Africa and eLearning - the Dadamac perspective May 4, 2011
As agreed on the phone here is background information on my work related to Africa and eLearning. At first I thought I'd just give links - but decided they would make more sense if I wrote some notes around them. As I mentioned on the phone my connections with elearning in Africa are somewhat unconventional but all very real and learner driven (no short term projects or things that make for great photo-opportunities but no lasting benefit - our stuff is all very real).
I include a range of things - some fairly conventional others rather different As I explained to you most of my work and elearning experience is in the area of non-formal e-learning - i.e, learner centric learning opportunities that could not have happened "Pre-Web" (to use a useful term from the CDE seminar).
Online courses for health professionals
Our most traditional formal, course based involvement is with PeoplesUni.org Project Overview http://www.dadamac.net/node/184
as e helped to get that stared and John encourages local people to study the courses. I dont' hav detial of the students but wonder if they may come from the local nursing college.
Recent email from Dick Heller expressed concern for students who are enrolled on people's uni via Knowledge Resource Centre (KRC) http://www.dadamac.net/projects/education-and-training/krc - concern because of the post-election turmoil in and around Fantusam - I think he said there were 5 students.
Informal "life saving learning"
My favourite example of practical informal learning was this - Tom, Ricardo and life saving learning through the Internet - http://learnbydoinguk.blogspot.com/2009/01/tom-ricardo-and-life-saving-learning.html
TT- a transational group supporting inservce teacher training in rural Nigeria
The TT-onine support group for teachers talking was an interesting example of learning support at a distance. - it was part of the TT (Teachers Talking) course http://www.dadamac.net/projects/education-and-training/teachers-talking - scroll down for the mention of TT-online.
More about TT-online here - Collaborative course design and presentation through online Special Interest Groups: Nigeria, UK, and a wider online community https://docs.google.com/document/d/15ZDetpZ2tjMlTVhjvUMCkdoORReZKtaSVBs1Nqtvi3k/edit?authkey=CJPv598K#
Relevant to TT-online and Dadamacadamy
Happening this month - link up between teachers in Daenmark and Kenya Collaborators Connect on ICT4Ed in Kibera
The Dadamacadamy - something a little crazy, but also very serious.
Given it is crazy but also serious it needs some explanation to help you decide how seriously to take it.
I "launched" the Dadamacadamy this month. Dadamacadamy - dream or reality - an action research project http://www.dadamac.net/blog/20110423/dadamacadamy-dream-or-reality-action-research-project
This earlier blog explains some of the reasons why - Don't share an idea - show a prototype http://www.dadamac.net/blog/20110411/dont-share-idea-show-prototype
Dadamac Learners
The Dadamacadamy idea is not totally crazy - especially i f you believe in small steps towards big vision. I'm one of the learners as explained here Are you a Dadamac Learner?
In the link above Folabi Sunday Folarin http://www.dadamac.net/network/folabi-sunday-folarin also declares himself to be a Dadamac learner - he's in rural Nigeria
Ken (from Kenya) is another Dadamac learner and writes a beautiful explanation of its benefits saying *I was born and grew up in a part of the World where there are not enough teachers, inadequate schools, classrooms and teaching materials, where people can not afford education." and enthusing "For me, it is a learning method which brushes aside stuffy school textbooks and classrooms, and gives the learner a chance to be creative and self -motivated." see his full letter - Ken Owino is a Dadamac Learner
Another Dadamac Learner is Kofi from Ghana - but he has had a problem with telecoms provisons Glitch - from Ghana
Ramadhan (from Tazania) is the most recent learner. He first read about Dadamacadamy during our first ethernet session last week and immediately declared himself to be learning at the Dadamacadamy http://etherpad.openstewardship.net/2OH87DG50J
When I showed "Dadamacadamy - dream or reality" to David Mutua http://www.dadamac.net/network/david-mutua a couple of days later he laid claim to being the very first Dadamacadamy learner. He declared that the Dadamacadamy had in fact been launched years ago with our practical project in Ago-Are, the first satellite site of the Dadamacadamy. He is a Kenyan who wroked with me in Nigeria and Kenya and is now in USA.
Dadamacadamy and KRC
Dadamacadamy also links with the Knowledge Resource Centre (KRC) http://www.dadamac.net/projects/education-and-training/krc through the weekly dadamac meetings that John and I and others attend - UK-Nigeria Dadamac team and meetings http://www.dadamac.net/network/uk-nigeria-dadamac-team.
The KRC is very real in a material sense as it is in a physical location and it is a first small step to a big vision. The Dadamacady is either very real or just a joke - depending on your viewpoint - and is in a virtual location and is also a first small step to a big vision.
John Dada is director of the KRC - amongst many other things - and I guess you could say I am the director of the Dadamacadamy. Here is some more information about us - John Dada http://www.dadamac.net/about/john and Pamela McLean http://www.dadamac.net/about/pam
Conclusion
Thanks for looking in my direction for information Africa and eLearning. I hope you'll see things that interest you in the above links. I'll be happy to give additional information on any of the topics that do interest you.
Pamela