Message-ID: <19990422235359.AAC9000@LOCALNAME> Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 20:59:15 -0004 From: Kerry Miller <mailto:kerryo@ns.sympatico.ca> Subject: Benton: Sowing IT Seeds in LDCs To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Date sent: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 11:50:44 -0500 (CDT) From: Rachel Anderson <mailto:rachel@benton.org> Subject: Communications-related Headlines for 4/21/99SOWING TECHNOLOGY'S SEEDS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Issue: International/Internet
Three groups have pulled their efforts in bringing educational technology services to 20 developing countries. The initiative, called Alliance for Global Learning, is made up of World Links for Development, Schools Online and International Education and Research Network (I*EARN).
By helping countries, such as Lebanon, Peru and Zimbabwe, gain equipment and training to use the Internet the Alliance hopes to make the Internet a more interesting place and less dominated by Western ideas and content. The project is broad in that it seeks to provide equipment, teacher training and content.
Michael Chertok, director of Schools Online, says the basic problem of getting schools wired will be a challenge because many buildings don't have telephone service or a steady electric current. Touraj Rahimi, president of Schools Online says that Internet access is very expensive in developing countries. For example, he said a school he visited in Uganda has a computer lab with 20 machines but was only able to get online for an hour each day.
Alliance members say if telephone service is a problem, they will look into using wireless technology.
The project will be developed in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. One of the organizers said: "The Internet should not be an English-only medium. It should be a way for students and teachers around the world to be able to communicate."
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Pamela Mendels] (http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/cyber/education/21educat ion.html )