From arden at halenet.com.au  Thu May  3 07:21:39 2007
From: arden at halenet.com.au (Catherine Arden)
Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 21:21:39 +1000
Subject: [DDN] U.S. State Level Digital Divide Policies
References: <878735.45607.qm@web84214.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <002501c78d75$38e7bdb0$0a00a8c0@cath>

Hello Dave

We have just completed an action research project here in a small rural 
community in Queensland, Australia to trial a model for local 
government-community engagement using e-democracy tools.  We have identified 
the need to engage people who currently don't utilise/have access 
to/skills/confidence to use ICTs and believe the model has potential to do 
so.

Please let me know if you would like to know more.

CATHERINE ARDEN
Lecturer and Researcher
Faculty of Education
University of Southern Queensland
TOOWOOMBA  QLD  4350
AUSTRALIA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Jenkins" <davjrj at verizon.net>
To: <digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net>
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 5:42 AM
Subject: [DDN] U.S. State Level Digital Divide Policies


>I am interested in state government efforts to ensure that government 
>remains accessible to all as we transition to more technology centered 
>access points as is the case with modern e-government.  I am particularly 
>concerned about people who for one reason or another do not own computers 
>and have little or no access to e-government services. Some solutions could 
>be the establishment of telecenters, internet literacy programs and 
>policies that ensure services and forms remain available through 
>traditional off-line access points. Is anyone aware of any state policies 
>and/or programs that address this issue?  I would appreciate any insight.
>
>  Thanks,
>
>  Dave Jenkins
> _______________________________________________
> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
> To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org 
> with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
>
>
> __________ NOD32 2235 (20070502) Information __________
>
> This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
> http://www.eset.com
>
> 


From claude.almansi at bluewin.ch  Thu May  3 05:08:39 2007
From: claude.almansi at bluewin.ch (Claude Almansi)
Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 11:08:39 +0200
Subject: [DDN] Internet video player with switchable multilingual subtitles
	and inserted smaller window for Sign Language version
Message-ID: <bb3c31460705030208k4b512ee1jf6abbf19e3059ad0@mail.gmail.com>

Hi All

Roberto Ellero, who started the work group Webmultimediale.org and is
member of the W3C work group elaborating version 2.0 of the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG),  sent me the reference of his
announcement to the mailing list of this W3C work group, concerning
the Internet video player with switchable multilingual subtitles and
inserted smaller  window for Sign Language version, developped by
Alessio Cartocci:

"A Flash player with Smil support to meet GL 1.2, SC 1.2.5"
<http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2007AprJun/0080.html>,
Wed, 2 May 2007

where he gives an accurate technical description of the player, an
example of which  can be seen in
<http://www.webmultimediale.org/SC_1.2.5/>

>From my non techie beta-tester's  viewpoint:

- Using a SMIL file (1)  as a hub/cogwheel to synchronize the various
other involved files (video, audio, captioning text files) means that
you don't have to have a video editing software to insert the
subtitles in the video: they stay put in the lower part of the player.

- The captioning text files used in the player can
-> be made by anyone with some kind of text editing software (even
very rudimental) , which means the work-load can be divided easily
between several people
-> also be copy-pasted in a web page (2)

- You can resize the player using the character size option in the
View menu of your browser, and you can resize and move the  window for
the Sign Language video.

- You can offer  all the features (main video, sign language video,
original and dubbed audio files, audio captioning for blind people,
captioning text files) or only activate some by modifying the relevant
lines in the SMIL file.

- Re the fact mentioned by Robert Ellero in his post to the WCAG 2.0
list, that this SMIL-based player also works with streaming flash
video  files, and not only with formats traditionally considered as
SMIL-compatible: I don't understand all the implications, but it means
that you can caption such a streaming flash file without having to use
a flash editing software, and streaming flash requires less bandwidth
than other formats.

Summing up: this player not only  satisfies the WCAG requirements of
captioning and offering a  SL version for multimedia objects, but it
can also be used  to give a wider audience to multimedia content
produced in a minority language and, viceversa, make existing
multimedia content available in a minority language, without need of
expensive video editing software.

For further information, please write directly to either Roberto
Ellero or Alessio Cartocci, whose addresses appear in the already
mentioned post to the WCAG mailing list,
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2007AprJun/0080.html,
because my "beta-testing" was strictly non technical.

Best

Claude


(1) Re SMIL, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronized_Multimedia_Integration_Language
and http://www.w3.org/AudioVideo

(2) In the case of a former version of the player, which did not yet
offer the smaller video window for SL translation, used in Barbara
Bordato's post on Amanda Baggs' "In My Language"
videohttp://www.webmultimediale.org/barbara/2007/03/in_my_language.html,
I first copy-pasted the text transcript of Amanda Baggs' original
subtitles, plus the French, German, and Italian captioning files by
Anna Veronese and me in http://noimedia.wikispaces.com/Amanda+Baggs,
which Marietta Cathomas used when she accepted to do the
Grischun-Rumantsch captioning (which I in turn copy-pasted in the same
wiki page)




-- 
Claude Almansi
v. Cantonale 22
CH-6532 Castione
tel. +41 (0)91 829 04 51
cell. +41 (0)76 401 85 69
gruppo di lavoro Noi Media www.noimedia.org
Swiss Internet User Group www.siug.ch

From claude.almansi at bluewin.ch  Thu May  3 06:41:58 2007
From: claude.almansi at bluewin.ch (Claude Almansi)
Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 12:41:58 +0200
Subject: [DDN] [SIUG-discuss] Internet video player with switchable
	multilingual subtitles and inserted smaller window for Sign
	Language version
In-Reply-To: <20070503100033.3586AAD08D@quill.bollow.ch>
References: <bb3c31460705030208k4b512ee1jf6abbf19e3059ad0@mail.gmail.com>
	<20070503100033.3586AAD08D@quill.bollow.ch>
Message-ID: <bb3c31460705030341g6b34b7c0y789ac83a362721bc@mail.gmail.com>

On 5/3/07, Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch> wrote:
> Claude Almansi <claude.almansi at bluewin.ch> wrote:
>
> > "A Flash player with Smil support to meet GL 1.2, SC 1.2.5"
> > <http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2007AprJun/0080.html>,
> > Wed, 2 May 2007
> >
> > where he gives an accurate technical description of the player, an
> > example of which  can be seen in
> > <http://www.webmultimediale.org/SC_1.2.5/>
> >
> > >From my non techie beta-tester's  viewpoint:
> >
> > - Using a SMIL file (1)  as a hub/cogwheel to synchronize the various
> > other involved files (video, audio, captioning text files) means that
> > you don't have to have a video editing software to insert the
> > subtitles in the video: they stay put in the lower part of the player.
> > (1) Re SMIL, see
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronized_Multimedia_Integration_Language
>
> That sounds like a very, very cool concept!!!
>
> I wonder though what it would take to get a multimedia player of this
> type which avoids the proprietary lock-in to Macromedia Flash?

Hi Norbert,

Your question is extremely pertinent, but it would be better to ask
Alessio Cartocci directly. His e-mail address appears in Cc in
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2007AprJun/0080.html .

Best

Claude

-- 
Claude Almansi
v. Cantonale 22
CH-6532 Castione
tel. +41 (0)91 829 04 51
cell. +41 (0)76 401 85 69
gruppo di lavoro Noi Media www.noimedia.org
Swiss Internet User Group www.siug.ch

From dwatts at e-nc.org  Tue May  1 11:59:30 2007
From: dwatts at e-nc.org (Deborah Watts)
Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 11:59:30 -0400
Subject: [DDN] U.S. State Level Digital Divide Policies
References: <878735.45607.qm@web84214.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <F94FC4A131B5CB4CAB81D2BA650A9768166E61@ncruraldc1.ncruralcenter.local>

North Carolina has in place an effort to address just the issues you raise in your e-mail. Check out www.e-nc.org <http://www.e-nc.org/>  for an introduction to the e-NC Authority. For the past six years e-NC has been working through primary research, adoption of best practices in technology-based economic development, community engagement, and connectivity incentive grants to improve access and utilization of broadband-based resources in the state's 85 rural counties and disadvantaged urban communities. We have found that our efforts and resources have been about equally divided between improving the supply and the demand sides of the connectivity equation. There has been significant improvement over this six-year span, moving NC from among the lowest tier in connectivity to the top quartile. We have distilled to practice some of the lessons learned in the form of on-line toolkits and research reports. We have funded 7 telecenters in the most distressed regions of the state, centers that are truly transforming the perceptions and prospects of the regions they serve. Each telecenter is customized to the particular situation of its local economy and leadership. Collectively, they have created over 1,000 high-value jobs and provided critical technical support services to local government, education and businesses. Sustainability of the telecenters remains a challenge but they continue to surmount obstacles and gather growing local and national recognition. You may be interested in an e-NC program where we partnered with the US Department of Commerce's Technology Opportunities Program in an 24 month long structured e-government effort. This initiative, called LEG-UP for Local E-Government Utilization Program, delivered training and technical assistance and provided equipment and connectivity grants that funded the development of interactive and transactional e-government functionality to almost 60 municipal and county governments in North Carolinas' rural regions. We have learned a lot and are still learning as much remains to be done. 

Deborah Watts Sr. Director, Research and Grants, The e-NC Authority.

 
 
digiataldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net on behalf of Dave Jenkins
Sent: Sun 4/29/2007 3:42 PM
To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net
Subject: [DDN] U.S. State Level Digital Divide Policies



I am interested in state government efforts to ensure that government remains accessible to all as we transition to more technology centered access points as is the case with modern e-government.  I am particularly concerned about people who for one reason or another do not own computers and have little or no access to e-government services. Some solutions could be the establishment of telecenters, internet literacy programs and policies that ensure services and forms remain available through traditional off-line access points. Is anyone aware of any state policies and/or programs that address this issue?  I would appreciate any insight.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Dave Jenkins
_______________________________________________
DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.


-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 5515 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://digitaldivide.net/pipermail/digitaldivide/attachments/20070501/5406e7d6/attachment.bin 

From globalsomalilandwomen at yahoo.co.uk  Wed May  2 06:46:07 2007
From: globalsomalilandwomen at yahoo.co.uk (Global Somaliland Women)
Date: Wed, 2 May 2007 11:46:07 +0100 (BST)
Subject: [DDN] Ethnic  Agaw Language to face extinction 40-50 yrs
In-Reply-To: <878735.45607.qm@web84214.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <937705.33852.qm@web27808.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

Greetings. I came across this small information on a website about a small ethnic community that lives in Ethiopia whose language is about to face extinction remaining time possible 40 to 50 years. The information is below and is also available on : http://www.ethiopians.com/
 
 " Numbering        about 25,000, this intriguing ethnic group of Ethiopians living in the Chilga        region of Gondar speak a Cushitic language that falls under the "Agaw"        language family. Their religion is described as Pagan-Hebraic and is often        confused with Judaism. Their traditional priest is referred to as "Wember".        Their language is currently spoken by only a few thousand people and is        believed to face extinction in the next 40-50 years. What is the name of        this fascinating Ethiopians who consider Saturday as their Sabbath and carry        out worship services under large trees? "
 
 Other relevant urls:
 http://www.hrelp.org/grants/projects/index.php?lang=3
 
 http://www.sil.org/silesr/2002/031/SILESR2002-031.pdf
 http://www.answers.com/topic/qwara-language
 
 http://www.answers.com/topic/qemant
 
 I wonder if DDN can help them in preserving their language, culture and history.
 
 Regards.
 
 Mrs Lulu Todd
       
---------------------------------
 Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Tryit now.

From jc at coyotecommunications.com  Wed May  2 01:28:28 2007
From: jc at coyotecommunications.com (J Cravens)
Date: Wed, 2 May 2007 07:28:28 +0200
Subject: [DDN] Telecentre Leaders Forum for East Africa
Message-ID: <a0611044fc25dd1b62ef8@[10.0.1.201]>

The Third Telecentre Leaders Forum for East Africa (EA-TLF) (June 4-6 
2007) Start Date: June 04, 2007 Location: Kenya Event Details: The 
EA-TLF is an East African telecentre event that occurs twice a year. 
The theme for this year's event is "Promoting ICT for Rural 
Development: Meeting The Movement Challenges."

The Forum is part of the global framework of Telecentre.org, which 
includes gatherings that are focused on facilitated learning and the 
sharing of ideas and solutions among telecentre practitioners. The 
EA-TLF uses open-space facilitation methods, in which every 
participant is a learner and facilitator.

The Forum will start with an online session followed by a 
face-to-face session. The face-to-face session will bring together 
participants from Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to attend a 
three-day discussion blended with exhibitions and field visits.

Event Details and Dates:

Online sessions: May 14-25 2007 (hosted on UgaBYTES mailing list).
Face-to-face session: June 4-5 2007.
Telecentre visit: June 6 2007.

Deadline for expressions of interest: May 11 2007.

http://www.ken-tel.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=1
for more information

Telecentre practitioners are encouraged to contact the following 
National network leaders who are charged with selecting national 
participants to the event:

Sekiku Joseph - Tanzania
sekiku at satconet.net

Paul Barera - Rwanda
pbarera at yahoo.fr

Ken Chelimo - Kenya
chelimoken at yahoo.com

Sulah Ndaula - UgaBYTES
ndaulasula at ugabytes.org

Participants from Burundi are advised to contact UgaBYTES' Pamela Ogwal
opamela at ugabytes.org

(please do not write the following person -- she has no further information)

-- 
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Ms. Jayne Cravens MSc 
Bonn, Germany
Kabul, Afghanistan (March - August 2007)

www.coyotecommunications.com

www.ivisit.com id: jcravens.4947
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

From jwne at temple.edu  Tue May  1 12:18:07 2007
From: jwne at temple.edu (David P. Dillard)
Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 12:18:07 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [DDN] LIBRARIES : LIBRARIANS : WOMEN: The Women Who Drive Library
	Technology
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.53.0705011210430.603801@gs873ps>



LIBRARIES :
LIBRARIANS :
WOMEN:
The Women Who Drive Library Technology


The Women Who Drive Library Technology
By Eva Miller
May 1, 2007
Equally fascinated by emerging technologies
and how to use them to improve library services
Library Journal
<http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6435535.html>


When Darci Hanning entered an electrical engineering program in the 1980s,
her goal was to design computers. The man standing in front of her digital
design class could give her that knowledge, and Hanning, whose mother led
a chapter of the National Organization for Women, grew up feeling she
could do anything.

