Latest Blog Post
|
Monday, 27 November, 2023 - 17:46
Introduction The growth in the popularity of the internet around the world, as evidenced by growing user numbers, particularly in Africa, has enabled citizens to harness its power as a tool of agency, creating new global and transnational spaces for civic participation, advocacy, and social change. Digital technologies have become crucial tools for African citizens to highlight concerns, claim rights, and demand social justice. At the centre of this digital transformation are two key and interconnected concepts: (i) digital citizenship to claim rights; and (ii) digital solidarity to act collectively to secure social change. These twin concepts highlight that citizens exercise their rights and collectively support each other in the digital realm. This post reflects on how these two concepts manifest in the African context and how they are shaping the continent’s socio-political landscape. Building on our previous conceptualization of digital... |
All Blog Posts
Should ICT4D Be More Agile? |
Some software developers swear by Agile methodologies. Agile is a group of techniques for developing software that pro-actively involves a team of intended users and staff from the commissioning organisation in a collaborative design process, which is able to accommodate people's chang |
Digital Mapping as a Tool for Social Transformation |
In 1854, John Snow plotted cholera deaths on a map of London’s Soho district to diagnose the cause of a deadly outbreak that was ravaging the community. By mapping the geography of cholera inciden |
The Problem of Legacy Humans in Technology Projects |
Most IT projects would be an unmitigated success if only it wasn’t for humans.
Humans have an annoying habit of resisting change and refusing to conform to the often rigid requirements of a database ontology or software application.
|
Can Raspberry Pi Transform the Sorry State of IT Education? |
Is the $25 Raspberry Pi – a basic computer on a single printed circuit board – capable of transforming the sorry state of IT education in our schools? |
Asikana Network - Zambia |
Failed by academia and constrained by convention, geeks are self-organising to equip themselves with the expertise and experience needed to solve social problems and enhance their personal development. |
The Problem With Open Data |
Recent initiatives have dramatically increased the range of previously “closed” data being made “open” by the government, including data sets on travel, weather and healthcare. |
What Computers Can’t Do |
Sorry to rain on your parade, but computers can’t transform education any more than social media can depose dictators. |
Computer Aid Milestone |
Last week the not-for-profit agency Computer Aid International celebrated providing its 200,000th computer to education and health organisations working in 112 countries worldwide (including the UK). |
Open-Source Technology in ICT4D |
This week I had to prepare a tutorial on ‘Open & Subversive Technologies’ for students of ICT4D at Royal Holloway, University of London. It got me thinking about the importance of enabling users to genuinely ‘appropriate’ ICT for Development, and the extent to which free & open-source technology might help make user appropriation of ICT for Development possible. |
Raspberry Pi – Total Cost of Ownership |
The Raspberry Pi is a computer on a single printed circuit board. |
Top Ten ICT4D Conferences of 2012 |
It seems that we need some sort of clearing house for scheduling ICT4D conferences. A quick review of events already announced for 2012 reveals that we have some ICT4D Conference Clashes this year. |
Rant in Defence of ICT4D |
