citizens and lack of technology to exploit the vast natural resources available in most African countries has contributed to underdevelopment. However, developed countries have a well informed citizenry which is able to adapt quickly to the changing social and economic environments and be able to utilize opportunities to overcome development challenges such as poverty. In his speech read by the Vice President Mr. George Kunda at the opening of the eLearning Africa conference, Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda noted that technology had the potential to make significant changes in any aspect of development yet most African countries were slow in embracing it. The president said ICT could be used to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in the context of globalization, adding that digital divide presented barriers that hinder the opportunity to utilize available resources. Acknowledging that ICT is a tool used for development thereby increasing c...

Inequitable access to resources among citizens and lack of technology to exploit the vast natural resources available in most African countries has contributed to underdevelopment. However, developed countries have a well informed citizenry which is able to adapt quickly to the changing social and economic environments and be able to utilize opportunities to overcome development challenges such as poverty. In his speech read by the Vice President Mr. George Kunda at the opening of the eLearning Africa conference, Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda noted that technology had the potential to make significant changes in any aspect of development yet most African countries were slow in embracing it. The president said ICT could be used to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in the context of globalization, adding that digital divide presented barriers that hinder the opportunity to utilize available resources. Acknowledging that ICT is a tool used for development thereby increasing c...