So, she was stunned when the professor announced to the class, I dont
think women should be engineers.

Hanning, now at the Oregon State Library, wasnt easily deterred. Her
college experience made her miserable, but she persevered. I try to
succeed in spite of these things or go to a place thats better for me,
Hanning explains. I didnt doubt myself or my ability.

No matter their generation or library setting, the women who find
technology and libraries a compelling combination share certain qualities.
The women interviewed here are, like Hanning, confident. They are also
skilled communicators and risk-takers, people who seek challenges and
prefer working in teams. They revel in new gadgetry, but they never forget
its all about a positive user experience. As a group, they represent a
hybrid librariansomeone who is equally fascinated by emerging technologies
and how to use them to improve library services.


----------------------------------------


The complete article may be read at the URL above.



Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne at temple.edu
Net-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold>
<http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html>
<http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en>
<http://net-gold.jiglu.com/>
General Internet & Print Resources
<http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp>
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne>
Educator-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/>
K12ADMINLIFE
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/>


From mmaranda at afcn.org  Tue May  1 00:41:48 2007
From: mmaranda at afcn.org (Michael Maranda)
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:41:48 -0500
Subject: [DDN] Ubuntu Labs/Linux Labs
Message-ID: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>

I am trying to identify public access computing centers where Ubuntu (any
variant) and other Linux distributions are being used.  I'm helping one
organization make the transition in Chicago.

I am also interested in curriculum and class/lab management tools for a
linux environment comparable to what we might offer in other MS based CTCs.

Regards,

MM

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Director, CTCNet Chicago Chapter
Co-Founder, Chicago Digital Access Alliance
Co-Chair, Illinois Community Technology Coalition
President, Association For Community Networking

Support the efforts of the Chicago Digital Access Alliance:
http://www.digitalaccessalliance.org

From nb at bollow.ch  Thu May  3 06:00:33 2007
From: nb at bollow.ch (Norbert Bollow)
Date: Thu,  3 May 2007 12:00:33 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [DDN] [SIUG-discuss] Internet video player with switchable
	multilingual	subtitles and inserted smaller window for Sign
	Language version
In-Reply-To: <bb3c31460705030208k4b512ee1jf6abbf19e3059ad0@mail.gmail.com>
	(claude.almansi@bluewin.ch)
References: <bb3c31460705030208k4b512ee1jf6abbf19e3059ad0@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20070503100033.3586AAD08D@quill.bollow.ch>

Claude Almansi <claude.almansi at bluewin.ch> wrote:

> "A Flash player with Smil support to meet GL 1.2, SC 1.2.5"
> <http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2007AprJun/0080.html>,
> Wed, 2 May 2007
> 
> where he gives an accurate technical description of the player, an
> example of which  can be seen in
> <http://www.webmultimediale.org/SC_1.2.5/>
> 
> >From my non techie beta-tester's  viewpoint:
> 
> - Using a SMIL file (1)  as a hub/cogwheel to synchronize the various
> other involved files (video, audio, captioning text files) means that
> you don't have to have a video editing software to insert the
> subtitles in the video: they stay put in the lower part of the player.
> (1) Re SMIL, see
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronized_Multimedia_Integration_Language

That sounds like a very, very cool concept!!!

I wonder though what it would take to get a multimedia player of this
type which avoids the proprietary lock-in to Macromedia Flash?

Greetings,
Norbert.


-- 
Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch>                    http://Norbert.ch
President of the Swiss Internet User Group SIUG  http://SIUG.ch

From X.L at headsonfire.org  Wed May  2 11:30:03 2007
From: X.L at headsonfire.org (Xavier Leonard)
Date: Wed, 2 May 2007 08:30:03 -0700
Subject: [DDN] Dells Soon Shipping with Ubuntu
Message-ID: <p0624080fc25e5dd6f8f9@[10.0.1.2]>

Dell as picked Ubuntu as the OS for a new line of computers:
 	http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/newss/6383/1/
-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Xavier Leonard
Heads On Fire
San Diego, CA
ph.:619.232.9573 fx.:954.208.9573
X.L at headsonfire.org  http://www.headsonfire.org
"Fulfilling the promise of technology through community centered
collaborations."
--------------------------------------------------------------------

From deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu  Sun May  6 06:35:29 2007
From: deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu (Deborah Elizabeth Finn)
Date: Sun, 6 May 2007 06:35:29 -0400
Subject: [DDN] Questions about the Hundred Dollar Laptop / One Laptop Per
	Child / X0-1 Project
Message-ID: <3228c2a50705060335mc856f4ci7d8fe96dbf6cfada@mail.gmail.com>

Dear Digital Divide Network Colleagues,

The Ethos Roundtable (of which I am a co-convener) is hosting a
presentation on the One Laptop Per Child project on May 15th.

More details can be found here:

"One Laptop Per Child: How is this going to work?"
<http://blog.deborah.elizabeth.finn.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/6/2928278.html>

As you will see from my blog article, I'm collecting questions about
the project from members of the nonprofit technology community, which
I will then bring to the Ethos Roundtable discussion.  You are welcome
to add your questions by posting them as comments to the blog article.

Many thanks and best regards from Deborah

P.S.  If you'd like to know more about the Ethos Roundtable, please go
to <http://ethosroundtable.blogspot.com/>.

Deborah Elizabeth Finn
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu
www.cyber-yenta.org

Recommended reading:
"Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
<http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights>

From jc at coyotecommunications.com  Sat May  5 02:57:05 2007
From: jc at coyotecommunications.com (jc at coyotecommunications.com)
Date: Sat, 05 May 2007 06:57:05 +0000
Subject: [DDN] =?iso-8859-1?q?Uganda=3A_Women=92s_Internet_Caf=E9_=26_ICT_?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?Training_Center_Opens?=
Message-ID: <20070505065705.p361nf0bxg08o8cg@coyotecommunications.com>

Isis-WICCE: Women?s Internet Caf? and ICT Training Center Opens
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/isis.html

As an initiative of the processes of the United
Nations, World Summit on the Information Society
and Commonwealth Action Programme on the Gender
Digital Divide in Africa, Isis-WICCE has set up a
Women's Internet Caf? and Information
Communication Technology (ICT) learning Centre.
The centre has received new and state of the art
computers and is open to the public. It is a
space where women and girls can access the
Internet at subsidized rates, can acquire
training in the use of the computer and the
Internet, and can network and build their
knowledge base on various aspects of their
interests as well as research. Men as well are
encouraged to utilise this space.

Isis-WICCE has continued to initiate different
relevant communicative mechanisms for women at
different levels to empower them with skills in
information technology so that they gain equal
access to these technologies and leverage them
for their empowerment. This center also aims to
provide hands-on training for women and to enable
them utilise modern information and communication
technologies for acquiring information,
participate in decisions affecting them, lobbying
and advocacy.

(the person posting this to the DDN has NO additional information!)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Jayne Cravens, MSc
jc "at" coyotecommunications "dot" com

Nonprofits/Civil Society -- Resources & Services
www.coyotecommunications.com/

International Development Work & Studies
www.coyotecommunications.com/development
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>

From jc at coyotecommunications.com  Sat May  5 03:12:15 2007
From: jc at coyotecommunications.com (jc at coyotecommunications.com)
Date: Sat, 05 May 2007 07:12:15 +0000
Subject: [DDN] The Dimitra Project
Message-ID: <20070505071215.z5gfn8qu62w40owo@coyotecommunications.com>

(WOUGNET is also putting out a call to organisations interested in  
becoming a Dimitra focal point in Somalia. Send an email to  
info at wougnet.org, with 'Dimitra Focal Point' in the subject line. The  
interested organisation should have an involvement in Rural  
development with a gender bias, and have an information, research  
component in their work.)

New partner for the Dimitra Project in the East
Africa sub region: DONET, Tanzania
     http://www.wougnet.org/Projects/dimitra.html

The Dimitra Project is an information and communication project  
implemented by the Gender and Population Division of Food and  
Agriculture Organisation with the aim of empowering rural populations  
by building capacities and facilitating access to Information. The  
project works with local partners in Africa and the near East and is a  
tool to enable rural women through their associations and grassroots  
organisations to make their voices heard at the national and  
international level. Dimitra's main goal is to empower rural women and  
to improve their living conditions and status by highlighting the  
extent and value of their contributions. Modern and traditional  
information and communication technologies are used to encourage  
networking and share information.

As the regional focal point in the sub region, WOUGNET coordinates  
Dimitra activities, establishes local partnerships and collects,  
encodes and disseminates information on NGOs, research institutes and  
information activities pertaining to rural women or rural development  
with a gender approach. In line with the project?s main vision of  
consolidating and extending its network in Africa, promoting  
information exchange by strengthening information and communication  
skills and updating and disseminating information on gender and rural  
development issues, WOUGNET has established National Dimitra  
partnerships in Ethiopia, Kenya and with Dodoma Environmental Network  
(DONET) in
Tanzania. DONET's mission is to sensitize, educate and involved any  
individuals and community based organizations in environment  
conservation so as to ensure and promote optimum and sustainable use  
of natural resources in Dodoma and Tanzania as a whole.

For further information about the Dimitra Project in the Eastern  
Africa region, please contact Ms. Janet Cox Achora, WOUGNET Programme  
Officer -
Rural Access at info at wougnet.org or the following WOUGNET contacts:
Office: Plot 53 Kira Road
Tel: +256-41-4532035
Fax: +256-41-4530474
Post: P.O. Box 4411, Kampala, Uganda

From jwne at temple.edu  Fri May  4 12:13:54 2007
From: jwne at temple.edu (David P. Dillard)
Date: Fri, 4 May 2007 12:13:54 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [DDN] POWER Library: Access Pennsylvania Database and Search by
 County or Entire State
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.53.0705041212580.830120@gs873ps>



Date: Fri, 4 May 2007 11:51:58 -0400
From: David P. Dillard <jwne at temple.edu>
Reply-To: Net Gold Listserv List <NET-GOLD at LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU>
To: NET-GOLD at LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU
Subject: DATABASES : LIBRARY SCIENCE: FROM THE REFERENCE DESK: POWER
    Library: Access Pennsylvania Database and Search by County or Entire State

DATABASES :
LIBRARY SCIENCE:
FROM THE REFERENCE DESK:
POWER Library: Access Pennsylvania Database and Search by County
or Entire State


POWER Library: Access Pennsylvania Database and Search by County
or Entire State
By MARK PINTO, Phoenixville Public Library
05/04/2007
Phoenixville News
<http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/site/news.cfm?
newsid=18299543&BRD=1673&PAG=461&dept_id=17910&rfi=6>

A shorter URL for the above link:

<http://tinyurl.com/2qrumh>


The POWER Library, which I have been covering here for several months now,
has a database just for you. LISTA (Library, Information Science &
Technology Abstracts), an EBSCOhost-produced database, provides abstracts
and selected full text from 600 periodicals, plus books, research reports
and proceedings. Subjects covered include librarianship, classification,
cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information
management and more. Searches can be limited to peer-reviewed journals or
by document type, and cited references can be searched by author, source,
title, year, or keyword.


Now on to the section of the POWER Library headed "Find a Book." As
Chester County Library System patrons, your reading, viewing, or listening
choices are not limited to the holdings of Phoenixville Public Library or
any of the other System Libraries. Today, you'll learn about a terrific
POWER Library resource that you can use to request items located almost
anywhere in Pennsylvania - the Access Pennsylvania Database.
This is a statewide union catalog that contains the holdings of nearly
3,000 school, public, academic and special libraries in Pennsylvania. So
you'll not only find books through this catalog, but DVDs, audiobooks, CDs
and anything else a library might hold.


You can choose to search library holdings in the entire Commonwealth or by
county. You can search in all types of libraries, or separately in school,
public, academic, or special libraries. Search options reflect the
diversity of libraries included in the catalog. For example, there are
options to search by Library of Congress, MeSH (medical), or Sears subject
headings; and to search call numbers by Library of Congress, Dewey
Decimal, or NLM (National Library of Medicine). Title, author, and
author/title searches are available, but the most versatile search method
is the keywords search. Here you can search words and phrases in various
database fields; combine them with operators such as AND, OR, NOT, or
NEAR; limit by language, material type, publisher, or copyright date; and
sort results by date, alphabetically, or by relevance.


----------------------------------------



The complete article may be read at the URL above.


