Re: [DDN] The Digital Divide and Human Health
Hi Everyone, One of the ways to improve rural/urban health is through education and e-learning would be effective. While there are other more effective ways, one way we are doing and have not the resources to do full scale is the use of e-learning to teach students health issues through their daily learning experience in schools. What we intended to do was to create modules like Learning English through Anti smoking campaign providing modules like comprehension based on the dangers of smoking. This concept may be applied to other issues like learning sex, Aids, drugs etc. Children while trying to learn English, will unconsciously be learning the evils of say smoking, aids etc. This method is far far better than trying to spend millions advertising the evils of such and where nobody actually bothers. Anyway, we are leaving those aside while we concentrate our efforts on other areas until we can get volunteers (which we are not able to) to help out on this. Sorry to say out of hundreds we have only two miserable modules on that :) Our initial efforts now is to spread the use of e-learning generally to all schools in the world particularly in the developing countries which we are now talking with various parties in various nations. My two pennies' worth Alan www.paperlesshomework.com --- On Fri, 8/1/08, Ed Gragert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Ed Gragert [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [DDN] The Digital Divide and Human Health To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net Date: Friday, August 1, 2008, 5:29 AM Hi Everyone, Joe has some good points in terms of seekers and finders if we look solely at use of the net by individuals. However, our experience working with schools, educators and students is that there is a strong evidence that meaningful and structured online connections and school/ community project work can make a major difference in health. And, by implication these positive differences could be magnified if we work to further bridge the digital divide. We in iEARN have numerous examples, some of which are active right now, of how connected primary and secondary schools are engaged in collaborative project work in health (HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB) issues. In addition to giving access to medical information, as Siobhan has suggested, collaborative project work connects youth together--to ask questions, share information, conduct collaborative research and then engage in community outreach education and health project actions. For example, teachers students in Botswana link schools in Kenya, US, India and Iran to work together online to reduce malarial cases in their communities (https://media.iearn.org/node/174). In the project's community outreach programs, connected young people play a key role in sharing what they have learned online through interaction with their peers in other countries. They also link up communities in these countries to provide treated nets and provide education to community members on their effective use. Similar project works are underway on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment--using peer-to-peer interaction and sharing online as a mechanism for creating change and change agents on the community level. Regards, Ed Ed Gragert iEARN-USA - Six years older than the WWW!! Connecting Youth Making a Difference for 20 years! http://us.iearn.org ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] The Digital Divide and Human Health
It is difficult to say that the digital divide and human health are linked, in my opinion. Socioeconomic status affects both the digital divide and human health. That said, sitting around on one's posterior most of the day while eating fast food or microwaveable food most certainly could be seen to demonstrate how decreasing the divide can be linked to poor health. Improper equipment - and sometimes even proper equipment - can lead to repetitive stress injuries such as the infamous metacarpal tunnel syndrome. There are some that believe that human health can be increased through empowering users. I tend to agree on the bunny slope. But on the steeper, more slippery slopes this type of thinking can itself be dangerous to one's health. Even Twain quipped that reading health magazines could cause one to die of a misprint - on the Internet, that is an even more serious issue since not only can anyone publish - anyone does. While it is all well and good that people may read information on the internet that can be helpful, this does not and should not replace properly educated and trained members of the medical community. Reading about placing a chest tube is quite different than doing it; diagnosing a disease is something that people take years and years to learn how to do - and these people, Medical Doctors, still sometimes make honest mistakes despite their training. Should we expect better from those without training? Technology, properly used, can facilitate health and quality of life. Improperly used, it can do quite the opposite. And I haven't even really touched on the issue of children... a large topic, indeed. Ilan Tsekhman wrote: As promised here is the suggested conversation topic for August (a few days early!). That a myriad of socio-economic factors influence human health is well known. But how about the digital divide in particular? Are there implications on human health resulting from the digital divide? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences on the subject -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ Criticize by creating. — Michelangelo The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine. - Nikola Tesla ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Geeks Without Borders
GeekCorps is ok, I suppose, but in Latin America and the Caribbean it seems to be up to local folk who, sadly, do not get as much press as those who own their own. ;-) Ilan Tsekhman wrote: I stumbled upon an article that I thought might be of interest. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080722.wtq-0708-Krpan/BNStory/GlobeTQ/home -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ Criticize by creating. — Michelangelo The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine. - Nikola Tesla ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Inclusion on the reformulation of the Pakistani IT Policy
