Tablet teachers. Technology, Africa and learning. Opinion Article 3 Aicha Bah Diallo It is somewhat of a paradox to talk about information and communication technologies in Africa when many people, particularly in rural areas, don't even have access to electricity. When you are hungry, the priority is food, meeting basic needs, struggling to survive and not the latest technologies. Most technologies, electronic networks, computers, etc. are far beyond the reach of the majority. This is not to say, however, that these new technologies don't have a place in Africa. They certainly do, but their application and even potential are still waiting to be defined. What we know is that certain technologies, such as radio and TV, if channelled properly, can and do work in favour of people and it is perhaps on these that we should build our technological base. In many African villages there is often some information and communication technology, like radio, but again it is often out of reach of the poor.
Ms. Digital education in Kenya: Tablet teachers. A tale of technology and the written word. ©Fernando Sancho Breaking new ground: Colin McElwee, co-founder of Worldreader While shortages of water, food and medicine in sub-Saharan Africa have long attracted the attention of foreign aid workers, a lack of books is not normally considered one of the most pressing matters in the region. Yet for David Risher, a 47-year-old American and former Microsoft and Amazon executive, the surprise was that so little attention had been given to what he came to see as one of the most obvious problems that could be resolved through modern technology.
Travelling in Ecuador several years ago, Mr Risher visited an orphanage where he came across a room filled with books that had been locked away from the children there. “We had been spending the day bringing some basic supplies to them. The books, which were often donated and brought in on ships, usually took so long to arrive that the children had already read them in the public library, or they were out of date. E-readers Are Tools Of Change. Albert Einstein once said, “If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.” Having Albert on my side was a huge confidence booster at the recent O’Reilly Tools of Change conference in Frankfurt, as I prepared to tell conference goers that the best way to tackle illiteracy and poverty in Africa is to give children and teachers e-readers loaded with donated e-books.
Because, as absurd as that idea may sound, it is brilliant—and, best of all, it is working. At Worldreader.org we have a mission—“books for all”—because we believe in the power of reading to change lives. We launched our effort in 2010 around a simple idea—that the e-readers that enable us to buy books without leaving our beds, that make our carry-ons lighter and heighten our overall convenience, can have a more vital impact on lives in the developing world.
We believe e-readers present a historic opportunity. After our first efforts in Ghana and Kenya, we’re already seeing a positive impact. Log on to proxy. Log on to proxy. Log on to proxy. Comparing reading processes on e-ink displays and print. A Institute for Research in Open-, Distance- and eLearning, Swiss Distance University of Applied Sciences, Ueberlandstrasse 12, 3900 Brig, Switzerlandb Distance Learning University Switzerland, Ueberlandstrasse 12, 3900 Brig, Switzerland Received 15 November 2010, Revised 12 April 2011, Accepted 20 May 2011, Available online 31 May 2011 Choose an option to locate/access this article: Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Check access doi:10.1016/j.displa.2011.05.005 Get rights and content Abstract E-book reading devices open new possibilities in the field of reading. Highlights Keywords e-reading; e-ink technology; Legibility; Eye movement; Display; Reading Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Eva Siegenthaler is a research associate at the Institute for Research in Open-, Distance- and eLearning (IFeL) at Swiss Distance University of Applied Sciences, Brig, Switzerland. Pascal Wurtz studied general psychology and occupational psychology at the University of Bern. Ebooks and ereaders for elearning v4.pdf. Revanschen kan komma på plattan! Ett vanligt argument bland motståndare till den digitala utvecklingen är att den försämrar läsfärdigheten. Flera studier pekar på att unga läser mindre och sämre, vilket ofta förklaras med att de tillbringar mer tid framför datorn. Det är en förenklad bild, menar Caroline Liberg, professor i utbildningsvetenskap vid Uppsala universitet, som forskar om läs- och lärprocesser. – Man ska inte blanda ihop själva mediet med texten. Det spelar egentligen ingen roll vilket medium man väljer för att läsa en text, däremot har det betydelse vilka texter man läser.
Datorer, läsplattor och andra digitala medier ger också nya möjligheter att ersätta text med bilder. En risk med detta, enligt Caroline Liberg, kan vara att man förlorar kompetensen att läsa längre texter. . – I skolan kan man nå ut till dem som har det allra svårast med läsningen. Pelle Snickars, forskningschef vid Kungliga biblioteket, anser att fokus i diskussionen om digitaliseringen riktas för mycket mot läsfärdigheten. The e-books research project | funded by Vetenskapsrådet – the Swedish Research Council. Research on e-books - Recherche Google.