Choose from the list of counties below to find your local POWER Library!
<http://www.powerlibrary.org/>


Databases Provided by the Free Library of Philadelphia Including Those
from the Pennsylvania Power Library:


Art (-)
  Art Abstracts
  Art Index Retrospective 1920-1984
  Grove Art Online*

 Biographical Resources (-)
  America's Obituaries & Death Notices
  Biography and Genealogy Master Index
  Biography Reference Bank*
  Biography Resource Center
  Contemporary Authors (Gale)*
  HeritageQuest Online

 Business (-)
    Auto Repair Reference Center*
  Business and Company Resource Center
  Business and Industry on the Web
    Business Source Premier (Business Interface)*
  Business Source Premier (EBSCOhost)*
    Business Writing Help Center
  Facts on File: Personal & Business Forms
    Regional Business News*

 Children's Resources (-)
  EBSCO Animals (EBSCOhost)*
  Facts for Learning*
    Kids Search*
  Middle Search Plus (EBSCOhost)*
  Novelist K-8*
  Primary Search (EBSCOhost)*
  Searchasaurus (EBSCOhost)*
  SIRS Discoverer*

 Digital Media (-)
    Audiobooks
  Downloadable Media
    eBooks
    Gale Virtual Reference Library
    Music Downloads
  netLibrary*

 Education / Careers (-)
  Education Full Text
  ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center)*
  Facts on File: Curriculum Resource Center
    Facts on File: Curriculum Resource Center, Junior Edition
  Facts on File: Ferguson's Career Guidance Center
    Homework Help Online
    Job & Career Help Center
    LearningExpressLibrary (formerly LearnATest)
  Professional Development Collection*
    Teacher Reference Center *

 Encyclopedias (-)
  Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (EBSCOhost)*
  World Book Online Encyclopedia

 FLP Digital Collections (-)
  Free Library of Philadelphia's Digital Library Collections

 General Research (-)
  Expanded Academic Index
  General Reference Center Gold
  InfoTrac OneFile
  MAS Online Ultra - School Edition (EBSCOhost)*
  MasterFILE Premier (EBSCOhost)*
  Oxford Reference Online*
    POWER Library
  Student Research Center*
    Web Feet

 Government Resources (-)
  Declassified Documents Reference System

 Grants / Fundraising (-)
    GrantSelect

 Health / Science (-)
  Clinical Pharmacology (EBSCOhost)*
    Consumer Health Complete
  Health and Wellness Resource Center
  Health Source: Consumer Edition (EBSCOhost)*
  Health Source:Nursing/Academic Edition (EBSCOhost)*
    Philly Health Info
  Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) Online

 History (-)
  Archive of Americana
    Civil War Archive
  History Reference Center (EBSCO)*
  History Resource Center: US
  In The First Person: Index to Letters, Diaries, Oral Histories, and
Other Personal Narratives

 Library Catalogs (-)
  Free Library of Philadelphia Online Public Access Catalog
    NextReads*
    Online Book Club

 Literature (-)
    Book Index with Reviews*
  Humanities Full Text
  Lit Finder/Poem Finder*
  Literature Resource Center
  MLA International Bibliography
  NoveList*
    Patron Books in Print
  Short Story Index

 Music and Dance (-)
  Grovemusic.com*

 Newspapers / Magazines (-)
  AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive*
  EBSCOhost*
    LISTA (Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts)*
  National Newspaper Index
  Newsbank Retrospective
  Newspaper Source (EBSCOhost)*
  Pennsylvania Newspapers
  Philadelphia Daily News
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  Philadelphia Press Index
  TDNet

 Reference Resources (-)
  BookSource: Nonfiction (EBSCOhost)*
    DartClix*

 Religion/Philosophy (-)
  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

 Social Sciences (-)
  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
  Social Sciences Full Text

 Spanish Resources (-)
  EBSCOhost Espanol*
    Salud en Espanol


<http://search.library.phila.gov/advSearch.cfm>


Access Pennsylvania

<http://www.accesspa.state.pa.us/>


Some additional sources of information regarding the Access PA Power
Library may be found using this URL:


<http://tinyurl.com/yq6b2e>



Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne at temple.edu
Net-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold>
<http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html>
<http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en>
<http://net-gold.jiglu.com/>
General Internet & Print Resources
<http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp>
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne>
Educator-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/>
K12ADMINLIFE
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/>


From nasikyee at ugabytes.org  Thu May 10 08:17:03 2007
From: nasikyee at ugabytes.org (Esther Nasikye)
Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 15:17:03 +0300 (EAT)
Subject: [DDN] E. African Telecentre Leaders Forum Online Session
In-Reply-To: <380-220074419173224396@earthlink.net>
References: <380-220074419173224396@earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <1585.217.113.71.162.1178799423.squirrel@ugabytes.org>


Hullo practitioner

Here is a brief about the online session of the East Africa Telecentre
Leaders Forum

>Pre- East African Telecentre Leaders' Forum at Siaya Kenya:
>Online Session (14th to 25th May 2007) on the ugabytes mailing list
ugabytes at ugabytes.org

The East African Telecentre Leaders Forum ? EA-TLF comes at a time when
telecentre practitioners are increasingly interested in learning and
sharing lessons, experiences and efforts through collaboration,
partnerships and networking efforts. To maximize results the EA-TLF has
been designed with two sessions; the e-discussion and the face-to-face
event in Siaya, Kenya.



The 14th to 25th May e-session is designed to gather the experience of the
telecentre community on the ugabytes mailing list about the key forum
issues. Individual experiences, knowledge and opportunities will be
exposed and tapered into the face-to-face event to increase the event?s
value.



This third EA-TLF is hosted by KenTel in collaboration with UgaBYTES
Initiative under the theme; Promoting ICT for Rural Development; Meeting
The Movement Challenges



The discussion will run on two weekly sub themes with each facilitated by
a team of resourceful persons on the subject. The team will post the
opening keynote address, which will guide the practitioners during the
weeklong discussion. The team will equally continue to refocus the
discussion through providing daily summaries and guides for areas that may
require further discussion or supportive cases. The sub themes are largely
extracts of the main agenda of the face-to-face event.



During the e-session practitioners are encouraged to share their
experiences and opinion or guidance on the issues under discussion using
email submissions on the list. One-page showcases, best and worst
practices may also be shared as email attachment. See below for e-session
sub theme details.


>Week 1: May 14th to 18th

>Addressing internet connectivity challenges in the community

-       Sharing bandwidth
-       Increasing access to larger bandwidth
-       Pay as you options to internet connectivity
-       Learning from experiences, providing feedback
-       Field examples of how it all happens


>Week 2: May 21st to 25th

>Addressing the management challenges in community centres

-       Using good management skills to walk around telecentre challenges
-       The challenges of building good management skills in telecentres
-       Learning from experiences, providing feedback
-       Field examples of how it all happens



>Conference Participants

Participation is open to all Telecentre Leaders who are subscribed on the
UgaBYTES mailing list ugabytes at ugabytes.org. The online session has been
opened to all in order to promote unlimited common learning.


>e-discussion language

The primary language is English.


>Discussion Duration

2 weeks, which have been broken down into 14th ? 18th and 21st ? 25th May,
allow for comprehensive discussions on either of the sub themes.


>Deliverables

Points of agreement
Points for follow up in the face-to-face event
Showcases for profiling in the A-TLF

Please subscribe to the UgaBYTES mailing list at http://www.ugabytes.org
or at this url:http://ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_ugabytes.org
.

The e-session is part of the bi-annual forums organized by UgaBYTES with
the support of telecentre.org under the online telecentre helpdesk and
support services project. telecentre.org is a multi-stakeholder initiative
funded by IDRC http://www.idrc.ca, Microsoft Corporation and SDC.


Hope to enjoy the discussion with you...

---
Sulah




=================================================
Together we can strengthen the telecentre movement. Have you used the
online support-centre today: http://www.ugabytes.org/supportcentre ? You
can get help on any issue or review questions and answers by telecentre
practitioners. This service is a joint initiative of UgaBYTES,
Telecentre.org, IDRC, SDC, and Microsoft.



From pam.mclean at ntlworld.com  Fri May  4 19:15:38 2007
From: pam.mclean at ntlworld.com (Pamela McLean)
Date: Sat, 05 May 2007 00:15:38 +0100
Subject: [DDN] $165 laptop
In-Reply-To: <bb3c31460703241626s30e91778j2bc75213499a7693@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bb3c31460703241626s30e91778j2bc75213499a7693@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <463BBE9A.10509@ntlworld.com>


Dear Claude

I just read your email  - belatedly - while trawling through messages 
that came while I was away. I thought it was interesting both to me and 
and also to members of learningfromeachother. We have recently been 
discussing issues around the $100 laptop there. I wondered about 
forwarding your email to them - and thought that as it was to a list and 
not private it would be okay to do so. Of course as soon as I had 
pressed the "send" button doubts crept in - so I'm  writing 
retrospectively to let you know, ask your permission (and to apologise 
if I have done the wrong thing), and to ask the general question "What 
is the netiquette of copying between lists?"

Pam


Claude Almansi wrote:
> Hi All
>
> I got a new laptop at CHF 200.- ( $165)  yesterday - well, "new" in
> the sense of "another". Second-hand actually, a Digital HiNote ultra
> 2000 (1). Sure, the model has been around for almost a decade, I won't
> go cavorting around Second Life or super-special-beta-testing any
> secret super-special-new-fangled internet TV software with it - But
> what the heck? the owner used it very little,it's light,  it's fast,
> it doesn't overheat, and the battery has good staying power.
>
> I've chucked most programs and temporarily installed firefox, which
> gives me access to google docs for text editing and spreadsheets (2).
> And I have asked on the forum of the local Linux Users' Group if
> someone would show me how to replace the dubious Windows Me that came
> on it with some version of Linux, and at what price. Then *maybe* I'll
> add some other programs than firefox to it.
>
> This is not a dig at the $100 laptop. There arent enough folks who
> underuse their laptops and then sell them off to get a new model, to
> cover the needs, probably. But why not have both possibilities?
>
> Best
>
> Claude
>
>   

From paolo at palmerini.org  Thu May  3 12:25:37 2007
From: paolo at palmerini.org (paolo palmerini)
Date: Thu, 03 May 2007 16:25:37 +0000
Subject: [DDN] Ubuntu Labs/Linux Labs
In-Reply-To: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <463A0D01.3030002@palmerini.org>

Michael Maranda wrote:
> I am trying to identify public access computing centers where Ubuntu (any
> variant) and other Linux distributions are being used.  I'm helping one
> organization make the transition in Chicago.

michael,

you are probably mainly looking for US based experiences. however,
at http://tanmia.ma, in morocco, we will have one such lab installed 
soon (this month). it will be based on genesi 
(http://www.genesippc.com/) efika technology. you might want to ask more 
to vedran vucic (http://gnulinuxcentar.org), who is probably reading 
this, as well as the telecentres at wsis-cs.org mailing list.

if you want to use more standard, off-the-shelf technology, you surely 
have to look at http://ltsp.org.

both efika and ltps relies on the idea of thin clients, which might or 
might not be your case.

about class management tools, are you looking something like moodle.org?

ciao
p.

-- 
paolo palmerini.
listen to podkasbaht
http://www.palmerini.org/podkasbaht

From Will.Reed at techforall.org  Wed May  9 18:08:49 2007
From: Will.Reed at techforall.org (Will Reed)
Date: Wed, 9 May 2007 17:08:49 -0500
Subject: [DDN] Save the Date! - July 26-28,
	Houston - IMPACT: The Digital Revolution
Message-ID: <88DF45497C8A384CB0AE8E8C932A391D34845A@stsymeon.techforall.local>

Technology For All is one of five host organizations for a conference
that will be held in July in Houston, site of the largest Wi-Fi
deployment under development in North America. 
See www.impact-beyond.org   

The Conference will be held at the J. W. Marriott Hotel across from
Houston's Galleria Mall.

Technology For All is a key player in community Wi-Fi deployments and
was featured today on Wi-Fi Net News. See  http://www.wifinetnews.com/


Some of our research with Rice University and medical applications with
Methodist Hospital will be featured at the conference along with
community technology leaders from across the country. 

CTCNet is a "Conference Advisor" and several CTCNet leaders will be
presenting their work/wisdom at the conference.   For sponsor, panel, or
booth information call Pam Gardner(713.454.6415) or email
Pam.Gardner at techforall.org .


Will Reed
TECHNOLOGY FOR ALL
2220 Broadway | Houston, TX 77012
Direct: 713.454.6411 | Main #: 713.454.6400 | Fax: 713.454.6454
e-mail: Will.Reed at techforall.org  website: www.techforall.org
"We Empower Communities" 
 


From X.L at headsonfire.org  Thu May  3 14:19:13 2007
From: X.L at headsonfire.org (Xavier Leonard)
Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 11:19:13 -0700
Subject: [DDN] Ubuntu Labs/Linux Labs
In-Reply-To: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <p0624081bc25fc651f292@[10.0.1.2]>

Speaking of that.  We found that we were unable to install Ubuntu at 
a lab without swapping around the ram so that the install computers 
had 256k.  Ubuntu wouldn't install on 128k machines.  Someone 
suggested that this was due to the fact that we were installing using 
the GUI, but once the GUI is running, I don't understand why the 
underlying processes would be more intensive than running without the 
GUI.

Can anyone give any clarification?
>I am trying to identify public access computing centers where Ubuntu (any
>variant) and other Linux distributions are being used.  I'm helping one
>organization make the transition in Chicago.
>
>I am also interested in curriculum and class/lab management tools for a
>linux environment comparable to what we might offer in other MS based CTCs.
>
>Regards,
>
>MM
>
>--
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>Executive Director, CTCNet Chicago Chapter
>Co-Founder, Chicago Digital Access Alliance
>Co-Chair, Illinois Community Technology Coalition
>President, Association For Community Networking
>
>Support the efforts of the Chicago Digital Access Alliance:
>http://www.digitalaccessalliance.org
>_______________________________________________
>DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
>DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
>http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
>To unsubscribe, send a message to 
>digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in 
>the body of the message.


-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Xavier Leonard
Heads On Fire
San Diego, CA
ph.:619.232.9573 fx.:954.208.9573
X.L at headsonfire.org  http://www.headsonfire.org
"Fulfilling the promise of technology through community centered
collaborations."
--------------------------------------------------------------------

From einfeldt at gmail.com  Fri May 11 15:32:30 2007
From: einfeldt at gmail.com (Christian Einfeldt)
Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 12:32:30 -0700
Subject: [DDN] Ubuntu Labs/Linux Labs
In-Reply-To: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4b5781040705111232mcd14ecep8a379d21076a4000@mail.gmail.com>

HI,

On 4/30/07, Michael Maranda <mmaranda at afcn.org> wrote:
>
> I am trying to identify public access computing centers where Ubuntu (any
> variant) and other Linux distributions are being used.  I'm helping one
> organization make the transition in Chicago.


heh.  This is like saying "I'm trying to find a road with cars in Los
Angeles" !!!  There are probably 20 such labs wthin a 5 mile radius of your
current position.  You should google K12LTSP.  There are entire mailing
lists and IRC channels of people who will be able to help you.

