Thank you Cindy! That's an impecable logic.. "Technology is not the problem. People is"!!! How many would like to vote for that?
On 12/12/05, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hello Paul, > > What you have described is what I have been saying. Perhaps not as > directly and as powerful as you just did. > > Someone wrote about innovation. And that set me thinking > this afternoon. Innovation -- big or small, any shapes and sizes, > any flavours -- will only materialize at the right time, right place, > right people, right maturity, right knowledge etc. We cannot force or > innovate UNLESS all the ingredients are present. > > We were born different and shape by different environments. Looking > at myself, even though I think I am technically quite sound, I only > dare to claim as a decent ICT user. I am quite hopeless in many things. > I was not willing to own a PC until just a few months before I > was laid-off. Reason is very simple, I was afraid (still am) of > supporting myself with a PC. > > THEREFORE, the people that WE so decided to give them computer > lessons, give them free computers ... are they ready to receive the > knowledge that WE THINK they should have?? I have an elderly friend > actually is afraid of the mouse because he has problem to control the > movement and yet this same person bought the first kind of PC that came to > the market in 1982 (??). He is a mechanical engineer, mathematician > and accountant. If we give him an ICT skills test he would qualify > without any problem. YET ... > > We can encourage people to want knowledge, but we cannot force them. > We spent so much time argueing about technologies. I am sure many > would agree with me, technology is not the problem. People is. And I > mean both the supply and demand kinds of 'people'. Just simple marketing > logic. If you want to sell your ideas/products, you need to know your > consumers. Do we? Do we take time to understand why they 'run' away? Do we > take time to understand their FEARS? their frustrations? their 'real > wants'? > > One of the major problem is, we tend to simplify things and provide > a ONE-size-fit-all solution. We think what works in Latin America > will work in Asia. ... > > Just some of my thoughts. > > Cindy > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Paul Mondesire <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:"Yet when investment arrives > and when agencies offer FREE training on FREE computers these same people > disappear into the mist because they have no excuse left, or realize that > their bluff has been called and the reality is that they never really > WANTED to use the facility, but it was something to bang a drum over!" > > The truth of this statement is really profound. I was involved in > a program a few years ago and there were brand new i-Macs with > free Internet access available for families with a 6-hour course (over > 2 weekends with lunch) as the only prerequisite. Only 20% of the > machines went out in the first 6 months. This was sad and frustrating for > many of us but we came to understand that the computer meant nothing to > them as they could not perceive the value of the technology in their > lives. Their children's MAYBE, not not their own. The fact is there has to > be a practical use for a given technology otherwise it is a handy > but bulky door stop for too many folks. > > There are those who identify so closely with the culture of victimhood > that they will not take steps to help themselves no matter how the support > is offered or who seeks to share it. The up side of this is there is ALWAYS > someone willing to step up to the plate to accept that offer of assistance. > A hand up, NOT a hand out!. > > Paul Mondesire > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word UNSUBSCRIBE in > the body of the message. > > > > > ============= > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word UNSUBSCRIBE in > the body of the message. > -- Satish Jha Special Adviser, Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in ICTs Principal Adviser, vMoksha Technologies Co-Chair, Economic Opportunities Commission, WITFOR Management Consultant - Technology Strategy, Management and Program/Project Management www.vmoksha.com; www.dpindia.org; www.aiti-kace.com.gh; www.witfor.org _______________________________________________ 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.
