The SANTED Virtual Classroom Project: A case study
- Authors: Mufeti, Tulimevava K , Thinyane, Hannah , Terzoli, Alfredo , Foster, Gregory G
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430784 , vital:72715 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5753006
- Description: The SANTED Virtual Classroom Project is a collaboration initiative of the Departments of Computer Science at Rhodes University and the University of Namibia, conceptualized in 2007 and operational since 2008. The project aims to build capacity in the Computer Science De-partment at the University of Namibia through curriculum development and delivery, staff development and sharing of resources. This paper gives a detailed description of the project, highlighting how it was con-ceived, its aims and objectives, its aspirations and challenges, as well as some of the successes achieved to date.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Towards IPTV service discovery and selection in an IMS environment
- Authors: Tsietsi, Mosiuoa , Musvibe, Ray , Terzoli, Alfredo , Wells, George C
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430795 , vital:72716 , 10.1109/ICUMT.2010.5676637
- Description: The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a telecommunication middleware architecture that behaves as a docking station for a wide range of mul-timedia services. Several so-called killer applications have been envi-sioned for this platform such as multimedia group communications and location based services (LBS), but one of the most common business cases for IMS remains IPTV (Internet Protocol TV). Several IMS stand-ards development bodies and non-IMS players have contributed knowledge to the topic of IPTV, and the mechanisms needed to support various IPTV services are well understood. In addition, there are exam-ples of researchers who have implemented IPTV services in their net-work testbeds. However, many of them do not make use of the full power of the specifications which describe the mechanisms of service discovery and service selection. These processes define support for customer device configuration, service personalisation and service se-lection in a multi-service provider ecosystem. This position paper pro-poses solutions to some of the open questions in this area and pro-vides an architecture for a testbed that properly supports service dis-covery and selection. An initial implementation addressing the topic of auto-configuration of IMS terminals for service discovery is also pre-sented.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Using an RTSP Proxy to implement the IPTV Media Function via a streaming server
- Authors: Shibeshi, Zelalem S , Terzoli, Alfredo , Bradshaw, Karen L
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429120 , vital:72561 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5676629
- Description: Multimedia in IMS, including IPTV, is handled by a separate unit, the Media Function (MF), which is made up of Media Control and Media Delivery Functions (MCF and MDF). According to the different specifications of an IMS based IPTV architecture, the User Equipment (UE) is expected to use the RTSP protocol as a media control protocol to interact with the MCF, and gets delivery of media from the MDF using the RTP protocol. This generally means that the streaming session is initiated from the media controller on behalf of the user but the delivery of media is sent to the UE from the media deliverer (media server). Due to lack of free and open source Media Servers and on the contrary, the availability of free and open source Streaming Servers, the ideal choice for the delivery of media in multimedia services, including IPTV, by the research community are Streaming Servers. Nevertheless, because of denial of service attack and other issues, most streaming servers do not allow different locations for the session setup request and the delivery of media of the streaming session. This makes it difficult to have a separate media control unit for IPTV service in IMS, if one wants to use a streaming server as an MDF unit. For this purpose we propose another component (an RTSP proxy and relay unit) to be part of the IPTV Media Function (MF). The unit will be used to mediate between the MFC and MDF and will properly relay media control (RTSP) commands from the UE and MFC to the MDF and RTP packets from the MDF to the UE. This, we believe, will facilitate the development of an IPTV service using readily available open source streaming servers. In this paper we show how this RTSP proxy and relay unit can be integrated into the Media Function of the IPTV architecture to ease the media delivery process of IMS based IPTV service.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Using JAIN SLEE as an interaction and policy manager for enabler-based services in next generation networks
- Authors: Tsietsi, Mosiuoa , Terzoli, Alfredo , Wells, George C
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431382 , vital:72770 , https://journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/100205/edition/86373/content
- Description: The IP Multimedia Subsystem is a telecommunications framework with a standard architecture for the provision of services. While the services themselves have not been standardised, standards do exist for basic technologies that can be re-used and aggregated in order to construct more complex services. These elements are called service capabilities by the 3GPP and service enablers by the OMA, both of which are repu-table standards bodies in this area. In order to provide re-usability, there is a need to manage access to the service capabilities. Also, in order to build complex services, there is a further need to be able to manage and coordinate the interactions that occur between service capabilities. The 3GPP and the OMA have separately defined network entities that are responsible for handling aspects of these requirements, and are known as a service capability interaction manager (SCIM) and a policy enforcer respectively. However, the internal structure of the SCIM and the policy enforcer have not been standardised by the relevant bodies. In addition, as the SCIM and the policy enforcer have been defined through complementary yet separate processes, there is an opportunity to unify efforts from both bodies. This paper builds on work and stand-ards defined by the bodies, and proposes the design of an interaction manager with features borrowed from both the SCIM and the policy en-forcer. To help validate the design, we have identified a platform known as JAIN SLEE which we believe conforms to the model proposed, and we discuss how JAIN SLEE can be used to implement our ideas.