I helped build such a lab in San Francisco.  I am glad to answer any
questions that you might have.  Also, you should consider contacting Steve
Hargadon.  There is perhaps no one in the entire US who is more qualified to
help you out here than him.  He has several businesses aimed at just this
thing:

http://www.hargadon.com/

He is the guy who built our lab, and he did a great job!

I am also interested in curriculum and class/lab management tools for a
> linux environment comparable to what we might offer in other MS based
> CTCs.


Yes, Steve or K12LTSP can help you with this.

From paolo at palmerini.org  Fri May 11 14:12:25 2007
From: paolo at palmerini.org (paolo palmerini)
Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 18:12:25 +0000
Subject: [DDN] Ubuntu Labs/Linux Labs
In-Reply-To: <p0624081bc25fc651f292@[10.0.1.2]>
References: <3feff8d60704302141m1c9896a4rb53583c0b57ef83a@mail.gmail.com>
	<p0624081bc25fc651f292@[10.0.1.2]>
Message-ID: <4644B209.2010207@palmerini.org>



Xavier Leonard wrote:
> Speaking of that.  We found that we were unable to install Ubuntu at 
> a lab without swapping around the ram so that the install computers 
> had 256k.  Ubuntu wouldn't install on 128k machines.  Someone 
> suggested that this was due to the fact that we were installing using 
> the GUI, but once the GUI is running, I don't understand why the 
> underlying processes would be more intensive than running without the 
> GUI.

new releases of ubuntu require 256M of ram.

this flavour of ubuntu seems more suitable for your needs.
http://www.xubuntu.org/get#requirements

p.

-- 
paolo palmerini.
listen to podkasbaht
http://www.palmerini.org/podkasbaht

From b.combes at ecu.edu.au  Mon May 14 00:07:21 2007
From: b.combes at ecu.edu.au (Barbara COMBES)
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 12:07:21 +0800
Subject: [DDN] FW: TILC2007 - Call for papers
Message-ID: <C151AF4E3D96FE488F603AFF307596610121816A@CIT-XCHG-BE1.ads.ecu.edu.au>



> TILC2007
> 
> T2 : Transformations and Technology
> 30 November - 1 December 2007
> Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley Campus
> Perth, Western Australia
> 
> Call for papers
> TILC 2007, T2 : Transformations and Technology addresses the
> transformative potential of information and communications
> technologies (ICTs) across business, education and government. To
> facilitate the organisation of topics and events at the conference,
> submissions will be grouped into four major tracks:
> 
> *	Business transformation (Value IT)
> *	Knowledge and information service transformation
> *	Learning transformation
> *	Government transformation
> 
> The conference will include a significant focus on ICT transformation
> of Western Australian government, education and enterprise for the era
> of the knowledge economy. Topics provided below are for guidance only,
> and are indicative rather than exhaustive.
> 
> *	Communications and technology for business
> *	Knowledge services for the 21st century citizen (transforming
> our libraries and information services)
> *	eLearning
> *	T-Government (information technology transformation of
> government processes, organisation and people)
> *	Transforming information culture in organisations
> 
> Papers
> Refereed Papers will be double blind, peer-reviewed and proceedings
> published in the conference proceedings.
> Virtual papers will also be peer reviewed and accepted for inclusion
> in the conference proceedings. 
> Workplace Practice papers will be edited and included in the
> conference proceedings.
> 
> Register your abstract online at the Conference web site
> http://conferences.scis.ecu.edu.au/ocs2/index.php/TILC/TILC2007
> 
> Key Dates
> Papers due:	10 September 2007
> Acceptance notification: 15 October 2007
> Cameras ready paper: 29 October 2007
> 
> Conference Chair: Dr Karen Anderson      Enquiries: tilc at ecu.edu.au
> 
> Barbara Combes
> Vice President, Advocacy & Promotion, IASL: http://www.iasl-slo.org/
> LIS at ECU: http://www.chs.ecu.edu.au/portals/LIS/index.php
> Convenor for the Transforming Information and Learning Conference
> http://www.chs.ecu.edu.au/TILC
> Barbara Combes, Lecturer
> School of Computer and Information Science Edith Cowan University,
> Perth Western Australia
> Ph: (08) 9370 6072
> Email: b.combes at ecu.edu.au
> 
> "Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to
> that of an ignorant nation." Walter Cronkite
> 
> This email is confidential and intended only for the use of the
> individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended
> recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or
> copying of this email is strictly prohibited.  If you have received
> this email in error, please notify me immediately by return email or
> telephone and destroy the original message.
> 

From claude.almansi at bluewin.ch  Sun May 13 15:21:20 2007
From: claude.almansi at bluewin.ch (Claude Almansi)
Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 21:21:20 +0200
Subject: [DDN] IFPI's threats against DJ's are backfiring,
	according to Tages-Anzeiger. Yet...
Message-ID: <bb3c31460705131221m3b8220ffq342ec2f40bec8a96@mail.gmail.com>

Hi All

IFPI Switzerland www.ifpi.ch started an intimidation campaign against
DJ's, sending registered letters and contracts they were meant to sign
lest IFPI sue them. IFPI alleged that DJs' use of copied CDs in their
work violated art. 36 of the Swiss copyright law
<http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/231_1/a36.html>. But art.36 only speaks
of exclusive rights on the distribution of copies of supports, not of
performing content from a copied support, for which DJs already pay a
tax to Suisa.

According to Eric Baumann's "Drohung an DJs wird zum Rohrkrepierer"
<http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/dyn/news/wirtschaft/750751.html> article
(1) in Tages-Anzeiger (May 11, 2007), most DJs just ignored the
threats, none have been sued, and none have received a second warning
so far.

The difference between this intimidation campaign and IFPI's 2005
"Game Over" campaign meant to  frighten private users into paying up
for having downloaded copyrighted music - which is NOT illegal in
Switzerland - is that IFPI trumpeted Game Over in well-pubicized media
conferences, whereas they don't even mention the "or else" letters to
the DJs  on their website. Just hoping to discre/etely  frighten  some
DJ's into coughing up?

Well, some DJ's  did, even if only a minority. And so some others are
toying with the idea of provoking the IFPI into a court case, to stop
their bullying.

 IFPI Switzerland is also contemporaneously leading an aggressive
lobbying campaign for the removal from the bill of the new version of
the Swiss copyright law, of  the article specifying the restrictions
of the interdiction of circumventing digital anticopy  measures.  The
removal of these restrictions, i.e. making the interdiction of
circumvention absolute,  would very seriously harm blind people's to
information and knowledge (2). So the social usefulness of  a possible
 IFPI's defeat in court would go beyond the DJs' circle as well.

But does anyone in this list know if there have been precedent similar
court cases in other countries? And if yes, what was the outcome?

Thank you in advance

Best

Claude


(1) IFPI's threats against DJ's are backfiring -  Google language
tools http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en  give the gist of the
whole article fairly well, provided you show healthy skepticism
towards things like "5000 Franconias" (for CHF 5000).

(2) See Bernhard Heinser's "Statement wegen Urheberrecht -
Schutzausnahme - Umgehungsverbot"
http://www.siug.ch/URG/statement-sbszh-2007-05-08  (again, Google
language tools will give the gist), and in English, my (human)
translation of an interview with Luca Mascaro on the same issues:
<http://noimedia.wikispaces.com/assistive_tech_and_DRM>

-- 
Claude Almansi
v. Cantonale 22
CH-6532 Castione
cell. +41 (0)76 401 85 69
gruppo di lavoro Noi Media www.noimedia.org
Swiss Internet User Group www.siug.ch

From jwne at temple.edu  Fri May 11 19:53:54 2007
From: jwne at temple.edu (David P. Dillard)
Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 19:53:54 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [DDN] MP3
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.53.0705111953160.661316@gs873ps>




SOFTWARE: FILE EDITORS :
ELECTRONICS: MP3 PLAYERS:
ID3-TagIT - THE ID3-Tag-Editor


ID3-TagIT - THE ID3-Tag-Editor
<http://www.id3-tagit.de/english/index.htm>


"Version 3.3.0 is online:

The new version comes along with some interface changes to the main and
editing dialogs and a couple of bugfixes. More information on the changes
and the download can be found here.

A complete history of changes can be found here.

In general:

ID3-TagIT is a programm for editing, adding, or deleting ID3 TAGs in MP3
files. Single file and batch editing are both supported. Edit one, ten or
all your MP3 files at once!

ID3-TagIT has many functions to help you achieve your goal as quickly as
possible. ID3-TagIT is - in contrast to many other editors - able to read
information from the directory structure and put it into the TAG, organize
files into folders, handle several comments and genres in the ID3V2 TAG,
and every function is available for ID3v1 and ID3v2. For detailed
information go to the features descriptions.

You will also find a FreeDB Connection, some analyse functions, libaries
for your genres and artist and some transfer and copy functions for the
TAGs. Compressed and Unicode encoded ID3V2 TAGs are supported to version
2.4 (TAGs of version 2.2 can only be removed)."


Website Table of Contents

Welcome | Features | Screenshots | Download | Contact | Forum | Donate |
ID3-Info | Impressum




Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne at temple.edu
Net-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold>
<http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html>
<http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en>
<http://net-gold.jiglu.com/>
General Internet & Print Resources
<http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp>
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne>
Educator-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/>
K12ADMINLIFE
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/>


From pronto30 at earthlink.net  Fri May 11 16:05:55 2007
From: pronto30 at earthlink.net (pronto30 at earthlink.net)
Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 16:05:55 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
Subject: [DDN] Summer Events at Kean University of NJ
Message-ID: <9227815.1178913955989.JavaMail.root@elwamui-milano.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Center for Innovative Education at Kean University


Register Online Now!

http://cie.kean.edu/registration.html

(Go to site and click on a workshop title to register online)
Walk-in Registration is Accepted!
NJ Professional Development Provider #405
Location: Kean University, Hennings Hall ? Room 320
Workshop Time: 8:30-1:30 (Breakfast 8:00-8:30, Snack 11:00)
Professional Development Credits: 5

A Day With Harry Wong and special guest Chelonnda Seroyer
"How to be a Super Successful New Teacher"

Harry K. Wong has been called one of the most inspiring, exciting and dynamic speakers in education today. His presentations result in actual changes in the behavior of his audiences. He leaves his audiences with practical, useful techniques for how to succeed in the class room. He has given some 3,000 presentations to over a half million people in every American and Canadian Province, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. He was also recently voted one of the most admired and inspirational educators in an instructor journal poll.

Dr. Wong?s expertise is in classroom management and student motivation, although he regards himself as ?a plain old classroom teacher.? His record shows that he has been an extraordinary teacher who has shared his success with thousands of teachers internationally. Because of his achievements, Dr. Wong has been awarded the outstanding Secondary Teacher Award, Science Teacher Achievement Recognition Award, Outstanding biology Teacher Award, and Valley Forge Teachers Medal. He was also the subject of a story in Reader?s Digest.

During more than 33 years in the classroom, he developed methods which resulted in his having a zero dropout rate, no discipline problems, a 95 % homework turn-in factor, and the ability to demonstrate master level learning by each of his students. His Students have won over 200 awards.

Chelonnda Seroyer as a new English teacher, used Harry Wong?s ?The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher? and was subsequently awarded the ?Bob Jones First Year Patriot Award? for her implementation of Dr. Wong?s strategies. Chelonnda has co-presented with Dr. Wong during classroom management workshops and is a featured teacher in Dr. Wong?s online classroom management course. Because of her passion to share her experiences with other new teachers, Chelonnda puts together monthly ?get togethers? for new teachers and is currently working with her school district as they restructure their new teacher induction program.

Where: Kean University Wilkens Theatre --- August 29, 2007

Performing Arts Center at Eastern Regional High School --- August 30,2007


Middle Level Education Institute


The institute will focus on building professional learning communities, highlighting best practices and dynamic new trends. This four-day institute is designed for both emerging and established middle level educators (grades 5-8). Presenters are nationally recognized leaders in middle school education. They will help you take your middle school to the next level.

Topics
* Transforming teams into professional learning communities
* Understanding middle school
* Understanding the middle school child
* Tracking and ability grouping
* Best practices
* Curriculum design
* Parent engagement
* Literacy across the curriculum
* Organization of teams & effective team practices
* Differentiation of instruction
* Using data to guide practice

Presenter: George White, Director and FounderMiddle Level Partnership at

Lehigh University and Nancy Doda President and Founder Teacher to Teacher


SMART Board Institute:

Creating Powerful Learning Environments in the Classroom

Come and learn how the SMART Board interactive whiteboard can be used to engage ALL students across the curriculum in this 3 day series! The SMART Board, which allows users to touch, write, save, and print what is on the board, has so many positive applications for teaching and learning! During this series educators will see examples of interactive classroom activities in math, science, social studies and language arts, and a demonstration of the features of the SMART Board and SMART Notebook software. Participants will be given hands-on time to work with the tools, explore the functions of the technology, and create dynamic lessons. This series can also be taken as a two day institute in which the July 10th session will serve as the common core of understanding for all participants, and a second day focus on Math and Science on July 11th, or Language Arts and Social Studies on July 12th may be selected.


Presenter: Kristine Scharaldi, Educational Technology Consultant and Certified SMARTBoard Instructor
For more information call 908-737-3869
http://cie.kean.edu/registration.html



From ttuvvy at yahoo.com.au  Fri May 11 22:51:57 2007
From: ttuvvy at yahoo.com.au (arthur richards)
Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 12:51:57 +1000 (EST)
Subject: [DDN] $165 laptop
In-Reply-To: <463BBE9A.10509@ntlworld.com>
Message-ID: <319112.45252.qm@web90311.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

$100 laptops is a business strategy dressed as charity and help.
   
