Africa eLearning Conference, 2010

The 2010 Africa eLearning Conference is drawing closer (http://www.elearning-africa.com/). This past week i have been clicking on the link everyday, as though conducting a ritual, and each time, i've gone directly to the icon - Call for Papers. I am a believer in ICT 4 D and a follower. That means that everytime i think about development, i think about ICT. So my challenge with the Call for papers has not been understanding the concept but it has instead put a lot of questions in my mind. The biggest question has been strategy - are we using ICT strategically to eradicate poverty? IT and Communication Experts are constantly coming up with new applications, and the numerous social media tools that exist now - i cannot even keep up - when i sign into Facebook, i discover twitter, Ning, My space, You tube, Blogs etc,etc,etc and remembering passwords to all these things is taking a toll on my brain - but still i remain a firm follower of ICT and what it can do for development.

I am glad that there are many tools at our disposal, that mobile phones are a revolution in developing countries (read the Economist September-October, 2009 Issue), that some countries in the south now have Internet Kiosks (http://un-gaid.ning.com/profiles/blogs/rural-internet-kiosk) - am very glad indeed that we are continuing to invent. Back to my call for papers - as i read through the themes, it seemed to me that the eLearning Conference is hoping to hear about results. Not results about how we have deployed some technology to Africa, but how that technology has impacted people's lives; what change has it brought to someone's life? Do they now get medical attention when they should? Are students learning better? Are teachers teaching better? Is our technology eradicating poverty? I could not help wondering how many stories will be presented on that kind of tangible impact. I could also not help but question the strategies we use when introducing ICT technology to developing countries; take for instance the Rural internet kiosk, wonderful - but how many people can use a computer in that village? and who will teach them how to use the computer? - in that video, i could not help but notice only those with substantial educational background seemed to understand how the rural internet kiosk could impact their lives. Have we perhaps paid more attention to the technology and failed to see the problems. ICT is supposed to improve already existing systems, not build new ones - if i don't know how to read or write, having internet and a computer is of no use to me; unless i can use it to learn those skills - and even that, i need to be taught. I am looking forward to seeing all the true, measurable and tangible impacts that will be presented in Zambia.