Telecentre content

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Permalink Reply by Niranjan Meegammana on April 1, 2009 at 7:39pm

This is a fundemental question we ask time to time to re-work our telecenter models. As an example telecenters phone services dying in Sri Lanka where almost half the population owning mobile phones.
The new model we are trying is e learning, seems to work well. ICT Literacy training is No 1, ICT Integrated education is no 2 in 40 of the 60 centers we M & E.

network based content and services are the emerging area in Sri Lanka. It reduces cost and speeds up replication. Content and Service designers need to think networks not each telecenter. Shilpa Sayura Sinhala Language e Learning for Learning National Carricullam is also used by Tamil Students to learn Sinhala language and culture.

One of the critical areas need to emerge is Women & Health, Youth Skill Development
in local language. One major question is how to make content money for TCs. Micro level revenue should be major focus, Telecenters cant always depend on donors only

The individual TC content need to change to network projects for Network content and services. Social Networking should look into business and cultural networking.

In Sri Lanka Building Community Harmony and Unity through Nenasala Network is a major in our Adjenda. Sri Lankan Telecenters are begining to become a new network model with ICTA e-SDI content projects.

The old formula of socio economic well being should add key word "rural advancement (centers)"
Jan Hearder thinks virtual worlds of content is an emerging techinolgy for Telecenters to increase knowledge,

yes learning with games ! what else ?

Niranjan Meegammana
http://www.shilpasayura.org

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Permalink Reply by Jan Herder on April 7, 2009 at 6:53pm

Thank you Masahudu for beginning this question. And thank you Niranjan for your mention of virtual worlds, which will become ubiquitous and hugely influential for both content creation related to telecenter members and their networks, but also as a wealth creation strategy. More on this soon. But what I would like to have you consider is content creation on a comprehensive and holistic scale. My interest in conversant environments is just beginning, but I am very excited by the idea and its applications.

Content creation is the signature characteristic of web 2.0 platforms. I am only now beginning to understand its implications in terms of a comprehensive ecology of local, environmentally specific creativity. Typically we think of web 2.0 platforms such as Facebook or Twitter--but there are much larger user supplied content manifestations on the horizon. In fact the use of web 2.0 is transforming. I immediately relate this idea to the creative economy. It is critical to view content creation in its widest and most encompassing manifestations. This is why it is important to see beyond a telecenter as a collection of computers in a room. The discussions revolving around threats to telecenters by cyber cafe's as well as the idea of 'entertaining' community members as part of the mission of telecenters reflects a perception of the role of a telecenter in a 19th century paradigm. The worst thing that educators did when computers were invented was to put them in a separate computer lab. The whole relevance of a computer is what you get out of it! Envision your telecenter as a blended learning environment; blended with non-computer applications and activities, or better said, computer augmented realities. Thus the telecenter becomes the conduit for creating and communicating content of the local community locally and globally. The content is the totality of the creative, environmental and culturally specific characteristics of the community in which the telecenter is located.

Forgive me, Masahudu, for the digression, but to answer your question: I would begin by creating an inventory of your community and its resources and citizens--everything, culture, natural, mineral, human, artistic, etc. Come to understand the content that is around you and within your community. Beginning this process of self knowledge and communicating it to the world using ICT's will be itself the activity that will bring improvement. Well, at least that's the strategy I have in mind. Does this make any sense?
Regards,
Jan

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Permalink Reply by Masahudu M. Marhey on April 8, 2009 at 5:10am

Hello Jan,

Thank you for your comments and I really appreciate your concerns.

Once again thank you.

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Permalink Reply by Ananya S Guha on April 13, 2009 at 2:01pm

I think telecentres should have two entities. The first should be the ICT part by which I mean integration of technologies: the computer, television, radio, the mobile et al. The second should be the non ICT part, where vocational training for the community, of the community and possibly by the community can take place. This includes: tailoring, stitching, handicrafts, weaving etc. It can also include communication skills, teacher training, depending upon target groups. In the first ' entity ' ICT training and using ICT as communication and information channels is emphasised. My model of an ideal telecentre is this and we can extend a telecentre to distance education centres as well. A telecentre then becomes a focal point for the community and vocational education and training with the help of ICTs gets primacy, and does not take a back seat as it has been doing in education, thanks to the very insignificant importance it gets in the overall structure and framework of education.

Ananya S Guha
IGNOU, India.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra Nassali on April 24, 2009 at 4:38am

Hi Masahudu, telecentres can lots of things to improve the lives of rural people by educating, informing, empowering, entertaining and restoring all broken sectors of a given community. This could be the economy, culture, political or any other destroyed aspect.