  Having said this, suppose 200 million young (for example, african) children buy each a $100 dollar laptop, where is this $20 billion dollars going to come from and where is it going to? The so-called $100 dollar laptop initiative is a business strategy which has very little benefit to the continent of africa for example - why?
   
  The sales proceeds are sucked out of the continent which is already hard pressed for funds and foreign currency.  If they must help third world children to have access, what they need first is a decent education and ability to fund that education. Then you have all the other add ons of being able to have at least two meals a day, access to clean water and much more.
   
  Arthur

Pamela McLean <pam.mclean at ntlworld.com> wrote:
  
Dear Claude

I just read your email - belatedly - while trawling through messages 
that came while I was away. I thought it was interesting both to me and 
and also to members of learningfromeachother. We have recently been 
discussing issues around the $100 laptop there. I wondered about 
forwarding your email to them - and thought that as it was to a list and 
not private it would be okay to do so. Of course as soon as I had 
pressed the "send" button doubts crept in - so I'm writing 
retrospectively to let you know, ask your permission (and to apologise 
if I have done the wrong thing), and to ask the general question "What 
is the netiquette of copying between lists?"

Pam


Claude Almansi wrote:
> Hi All
>
> I got a new laptop at CHF 200.- ( $165) yesterday - well, "new" in
> the sense of "another". Second-hand actually, a Digital HiNote ultra
> 2000 (1). Sure, the model has been around for almost a decade, I won't
> go cavorting around Second Life or super-special-beta-testing any
> secret super-special-new-fangled internet TV software with it - But
> what the heck? the owner used it very little,it's light, it's fast,
> it doesn't overheat, and the battery has good staying power.
>
> I've chucked most programs and temporarily installed firefox, which
> gives me access to google docs for text editing and spreadsheets (2).
> And I have asked on the forum of the local Linux Users' Group if
> someone would show me how to replace the dubious Windows Me that came
> on it with some version of Linux, and at what price. Then *maybe* I'll
> add some other programs than firefox to it.
>
> This is not a dig at the $100 laptop. There arent enough folks who
> underuse their laptops and then sell them off to get a new model, to
> cover the needs, probably. But why not have both possibilities?
>
> Best
>
> Claude
>
> 
_______________________________________________
DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.


 	      
---------------------------------
Switch to Yahoo!7 Mail: Transfer all your contacts and emails from Hotmail and other providers to Yahoo!7 Mail. Switch now

From ttuvvy at yahoo.com.au  Fri May 11 23:18:12 2007
From: ttuvvy at yahoo.com.au (arthur richards)
Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 13:18:12 +1000 (EST)
Subject: [DDN] Questions about the Hundred Dollar Laptop / One Laptop
	Per Child / X0-1 Project
In-Reply-To: <3228c2a50705060335mc856f4ci7d8fe96dbf6cfada@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <466802.51484.qm@web90305.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

On the surface it the so-called OLPC has been dressed as beneficial to third world children and families, but have the proponents of the initiative spared a thought for the following:
   
  a) that the children being targeted for the initiative are mostly going to be unable to pay school fees and hence do not and cannot gain education. why would a sensible family spend $100 for a laptop instead of using the funds to pay school fees and educate the child?
  b) Suppose 200 million african children could be provided with these laptops. Who coughs up this $20 billion for the laptops? The african continent cannot sustain $20 billion being etracted out of the continent since none of the laptops are built in the continent to provide employment. Indeed this amount represents hard earned foreign currency which is being sucked out of the continent. The economic disadvantages of buying the laptops makes them grossly unsuitable for a poor continent like africa.
  c) Who is going to be responsible for maintaining the laptops? How much will the bill for spare parts or replacements amount to?
   
  In my view from the African perspective, what the african child needs first is ability to be educated normally like every other child in the West. They need those who can pay their school fees and $100 will support this for more than a couple of years.
   
  I think the OLPC is a business strategy and a new front for globalisation - aimed at increasing the sale of computers, software, network devices and foreign content to third world countries and at the same time impoverishing them beyond where they are now.
   
  How will the proponents of the OLPC initiative address these issues?
   
  Arthur
  
Deborah Elizabeth Finn <deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu> wrote:
  Dear Digital Divide Network Colleagues,

The Ethos Roundtable (of which I am a co-convener) is hosting a
presentation on the One Laptop Per Child project on May 15th.

More details can be found here:

"One Laptop Per Child: How is this going to work?"


As you will see from my blog article, I'm collecting questions about
the project from members of the nonprofit technology community, which
I will then bring to the Ethos Roundtable discussion. You are welcome
to add your questions by posting them as comments to the blog article.

Many thanks and best regards from Deborah

P.S. If you'd like to know more about the Ethos Roundtable, please go
to .

Deborah Elizabeth Finn
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu
www.cyber-yenta.org

Recommended reading:
"Universal Declaration of Human Rights"

_______________________________________________
DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.


 	      
---------------------------------
Switch to Yahoo!7 Mail: Transfer all your contacts and emails from Hotmail and other providers to Yahoo!7 Mail. Switch now

From project.educate1 at gmail.com  Mon May 14 10:00:34 2007
From: project.educate1 at gmail.com (ProjectEDUCATE)
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 10:00:34 -0400
Subject: [DDN] Questions about the Hundred Dollar Laptop / One Laptop
	Per Child / X0-1 Project
In-Reply-To: <466802.51484.qm@web90305.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
References: <466802.51484.qm@web90305.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <D786C1AC-A7E3-4109-BF04-C58A7C2D395B@gmail.com>

Arthur,

I run a tiny non-profit www.project-educate.org and  having been born  
and raised in Africa, I could not agree with you more Arthur. I find  
it hard to believe that people are pushing for this. In Zambia where  
I come from, the average family survives on less than a dollar a day.  
Now I know we hear this everyday and tend to deal with it in abstract  
but what this means is on a daily basis families have to make the  
decision whether to buy food or medication for one, whether to send a  
child to school or provide basic necessities this is the harsh  
reality of life not just in Zambia but the entire African continent.
The idea that families or governments will have the resources to  
invest in this is beyond me. The one way I see this happening is if  
African governments are bullied into agreements that will force them  
to spend resources on this for the benefit of venture capitalists.
Another thing, even if we were to get this equipment into the hands  
of our children, I am yet to hear of training for educators. Which is  
critical to the successful implementation of any project. It is  
almost as if it is being taken for granted that the technical skill  
on the continent is as advanced as it is in the Western world.  
Consider this, not too long ago we sent computers to Zambia and out  
of 6 schools with about 200 teachers not a single one of them had  
ever used a computer.(mind you this was in an urban area) Point being  
made is before we can talk of ICT's in education or whatever, serious  
thought and resources must be poured into training the educators. (I  
get a kick out of envisioning African children running around with  
these things) Then there is the issue of infrastructure, where will  
these things be housed? Are children taking them home or leaving them  
at school? If so, are these people willing to invest in building and/ 
strengthening infrastructure?(most unlikely from my experience)

Mbao.

On May 11, 2007, at 11:18 PM, arthur richards wrote:

> On the surface it the so-called OLPC has been dressed as beneficial  
> to third world children and families, but have the proponents of  
> the initiative spared a thought for the following:
>
>   a) that the children being targeted for the initiative are mostly  
> going to be unable to pay school fees and hence do not and cannot  
> gain education. why would a sensible family spend $100 for a laptop  
> instead of using the funds to pay school fees and educate the child?
>   b) Suppose 200 million african children could be provided with  
> these laptops. Who coughs up this $20 billion for the laptops? The  
> african continent cannot sustain $20 billion being etracted out of  
> the continent since none of the laptops are built in the continent  
> to provide employment. Indeed this amount represents hard earned  
> foreign currency which is being sucked out of the continent. The  
> economic disadvantages of buying the laptops makes them grossly  
> unsuitable for a poor continent like africa.
>   c) Who is going to be responsible for maintaining the laptops?  
> How much will the bill for spare parts or replacements amount to?
>
>   In my view from the African perspective, what the african child  
> needs first is ability to be educated normally like every other  
> child in the West. They need those who can pay their school fees  
> and $100 will support this for more than a couple of years.
>
>   I think the OLPC is a business strategy and a new front for  
> globalisation - aimed at increasing the sale of computers,  
> software, network devices and foreign content to third world  
> countries and at the same time impoverishing them beyond where they  
> are now.
>
>   How will the proponents of the OLPC initiative address these issues?
>
>   Arthur
>
> Deborah Elizabeth Finn <deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu>  
> wrote:
>   Dear Digital Divide Network Colleagues,
>
> The Ethos Roundtable (of which I am a co-convener) is hosting a
> presentation on the One Laptop Per Child project on May 15th.
>
> More details can be found here:
>
> "One Laptop Per Child: How is this going to work?"
>
>
> As you will see from my blog article, I'm collecting questions about
> the project from members of the nonprofit technology community, which
> I will then bring to the Ethos Roundtable discussion. You are welcome
> to add your questions by posting them as comments to the blog article.
>
> Many thanks and best regards from Deborah
>
> P.S. If you'd like to know more about the Ethos Roundtable, please go
> to .
>
> Deborah Elizabeth Finn
> Boston, Massachusetts, USA
> deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu
> www.cyber-yenta.org
>
> Recommended reading:
> "Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
>
> _______________________________________________
> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
> To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide- 
> request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of  
> the message.
>
>
>  	
> ---------------------------------
> Switch to Yahoo!7 Mail: Transfer all your contacts and emails from  
> Hotmail and other providers to Yahoo!7 Mail. Switch now
> _______________________________________________
> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
> To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide- 
> request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of  
> the message.


From tabeles at hotmail.com  Mon May 14 10:34:42 2007
From: tabeles at hotmail.com (tom abeles)
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 09:34:42 -0500
Subject: [DDN] Questions about the Hundred Dollar Laptop / One LaptopPer
	Child / X0-1
In-Reply-To: <466802.51484.qm@web90305.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <BAY108-F18A211C59B9198F4C6219A73E0@phx.gbl>

First, I have posted some of the items below on the olpc web site. This is 
in response to the 15th mtg and Arthur's post on DDN as well as Elizabeth 
Finn's blog:

1) Apple's iPhone is an indicator where tech is going. One pocket device for 
folks built around the phone. The cyber immigrants said small screens won't 
work but have not observed what is happening with the iPod and other really 
portable devices. The cell phone is ubiquitous and easily used in a variety 
of settings not necessarily conducive to lap tops, no matter how 
sophisticated

2) Bandwidth is an issue if the device is to be wireless or wifi. Wireless 
providers give phones away but sell access. If the world is going to move to 
wireless everywhere, then cost of accessing bandwidth outweighs to cost of 
the hardware, regardless of how sophisticated. As Negroponte has pointed 
out, the expectations of the OLPC device are that capabilities will rise and 
price will drop. But the capital cost is the small part when operating costs 
on a daily basis (including other support) are considered

The idea that the cost is "too high" (now 175usd) is not the cost issue

3) The idea behind OLPC is still mapping bricks into clicks. It is a virtual 
"brick space" class room at a time when learning has moved outside of the 
brick space phsically and out of the synchronous only mode.

4) Many students have to work to keep the family from starving. That is a 
considerable barrier which OLPC in its current embodiment is unable to 
off-set. A family with several children can live for more than a year on the 
funds to equip the children with an OLPC computer much less support. Yes 
they would be spending their future for food today. But no food today is no 
future considering that nutrition is critical for the development of the 
child from conception through 20's when the brain stops growing.

The issue is not the front capital, but the life-cycle costs of OLPC in all 
dimensions.

The DDN and the entire WB effort and that of others around ITC for all is 
the techie equivalent of a PLayboy center fold. Time after time what one 
sees is that the problem is not the technology but the misallocation or 
inaccessibility of capital by the fiscally disenfranchised. Yunis's work 
with microlending and DeSoto's trenchant and significant economic analysis. 
The recent news reporting of misallocation of funds by country leaders and 
within, even, the WB (Wolfowitz is just a red flag within a sea of fiscal 
greed), point out that OLPC is just another opportunity, but not for the 
poor.

tpa

>From: arthur richards <ttuvvy at yahoo.com.au>
>Reply-To: The Digital Divide Network discussion 
>group<digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net>
>To: The Digital Divide Network discussion 
>group<digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net>
>Subject: Re: [DDN] Questions about the Hundred Dollar Laptop / One 
>LaptopPer Child / X0-1 Project
>Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 13:18:12 +1000 (EST)
>
>On the surface it the so-called OLPC has been dressed as beneficial to 
>third world children and families, but have the proponents of the 
>initiative spared a thought for the following:
>
>   a) that the children being targeted for the initiative are mostly going 
>to be unable to pay school fees and hence do not and cannot gain education. 
>why would a sensible family spend $100 for a laptop instead of using the 
>funds to pay school fees and educate the child?
>   b) Suppose 200 million african children could be provided with these 
>laptops. Who coughs up this $20 billion for the laptops? The african 
>continent cannot sustain $20 billion being etracted out of the continent 
>since none of the laptops are built in the continent to provide employment. 
>Indeed this amount represents hard earned foreign currency which is being 
>sucked out of the continent. The economic disadvantages of buying the 
>laptops makes them grossly unsuitable for a poor continent like africa.
>   c) Who is going to be responsible for maintaining the laptops? How much 
>will the bill for spare parts or replacements amount to?
>
>   In my view from the African perspective, what the african child needs 
>first is ability to be educated normally like every other child in the 
>West. They need those who can pay their school fees and $100 will support 
>this for more than a couple of years.
>
>   I think the OLPC is a business strategy and a new front for 
>globalisation - aimed at increasing the sale of computers, software, 
>network devices and foreign content to third world countries and at the 
>same time impoverishing them beyond where they are now.
>
>   How will the proponents of the OLPC initiative address these issues?
>
>   Arthur
>
>Deborah Elizabeth Finn <deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu> wrote:
>   Dear Digital Divide Network Colleagues,
>
>The Ethos Roundtable (of which I am a co-convener) is hosting a
>presentation on the One Laptop Per Child project on May 15th.
>
>More details can be found here:
>
>"One Laptop Per Child: How is this going to work?"
>
>
>As you will see from my blog article, I'm collecting questions about
>the project from members of the nonprofit technology community, which
>I will then bring to the Ethos Roundtable discussion. You are welcome
>to add your questions by posting them as comments to the blog article.
>
>Many thanks and best regards from Deborah
>
>P.S. If you'd like to know more about the Ethos Roundtable, please go
>to .
>
>Deborah Elizabeth Finn
>Boston, Massachusetts, USA
>deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu
>www.cyber-yenta.org
>
>Recommended reading:
>"Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
>
>_______________________________________________
>DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
>DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
>http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
>To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org 
>with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Switch to Yahoo!7 Mail: Transfer all your contacts and emails from Hotmail 
>and other providers to Yahoo!7 Mail. Switch now
>_______________________________________________
>DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
>DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
>http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
>To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org 
>with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.

