Simputer as a platform for ICT education in Tanzania

Author

Duveskog, Marcus ; Sutinen, Erkki ; Vesisenaho, Mikko ; Yusha, Evgeny

Author_Institution

Dept. of Comput. Sci., Joensuu Univ., Tanzania

fYear

2004

fDate

30 Aug.-1 Sept. 2004

Firstpage

1018

Lastpage

1023

Abstract

The global information society is evolving at breakneck speed but developing countries are left behind. The technology of Simputer, simple hand-held computer, has been developed to bridge the digital divide. We developed a programming tutorial on the Simputer platform and tested the learning environment in a Tanzanian context. An analysis of the students´ feedback shows the feasibility of Simputer as a learning platform, and a technical comparison with competing technologies indicates the potential of Simputer in developing countries. A possible future application of Simputer is HIV/AIDS education for rural schools and villages.

Keywords

biomedical education; computer aided instruction; computer literacy; information technology; medical computing; notebook computers; AIDS education; HIV education; ICT education; Simputer platform; developing countries; digital divide; hand-held computer; learning environment; programming tutorial; rural schools; student feedback; villages; Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Bridges; Computer science education; Educational institutions; Educational programs; Feedback; Handheld computers; Human immunodeficiency virus; Programming profession; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Advanced Learning Technologies, 2004. Proceedings. IEEE International Conference on

Print_ISBN

0-7695-2181-9

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/ICALT.2004.1357741

Filename

1357741