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- Date Issued: 2010
An Asterisk-based framework for E-learning using open protocols and open source software
- Authors: Tsietsi, Mosiuoa , Shibeshi, Zelalem S , Terzoli, Alfredo , Wells, George C
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429091 , vital:72559 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5338904
- Description: This paper describes the conceptual design of an e-learning system that is based on open protocols and open source software. This is an initial step towards providing a framework within which remote lectures at our university can be conducted with other institutions in the Southern African region. The motivation for this effort is born out of a desire to avoid expensive and inflexible commercial tools that have been used in the past, often with undesirable side effects. Our design promises to deliver most of the features that can be expected of a modern e-learning system such as a Web interface, space for lecture material, real-time audio and video support, instant messaging and the ability to convey presence. We identified two modes of operation, one as a Web-based video archive and the other as a live virtual classroom. It is hoped that this dual-mode setup will support different modes of learning for students and suit different bandwidth resources among institutions.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Augmenting an e-Commerce service for Marginalized Communities: A Rewards Based Marketing Approach
- Authors: Jere, Norbert R , Thinyane, Mamello , Terzoli, Alfredo
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428463 , vital:72513 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo-Terzoli/publication/228968666_Augmenting_an_e-Com-merce_service_for_Marginalized_Communities_A_Rewards_Based_Marketing_Approach/links/09e4151344c1f615f7000000/Augmenting-an-e-Commerce-service-for-Marginalized-Communities-A-Rewards-Based-Marketing-Approach.pdf
- Description: Information and Communication technologies (ICTs) have been widely deployed in developmental programmes and this has lead to the crea-tion of a new field–ICT for development (ICT4D). Many e-Commerce platforms now exist in many rural areas in developing countries. ICT4D allows Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in rural areas to increase sales and gain the market share on the global market. Howev-er, many of these ICT4D projects in marginalized areas fail as a result of lacking the required resources to support ICTs. SMMEs in rural areas face problems in marketing their products on the global market. There-fore, ensuring sustainability of such systems in marginalized areas is important. This paper explains an e-Marketing strategy through a re-ward based negotiation application, aimed at improving the existing e-Commerce platform. The e-Commerce platform has been deployed for the Dwesa community. Dwesa is a rural area in the Eastern Cape prov-ince of South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Deconstructing language myths: which languages of learning and teaching in South Africa
- Authors: Dalvit, Lorenzo , Murray, Sarah , Terzoli, Alfredo
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431260 , vital:72759 , https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/91537059/Deconstructing_language_myths_which_languages_of_learning_and_teaching_in_South_Africa.sflb-libre.pdf?1664136385=response-content-disposi-tion=inline%3B+filename%3DDeconstructing_language_myths_which_lang.pdfExpires=1714984902Signature=dj35y~SObsQq0TnqD-oDUj3CX7lgNnKJcMAchC7rarU74xqfrMlVfOwi-MZrNZvWvpxyzquBsmr1veH-ggRVXQP7TX4eKQq3tXV-gJZg3xyo7QJoGwrGPTjC4btF2kNrVJc6TQulzuPFEz47GtjQ6Nint4SmE7A30EMUMd8j25KgCUdtzqwx9kjBs-niKu~z-pk-Xon5YOolMTepbOwNr9wKGj8JafblTdnFs-H8CZ-Et4BD2mYV3GxnR0QLfgawFgDYkOSZnYhkl6wFsXG~Euwlhcvtp0EgUOfP4id~Ov9hhA-rSQxl81X2Dh1BdMuT3GSsK6VNmO7TikSC7NeGlQ__Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
- Description: In this article we argue for the use of African languages as Languages of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) for native speakers of such language in South Africa. We believe that both public and academic debate is in-fluenced by a set of ‘language myths’: 1) only one language should be used; 2) the earlier one starts using English as LoLT, the better; 3) us-ing English as LoLT improves English proficiency. These myths be seen as a direct manifestation of Western hegemony, and English-functional arguments are often the terms of reference. We will try a dif-ferent approach by highlighting the advantages of using an African lan-guage (ie isiXhosa) as LoLT and, whenever possible, we will try to put English on the ‘defence stand’. The purpose of this paper is not to ad-vocate the substitution of English with an African language. We believe that bilingual education is the appropriate choice for South Africa, but in order to achieve full equality between English and the African lan-guages in education, arguments in support of the latter must be put forward proactively. With our paper, we hope to contribute to this new perspective.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Deployment and Extension of a Converged WiMAX/WiFi Network for Dwesa Community Area South Africa
- Authors: Ndlovu, N , Terzoli, Alfredo , Thinyane, Mamello
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428479 , vital:72514 , https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1andtype=pdfanddoi=22468be0252776eabb9e015b51e8e5cf2855ca5f
- Description: As demand for new, reliable, flexible and relatively inexpensive internet access in marginalized rural areas in developing countries increases, there is a need to amalgamate broadband technologies such as WiMAX and WiFi so as to extend the coverage area. Consequently, this will en-able provision of high-speed mobile data and telecommunications ser-vices. This paper describes how WiMAX and WiFi can be merged to-gether, with VSAT technology offering backhaul internet connectivity to provide ever present broadband access. We also look at their respective network applications and how there are going to be used to help support ICT4D activities in these marginalized areas.
