Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC
Hello Alan, I think we agree. I said: <> In the US and the other richer nations more than 50 per cent of the college age cohort is in college or has come college education. In Ghana it is 3%. The existing colleges and universities are all at capacity, and beyond, stuffing too many students into too few classrooms and lecture halls and dormitories. For the untaught in West Africa "the real choice is between online learning or no learning." I think your "paperless homework" idea has much to commend it, and I think the idea has implications for college learning as well. And offline learning via ICT is indeed an important direction for improving instruction at all levels. I think it important, though, to insist the needs for higher education in the poorer nations cannot be met by building more traditional "campuses. Steve Eskow On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 6:46 PM, Paperless Homework < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello steve, > > I do generaly agree with your views except that I would like to change this > little bit.. > > You said " The real choice is between online learning or > no learning." > > It would be more appropriate to rephrase it as > The real choice is between online/offline learning throug ICT or > no learning." > > This is because to say online learning is the only choice for ICT in > Education is not exactly right. More learning today are learnt through > offline than online... in many homes and schools around the world. More > people are offline at anyone time than online. > > Another thing, having a computer or two in a telecenter does not mean only > 1 or 2 students may benefit. That is the old model. Today telecenters can > make use of 1 or 2 computers to serve entire class of students using > projectors etc. So it depends on how you use the computers. > > Having one computer for each(as originally intended in the OLPC) is good > but in more cases than not ...impractical in third world countries (in fact > I really doubt any third world country). > > The real issue of the digital divide as far as schools are concerned today > is the inabilities to > reach out to the unreached anytime any place and any cost. > > We can talk until the cows come home about other issues highlighted by many > contributors here, without this being solved first, we are like trying to > teach the rural folks to run before they able able to walk. > > Hence to really close the digital divides among nations around the world, > look into issue of reach... then we can start talking about pedagogy. > > Read an article about our initiative here and perhaps most will understand > what the world is doing and what she lacks as far as trying to reach the > unreached 5 billion. > http://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/270167 > > Meanwhile we should not forget about the environment impact our current > schools are contributing to the deteriorating environments filling land > fills with millions of tons of paper wastes. This in spite of all the high > techs. > > Read about about a Practical tech not high tech article by a 14 years > experieced ICT journalist. > www.paperlesshomework.com/surf > > Regards > Alan > www.paperlesshomework.com > An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot reach. > > Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar > www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com > > --- On Sat, 10/4/08, Steve Eskow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From: Steve Eskow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" < > digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net> > Date: Saturday, October 4, 2008, 3:55 AM > > Hi Tom, > Sorry to be so slow in responding. For some reason I missed this message of > yours when it arrived. > > Perhaps it would be useful to put the matter of moving out of what Bourdieu > called > "the scholastic enclosure" into the new spaces of communication > technology > into an action research mode. > > For example: we know that the poor nations aren't going to meet the > Millenium Development Goals for education by erecting buildings to teach > and > house those now left untaught. The real choice is between online learning > or > no learning. > > One question, then, for research is how to bring computers and students > together. > > Sarah talked about "community computers." I've used the term > "social > computers," to contrast with the taken-for-granted rich country assumption > of the "personal computer." The "telecentre" is one > approach to the "social" > computer, and it has clear limita
Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC
ainer that can house instruction organized around the > computer > > or radio or television as easily as it can accommodate teacher-led > > instruction: the building--Tom's "brick space"--shapes what goes on > within > > in it. Anthony Giddens says spatial arrangements are "constitutive". The > > school building, then, is not a neutral container that can house any kind > of > > instruction, but is a decisive and determining factor in the shaping of > > teaching and learning. > > > > Tom proposes abandoning the present building-centered school. > > > > We may need a transitional strategy. > > > > One possibility might be a 3-2 system. Children go to the school building > > three days a week to learn from teachers and each other through > > conversation, dialog, and the older pedagogies, without technologies, or > > perhaps with the help of radio and television if the teacher is > comfortable > > with them. The other two days might be spent with computers: at home, if > the > > home has a computer--perhaps using a pen drive, as "Paperless" > suggests--or > > using a "community computer" which might be in a telecenter, or a > library, > > or in the school building. > > > > The growth of "open universities," with all instruction at a > > distance,suggests that some day Tom's vision of a "school without walls" > may > > be practical. We might want to go there in stages rather than all at > once. > > > > Steve Eskow > > > > On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > > >> > >> We are in a transition period where multiple solutions make sense rather > >> than one size fits all. > >> > >> One of the issue to understand is that cost keeps coming down for > digital > >> products. Right now I can have a basic cell phone which will take a > micro > >> chip with 4GB. Cells are already available with most of the technology > >> needed to deliver basic internet type services, even to being able to > test. > >> The cell is a ubiquitous device even in developing countries. So > computers > >> to lap tops to cells is a natural migration both in capabilities, cost > and > >> availability both on wireless and wifi delivery. > >> > >> Thin clients such as Sarah suggests, or variance thereof is what happens > >> with google doc's and other server-based software, even in developed > >> countries- safe/secure and not dependent on keeping data stored on > portable > >> media except for off-line purposes. > >> > >> OLPC is, as both Sarah and Alan suggest was based on the old model of a > >> brick-space synchronous, age-defined cohort model for learning- bricks > >> mapped into clicks from K->20. > >> > >> We need to rethink educational models first and formost rather than > >> thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space thinking. > >> > >> Learning should be anytime/any place- some maybe synchronous in groups > but > >> most, given the exigencies of daily and seasonal life, particularly in > >> countries where even students need to contribute to family income, need > the > >> flexibility offered by virtual technology. > >> > >> The problem is that the learning model has to change and the tech can > help. > >> But thinking about thin clients, portable media and other soft/hard tech > >> will be limited if the models do not also change. > >> > >> tom > >> > >> tom abeles > >> > >>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>> To: digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net > >>> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:06:52 -0700 > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> > >>> A more practical approach is "community computers" (in contrast to > >> "personal > >>> computers") available in a school, church, community center, etc., > where > >>> everyone in the village can have access. It is much more reasonable to > >>> provide internet connection for one such community computing center > than > >> for > >>> personal laptops. > >>> > >>> A good model is a thin client/server model, in which one powerful > server > >>> would serve programs and internet access to many thin clients with > >> limited > >>> computing and storage capacity. (Community users would have their own > pen > >>>
Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC
Mark, Your point out that the computer and the new communication technologies are important to "knowledge workers" in the new socioeconomy, while the older technologies of radio and television and film were not, and of course you are right. Your conclusion--that this difference will result in the new technologies finding their way into the schools--does not seem to speak to the point of the building-centered -teacher-centered school as itself an organized technology that accommodates some new technologies and pedagogies and resists others. To fashion an outlandish example, consider the assembly line as an organizing technology. If the suggestion is made to add a cell phone or computer to each station because the new "knowledge economy" us built around cell phones and computers, the counter is that the issue is not the needs of the larger society but the rhythms and routines of the assembly line, and whether cell phones and computers can somehow be adapted to the moving belt. Online universities seem to be doing very well: since there are no brick-and-mortar instructional technologies to contend with the new information technologies that problem is dissolved. "Blended" or "hybrid" approaches that combine traditional classroom and lecture hall instruction with online instruction seem to run into the conflict of technologies issue. I have a small collection of experiences with blended learning culled from The Chronicle of Higher Education and elsewhere that illustrate the clash. In one, a professor puts all of his lectures and readings online--and the students stop coming to class, and the professor has to require attendance. In several others, faculty hospitable to the computer ban computers from their classrooms because students are texting to friends or playing video games rather than attending to what is going on in the live classroom. If there is indeed a conflict between the computer and the 600-square foot classroom with a desk, blackboard, 30 tablet arm chairs, and a live teacher at a lectern , it may be that the needs of society for knowledge workers won't make for reconciliation. Steve Eskow On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 11:26 AM, Mark Warschauer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Without comment on the rest of the Steve's interesting thoughts, I > would like to briefly comment on this point: > > >We might begin by trying to understand why radio, television, film--all > the > >earlier technologies that promised to reform education--have failed to > make > >a difference in what goes on in those "brick spaces" that Tom talks > about... > >Steve Eskow > > A major argument made by historian of education Larry Cuban is that, > since radio, television, and film did not transform schools, > information & communications technologies (ICTs) will not do so > either. > > Though I agree with the underlying idea that no technology in and of > itself, will automatically transform institutions (and, indeed, > critiquing naive assumptions about the deterministic role of > technology has been one major focus of my work), I think the > comparison between radio, television, and film, on the one hand, and > ICTs, on the other, is problematic.Radio, television, and film > have never been critical day-to-day tools of knowledge workers in the > U.S., certainly not in the way