The information delivered should aim at empowering and improving the livelihoods of these people. Its impact should also be assessed because it's not a matter of delivering information and leaving it at that, telecentre managers should ensure that the info has positive impact.

If not, ways/means or the packaging should be changed because telecentres are in place to promote social and economic development, not just mediums of communication like FM radio stations. Their information should always have evident impact. This way, lives of rural people are improved!!

Sandra

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Permalink Reply by Wangchuk Chungyalpa on April 30, 2009 at 3:56am

The best way to address this question would be to perform a field survey of a given locality. In essence you are trying to identify how telecentres can contribute to the improvement and upliftment of rural life.

In general, the following are some of the major areas that require immediate attention in rural parts across the globe. These are:

1. education
2. health care
3. government services
4. employment
5. agriculture
6. finance

what I have listed above are “areas” widely applicable to rural areas. An alternate method would be to identify sectors and define each sub-sector and identify the needs within these sectors.

In all of the above areas, telecentres can have a wide impact by using innovative methods, implementing best practices, and efficient management. While some areas such as government services are a major challenge, other areas such as healthcare, education, agriculture, employment and finance can be provided.

1. education - the following are some examples of how telecentres can contribute:

a. distance education
b. specialized programming and vocational courses
c. basic computer courses

2. health care

a. disseminate information on major hospitals within the nearest town or city – setting appointments, reserving rooms, doctor appointments etc.
b. send in medicinal requirements to pharmacies, prescriptions etc.
c. provide information on ailments to supplement doctor diagnosis from verified medical sites

3. government services
a. utility payments, download applications, registration of land, transfer of deeds, registration of birth and death, application for various government grants and schemes, grievance filing etc.

4. employment
a. liaison with other major HR services and employment / placement agencies located in nearby towns and cities
b. create profile, post and send resumes to employers and agencies
c. advertise local jobs etc.

5. agriculture
a. disseminate market information on various prices to ensure fair pricing.
b. Disseminate farming methodology and know how
c. Disseminate information on various government bodies, government subsidies and schemes, training and workshop availability and dates, registration and more.

6. finance
a. micro banking and finance model

Each of these areas are by itself a major area and therefore telecentre management needs to focus on providing value added and innovative services within a few specified areas. Optimally I would suggest a single area.

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Permalink Reply by Emma kahanji nkemba on May 2, 2009 at 8:37am

In many African countries Telecenters are called with differnt names, in Zambia Telecenters are called interchangably with Resource Centers
The Teleenters in zambia play a significant role in changing the social faces of rural communities and create a forum for economical opportunities to the local communities
Telecenters help to improve the livelihoods of rural people in many ways..... In districts of Zambia where telecenters exist, they offer a forum for information exchange , information resources in key development sectors
sectors through which telecenters offer are:
(1) Education
(2) Health
(3 )Agriculture
(4) small scale business development etc

Telecenters like kabulwebulwe and Bwafwano in Zambia are providing a platform through which the rural communities can communicate and have access to social and economical resources.

- These Telecenters help to improve the women clubs by marketing there products/ services on the net and in the building . These women use this centers as a communication platform for there products/ services such as Baskets , reed and grass mats , fabric printing as well as ethnic jewerly etc. These women clubs that have been able to tap into the potential of ICTs in these centers have experienced benefits and increased opportunities in:
(1) They have improved there personal skills and knowledge
(2) Able to conduct reserch and gain access to news and information
(3) Able to partcipate in National women 's initiatives
(4) Identify new contacts and development partners etc.

- The Telecenters have become good places for knowledge sharing ,the rural communities are to access information on Health and HIV/ AIDS...This is raising awareness about diseases in the communities

- Many rural communities in Zambia depend on agriculture and small scale businesses for their livelihood.The rural people are able to access various information resources from these centers .this information helps farmers to improve farm practices , growth in there production yields and farm incomes. Farmers and small scale businesses are helped to connect there products to the urban markets through online market information services .The farmers are able to compare there prices and trade competively increasing there income levels and book keeping.

- The telecenters are also helping the rural youths by providing skills development trainings, ischool, library services ,education information and resources. These young people are being empowered and enriched through these programmes. They are able to produce information themselves ,most of them are taught at schools with books not computers. now with the rural telecenters in there communities they are enhanced with computer skills .

Telecenters help to improve the life of rural people in many ways and its impact has empowerd and improved there livelihoods

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