Hi Alfred, > But new or old, computers will not be useful without software designed for > applications relevant to the users. If they are illiterate, at any age, the > first software they will need is that for developing literacy, in all its > forms. Since each learner is unique, it should adapt to the individual > person. It is currently useless to connect an illiterate person to the > Internet, or to provide them with any existing computer tools.
Are you sure that computers will "not be useful" without training software, to people who aren't literate? Would a library "not be useful" to them even if it didn't contain children's books? Do you have evidence? My feeling is that people are not idiots, if you give them something interesting they will learn how to use it. The "Hole in the wall" project has shown this happening in practice [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/4365350.stm]. I would be extremely interested to hear more examples, positive or negative, relating to literacy and computer literacy, as my organisation is proposing a project for the ITU's Connect the World initiative which relies on people being able to learn literacy from computers. Cheers, Chris. -- (aidworld) chris wilson | chief engineer ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