that ICTs are. Almost anybody who is > producing knowledge, whether in academic, business, entertainment > fields, or otherwise, uses computers and the Internet constantly to > do so, in ways that such knowledge workers seldom used radio, > television, and film previously. The role of ICTs in education is > thus much more natural and compelling than that of radio, television, > and film. I would suggest that attempts to generalize a "ceiling > effect" for the long-term role of ICTs in schools based on prior > educational technology research on the diffusion of radio, > television, and film are flawed. > Mark > -- > Mark Warschauer > Professor of Education and Informatics > University of California, Irvine > Berkeley Place 2001 (for mail); Berkeley Place 3000 (for visitors) > Irvine, CA 92697-5500 > tel: (949) 824-2526, fax: (949) 824-2965 > [EMAIL PROTECTED]; http://www.gse.uci.edu/markw > ___ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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] PhD research on OLPC
In a message here filled with much good sense Tom Abeles says this: <> We might begin by trying to understand why radio, television, film--all the earlier technologies that promised to reform education--have failed to make a difference in what goes on in those "brick spaces" that Tom talks about. Winston Churchill said this: "We shape our buildings, and then our buildings shape us." That is: the school building and its classrooms and lecture halls is not merely a container that can house instruction organized around the computer or radio or television as easily as it can accommodate teacher-led instruction: the building--Tom's "brick space"--shapes what goes on within in it. Anthony Giddens says spatial arrangements are "constitutive". The school building, then, is not a neutral container that can house any kind of instruction, but is a decisive and determining factor in the shaping of teaching and learning. Tom proposes abandoning the present building-centered school. We may need a transitional strategy. One possibility might be a 3-2 system. Children go to the school building three days a week to learn from teachers and each other through conversation, dialog, and the older pedagogies, without technologies, or perhaps with the help of radio and television if the teacher is comfortable with them. The other two days might be spent with computers: at home, if the home has a computer--perhaps using a pen drive, as "Paperless" suggests--or using a "community computer" which might be in a telecenter, or a library, or in the school building. The growth of "open universities," with all instruction at a distance,suggests that some day Tom's vision of a "school without walls" may be practical. We might want to go there in stages rather than all at once. Steve Eskow On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM, tom abeles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > We are in a transition period where multiple solutions make sense rather > than one size fits all. > > One of the issue to understand is that cost keeps coming down for digital > products. Right now I can have a basic cell phone which will take a micro > chip with 4GB. Cells are already available with most of the technology > needed to deliver basic internet type services, even to being able to test. > The cell is a ubiquitous device even in developing countries. So computers > to lap tops to cells is a natural migration both in capabilities, cost and > availability both on wireless and wifi delivery. > > Thin clients such as Sarah suggests, or variance thereof is what happens > with google doc's and other server-based software, even in developed > countries- safe/secure and not dependent on keeping data stored on portable > media except for off-line purposes. > > OLPC is, as both Sarah and Alan suggest was based on the old model of a > brick-space synchronous, age-defined cohort model for learning- bricks > mapped into clicks from K->20. > > We need to rethink educational models first and formost rather than > thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space thinking. > > Learning should be anytime/any place- some maybe synchronous in groups but > most, given the exigencies of daily and seasonal life, particularly in > countries where even students need to contribute to family income, need the > flexibility offered by virtual technology. > > The problem is that the learning model has to change and the tech can help. > But thinking about thin clients, portable media and other soft/hard tech > will be limited if the models do not also change. > > tom > > tom abeles > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To: digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net > > Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:06:52 -0700 > > Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > > > A more practical approach is "community computers" (in contrast to > "personal > > computers") available in a school, church, community center, etc., where > > everyone in the village can have access. It is much more reasonable to > > provide internet connection for one such community computing center than > for > > personal laptops. > > > > A good model is a thin client/server model, in which one powerful server > > would serve programs and internet access to many thin clients with > limited > > computing and storage capacity. (Community users would have their own pen > > drives for storing their own files.) > > > > We (Pangaea Network) are testing this idea in Ghana in Asante Akim > district. > > > > > > Sarah Blackmun-Eskow > > President, The Pangaea Network > > 290 North Fairview Avenue > > Goleta CA 93117 > > 805-692-6998 > >
Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking
