Video games and Indigenous education: Let’s bridge the ‘epistemology gap’

There are clear challenges posed by rural and remote education in Australia. These challenges are caused both by physical and material factors, but more importantly epistemological divisions that have created a separation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds. Video games have the potential to bridge this epistemological gap by explicating the […]

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Family Communication Technology Design in Rural and Low Income Parts of Kenya

This dissertation focuses on understanding how families communicate over distance when using technology in Kenya, and how we should think about designing technology to support family communication over distance between rural and urban settings of the country. It is divided in two parts with first part exploring family communication practices […]

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Making Information Technologies Work at the End of the Road

Remote and rural areas face many challenges, including the provision of telecommunications services. Regardless of universal service policies or other political promises, rural communities can be deemed unprofitable by service providers while government assistance is managed by faraway regulators who lack understanding of the affected communities and citizens. The authors […]

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ZubaBox – Solar Internet Hub

In 2010 Computer Aid launched its first solar powered internet cafe called the ZubaBox. Zuba is the word for Sun in Nyanja – a language spoken in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Southern Zambia – the area where our first ZubaBox was deployed to harness power from the sun and provide internet […]

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Thoughts on African Content and Implementation Strategies involved in ICT Access in (rural) Africa

This is the text of the presentation of the author at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Seminar Series in Pretoria, South Africa, 25 March 2014. The author proposes the African components ‘ubuntu, orality, relatio, dominatio and animatio’ as drivers of content, and ‘community engagement, skill development and thought leadership’ […]

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The use of indigenous knowledge in development: problems and challenges

The use of indigenous knowledge has been seen by many as an alternative way of promoting development in poor rural communities in many parts of the world. By reviewing much of the recent work on indigenous knowledge, the paper suggests that a number of problems and tensions have resulted in […]

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Interview with Stefan Bock on HCI initiatives at BOSCO Uganda

Can you give a little background to the BOSCO Uganda Project and your role in the project? How did you become interested in working in the HCI field.BOSCO Uganda (Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach) is a rural communications project based in Gulu, Northern Uganda. It was launched in 2007 […]

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The Fate of a Digital Slate: Unexpected Issues with Deployment in Rural India

As many UX professionals know, an initial rosy impression about the usability of a system may be trumped by unexpected issues seen in the context of actual deployment. These kinds of surprises can be especially dramatic when working in the area of ICT4D (Information and Communication Technology for Socio-Economic Development). […]

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Journal of Rural and Community Development

The JRCD is published by the Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Brandon University. RDI was established in 1989 as an academic research centre and a leading source of information on issues affecting rural communities in western Canada and elsewhere. The JRCD benefitted with intitial funding from the Manitoba Department of […]

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Empowering the Poor: ICT for Governance & Poverty Reduction – A Study of Rural Development Projects in India

This publication systematically analyzes 18 projects in India that uses information and communications technology (ICT) for the benefit of poor people, and provides recommendations on how ICT can be applied to the massive, widespread and seemingly intractable problems of poverty. The publication also ranks the projects by their relevance, service […]

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The Digital Divide Dilemma: Preserving Native American Culture While Increasing Access

Introduction “[I]nformation is power. The development of a Navajo Nation information infrastructure is a historic event that holds many possibilities.” A comparison of the access to technology on Native American reservations with urban American settings reveals a great divide. For example, only 39% of Native Americans living in rural areas […]

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iREACH: Lessons from a Community Owned ICT Network in Cambodia

Abstract Cambodia is for various reasons a challenging environment for ICT development. This did not deter IDRC (Canada) from funding an ambitious and ground-breaking project designed ultimately to influence ICT policy in Cambodia but initially to establish two pilot community-owned networks in poor rural areas. Each comprises both a cluster […]

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An Overview of ICT Innovation for Developmental Projects in Marginalised Rural Areas

Abstract In recent years, assistance from developed countries to developing countries has intensified. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have also been widely deployed in developmental programmes, leading to the creation of a new field – ICT for development. This paper reviews a number of projects that introduce technically innovative ICTs […]

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Telecentre Replication Initiative in Borneo, Malaysia: The CoERI Experience

Abstract There are many bridging-the-digital-divide initiatives implemented by various government agencies and non-governmental organisations throughout the world. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify the critical success factors in providing remote and rural communities equitable access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Malaysia has its fair share of successes and […]

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Videoconferencing and Remote and Rural First Nations

Abstract This article explores why visual communication is important for First Nations, the prevalence and purposes of videoconferencing in non-institutional settings, and the challenges the communities experience using this technology. The central theme is that videoconferencing is a vital tool for remote and rural First Nations and in order for […]

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Video Communication Roadblocks Facing Remote Indigenous Communities

Abstract For Canada’s remote and rural communities, video communications provide a vital lifeline. This article discusses the challenges for video communications in remote and rural First Nation (Indigenous) communities. Central to our analysis are social and technical issues as well as the ICT experiences of community-based organizations and community members. […]

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Inveneo

Inveneo is a 501c3 nonprofit social enterprise, which means that we operate like a business with a social mission. We aim to get the tools of information communications technology (ICT), such as computers, telephony, and Internet access to those who need it most — people and organizations in rural and […]

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TelecentresAfrica

TelecentresAfrica is an initiative launched by CTA and InfoBridge Foundation in support to rural community service delivery in Africa including telecentres and community radios. The programe is open to all stakeholders interested in promoting and implementing ICT4D projects for the development of rural communities in Africa. Within the context of […]

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Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD)

CIKOD’s vision is that of a society, where the rural poor, the marginalised and rural women have a voice and contribute pro-actively to equitable and sustainable community development. CIKOD’s Mission is to strengthen the capacities of communities through traditional authorities (TAs) and local institutions to utilize their local and appropriate […]

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Village Scribe Association (VSA)

We are a group of people who want to broaden the perspectives of and increase the possibilities for people who have very little. Our focus lies in advancing education of underprivileged people so that they will not only be able to help themselves, but also develop an awareness of their […]

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I4D People

I4D People pioneers ground-breaking technologies that empower our customers to function innovatively in their knowledge-based activities. I4D People links experience with latest research in the fields of Educational Technology, ICT for Development and IT in Education. Examples of our services are: Business process improvement Renewal of education and learning Concept […]

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Center for Indigenous Knowledge for Agriculture and Rural Development (CIKARD)

The Center for Indigenous Knowledge for Agriculture and Rural Development (CIKARD) at Iowa State University focuses its activities on preserving and using the local knowledge of farmers and other rural people around the globe. CIKARD was established at Iowa State University in October 1987 as part of ISU’s Technology and […]

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ICTworks

ICTworks™ is a premier resource for sharing and expanding knowledge on appropriate information and communication technologies (ICT) and the implementation processes that can make them sustainable in rural and underserved communities across the developing world (ICT4D). ICTworks is hosted by Inveneo, a social enterprise that creates highly sustainable and affordable […]

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Rethinking the Indigenous Communications Program: developed by Broadband for the Bush Alliance

From the Executive Summary… Indigenous Communications Over the years, governments have put in place a range of initiatives aimed at improving communications in remote Indigenous communities. However, high levels of digital inequality still exist in many communities around Australia. Indigenous Remote Media Association (IRCA) highlights this point, saying ‘most remote […]

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The Centre of Excellence for Rural Informatics (CoERI)

In December 2010, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak approved the formation of the Institute of Social Informatics and Technological Innovation (ISITI). The Centre of Excellence for Rural Informatics (CoERI) which was previously anchored at the Faculty of Computer Science and IT, is now anchored at ISITI. In 1999 UNIMAS launched eBario project […]

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