_________________________________________________________________
More photos, more messages, more storage?get 2GB with Windows Live Hotmail. 
http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_2G_0507


From skipper at bfranklin.edu  Mon May 14 11:21:45 2007
From: skipper at bfranklin.edu (John Hibbs)
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 08:21:45 -0700
Subject: [DDN] Questions about the Hundred Dollar Laptop / One Laptop
 Per Child / X0-1 Project
In-Reply-To: <D786C1AC-A7E3-4109-BF04-C58A7C2D395B@gmail.com>
References: <466802.51484.qm@web90305.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
	<D786C1AC-A7E3-4109-BF04-C58A7C2D395B@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <a062102a4c26e2ccd73dc@[192.168.0.10]>

It would seem that ProjectEducate could educate us all with the 
outcome of this (which seems in contradiction to the post below?)

<http://www.project-educate.org/test/?q=blog/1>
>ProjectEducate is the recipient of 400 computers from the Montgomery 
>County Public School District through Teachers Without Borders.


What happened to the 400 computers? What were the benchmarks for goal 
achievement? Were they achieved?
Me? I like what my friend Tom Abeles had to say, though he failed to 
mention a favorite subject of mine -- use of conventional radio in 
the classroom. It seems to me that the combination of low cost 
broadcasting equipment, cybercafe's, telecenters, and community 
involvement by way of community radio -- that resources committed 
there would yield more than $100. laptops.
John Hibbs
http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs

At 10:00 AM -0400 5/14/07, ProjectEDUCATE wrote:
>Arthur,
>
>I run a tiny non-profit www.project-educate.org and  having been born 
>and raised in Africa, I could not agree with you more Arthur. I find 
>it hard to believe that people are pushing for this. In Zambia where 
>I come from, the average family survives on less than a dollar a day. 
>Now I know we hear this everyday and tend to deal with it in abstract 
>but what this means is on a daily basis families have to make the 
>decision whether to buy food or medication for one, whether to send a 
>child to school or provide basic necessities this is the harsh 
>reality of life not just in Zambia but the entire African continent.
>The idea that families or governments will have the resources to 
>invest in this is beyond me. The one way I see this happening is if 
>African governments are bullied into agreements that will force them 
>to spend resources on this for the benefit of venture capitalists.
>Another thing, even if we were to get this equipment into the hands 
>of our children, I am yet to hear of training for educators. Which is 
>critical to the successful implementation of any project. It is 
>almost as if it is being taken for granted that the technical skill 
>on the continent is as advanced as it is in the Western world. 
>Consider this, not too long ago we sent computers to Zambia and out 
>of 6 schools with about 200 teachers not a single one of them had 
>ever used a computer.(mind you this was in an urban area) Point being 
>made is before we can talk of ICT's in education or whatever, serious 
>thought and resources must be poured into training the educators. (I 
>get a kick out of envisioning African children running around with 
>these things) Then there is the issue of infrastructure, where will 
>these things be housed? Are children taking them home or leaving them 
>at school? If so, are these people willing to invest in building and/
>strengthening infrastructure?(most unlikely from my experience)
>
>Mbao.
>
>On May 11, 2007, at 11:18 PM, arthur richards wrote:
>
>>  On the surface it the so-called OLPC has been dressed as beneficial 
>>  to third world children and families, but have the proponents of 
>>  the initiative spared a thought for the following:
>>
>>    a) that the children being targeted for the initiative are mostly 
>>  going to be unable to pay school fees and hence do not and cannot 
>>  gain education. why would a sensible family spend $100 for a laptop 
>>  instead of using the funds to pay school fees and educate the child?
>>    b) Suppose 200 million african children could be provided with 
>>  these laptops. Who coughs up this $20 billion for the laptops? The 
>>  african continent cannot sustain $20 billion being etracted out of 
>>  the continent since none of the laptops are built in the continent 
>>  to provide employment. Indeed this amount represents hard earned 
>>  foreign currency which is being sucked out of the continent. The 
>>  economic disadvantages of buying the laptops makes them grossly 
>>  unsuitable for a poor continent like africa.
>  >   c) Who is going to be responsible for maintaining the laptops? 
>>  How much will the bill for spare parts or replacements amount to?
>>
>>    In my view from the African perspective, what the african child 
>>  needs first is ability to be educated normally like every other 
>>  child in the West. They need those who can pay their school fees 
>>  and $100 will support this for more than a couple of years.
>>
>>    I think the OLPC is a business strategy and a new front for 
>>  globalisation - aimed at increasing the sale of computers, 
>>  software, network devices and foreign content to third world 
>>  countries and at the same time impoverishing them beyond where they 
>>  are now.
>>
>>    How will the proponents of the OLPC initiative address these issues?
>>
>>    Arthur
>>
>>  Deborah Elizabeth Finn <deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu> 
>>  wrote:
>>    Dear Digital Divide Network Colleagues,
>>
>>  The Ethos Roundtable (of which I am a co-convener) is hosting a
>>  presentation on the One Laptop Per Child project on May 15th.
>>
>>  More details can be found here:
>>
>  > "One Laptop Per Child: How is this going to work?"
>>

From andycarvin at yahoo.com  Wed May 16 14:41:01 2007
From: andycarvin at yahoo.com (Andy Carvin)
Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 11:41:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [DDN] Using wikis to craft federal edtech legislation
	collaboratively
Message-ID: <547595.52027.qm@web43145.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I attended an event hosted by the DC chapter
of NetSquared regarding the role of wikis in crafting
public policy. Justin Hamilton, a legislative aide
from the office of House education committee chair
George Miller (D-CA) spoke about how his office is
exploring the possibility of setting up a wiki to
encourage the public to participate more directly in
the legislative process, not unlike what Steve Urqhart
is doing for the Utah house of representatives at
www.politicopia.com. 

Some of us in the audienced joked about having Rep.
Miller use a wiki to invite teachers to rewrite No
Child Left Behind, but later on I suggested they might
wish to try a very focused experiment, inviting
educators to use a wiki to comment on the section in
NCLB that requires all students to be "technologicaly
literate" by the eighth grade." Since the notion of
making our students tech literate is a bipartisan goal
and not regarded as divisive, it might serve as an
interesting test case to bring together educators with
first-hand experience and expertise to advise Congress
as to what role it should or shouldn't play regarding
achieving tech literacy, however one defines it, for
all students.

Anyway, it was a fascinating discussion, and I blogged
about it here:

http://urltea.com/kcr

thanks,
andy

------------------------
Andy Carvin
andycarvin at yahoo  com
www.andycarvin.com
www.pbs.org/learningnow
------------------------

From claude.almansi at bluewin.ch  Wed May 16 11:23:37 2007
From: claude.almansi at bluewin.ch (Claude Almansi)
Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 17:23:37 +0200
Subject: [DDN] Questions about Second Life
Message-ID: <bb3c31460705160823y7013e829g2e762c128a5ab1c6@mail.gmail.com>

Hi All

As there are some Second Life experts and even denizens in this list:

Yesterday evening, I wanted to take a look at the USC sim on Annenberg
Island in Second Life
<http://slurl.com/secondlife/Annenberg%20Island/187/67/40> because
they are going to have an iCommons meeting there (see
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/iSummitSL ). The software said
it wanted an update. I did it and my avatar landed, completely bald
and stark naked in front of the sim of  Harvard's Berkman Center (last
SL joint I had visited before).

- Does this kind of thing often happen?
- What is the sletiquette if there is another avatar nearby in such
cases?  You make the avatar jump into a bush? You chat normally as you
get dressed?

Best

Claude
-- 
Claude Almansi
v. Cantonale 22
CH-6532 Castione
tel. +41 (0)91 829 04 51
cell. +41 (0)76 401 85 69
gruppo di lavoro Noi Media www.noimedia.org
Swiss Internet User Group www.siug.ch

From gerfalcon7 at yahoo.com  Tue May 15 22:31:47 2007
From: gerfalcon7 at yahoo.com (gerfalcon7 at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 19:31:47 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [DDN] One laptop per child project
Message-ID: <989824.52145.qm@web51901.mail.re2.yahoo.com>

I think the Bible has as good a commentary on the potential or lack thereof of the laptop project: 

"Where there is no vision, the people will perish."

Alan Gerstle

www.freelancesuccess.com/alangerstle
 
       
---------------------------------
Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel. 

From mmaranda at afcn.org  Mon May 14 14:32:52 2007
From: mmaranda at afcn.org (Michael Maranda)
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 13:32:52 -0500
Subject: [DDN] Which (domain) registrar would you choose and why? Shouldnt
	we have one reflective of our values?
Message-ID: <3feff8d60705141132x3271bbd3i751bf0ea29f4ad2f@mail.gmail.com>

Following is a blog entry I did on DDN.  I have a related blog entry here:
http://wrythings.net/2007/05/12/how-about-a-non-profit-domain-registrar-for-org/where
I suggest an NPO take that role.

----------

Non-profits (and many other unincorporated voluntary assemblages) are here
to make change - we're part of a movement for empowerment and quality of
life. We are attentive to the character of our work and the character of the
field we work in, and these are reflective of our deep concern for how we
should live and work together in the world.

We look for partners that share our values, and more and more we ask
questions that suggest we like to mean what we pay (as they say at
www.grasscommons.org).

Now, I have had it in my mind for some time that the Non-profit/Voluntary
sector - those who would prefer the .ORG top level domain (TLD) as their
brand of choice, for the values it connotes - deserve the option of a domain
registrar that shares their values, and would work to the community
interest, and not exclusively to narrow business interests.

Would we pay a little more for such service? Man of us probably would. And
so would others even if they weren't seeking a .org! Which is to say, there
would be potential in serving the domain registration needs in other TLDs.

I view this as part of a differentiation of roles within the network of
those working for the public good. There is a logic for entities providing
services to non-profits to take on this role on purely
business/organizational strategy grounds. As other domain registrars make
money by upselling to other services (and frequently sell domains at tight
margins and perhaps occasionally as loss-leader) the non-profit technical
assistance provider or support entity can reap benefits by upselling to
other services - even if the "sale" does not involve a monetary exchange.
We're mission driven and not money driven.

If you need to bring your services to non-profits and grassroots groups,
help them by (helping them) managing the domain process in an ethical way.
Give them someone they can trust to look out for their interest in serving
the public interest.

Who can take on this role?

If no present entity can or will - can't we as a community do this
ourselves?

From nasikyee at ugabytes.org  Tue May 15 04:58:09 2007
From: nasikyee at ugabytes.org (Esther Nasikye)
Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 11:58:09 +0300 (EAT)
Subject: [DDN] Weekly highlights from telecentre.org
Message-ID: <7016.196.0.7.2.1179219489.squirrel@www.ugabytes.org>



Dear all,

Here are some of the highlights from the telecentre.org blog


* Weaving the networks in LAC one conversation at a time
* The Telecentre Knowledge Network: Country profiles
* East Africa Telecentre Leaders Forum online session
* CAICC strengthening Centres in Mozambique
* Open Space: A multimedia guide
* Akshaya centres in Kerala to initiate local language community web portal
* Sitakund Youth CMC in Bangladesh
* Tips for Creating and Managing Content


* Weaving the networks in LAC one conversation at a time
The first gathering of telecentre operators, managers and people committed
to human development using ICTs took place on April 26 ?27 in Montevideo,
Uruguay. The main objectives of the gathering were to highlight the value
of the work telecentres do to meet the millennium goals; to determine
clear actions to strengthen telecentres in Uruguay and to create a
collective work plan to advance their work.
Read the rest of this story here
http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/33098

* The Telecentre Knowledge Network: Country profiles
The Telecentre Knowledge Network is an editable and evolving reference
wiki about building and sustaining telecentres produced by AED and
Telecenter.org. A section is dedicated to country profiles describing the
status and history of telecentres in about 40 different countries.
Visitors can complete this wikispace by adding new case studies here
http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/33054

* East Africa Telecentre Leaders Forum online session
The online session of the East Africa Leaders Forum is slated to run from
14th to 25th May 2007 on the ugabytes mailing list -
ugabytes at ugabytes.org.
This e-session is designed to gather the experience of the telecentre
community about the key forum issues including connectivity and
sustainability. Individual experiences, knowledge and opportunities will
be exposed and tapered into the face-to-face event to increase the event?s
value.
Find the details of how you can be take part here
http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/32783


* Community Information and Communication Support Centre (CAICC)
strengthening Centres in Mozambique
ONE telecentre manager failing to install new software calls Community
Information and Communication Support Centre (CAICC) for assistance. CAICC
technical staff give step by step instructions that enable him set up the
software. This is one of the success stories CAICC leader in Mozambique,
Polly Gaster gives.
Read about CAICC here http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/32878


* Open Space: A multimedia guide
This animation is created with an objective to provide step-wise guidance
for individuals and organizations who wish to use open space methodology
to have discussion in workshops and other kinds of programs.
To view the multimedia product look here
http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/33099

* Akshaya centres in Kerala to initiate local language community web portal
Citizens of Kannur district (northern part of the Kerala state in India)
at the click of the mouse or through a phone call will soon be able to
access all kinds of local information. Anything from the sale of a cow,
job vacancies or even find brides and grooms!
Read the rest of this entry here
http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/32759

* Sitakund Youth CMC in Bangladesh
The Sitakund Youth CMC, Bangladesh continues to function even after the
funding from UNESCO ceased. Today the Y-CMC broadcast programs four hours
a week and repeats the same several times through the local cable network
and offers various services from IT training to video editing and
production in addition to internet facilities for persons like Rahim Begum
who works for the welfare of Dalit marginalised community in Sultan Mandir
Dashpara.
Read the rest of this story here
http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/32682

* Tips for Creating and Managing Content
This paper is written by Patrick Shaw and published on Techsoup. It gives
some tools and tricks for posting good content to your nonprofit's Web
site. Before you create online content, you need to have a way to share it
with others.
Find the details here http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/32539

* Weekly news roundup
140 Digital Doorways to connect rural communities, May 17 is World
Information Society Day, Satellite Internet a lifeline for rural areas, A
Guide to Promote, Initiate and Improve Women's ICT Based Enterprises in
Uganda, Tshwane University training OSS.
Read the summary of the news summary here
http://community.telecentre.org/en-tc/node/32879


Please send us comments, news, updates and project reports, photographs on
Telecentres at www.community.telecentre.org



cheers
Esther
Community Content Facilitator
Telecentre.org


telecentre.org is a social investment program and a global community
of networks, organizations, and people committed to strengthening
grassroots telecentres. We envision a world where people everywhere
have the opportunity to access technology and join the knowledge
economy -- on their own terms. We invest in telecentre networks,
services, and workshops. Our founding social investors include
Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Microsoft,
and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. We invite others
who share our vision and commitment to join us. Visit
http://www.telecentre.org  to learn more.