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- Date Issued: 2009
eServices provisioning in a community development context through a JADE MAS platform
- Authors: Thinyane, Mamello , Terzoli, Alfredo , Clayton, Peter G
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430836 , vital:72720 , 10.1109/ICTD.2009.5426697
- Description: A growing proliferation of ICT4D interventions has necessitated the ex-ploration of innovative solutions for the provisioning of eServices in ru-ral, marginalized communities. The challenges currently faced in these interventions include: situating the developed applications within the cultural and ethnographic context of the target communities, integrating greater levels of granularity and flexibility within the applications for in-creased context sensitivity, handling the intermittence and instability of supporting infrastructural services. These are the challenges that we address in the context of ICT4D intervention undertaken in a rural community in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. We explore the design and implementation of a Multi-Agent System (MAS) for this community as a platform for provisioning of context-sensitive eServ-ices, and highlight some observations with regards to the applicability and adequacy of the solution.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Peer-to-Peer Web Services for Distributed Rural ICTs
- Authors: Wertlen, Ronald , Terzoli, Alfredo
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428508 , vital:72516 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo-Terzoli/publication/265184410_Peer-to-Peer_Web_Services_for_Distributed_Rural_ICTs/links/5523cb9a0cf223eed37fe0b3/Peer-to-Peer-Web-Services-for-Distributed-Rural-ICTs.pdf
- Description: In this paper we look at the context and design of a distributed web ser-vices platform called P2PMW. P2PMW uses P2P principles to automat-ically build a robust network with flexible routing and practically no ad-ministrative overhead in order to share resources between nodes. P2PMW uses open source and widely adopted standards. Our argu-ment is that the context of rural ICTs is being shaped by high speed wireless networks with limited span that we call “islands” and that the architecture we introduce is a good fit for the context. We further argue that by employing widely adopted open standards and open source software, we can speed the development of effective custom made ap-plications for marginalised rural areas.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Universal digital inclusion: Beyond connectivity, affordability and capability
- Authors: Thinyane, Mamello , Terzoli, Alfredo
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430876 , vital:72724 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5338911
- Description: Traditionally digital marginalization and exclusion were understood to be a factor of connectivity to the Internet, affordability of the technology, and the capability of the communities to utilize the technology. ICT for development (ICT4D) interventions have been undertaken that address these specific factors of marginalization, however, it remains that com-munities are still excluded from the global knowledge society. In this paper we argue that key factors towards reaching greater inclusion and participation of the digitally marginalized communities, are the knowledge-centricity and context-sensitivity of the undertaken interven-tions. The solutions developed, and the services deployed, must intrin-sically encapsulate the local knowledge within the community of de-ployment. Based on this premise we have developed an architectural framework, named PIASK, that formalizes the contextualization of the developed applications within the socio-technical environment and po-sitions them within the local knowledge system of the community. We highlight the components of this architecture and discuss its implemen-tation through a knowledge platform for a community in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2009
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.
