"ICDE - the global organization for flexible learning and teaching, status within UNESCO as the NGO with formal consultive relations in distance and on-line education."
"An important aim of ICDE is to promote intercultural co-operation and understanding through flexible learning and teaching throughout the world."
For interest only, this article about a long-distance version of this East African game.
described here, "enabling people to tag and share remote realtime environmental data." I have met Usman Haque who developed this, and he is located in London, in case we would like to contact him.
Article in Business Week.
I do not necessarily agree with the thinking that children must learn basic email and productivity applications. Because technology changes so quickly, I think they can 'leapfrog' some developing countries by using such old technologies in innovative ways, as well as by using newer technologies such as mobile phones. In my previous experience, we have tried to do a lot with simple, inexpensive and older technologies. For example, you only need a very basic PC (running Windows 95) and no Internet connection, in order to configure a microcontroller which can interface with sensors and other devices.
The UK has spent a lot of money getting PCs into every school, but the real innovation is needed in pedagogy and the ways that technology is used. Specifically, focusing on computing as a (widely applicable) process, not on computers per se. 'Exploding' a PC by distributing input and output devices, using sensors and other devices, turns a physical space into an information space. I hope this is one thing we can bring to this project.
IST-Africa 2007 conference Advance Programme available
Framework Programme 7 Workshops - IST-Africa in collaboration with HAGRID is organising three FP7 Workshops in Tanzania (02 March), Mozambique (05 March) and Botswana (09 March) in relation to FP7-ICT-2007-1 - ICT Call 1, which closes on 08 May 2007.
More information
RELATED EVENTS
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2nd EuroAfrica-ICT Concertation Meeting 8 March 2007, Brussels, Belgium
http://www.euroafrica-ict.org/concertation.html
Europe – Africa Synergies on ICT - Strengthening Collaborative Networks 9 March 2007, http://www.hisp.info/confluence/display/BEANISH/BEANISH+workshop
EuroAfrica-ICT Awareness Workshops
21-22 March 2007, Dakar, Senegal
28 - 29 March 2007, Pretoria, South Africa
http://www.euroafrica-ict.org/awareness_workshops.html
"The ECA programme of the World Agroforestry Centre is a regional agroforestry research network that aims at improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers and other users of tree products, and that strengthens national programs through collaborative research, education and development programs.
Since its inception, the program has developed a wide range of agroforestry technologies that are being used by thousands of farmers. Additionally, the program has developed methods and tools that can help characterize land use problems, recommend appropriate interventions, catalyse wide-scale dissemination and assess impact. "
Example Publication "Adding Value - improving capacity and linking institutions and professions for promoting synergy between farmer's producttion, value addition and marketing"
The KENYA - Seeds for Life Project
Aim: to enhance ex situ conservation and sustainable utilisation of plant genetic resources indigenous to Kenya. Kenya's land area consists of about 80% arid and semi-arid lands and the project will focus on the conservation of plants from these areas. To achieve the objective of the project, partners have identified 4 key outputs expected over the next 3 years.
1. The strengthening of Kenyan capacity to conserve plant genetic resources - through the provision of equipment and technical and academic training programmes.
2. The conservation of seed collections of priority plant species using appropriate and improved methods
3. The generation and dissemination of appropriate scientific information to aid the conservation of Kenyan biological diversity
4. The identification and consideration of the current status and the potential benefit of on-farm utilisation of indigenous plants.
Excellent Development is a UK/Kenya NGO working with community based organisations in and around Mtito Andei district. They have a development process that looks at water supplies, food production, health & income. There are a number of short documentary films about this work that may or may not be of use educationally.
TradeNet
... aims to be a kind of eBay for agricultural products, in various African countries (though not Kenya as yet). Buyers and sellers send a text message from mobile phone which then goes to the site and is sent to all subscribers in four languages. The service is free - to be supported by targeted ads in the text messages; in other words it will sell your details to advertisers...
E-Learning Africa
28-30 May, Nairobi
IST Africa
9-11 May, Maputo, Mozambique
Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture have a number of resources relating to agriculture in semi-arid regions. They are also partners in the Gardens for Life programme which is potentially interesting for school linking project work.