Dear Friends and Community Members, Though I have been very quiet on this list, I have been advocating the process of ICT4D change with similar minded colleagues in Pakistan. We have had great success in this area and the Government of Pakistan has included our team on the working groups for the new IT Policy forumlation activties. More information on the IT Policy formulation activity in Pakistan can be regularly monitored on the Pakistan ICT Policy Monitor, an initiative we established to encourage debate on ICT4D, Internet Governance, IPR, Human Rights etc. The community comprises of Civil Society, Academia, Researchers, Legislators, Government Heads of Departments, International and Local Media and so forth. The forum is open for anyone to join at: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/pakistanictpolicy/ -- Regards. -- Fouad Bajwa ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Inclusion on the reformulation of the Pakistani IT Policy
Dear Fouad, Remember me ? Alan Foo from Paperless Homework? We met in Stockholm. Do you have any info on who is actually representing you in Malaysia? I am now looking for ULPCs suppliers and wish to test our software on those machines to make sure they are capatible to be used on our software since our software is still not Vista capatible and ULPCs can still be installed with WinXPs. We need to advise our customers to buy which model. We are not planning to push to India, China and Indonesia and Africa. Since currently we are giving free our contents to all schools in the world, we are getting very good responses and very easy too. We would let viral marketing to do the rest. Hope you can advise your supplier in Malaysia to contact me? My number in Malaysia is 60193754266 or 603 79809901. Or can contact me at www.paperlesshomework.com/Ycontact.htm If okay I can recommend your machines to all our users. Regards Alan Foo www.paperlesshomework.com --- On Wed, 8/6/08, Fouad Bajwa [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Fouad Bajwa [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [DDN] Inclusion on the reformulation of the Pakistani IT Policy To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 9:08 PM Dear Friends and Community Members, Though I have been very quiet on this list, I have been advocating the process of ICT4D change with similar minded colleagues in Pakistan. We have had great success in this area and the Government of Pakistan has included our team on the working groups for the new IT Policy forumlation activties. More information on the IT Policy formulation activity in Pakistan can be regularly monitored on the Pakistan ICT Policy Monitor, an initiative we established to encourage debate on ICT4D, Internet Governance, IPR, Human Rights etc. The community comprises of Civil Society, Academia, Researchers, Legislators, Government Heads of Departments, International and Local Media and so forth. The forum is open for anyone to join at: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/pakistanictpolicy/ -- Regards. -- Fouad Bajwa ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] The Digital Divide and Human Health
Good stuff, Layton. Some comments and queries: Layton E. Olson wrote: Note Illinois rural healthnet project has been awarded 3 year FCC $21 million grant for rural ICT infrastructure connections among hospitals, health institutions and clinics, and with potential for connection with urban areas, as part of over $400 million in national Universal Service commitments (from phone user fees) pilot program in many states announced last December. $400 million could buy a lot of health anywhere in the world - that is certainly a lot to spend. It is a pilot program, though - what metrics are they using to assess whether the pilot project is a success? I ask because those metrics would certainly be useful for this discussion and others; such data would be worth it's weight in gold. The need now in all states is to generate matching funds to launch major ICT infrastructure efforts, including to provide fiber and wireless access to lower the costs of data intensive communications (e.g. radiology, cardiology, pediatrics, psychiatry) as well as to work with community health information outreach and health fair networks in underinvested areas. Many state departments of aging and health services work in annual online November-December signups for Medicare prescription insurance programs, and many persons go to senior centers and health outreach programs for online signups for this complex process. Interesting - I keep forgetting that in some places of the world, health care and paying for health care are synonymous (when did that happen?). I do believe that medical facilities should have better interconnections within themselves and without. When in Guyana in 2005, I was shocked to learn that a local hospital (St. Joseph Mercy) had been offered networking by IBM for $50,000 US equivalent - a ridiculous amount of Guyanese dollars (in the millions). I ordered some pizza and got some of the IT folk to help run the wire on a Saturday. This, of course, was not an official project done by a non-profit... instead, just some good people trying to improve things. Whether that network is in use now - I do not know (and somehow doubt it due to inertia). But - are interconnections between medical facilities and within themselves... do they constitute a part of the digital divide? I think that they are, after some thought, and I think that the digital divide within and surrounding medical facilities is certainly something that should be explored more. If there is one place that I would say suffers a divide, it would be medical practitioners in the developing world... and if they don't have access - they who can interpret medical information and communicate it to their patients - well, that has a direct impact. As it is, any hypochondriac can find new and interesting things to go to their doctor with... In the Caribbean, specifically Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (where I have some contacts and experience), I do know that such divides exist. What is being done about them? I can't tell you anything concrete, but what I can tell you is that the inertia of staff and administration seems to pose more of a threat than an ebola outbreak... -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ Criticize by creating. — Michelangelo The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine. - Nikola Tesla ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
