Elective 3: Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD)
Monday 11 – Thursday 21 July
Mr Ronald Wertlen
Computer Science
Overview
The content of the course will focus on the technology and the development aspects of the topic.
The following topics will be addressed by the course modules:
• An introduction to the meaning of development, and why so many people are excited by the possibilities afforded by ICTs in development.
• An overview of ICTD topics and projects, focusing in particular on the reasons for the many failures and the few sustainable cases.
• Social networking as a tool for development: awareNet. Hands on workshop.
• awareNet and e-Yethu, ICTD in the Grahamstown township, working with children with disadvantaged backgrounds. This involves trips to the township, and workshops with disadvantaged children held either in the township schools or at Rhodes Labs.
• awareNet and the Siyakhula Living Lab, ICTD in a remote rural area. This involves a trip to the Wild Coast area of the Eastern Cape and a training experience together with the community (accommodation at Bulungula).
About Us
The Village Scribe Association (VSA) is an independent international NPO that supports new innovative information and communication technologies for rural development. We mainly work in South Africa; our partners are various Universities (RU, UFH, FUB, TUB) for academic research on our projects, and commercial businesses (eKhaya ICT, RHS, neofonie) for the financial support and sustainable outcome of our supported projects (ECSPIRT and awareNet Project, Village Scribe Project, RLabs). For more information visit: http://www.villagescribe.org/.
Seminar and Visits Programme (Week 1)
Seminar 1: What is ICT4D? Development as Freedom
Afternoon Visit 1: Reed House Systems
Seminar 2: Innovation, Success and Failure in ICT4D projects. Social vs. Technical Perspectives.
Afternoon Visit 2: awareNet (and Upstart) Project
Seminar 3: Mapping South African Development in the Network Society
Afternoon Visit 3: RLabs Rhini
Seminar 4: ICT4D projects in Grahamstown/Rhini. Technical background of awareNet, Teleweaver and more
Afternoon Visit 4: awareNet (and Upstart) Project
Seminar 5: ICT projects in Nkwalini and Dwesa. The Siyakhula Living Lab
Afternoon Visit 5: Bingbee and awareNet Projects
Field-Trip (Week 2)
Trip to the Eastern Cape Wild Coast
- Visit to Bulungula Incubator (BI): introduction to the NGO and their projects.
- Visit and work at the Nkwalini school project: extended awareNet workshop at the first SA solar school computer lab (projects, discussions, blogs, videos, etc.).
