Hi Anthony

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

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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