Information and Communication Technologies for Development

A wide range of ideas were brought up from the various groups. The education systems we'll be working on are for children who are first generation learners, and so their parents won't be able to help them with homework or read them a book, so we must help find a way for them to continue to learn outside the classroom using cell phones. The use of an open courseware-type program was introduced, so that teachers from all over could share curriculum via laptops. Another idea was that of a "multimedia homework helper" for children to download and take home.

In this homework helper, the teacher could record themselves reading sentences, then upload the audio file to the classroom's laptop, and then the child downloads it onto their cell phone. Later on at home, if they are having difficulty reading the sentences on their own, they can push a button and hear the teacher's voice reading it. This idea can definitely be accomplished, but it is still questionable at how effective that will really be to get a child to read. Will they even bother to use the technology, or once they're out of school, will they forget about reading until the next day of class? Furthermore, not all children have cell phones, although in Malawi according to the Beehive project, most FAMILIES at least have one cell phone. Also, the intent of using technology to improve education is that of a supplement to classroom teaching, it is NOT meant to replace the teacher or the need to go to school. Going to school is still key.

It will also be beneficial to include healthcare lessons, since HIV/AIDS is an extremely widespread problem in Malawi. It is crucial that children are educated at a young age about the risks associated with certain lifestyles, and dangers that exist in their society that must be avoided.