-- 
Esther Nasikye
UgaBYTES Initiative
Kanganve House
Kabalagala Town, Kampala
Tel: 256772351885

-- 
Esther Nasikye
UgaBYTES Initiative
Kanganve House
Kabalagala Town, Kampala
Tel: 256772351885



From project.educate1 at gmail.com  Mon May 14 12:40:53 2007
From: project.educate1 at gmail.com (ProjectEDUCATE)
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 12:40:53 -0400
Subject: [DDN] Questions about the Hundred Dollar Laptop / One Laptop
	Per Child / X0-1 Project
In-Reply-To: <a062102a4c26e2ccd73dc@[192.168.0.10]>
References: <466802.51484.qm@web90305.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
	<D786C1AC-A7E3-4109-BF04-C58A7C2D395B@gmail.com>
	<a062102a4c26e2ccd73dc@[192.168.0.10]>
Message-ID: <4BA9590D-F7A8-4D2F-9F33-B79B2D52838C@gmail.com>

Sorry John our site is a mess.
First no contradiction what I am concerned about is the how to. I  
agree technology does hold an answer, the question is how?  Which I  
think Negroponte and company have not quite considered or maybe they  
have and I just don't know about it.

We had set out wanting to provide access and training to teachers. We  
were fortunate to get this donation from MCPS because no one was  
interested in donating their equipment.
Anyway they went to a total of 8 institutions. Among them the local  
hospital. We are now working on helping them convert their paper  
based records into electronic format.
Having donated equipment to the local Teacher Training College, we  
are now working with Teachers Without Borders to help improve  
teachers skills through a series of workshops and seminars in  
addition to adding TWB's Teaching of Mastery Certificate to the  
Curriculum, which we have modified to meet community needs. This way,  
the teachers graduate and they are not only able to teach computers  
but begin integrating ICT in teaching. I think this is where change  
comes in. We provided and are continuing to provide basic computer  
training to the teachers in the hope that they will take up the task  
of teaching their students and fellow teachers at other schools as we  
add new community partners. The rest went to a secondary school, an  
orphanage and primary schools.

Among other things, in primary schools, we introduced Circle of  
Friends a cultural exchange program for Zambian and US students. We  
are using e-mail and messenger for communication. (I know, I know  
elementary for a western audience) but we are dealing with basic  
needs that require basic solutions.
Like you I think mediums like radio can go a long way in education  
and we are actually exploring this possibility especially for our  
more rural and remote areas. If you have suggestions maybe we can  
talk. From where I stand, the issue is not in using ICT to addresses  
problems (in fact there is no doubt in my mind that this a way  
forward) but the question of  application is right up there. How are  
they being used? Is this particular application relevant to a  
particular problem and so on.
I have seen enough initiatives that bring equipment to these  
communities and they walk away after however long crying failure and  
a lack of participation. It is not that people don't want help but  
programs must be designed to meet needs in the context in which they  
exist. While I like the idea of every child having a computer or at  
least access to one, this is something that must not be done in  
isolation. Give every child a laptop and then what? Among other  
things, there is the issue of connectivity which is a huge hindrance  
to ICT in a country like Zambia. Bandwidth is insanely expensive; it  
costs us $2000 to connect 25 computers to the Internet for our  
community center via cable. I am not saying technology does not  
provide solutions just that we need to seriously examine this issue.  
I would like to see more initiatives that put the emphasis on  
improving infrastructure and  skills, this way individuals and  
communities have a safe, secure place to go to make use of such  
resources. Let's not forget such an approach fosters a sense of  
ownership and self-worth because people are doing things for themselves.
Whether we agree or not, cost is an issue for African countries. The  
things are expensive. We are talking about a family that struggles to  
buy a $10 uniform to send child to school, how are they supposed to  
afford this? I believe Nigeria, Argentina, Brazil and Thailand were  
apparently ready to buy a million of these things. If this works for  
them and actually addresses these issues then great. We all have one  
good tangible example to learn from. Thus far I am not convinced.

Sorry John, didn't mean to write a book.

On May 14, 2007, at 11:21 AM, John Hibbs wrote:

> It would seem that ProjectEducate could educate us all with the
> outcome of this (which seems in contradiction to the post below?)
>
> <http://www.project-educate.org/test/?q=blog/1>
>> ProjectEducate is the recipient of 400 computers from the Montgomery
>> County Public School District through Teachers Without Borders.
>
>
> What happened to the 400 computers? What were the benchmarks for goal
> achievement? Were they achieved?
> Me? I like what my friend Tom Abeles had to say, though he failed to
> mention a favorite subject of mine -- use of conventional radio in
> the classroom. It seems to me that the combination of low cost
> broadcasting equipment, cybercafe's, telecenters, and community
> involvement by way of community radio -- that resources committed
> there would yield more than $100. laptops.
> John Hibbs
> http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs
>
> At 10:00 AM -0400 5/14/07, ProjectEDUCATE wrote:
>> Arthur,
>>
>> I run a tiny non-profit www.project-educate.org and  having been born
>> and raised in Africa, I could not agree with you more Arthur. I find
>> it hard to believe that people are pushing for this. In Zambia where
>> I come from, the average family survives on less than a dollar a day.
>> Now I know we hear this everyday and tend to deal with it in abstract
>> but what this means is on a daily basis families have to make the
>> decision whether to buy food or medication for one, whether to send a
>> child to school or provide basic necessities this is the harsh
>> reality of life not just in Zambia but the entire African continent.
>> The idea that families or governments will have the resources to
>> invest in this is beyond me. The one way I see this happening is if
>> African governments are bullied into agreements that will force them
>> to spend resources on this for the benefit of venture capitalists.
>> Another thing, even if we were to get this equipment into the hands
>> of our children, I am yet to hear of training for educators. Which is
>> critical to the successful implementation of any project. It is
>> almost as if it is being taken for granted that the technical skill
>> on the continent is as advanced as it is in the Western world.
>> Consider this, not too long ago we sent computers to Zambia and out
>> of 6 schools with about 200 teachers not a single one of them had
>> ever used a computer.(mind you this was in an urban area) Point being
>> made is before we can talk of ICT's in education or whatever, serious
>> thought and resources must be poured into training the educators. (I
>> get a kick out of envisioning African children running around with
>> these things) Then there is the issue of infrastructure, where will
>> these things be housed? Are children taking them home or leaving them
>> at school? If so, are these people willing to invest in building and/
>> strengthening infrastructure?(most unlikely from my experience)
>>
>> Mbao.
>>
>> On May 11, 2007, at 11:18 PM, arthur richards wrote:
>>
>>>  On the surface it the so-called OLPC has been dressed as beneficial
>>>  to third world children and families, but have the proponents of
>>>  the initiative spared a thought for the following:
>>>
>>>    a) that the children being targeted for the initiative are mostly
>>>  going to be unable to pay school fees and hence do not and cannot
>>>  gain education. why would a sensible family spend $100 for a laptop
>>>  instead of using the funds to pay school fees and educate the  
>>> child?
>>>    b) Suppose 200 million african children could be provided with
>>>  these laptops. Who coughs up this $20 billion for the laptops? The
>>>  african continent cannot sustain $20 billion being etracted out of
>>>  the continent since none of the laptops are built in the continent
>>>  to provide employment. Indeed this amount represents hard earned
>>>  foreign currency which is being sucked out of the continent. The
>>>  economic disadvantages of buying the laptops makes them grossly
>>>  unsuitable for a poor continent like africa.
>>>   c) Who is going to be responsible for maintaining the laptops?
>>>  How much will the bill for spare parts or replacements amount to?
>>>
>>>    In my view from the African perspective, what the african child
>>>  needs first is ability to be educated normally like every other
>>>  child in the West. They need those who can pay their school fees
>>>  and $100 will support this for more than a couple of years.
>>>
>>>    I think the OLPC is a business strategy and a new front for
>>>  globalisation - aimed at increasing the sale of computers,
>>>  software, network devices and foreign content to third world
>>>  countries and at the same time impoverishing them beyond where they
>>>  are now.
>>>
>>>    How will the proponents of the OLPC initiative address these  
>>> issues?
>>>
>>>    Arthur
>>>
>>>  Deborah Elizabeth Finn <deborah_elizabeth_finn at post.harvard.edu>
>>>  wrote:
>>>    Dear Digital Divide Network Colleagues,
>>>
>>>  The Ethos Roundtable (of which I am a co-convener) is hosting a
>>>  presentation on the One Laptop Per Child project on May 15th.
>>>
>>>  More details can be found here:
>>>
>>> "One Laptop Per Child: How is this going to work?"
>>>
> _______________________________________________
> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
> To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide- 
> request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of  
> the message.


From skipper at bfranklin.edu  Mon May 14 16:35:35 2007
From: skipper at bfranklin.edu (John Hibbs)
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 13:35:35 -0700
Subject: [DDN] CONNECT --An interesting,
	well-run virtual conference this week
Message-ID: <a062102bac26e78602a6a@[192.168.0.10]>

This conference, as many on this list are aware, is "run" by what may 
be the most innovative group of educators on the planet...known as 
Webheads. The content is superb and the delivery methods wide 
ranging. While the bulk of it will be presentations by English 
language teachers, there is a whole lot more to be learned than how 
to conjugate verbs or dangle participles.  Honest...this one is 
highly recommended for all those in the business of education by 
virtual means.

  (please forgive any duplications)
-------

  "Vance Stevens" <vstevens at emirates.net.ae> writes:

This is to remind you of the free online conference starting in a
few days, May 17/18-20.

Our theme this year is CONNECT: Conversations on Networking,
Education, Communities, and Technology, and though not specifically
mentioned in the theme, many members of the Webheads community of
practice, http://webheads.info, are practitioners in language
learning.

This is the second time our community has hosted a free online
conference. You can replay the first one at http://2005.wiaoc.org

This year we kick off in a pre-show event at 22:00 GMT May 17, with
the start of a Webcastathon hosted by http://www.worldbridges.net.
The conference itself starts at midnight GMT May 18 (evening of May
17 in the USA) with a keynote speech by Leigh Blackall and continues
for three days with more talks by Stephen Downes, George Siemens,
Etienne Wenger, Robin Good, Barbara Ganley, Teemu Leinonen, and many
other presenters whom you can see on the schedule at
http://schedule.wiaoc.org.

To attend the conference you can register for free at
http://www.webheadsinaction.org and use the calendar there or the
schedule link above, or our online help pages, to work out how to
access the presentations and make comments or join forums. The will
be a voice stream of most events available at
http://www.webheadsinaction.org , as well a live chatroom for use
during the conference, and we hope to have someone live online
available to assist you at any time during the conference at
http://www.tappedin.org

We look forward to your joining us May 17/18-20 for this unique
adventure in online professional development. We hope it will be
educational and F.U.N.

Vance Stevens
WiAOC Coordinator

From andycarvin at yahoo.com  Thu May 17 10:01:00 2007
From: andycarvin at yahoo.com (andycarvin at yahoo.com)
Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 10:01:00 -0400
Subject: [DDN] Questions about Second Life
Message-ID: <mailman.13.1179405015.16036.digitaldivide@digitaldivide.net>

you should have gotten a message saying that your avatar's appearance would be normal to other users, and the lack of clothes would just be on your end, as it were.

Andy Carvin
andycarvin at yahoo com
www.andycarvin



-----Original Message-----

From:  "Claude Almansi" <claude.almansi at bluewin.ch>
Subj:  [DDN] Questions about Second Life
Date:  Thu May 17, 2007 9:47 am
Size:  1K
To:  "The Digital Divide Network discussion group"<digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net>

Hi All

As there are some Second Life experts and even denizens in this list:

Yesterday evening, I wanted to take a look at the USC sim on Annenberg
Island in Second Life
<http://slurl.com/secondlife/Annenberg%20Island/187/67/40> because
they are going to have an iCommons meeting there (see
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/iSummitSL ). The software said
it wanted an update. I did it and my avatar landed, completely bald
and stark naked in front of the sim of  Harvard's Berkman Center (last
SL joint I had visited before).

