Adoption of ICTs in a marginalised area of South Africa
- Authors: Mapi, Thandeka , Dalvit, Lorenzo , Terzoli, Alfredo
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431130 , vital:72747 , https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/4390301/5-thandeka-libre.pdf?1390837024=response-content-disposi-tion=inline%3B+filename%3DAdoption_of_ICTs_in_a_Marginalised_Area.pdfExpires=1714988863Signature=N683m3iYa8BDSsrNBb-fZpYmsy~pftZZQbiEdNz8ZFJaL2I-Wt32FIJcLEKFnrSjj0AfnYak4RVZjuZhuFVHQZOnkt7tIBBwccqexeEkwq94rCX6r1~aA~GdyL4Z3WzHRK~Xoug17mnu869TGq8VxuSNBf-LmbSr03uZeXlk2dpobbp3ROl06wauhLm02p1th1qBM5n-Bc0q8wYS-zkY-jA9fc7w6ZE~m6hlHE6Amt1xg~db99oRcu1EuXSdHyWDZDw3OsQ9zlMfX7AU6EBhfAtFbxXuVXOlNOEPuXHgiQ1UbFveqfVKGFRg0dmYXzw62MQM0EQQ2g4qXgk2Xc2z0cQ__Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
- Description: This paper examines how a community in Dwesa, a marginalised area in the Transkei Region of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, adopts Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This research is part of the Siyakhula project, which aims at promoting the potential of the area through ICTs. The project is situated in four different schools: Mpume, Nondobo, Mtokwane and Ngwane. Fostering ICT awareness and a sense of owner-ship by the community are seen as crucial factors, and computer literacy education is an integral part of the project. The study focuses on how di-verse groups of people adopt new technologies and approach ICT educa-tion. Qualitative research methods such as Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Participant Observation (PO) were adopted in the study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
The Internet in rural communities: unrestricted and contextualized
- Authors: Thinyane, Mamello , Dalvit, Lorenzo , Terzoli, Alfredo , Clayton, Peter G
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431344 , vital:72766 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo-Ter-zoli/publication/262259378_The_Internet_in_rural_communities_unrestricted_and_contextualized/links/6597ec140bb2c7472b35fcac/The-Internet-in-rural-communities-unrestricted-and-contextualized.pdf
- Description: The benefits of the Internet are still not available to many marginalized communities because of lack of connectivity, costs of infrastructure and scarcity of skills. Many ICTforDevelopment (ICT4D) projects offer piecemeal interventions relying either on restricted (and often decontex-tualised) access to the Internet or on isolated Local Area Networks (LANs). In this paper we argue that marginalized rural communities should have unrestricted access to the Internet in order to exploit its full potential. We also believe that the Internet could be contextualized through an optional adaptation layer which would facilitate access. We discuss an ICT4D project which was shaped from the very beginning according to these principles. It involves the deployment of an eCom-merce platform (soon to be integrated with eHealth, eLearning and eGovernment capabilities) in a rural community in South Africa. We re-port on how the various components of this intervention fit into the model, and the benefits for the community.
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- Date Issued: 2008
The localisation into isiXhosa of the iLanga telephone system
- Authors: Dalvit, Lorenzo , Tsietsi, Mosiuoa , Terzoli, Alfredo , Maseko, Pamela , Sam, Msindisi , Mapi, Thandeka
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431358 , vital:72767 , https://nru.uncst.go.ug/bitstream/handle/123456789/6552/Information%20Communica-tion%20Technologies%20%20page%20410.pdf?sequence=1isAllowed=y#page=256
- Description: In this paper we describe the localisation of iLanga, a VoIP PBX sys-tem, into isiXhosa. In South Africa, for social and political reasons, mak-ing systems available in the African languages is becoming more and more important. On the one hand, it gives access to the use of technol-ogy to people who are not fluent in English. On the other hand, it has a strong symbolic value. Although a variety of software is already availa-ble in a number of African languages, localisation in such language is still in its early stage. The process presented interesting challenges both from the technical and the linguistic point of view.
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- Date Issued: 2008
The role of indigenous knowledge in computer education in Africa
- Authors: Dalvit, Lorenzo , Murray, Sarah , Terzoli, Alfredo
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431033 , vital:72739 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09729-9_43
- Description: The integration of indigenous knowledge/languages in formal education is a contentious issue in post-colonial Africa. For historical and econom-ic reasons, these are devalued in the formal education system. We ar-gue that appropriate use of indigenous knowledge/languages can em-power African students academically even in typically “Western” disci-plines, such as Computer Science. We discuss the potential role of in-digenous languages/knowledge in ICT education and then describe an intervention, supporting students from marginalised communities, at a South African University.
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- Date Issued: 2008