ict4edu

Mobiles vs. Computers in Education

Submitted by Jon on Thu, 06/11/2009 - 09:15

This is my response to the current EduTech Debate on the role of mobiles Vs. computers in education. Join the conversation and disagree with me!

I'm sure I sound like a broken record by this point; but there are roles for both mobiles and computers (be it 1:1 computing as with the OLPC, or 1-computer classrooms, or simply computer labs). Mobiles have high penetration rates (but how young? elementary school?) but limited capabilities beyond 1:1 or expensive 1:many communication. Computers are much more fragile and require more infrastucture, but have such a wealth of educational software and information (especially if you add in the Internet).

Neither are silver bullets to heal a failing education system, but both could play a role in extending education (call-backs to listen in to class for rural youth unable to attend school regularly?) if implemented with a reasonable and maintainable budget and good integration into the existing education processes.

ICT4Dev Reading List

Submitted by Jon on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 10:54

Here's a hastily-constructed Amazon store of some of the books and essays I've read which provide great insight and contrarian positions to modern development approaches, backed up with hard data, well-written, and sometimes painful reminders of the darker stories of US's history with international development:

infoDev releases Survey of ICT and Education in the Caribbean

Submitted by Jon on Wed, 03/04/2009 - 10:30

The study reveals opportunities for improving ICT skills in the Caribbean among school dropouts and through promoting employer-sponsored professional development to strengthen both the employability of individual youth and the competitiveness of businesses.

Over the course of the past decade, many Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean have made significant efforts in relation to both ICT skills instruction and more general use of ICT in education. However, these efforts have not yet been rewarded by substantial impact due to regional challenges such as limited ICT capacity of the private sector (where those skills might be used) and the more traditional exam-focused orientation of instruction. At the same time, these efforts have done much to increase student access to ICT at the secondary level, while in the process knowledge, capacity, and experience have been gained by the region’s education personnel, especially among those now responsible for furthering ICT.

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