- Does this kind of thing often happen?
- What is the sletiquette if there is another avatar nearby in such
cases?  You make the avatar jump into a bush? You chat normally as you
get dressed?

Best

Claude
-- 
Claude Almansi
v. Cantonale 22
CH-6532 Castione
tel. +41 (0)91 829 04 51
cell. +41 (0)76 401 85 69
gruppo di lavoro Noi Media www.noimedia.org
Swiss Internet User Group www.siug.ch
_______________________________________________
DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.



From andycarvin at yahoo.com  Fri May 18 12:19:31 2007
From: andycarvin at yahoo.com (Andy Carvin)
Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 09:19:31 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [DDN] Andrew Rasiej Throws Down the Digital Divide Gauntlet to
	Presidential Candidates
Message-ID: <100507.18039.qm@web43139.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>



Personal Democracy Forum co-founder and digital divide
activist Andrew Rasiej made a passionate case at the
PDF 2007 Conference here in NYC to revive the digital
divide as a major policy issue. He asked how many
people in the audience felt the digital divide was
still a problem, and few of us did. Andrew went on to
talk about poor Internet access in low-income schools
and communities, and how inequitable access is
hampering civic participation and democracy.

Rasiej then announced that the Personal Democracy
Forum will launch an online petition to elect "the
first tech president." He's challenging the public to
sign onto the petition and forward it to presidential
candidates to get them to sign on to these basic
principles:

    * Declare the Net a public good. Bring broadband
to everyone.
    * Wireless public spectrum must be available and
expanded.
    * Go from No Child Left Behind to Every Child
Connected
    * We need to support Net Neutrality.
    * We need to create a connected democracy, where
people can actually hear public hearings and
participate.
    * We need to use this to create transparency and
accountability.
    * We need a national guard of technologists to
work during Katrina-like emergencies. 


For more info on the event, go to
www.personaldemocracy.com. I'm liveblogging it at
www.andycarvin.com. I'll see if I can dig up more
about the initiative. -andy

------------------------
Andy Carvin
andycarvin at yahoo  com
www.andycarvin.com
www.pbs.org/learningnow
------------------------

From Aaron.Griffiths at softwareeducation.co.nz  Wed May 16 16:59:00 2007
From: Aaron.Griffiths at softwareeducation.co.nz (Aaron Griffiths)
Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 08:59:00 +1200
Subject: [DDN] Questions about Second Life
In-Reply-To: <bb3c31460705160823y7013e829g2e762c128a5ab1c6@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bb3c31460705160823y7013e829g2e762c128a5ab1c6@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <DE732138A9F9C845B33329C51AC884B62B11B8@mail.softeduc.local>

Hi Claude

Bald and stark naked may happen when a large amount of data traffic from
your current position (textures, objects, scripts) interrupts the body
rendering.

Sletiquette on this?  Well it happens at times so we all get used to the
possibility.  Just move out of any traffic around you and wait till
you're rendered.  Often the rendering can be sped up by right-clicking
your avatar and selecting appearance.  Make a minute change in anything
(so the Save button isnt greyed out) then Save.  This often speeds up
the process.

Cheers
Aaron 
SL: Isa Goodman

Aaron Griffiths | Online Services Manager | Software Educational
Resources Ltd
Contact | DDI: 64 9 415 5666 ext. 112 | Email:
Aaron.Griffiths at SoftwareEducation.co.nz | Fax: 64 9 415 5667
Location | 1/45 Paul Matthews Rd., North Harbour, Auckland, 1311
Postal | PO Box 302-105, North Harbour Post Centre, Auckland, 1330

-----Original Message-----
From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net
[mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of Claude
Almansi
Sent: Thursday, 17 May 2007 3:24 a.m.
To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group
Subject: [DDN] Questions about Second Life

Hi All

As there are some Second Life experts and even denizens in this list:

Yesterday evening, I wanted to take a look at the USC sim on Annenberg
Island in Second Life
<http://slurl.com/secondlife/Annenberg%20Island/187/67/40> because they
are going to have an iCommons meeting there (see
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/iSummitSL ). The software said
it wanted an update. I did it and my avatar landed, completely bald and
stark naked in front of the sim of  Harvard's Berkman Center (last SL
joint I had visited before).

- Does this kind of thing often happen?
- What is the sletiquette if there is another avatar nearby in such
cases?  You make the avatar jump into a bush? You chat normally as you
get dressed?

Best

Claude
--
Claude Almansi
v. Cantonale 22
CH-6532 Castione
tel. +41 (0)91 829 04 51
cell. +41 (0)76 401 85 69
gruppo di lavoro Noi Media www.noimedia.org Swiss Internet User Group
www.siug.ch _______________________________________________
DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.org
with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.


From civitan at jeffporten.com  Thu May 17 17:15:48 2007
From: civitan at jeffporten.com (Jeff Porten)
Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 17:15:48 -0400
Subject: [DDN] Questions about Second Life
In-Reply-To: <bb3c31460705160823y7013e829g2e762c128a5ab1c6@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bb3c31460705160823y7013e829g2e762c128a5ab1c6@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <E81EEAF3-7FE6-4767-84D2-17A29CDABB90@jeffporten.com>

On May 16, 2007, at 11:23 AM, Claude Almansi wrote:

> - Does this kind of thing often happen?
> - What is the sletiquette if there is another avatar nearby in such
> cases?  You make the avatar jump into a bush? You chat normally as you
> get dressed?

I used to be a student at UPenn Annenberg, and that sort of thing  
happened all the time.  Worst case scenario, you'll be surrounded my  
master's students documenting your new form of communication for  
their theses.

More seriously -- Andy is right, and in any case there's lots of  
stuff that goes on in SL that would be shocking in RL.  Faux pas from  
newer users are always taken in stride.

Best,
Jeff

From deborahphelan at gmail.com  Thu May 17 13:45:23 2007
From: deborahphelan at gmail.com (Deborah Phelan)
Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 10:45:23 -0700
Subject: [DDN] Questions about Second Life
In-Reply-To: <bb3c31460705160823y7013e829g2e762c128a5ab1c6@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bb3c31460705160823y7013e829g2e762c128a5ab1c6@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <b08b7ec80705171045s4dc1d815r474d0b5810a71002@mail.gmail.com>

you immediately transport (fly) to to remote location and get dressed. Im
assuming you have the necessary clothing items already? If not, get back to
orientation island.

I always try to leave myself somewhere out of a common area when i leave ...
haven't been back since the update thought ...


On 5/16/07, Claude Almansi <claude.almansi at bluewin.ch> wrote:
>
> Hi All
>
> As there are some Second Life experts and even denizens in this list:
>
> Yesterday evening, I wanted to take a look at the USC sim on Annenberg
> Island in Second Life
> <http://slurl.com/secondlife/Annenberg%20Island/187/67/40> because
> they are going to have an iCommons meeting there (see
> http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/iSummitSL ). The software said
> it wanted an update. I did it and my avatar landed, completely bald
> and stark naked in front of the sim of  Harvard's Berkman Center (last
> SL joint I had visited before).
>
> - Does this kind of thing often happen?
> - What is the sletiquette if there is another avatar nearby in such
> cases?  You make the avatar jump into a bush? You chat normally as you
> get dressed?
>
> Best
>
> Claude
> --
> Claude Almansi
> v. Cantonale 22
> CH-6532 Castione
> tel. +41 (0)91 829 04 51
> cell. +41 (0)76 401 85 69
> gruppo di lavoro Noi Media www.noimedia.org
> Swiss Internet User Group www.siug.ch
> _______________________________________________
> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list
> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net
> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide
> To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at mailman.edc.orgwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
>

From jam at jacquelinemorris.com  Wed May 16 17:02:34 2007
From: jam at jacquelinemorris.com (Jacqueline A. Morris)
Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 17:02:34 -0400
Subject: [DDN] ISOC launches Call for PIR Board Member Nominations
Message-ID: <00ff01c797fd$95bb7940$c1326bc0$@com>

 

Hi

Anyone interested in serving on the Board of the .org registry? They are looking for diversity.

Jacqueline

 

 

This may be of interest  to  some of you. Please distribute as you see fit.  Full text at HYPERLINK "http://www.isoc.org/isoc/media/releases/070511.shtml"http://www.isoc.org/isoc/media/releases/070511.shtml

The Internet Society (ISOC) seeks a maximum of three highly qualified individuals to serve on the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) for the period 2008-2010. PIR?s business is managing an international registry of .org domain names. The Board meets in person 3-4 times per year. The time commitment is approximately 14-18 full days per year plus additional phone calls and e-mail.

Qualifications sought include:

*	Demonstrated business acumen with significant entrepreneurial, non-commercial and/or marketing skills;
*	understanding and engagement in the retail domain name space;
*	known contributor to the HYPERLINK "http://www.icann.org" \nICANN processes;
*	financial literacy;
*	expertise in the application of Internet technologies to support non-commercial organizations; and
*	experience with the operation and policies of TLD registries.

Global diversity in candidates is desired.
Please forward a statement of interest and qualifications, three references, and a curriculum vitae highlighting relevant experience, expertise, and contact information to:

Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO, Internet Society
Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:pir-nomcomm at isoc.org"pir-nomcomm at isoc.org.
Please submit materials in attached documents (pdf, .doc, .txt)

For full consideration, please apply by June 11th, 2007. Applications will be evaluated as they are received.

 


No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.7.0/804 - Release Date: 5/14/2007 4:46 PM
 

From jc at coyotecommunications.com  Fri May 18 05:41:25 2007
From: jc at coyotecommunications.com (jc at coyotecommunications.com)
Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 09:41:25 +0000
Subject: [DDN] GenderIT Call for Writers
Message-ID: <20070518094125.tr54joqw89440o8w@coyotecommunications.com>

This call for contributions is issued specifically for advocates,  
journalists, bloggers, researchers, and people from the Africa region  
and Arab world working in the field of gender, development and/or ICT  
policies. For information on requirements for participation, priority  
areas, the issues to be covered, deadline and indications for  
forwarding contributions please visit:
http://www.witt-project.net/article400.html
http://www.genderIT.org
http://www.apcwomen.org

(I have NO further info!)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Jayne Cravens, MSc
jc "at" coyotecommunications "dot" com

Nonprofits/Civil Society -- Resources & Services
www.coyotecommunications.com/

International Development Work & Studies
www.coyotecommunications.com/development
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>

From jwne at temple.edu  Sat May 19 11:38:08 2007
From: jwne at temple.edu (David P. Dillard)
Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 11:38:08 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [DDN] [Net-Gold] Finding Ways to Better School African American Boys
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.53.0705191136120.635454@gs873ps>



Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 10:46:04 EDT
From: BBracey at aol.com
Reply-To: Net-Gold at yahoogroups.com
To: blackstar1000 at ameritech.net, mlsalumni at iste-listserver.iste.org,
     mls-digitaldivide at yahoogroups.com, ednet at educ.umass.edu,
     Net-Gold at yahoogroups.com, K12AdminLIFE at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Net-Gold] Finding Ways to Better School African American Boys



.


Finding Ways to Better School African American Boys


Group Proposes Mentors, Single-Sex Classrooms

By Lori Aratani
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 17, 2007; T03

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/
AR2007051502698.html>


A new report by a statewide task force
that paints a grim picture of how
African American male students are
faring in Maryland's public schools and
universities recommends strengthening
mentor programs, encouraging more black
men to be teachers and providing more
academic support for those who need it.


Two of the more controversial proposals
are suggestions to place troubled
students at black-majority high schools
into single-sex classes and to encourage
nonviolent offenders to be mentors to
students.


Black students make up 38 percent of
the state's public school population,
with the percentage much higher in some
regions. In Prince George's County, for
example, the amount is more than 75
percent, and in Charles County, it's
about 46 percent.


The Task Force on the Education of
Maryland's African-American Males found
that 10 years after a similar group
chaired by then-Del. Elijah E. Cummings (D)
studied the issue and offered recommendations
for change, little progress has been made.


"We acknowledge that at every level,
there's been a fundamental failure on
behalf of our African-American male
students and a persistent bias against
them. These recommendations are intended
to rectify both," the report says.


Dunbar Brooks, a Maryland State Board of
Education member who co-chaired the
task force, said it is also important to
understand that the recommendations
could help all groups of students who
are struggling.


The report cites several statistics to
bolster the contention that more needs
to be done. Of the 32,000 African
American boys in the 10th, 11th and 12th
grades eligible to take an Advanced
Placement exam in 2005, the report says,
only 1,229 did so. The report also notes
that in 2004-05, six of every 10
suspensions involved a black student.
The 49-member panel offers 18
recommendations, including taking steps
to reduce the number of African American
boys in special education programs;
creating mentorship and health programs
for children; and offering more academic
support.


---------------------------------


The complete article may be read at the URL above.



Bonnie Bracey Sutton
Outreach GLEF.org
http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/bbracey
My communities
http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/summitforchildren
http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/gendergap
CyberEd Resources : ICT's and Education (owner)
Games and Education (owner)
Science without Frontiers STEM Initiatives K-12 (owner)
http://www.digitaldivide.net/blog/bbracey
Portal Work
http://edreform.net/
Technology Applications for learning in the portal
applications.edreform.net
Technology Applications for Learning
The Technology Applications for
Learning Network is a catalog of technology
applications for learning.
http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/STEM


From jwne at temple.edu  Sun May 20 11:18:36 2007
From: jwne at temple.edu (David P. Dillard)
Date: Sun, 20 May 2007 11:18:36 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [DDN] Connecticut Red of Face: Delaying Admission of Wrong Decision
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.53.0705201116060.833640@gs873ps>




LAW: CASES :
LEGAL ISSUES :
EDITORIAL:
Connecticut Red of Face: Delaying Admission of Wrong Decision


CONNECTICUT NEWS
Rick Green
Porn Case: Ducking F