oogle Insights - social networking > > > > Tom and all, > > > > Your message suggests--to me at least--the need for discussions such as > this > > to go back to first principles from time to time. > > > > Are you right about the "unspoken belief" driving this discussion: that > > "closing a digital divide is the sine qua non leveling the economic (and > > hence all others) playing field"? > > > > First: computers and cell phones--then food, clothing, shelter? First: > > economics: and economics will provide education and social and political > > reform? > > > > Those of us who do spend time in the poor world are used to seeing a crop > of > > computers in a school closet, or hidden behind a curtain: no one knows > how > > to repair them, keep them running--or what to do with them when they are > > running. > > > > Is it the hardware and software divide that is our central concern here, > our > > goal to get as many computer per capita over there as we have here? Or is > > our goal the information and knowledge divide, with the computer the > > intermediary that gets the information about irrigation and bed netting > and > > the alternatives to kerosene lighting to the people who need it? > > > > If it's the latter, we might aim to get one computer to a poor rural > > village, train one literate person in its use, and have him or her get > the > > information about irrigation and kerosene and bed netting to the people > who > > need it, perhaps using community radio as the disseminator. > > > > Is that one way of easing the "digital divide"? > > > > Steve Eskow > > > > On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 7:15 AM, tom abeles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > I am not certain that I am in agreement with Maria Laura's definition > which > > > appears to be tautological in nature. > > > I am also not certain that engaging in an intellectual reparte makes > sense > > > in a list where the unspoken belief is that > > > closing a digital divide is the sine qua non for leveling the economic > (and > > > hence all others) playing field. > > > > > > Deal and Development are Humpty Dumpty terms ( a word means what I want > it > > > to mean). Perhaps Deal has a pejorative > > > connotation while Development has perceived positive sensibility? > > > Debatable! Maybe a little time, a deep breath and some > > > philosophy/humanities to temper those standing at the ready with their > > > Blackberry might make sense? Right now the US education system > > > is so enamored with educating for the science/tech/engineering/math > that > > > programs for the humanities and social sciences are being mothballed. > > > > > > Tour the "developing world" and look at the "Development" skeletons, > like > > > Shelly's Ozymandias- the result of "Deals". > > > > > > tom > > > > > > tom abeles > > > > > > > > Sarah Blackmun-Eskow wrote: > > > > > > What's the difference between a development phenomenon and an > > > > > > economic "deal" or phenomenon? > > > --- > > > > ...An economic phenomenon can be almost anything related to markets, > and > > > > therefore transactions. The word "deal" refers to this transaction > view. > > > > Development, on the other hand, involves a value judgment. A > development > > > > phenomenon means that something good or desirable has taken place, > and > > > > different groups may make different value judgments as to the > > > desirability > > > > or goodness of a phenomenon or situation > > > > > > > Maria Laura > > > -- > > > > > > _ > > > See what people are saying about Windows Live. Check out featured > posts. > > > http://www.windowslive.com/connect?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_connect2_082008 > > > ___ > > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > > DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net > > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > > To unsubscribe, send a message to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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. > > _ > Get ideas on sharing photos from people like you. Find new ways to share. > > http://www.windowslive.com/explore/photogallery/posts?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Photo_Gallery_082008 > ___ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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] Google Insights - social networking
Tom and all, Your message suggests--to me at least--the need for discussions such as this to go back to first principles from time to time. Are you right about the "unspoken belief" driving this discussion: that "closing a digital divide is the sine qua non leveling the economic (and hence all others) playing field"? First: computers and cell phones--then food, clothing, shelter? First: economics: and economics will provide education and social and political reform? Those of us who do spend time in the poor world are used to seeing a crop of computers in a school closet, or hidden behind a curtain: no one knows how to repair them, keep them running--or what to do with them when they are running. Is it the hardware and software divide that is our central concern here, our goal to get as many computer per capita over there as we have here? Or is our goal the information and knowledge divide, with the computer the intermediary that gets the information about irrigation and bed netting and the alternatives to kerosene lighting to the people who need it? If it's the latter, we might aim to get one computer to a poor rural village, train one literate person in its use, and have him or her get the information about irrigation and kerosene and bed netting to the people who need it, perhaps using community radio as the disseminator. Is that one way of easing the "digital divide"? Steve Eskow On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 7:15 AM, tom abeles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I am not certain that I am in agreement with Maria Laura's definition which > appears to be tautological in nature. > I am also not certain that engaging in an intellectual reparte makes sense > in a list where the unspoken belief is that > closing a digital divide is the sine qua non for leveling the economic (and > hence all others) playing field. > > Deal and Development are Humpty Dumpty terms ( a word means what I want it > to mean). Perhaps Deal has a pejorative > connotation while Development has perceived positive sensibility? > Debatable! Maybe a little time, a deep breath and some > philosophy/humanities to temper those standing at the ready with their > Blackberry might make sense? Right now the US education system > is so enamored with educating for the science/tech/engineering/math that > programs for the humanities and social sciences are being mothballed. > > Tour the "developing world" and look at the "Development" skeletons, like > Shelly's Ozymandias- the result of "Deals". > > tom > > tom abeles > > > > Sarah Blackmun-Eskow wrote: > > > > What's the difference between a development phenomenon and an > > > > economic "deal" or phenomenon? > --- > > ...An economic phenomenon can be almost anything related to markets, and > > therefore transactions. The word "deal" refers to this transaction view. > > Development, on the other hand, involves a value judgment. A development > > phenomenon means that something good or desirable has taken place, and > > different groups may make different value judgments as to the > desirability > > or goodness of a phenomenon or situation > > > Maria Laura > -- > > _ > See what people are saying about Windows Live. Check out featured posts. > http://www.windowslive.com/connect?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_connect2_082008 > ___ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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] Google Insights - social networking
Perhaps "development" is usefully seen as a "practice," or an "intervention," as medicine is a practice and an intervention, Medicine draws on the "disciplines" of anatomy, physiology, biology, etc. Development draws on economics, political science, sociology, etc. If people are poor, hungry, and illiterate development assumes that this situation can be and should be changed, and draws on the disciplines to design the practice and the intervention. Steve Eskow On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 4:42 AM, Taran Rampersad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Sarah Blackmun-Eskow wrote: > > Good heavens, what a cliché! If you take that view, denying that > societies > > have segments and interest groups, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, > > and everything in between and all about, then hoping for justice is > > pointless. > > > Really? I do not think so. Your second paragraph communicates what I > meant in the same line. > > My suggestion is: No society has just one set of expectations. It has > many, > > and some win out over others, and some rise to power and then decline. > > > Exactly. But in the end, it is society that decides. Individuals make > choices based on their own expectations. All of this is encapsulated in > 'Any society is the sum of it's expectations'. All the subsocietys, > everything else - it all falls under that. Response to pollution law is > the sum of the global society's expectations. Response to World Hunger > is the sum of the global society's expectations. And so it goes. > > You talk about parts of society in your first paragraph. But they are > parts of a society. And their expectations are reflected in the sum. > > If you want to change the world, perhaps the expectations are what are > most important to look at. Does a person in New York City have the same > expectations as someone in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti? When you look at what > people expect - and how high their expectations are, relatively speaking > - I think you'll find a trend. > > S. > > > > -Original Message- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Taran > > Rampersad > > Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 7:32 AM > > To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group > > Subject: Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking > > > > Sarah Blackmun-Eskow wrote: > > > >> There is no good metaphor to express this situation in all of its raw > >> power and destructiveness. Perhaps a non-metaphorical expression is > >> > > needed. > > > >> > >> > > Any society is the sum of it's expectations. > > > > -- > > 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. > > > > > > ___ > > 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. > > > > > > > -- > 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] 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] Google Insights - social networking
gt; > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > To: digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net > > > > Subject: Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking > > > > > > > > Joe Beckmann's warning about the limits of the "first things first" > axiom > > > is > > > > well taken--and it's the danger that the "ecology" metaphor intends > to > > > > avoid. There is no necessary linearity in a web of interconnections, > and > > > no > > > > obvious starting point. > > > > > > > > Those who have watched developments, or in many cases lack of > > > developments, > > > > in some of the poor countries--who have watched billions of dollars > of > > > > well-intentioned "aid" result in no visible betterment of human > > > > conditions--might understandably question the utilty and the accuracy > of > > > > such a notion as "an indigenous capacity to succeed." At times, > indeed, > > > it > > > > seems as if there is an indigenous capacity to fail. > > > > > > > > The "positive deviants" notions is another usefl idea that can have > > > > disastrous results in practice. Those who the intervener sees as > > > "positive > > > > deviants" might be seen as "negative idiots" by those locals whose > > > > cooperation is crucial to the success of an intervention. > > > > > > > > And even the universally applauded notion of "home grown" and locally > > > > controlled development is often a fiction. Quite often the "positive > > > > deviants" know that the resources and the skills that the community > needs > > > to > > > > break out of poverty aren't in the local community: if the local > medicine > > > > man could prevent and cure AIDS they wouldn't need non-local doctors > and > > > > antiretrovirals. > > > > > > > > So: all the metaphors, and all the formulas, and all of the homilies > > > point > > > > us in important directions, and all of them have to be used with > great > > > care. > > > > > > > > Steve Eskow. > > > > > > > > On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 8:07 AM, Joe Beckmann < > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >wrote: > > > > > > > > > My only reservation about an "ecology of need" is an implication > that > > > there > > > > > are a sequence of "readiness" opportunities, that it's hard to do > "d" > > > > > before > > > > > doing "a," "b," and "c." There is a need/readiness system, and the > > > system > > > > > also includes - almost inevitably but not at all obviously - an > > > indigenous > > > > > capacity to succeed. Social interventions that ignore those > "positive > > > > > deviants" where success can be a foundation for further success > will > > > almost > > > > > inevitably fail; others, that build on local capacity to enhance > > > locally > > > > > derived strategies for success, are far more sustainable because > they > > > have > > > > > local sponsors, invested in expanding their efficacy. > > > > > > > > > > One of the more interesting approaches is a formal evaluation of > that > > > > > "positive deviance" adapted by the Institute of Positive Deviance > at > > > Tufts. > > > > > http://www.positivedeviance.org/ The Institute of Positive > Deviance > > > has > > > > > begun to ramp up a variety of programs in a variety of social > services > > > to > > > > > demonstrate this approach. In education, for example, there is > > > > > > > > > http://www.teacherdrivenchange.org/teacherdrivenchange/2008/07/index.html. > > > > > Their model is a slightly more academic spin on the older > organizers' > > > > > strategies framed by people like Saul Alinsky (well represented > here > > > > > http://www.itvs.org/democraticpromise/alinsky.html). > > > > > > > > > > In short, this is anti-imperialism: solutions don't come from one > place > > > and > > > > > get dropped on another; they've got to be home grown, nursed, and > with > > >
Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking
There is the digital divide, and the health divide. And perhaps those divides are related. Westerners live longer than those in the poor countries, or so the mortality tables tell us. Western hard and software interests: are they the ones who are promoting the digital divide idea for their shareholders and executives? Is this list part of a Microsoft/Intel conspiracy? And big pharma: are they the ones promoting antiretrovirals for their shareholders? "Western" DDT almost wiped out malaria in parts of sub-Saharan Africa until it was banned--and the mosquitoes and malaria returned with a vengeance. There seems to be little evidence that local medical knowledge can prevent or treat malaria. The bed netting developed in the West, but certainly able to be produced locally, can. What, if anything, is the right thing to do or not do, say or not say, about bed netting and malaria in sub-Saharan Africa? And should the help of the local medicine man be enlisted in the bed netting campaign? Condoms can reduce the frequency of death-dealing AIDS in Africa. Big pharma medications can keep people alive once they have contracted the disease. ICT can bring information about these life-enhancing possibilities to Africa. What do we do, or not do, about life and death in Africa, and who will involve the local medicine man, and how, and what to do if he is not interested but has his own routines? Steve Eskow On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 12:39 PM, Joe Beckmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > To get back to that medical model, don't under-estimate the medicine man vs > the doctor. Last week's HIV/AIDS Conference in Mexico City "discovered" > that > pre-exposure prophylaxes (PEP) actually work, but framed that "working" in > terms of a daily dose of an anti-viral and/or use of microbicides (which > are > still in testing). There is over 15 years of research that proves fairly > conclusively that PEP has always "worked" about 87% of the time, and that, > in most cases, a single dose of a microbicide before exposure is all it > takes. It is not coincidental that Bush signed a $55billion subsidy the > week > before the PEP announcement, and that lots of big pharma can support any > "solution" that guarantees a daily pill, subsidized, will achieve that same > 87% prevention rate. Bah and humbug. > > Surely, before celebrating the universal solutions of the west, it makes > some sense to look more closely at solutions locally, and explore how some > synergies might accomplish more with less for more people. Promoting > western > medicine means more than promoting western big pharma way beyond the scale > of either need or good practice. Yet when big pharma pays for the > promotion, > and the social research remains unclear, the benefits ought not be presumed > for the high tech solution. > > Just as big pharma has "unexamined consequences," it benefits any culture > to > explore what those consequences may be in crossing the digital divide > without a map for what's to come. > > On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 3:07 PM, tom abeles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Thanks for this post Steve. Perhaps some insights from a few "gray > beards" > > on the list are needed from time-to-time. > > Let me suggest some other issues: > > > > a) The problem with science is that it works, to a certain extent, for > the > > natural environment. As many have pointed out > > the idea of finding universal laws, programs that can be cloned, etc in > > social systems, the false notion of western Enlightenment, might be > called > > as in Levin's book, "The Tyranny of Reason" > > The political philosopher John Gray (not the Mars Venus person) points > out > > similar ideas in his collection, "Heresies". Yet, in the development > > community > > hope springs eternal, like the milk horse hoping to catch that elusive > > carrot held out by the driver > > > > b) Natural or human created Tsunamies- weather or changing political and > > economic acts, across the oceans can change a small village in a small > > country in Africa at the click of a mouse. > > Many in the development community keep hoping for such a perfect storm, > > like the Cargo Cults, unwilling to accept that life is fragile for all > > creatures on the earth and there > > is no guarantee that on this planet change will not lead to losses. After > > all, most development has a strong polyanna element. Triage is not seen > as > > an option. > > > > c) we are enamored with technology (things and social technology). Thus > the > > problems between the enfranchised and disenfranchised (in all dimensions
Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking
Perhaps, Tom, hope is the only constant we have, the driver and the engine. Remember Emily Dicinson's "Hope"--it begins Hope Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune--without the words, And never stops at all, Perhaps the only universal law worth remembering for our work is that there is no universal law that works every time. What works today in Situation A lets us down in Situation B. Those of us in the rich countries have some reason to be grateful to science and technology. Many of us are alive and functioning because science and technology has cut us apart and reassembled us with metal and plastic parts. We are cyborgs. And there always surprises to confound us. Many technologies get to Accra and stay there, or diffuse throughout the nation slowly and painfully. But cell phone: overnight they are everywhere. Scott Fitzgerald said something like So we press on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. Something like that. Good to be in touch again. Steve On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 12:07 PM, tom abeles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Thanks for this post Steve. Perhaps some insights from a few "gray beards" > on the list are needed from time-to-time. > Let me suggest some other issues: > > a) The problem with science is that it works, to a certain extent, for the > natural environment. As many have pointed out > the idea of finding universal laws, programs that can be cloned, etc in > social systems, the false notion of western Enlightenment, might be called > as in Levin's book, "The Tyranny of Reason" > The political philosopher John Gray (not the Mars Venus person) points out > similar ideas in his collection, "Heresies". Yet, in the development > community > hope springs eternal, like the milk horse hoping to catch that elusive > carrot held out by the driver > > b) Natural or human created Tsunamies- weather or changing political and > economic acts, across the oceans can change a small village in a small > country in Africa at the click of a mouse. > Many in the development community keep hoping for such a perfect storm, > like the Cargo Cults, unwilling to accept that life is fragile for all > creatures on the earth and there > is no guarantee that on this planet change will not lead to losses. After > all, most development has a strong polyanna element. Triage is not seen as > an option. > > c) we are enamored with technology (things and social technology). Thus the > problems between the enfranchised and disenfranchised (in all dimensions) is > knowledge- > educate and the rising tide will equalize all boats on the seas and raise > all ships equally. Hence the problem has been cast as a "digital divide". > Instead of the US political cliche, a chicken > in every pot, it is now a smart phone in every home. > information/knowledge/education, hopefully digitally distributed, is the > equivalent of the 6-gun in the US west, the great equalizer. It's the > liberal (or progressive) > answer to problems created by a conservative past. > > Esperaremos > > tom > > > Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:41:46 -0700 > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To: digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net > > Subject: Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking > > > > Joe Beckmann's warning about the limits of the "first things first" axiom > is > > well taken--and it's the danger that the "ecology" metaphor intends to > > avoid. There is no necessary linearity in a web of interconnections, and > no > > obvious starting point. > > > > Those who have watched developments, or in many cases lack of > developments, > > in some of the poor countries--who have watched billions of dollars of > > well-intentioned "aid" result in no visible betterment of human > > conditions--might understandably question the utilty and the accuracy of > > such a notion as "an indigenous capacity to succeed." At times, indeed, > it > > seems as if there is an indigenous capacity to fail. > > > > The "positive deviants" notions is another usefl idea that can have > > disastrous results in practice. Those who the intervener sees as > "positive > > deviants" might be seen as "negative idiots" by those locals whose > > cooperation is crucial to the success of an intervention. > > > > And even the universally applauded notion of "home grown" and locally > > controlled development is often a fiction. Quite often the "positive > > deviants" know that the resources and the skills that the community needs > to > > break out of poverty ar
Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking