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- Date Issued: 2008
An open service delivery platform for adding value to softswitch-based telephony environments
- Authors: Tsietsi, Mosiuoa , Terzoli, Alfredo , Wells, George C
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428450 , vital:72512 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo-Ter-zoli/publication/251923990_An_open_service_delivery_platform_for_adding_value_to_softswitch-based_telephony_environments/links/0c9605298fdf0ef8d3000000/An-open-service-delivery-platform-for-adding-value-to-softswitch-based-telephony-environments.pdf
- Description: Softswitches have played a crucial role in next generation networks (NGNs) not only as the primary agents responsible for controlling the data and media paths between endpoints, but also as hosts of telepho-ny applications such as billing and legal intercept. Even though very useful and flexible application interfaces have been used to program these softswitches, there is much benefit that can be derived from de-coupling the application layer from the switching core. NGN architec-tures such as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) have borrowed the concept of an application server from the IT domain in order to deliver enhanced services to the network. This paper describes an initial inves-tigation into the development of a service delivery platform (SDP) based on the JAIN Service Logic and Execution Environment (JSLEE) indus-try standard, to provide advanced services that can be deployed over a telephony environment called iLanga, which is based on the open source software PBX named Asterisk.
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- Date Issued: 2008
Opensource software and localisation in indigenous South African languages with Pootle
- Authors: Dalvit, Lorenzo , Terzoli, Alfredo , Wolff, F
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428496 , vital:72515 , https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1andtype=pdfanddoi=912f3d0d94f0268467e1d790fd7780f14d9c4e44
- Description: The majority of the South African population is not fully proficient in Eng-lish. Besides access to the necessary infrastructure, many Africans lack epistemological access to the ICT world simply because of linguistic reasons. Limited availability of resources and lack of interest for the promotion of African languages in the ICT domain among their speakers are often blamed for this. The opensource community has been particu-larly responsive to the needs of this portion of the population, and a vari-ety of software is already available in African languages. Translate. org. za, an NGO committed to the development of opensource software in all 11 South African languages, has been particularly active with respect to this. On the one hand, they have developed a Webbased application to support collaborative translation online. On the other, they have part-nered with various institutions to organise translation efforts, mainly rely-ing on volunteers. In this paper we describe an experience showing how these two models can be used to address issues of lack of resources and support for the use of African languages in the ICT domain.
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- Date Issued: 2008
Prototyping a p2p sip user agent with support for multiple overlays
- Authors: Tsietsi, Mosiuoa , Terzoli, Alfredo , Wells, George C
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430858 , vital:72722 , 10.1109/PERCOM.2008.102
- Description: This paper describes a systematic approach to provide support at the user agent level for peer-to-peer based multimedia communications us-ing SIP (session initiation protocol). In a society that is becoming in-creasingly mobile, the advantages of engaging in interactive sessions without relying on central servers or infrastructure are clear. Yet, cur-rently many user agents and devices have little support for peer-to-peer communications. In this paper, we motivate for the use of structured peer-to-peer protocols called DHTs, as a foundation for a peer-to-peer layer. We introduce the concept of "DHTplug-ins" which assist in ab-stracting the interface between the higher level application and the pro-prietary APIs exposed by the underlying DHTs, allowing us to manipu-late user agents with peer-to-peer logic. This embeddable-DHT concept allows these user agents to use different DHTs with one common inter-face and participate in multiple overlays. We show how an open source SIP user agent was thus modified and how realtime communications were supported.
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- Date Issued: 2008
The development of ICT networks for South African schools: Two pilot studies in disadvantaged areas
- Authors: Siebörger, Ingrid , Terzoli, Alfredo , Hodgkinson-Williams, Cheryl
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431018 , vital:72737 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09729-9_25
- Description: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly considered valuable tools in educa-tion, promoting the development of higher cognitive processes and allowing teachers and learners access to a plethora of information. This paper reports on two pilot studies conducted in South Africa in proto-typical previously disadvantaged schools and their surrounding communities. Each pilot study deployed a local loop network within impoverished communi-ties, connecting schools to one another and central services such as email and voice communications. The benefits of these networks were that teachers, learners and the local community had access to in-formation, and communication and collaboration channels, providing potential test beds for investigat-ing the use of computers as mind tools.
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- 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
Transitions towards a knowledge society: Aspectual pre-evaluation of a culture-sensitive implementation framework
- Authors: Thinyane, Mamello , Terzoli, Alfredo , Clayton, Peter G
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431054 , vital:72741 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09729-9_41
- Description: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is aiding the transi-tion of society into information society and ultimately knowledge society. Embedded within ICT are the cultural and philosophical undercurrents of the society in which the ICT solutions are developed, currently pre-dominantly the Western culture. The proliferation of ICT is therefore in-advertedly leading to more Westernization of the world. It is important, therefore, that ICT solutions are culture sensitive and flexible enough to be situated within different cultures. To that end, we utilize Herman Dooyeweerd’s Theory of Modal Aspects to analyze a framework we has developed for implementation of locally situated knowledge based systems, to determine its efficacy in addressing the different modal as-pects, which make up the total experience and cultural expressiveness of societies.
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- Date Issued: 2008