Joe Beckmann's warning about the limits of the "first things first" axiom is well taken--and it's the danger that the "ecology" metaphor intends to avoid. There is no necessary linearity in a web of interconnections, and no obvious starting point. Those who have watched developments, or in many cases lack of developments, in some of the poor countries--who have watched billions of dollars of well-intentioned "aid" result in no visible betterment of human conditions--might understandably question the utilty and the accuracy of such a notion as "an indigenous capacity to succeed." At times, indeed, it seems as if there is an indigenous capacity to fail. The "positive deviants" notions is another usefl idea that can have disastrous results in practice. Those who the intervener sees as "positive deviants" might be seen as "negative idiots" by those locals whose cooperation is crucial to the success of an intervention. And even the universally applauded notion of "home grown" and locally controlled development is often a fiction. Quite often the "positive deviants" know that the resources and the skills that the community needs to break out of poverty aren't in the local community: if the local medicine man could prevent and cure AIDS they wouldn't need non-local doctors and antiretrovirals. So: all the metaphors, and all the formulas, and all of the homilies point us in important directions, and all of them have to be used with great care. Steve Eskow. On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 8:07 AM, Joe Beckmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > My only reservation about an "ecology of need" is an implication that there > are a sequence of "readiness" opportunities, that it's hard to do "d" > before > doing "a," "b," and "c." There is a need/readiness system, and the system > also includes - almost inevitably but not at all obviously - an indigenous > capacity to succeed. Social interventions that ignore those "positive > deviants" where success can be a foundation for further success will almost > inevitably fail; others, that build on local capacity to enhance locally > derived strategies for success, are far more sustainable because they have > local sponsors, invested in expanding their efficacy. > > One of the more interesting approaches is a formal evaluation of that > "positive deviance" adapted by the Institute of Positive Deviance at Tufts. > http://www.positivedeviance.org/ The Institute of Positive Deviance has > begun to ramp up a variety of programs in a variety of social services to > demonstrate this approach. In education, for example, there is > http://www.teacherdrivenchange.org/teacherdrivenchange/2008/07/index.html. > Their model is a slightly more academic spin on the older organizers' > strategies framed by people like Saul Alinsky (well represented here > http://www.itvs.org/democraticpromise/alinsky.html). > > In short, this is anti-imperialism: solutions don't come from one place and > get dropped on another; they've got to be home grown, nursed, and with > local > support. > > For the Digital Divide this means well documented local change has the > greatest transportability, since others can see what people went through in > creating their own solutions. It is the process that can be transferred, > not > it's product. > > On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 8:46 AM, Jaevion Nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >wrote: > > > Thanks, this is very useful. I really like the last idea of the ecology > of > > need. I beleive it is one of the things that are preventing the > > sustainability for nmany social interventions and programmes across the > > world and in the Caribbean. For example in Jamaica, several persons enter > a > > community provide persons with the opportunity but illiteracy, poverty, > > culture, etc prevents the programme from making that exponential impact > that > > it had intended to. The result is that within months the programme fails > and > > is forced to withdraw from the community. The designers then go back to > the > > drawing board. To be able to understand the ecology of need we cannot > just > > recognise a problem in a handful of persons and beleive then that it > > warrants intervention. Proper research must be done at phase one to > > determine the needs of the individuals living wthin a specific area - the > > truth is these programs really need a wholistic approach. You may be > going > > to reduce illiteracy but you will have to include poverty reduction > > components such as school feeding programmes, uniform allowances, travel > > s
Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking
The intervener--all of us who want to help--studies the culture and the need before choosing a path. Before choosing a technology. Where there is a "digital divide" there are often--usually--other divides. For example: there may be no Internet in the area to be served. Or there may be Internet but many of the intended beneficiaries have no electricity. Or they cannot read. Cannot read what is on the computer screen, whether it is in English or Twi. That is: there is an "ecology of need." If the good-hearted social entrepreneur does not have a complete map of the territory of need, it is almost certain that he or she will blunder. Steve Eskow On Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 4:57 AM, Taran Rampersad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This post from the Trinidad and Tobago Computing list may be of interest > to some. It demonstrates geographical distribution of social network > use. It is a nice datapoint, I think. > > Richard Jobity wrote: > > > > Computing - General Discussion on Computing in Trinidad and Tobago > > > > > > http://royal.pingdom.com/?p=336 > > > > With the help of Google data, we have looked at 12 of the top social > > networks to answer a simple, but highly interesting question: > > > > Where are they the most popular? > > > > The social networks we included in this survey were MySpace, Facebook, > > Hi5, Friendster, LinkedIn, Orkut, Last.fm, LiveJournal, Xanga, Bebo, > > Imeem and Twitter. > > Popularity by country (how we got the data) > > > > Google Insights for Search makes this quite easy for you. For a search > > term (for example "MySpace"), it will highlight the regions where that > > search term is the most popular. Google calls this "regional interest". > > > > This "regional interest" should give a good indication of which regions > > (in this case countries) a social network is most popular in. > > > > Google also provides a nice heat map of the results. We have included > > the heapmaps for all the social networks below. > > > > > http://www.google.com/insights/search/#cat=&q=imeem&geo=&date=&clp=&cmpt=q > > > > > http://www.google.com/insights/search/#cat=&q=facebook&geo=&date=&clp=&cmpt=q > > > > -- > 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] 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.
