I was reading this article http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-google-code-jam-2009-champion-is.... I found the following bit very disturbing Last week, we hosted the the final round of Google Code Jam 2009<http://code.google.com/codejam/>,
the sixth iteration of our annual global programming competition. From almost 23,000 registrants in the beginning, we winnowed down the contestants<http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/google-code-jam-returns.html>to the fastest and most fervent coders. On Friday, we brought the top 23 competitors to our Mountain View headquarters for four concentrated hours of thinking, testing and trouble-shooting. The competition platform, built as a 20% project by a group of Google engineers, was powered by Google App Engine <http://code.google.com/appengine> and allowed the contestants to use the programming language of their choice. These diverse finalists represented 15 different countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Notice Africa is not mentioned there. Why is this the case? Why aren't our students participating in such initiatives?
Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!? Kind Regards, Waudo On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:09 +0300, "Rad!" <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote: I was reading this article [1]http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-google-code-jam- 2009-champion-is.html and I found the following bit very disturbing Last week, we hosted the the final round of [2]Google Code Jam 2009, the sixth iteration of our annual global programming competition. From almost 23,000 registrants in the beginning, we [3]winnowed down the contestants to the fastest and most fervent coders. On Friday, we brought the top 23 competitors to our Mountain View headquarters for four concentrated hours of thinking, testing and trouble-shooting. The competition platform, built as a 20% project by a group of Google engineers, was powered by [4]Google App Engine and allowed the contestants to use the programming language of their choice. These diverse finalists represented 15 different countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Notice Africa is not mentioned there. Why is this the case? Why aren't our students participating in such initiatives? References 1. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-google-code-jam-2009-champion-is.... 2. http://code.google.com/codejam/ 3. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/google-code-jam-returns.html 4. http://code.google.com/appengine
I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years! On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com>wrote:
Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!?
Kind Regards, Waudo
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected. We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens... walu. --- On Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote: From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years! On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com> wrote: Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!? Kind Regards, Waudo -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: jwalu@yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com
Walu, this issue has just been discussed at IGF09 (Internet Governance Economic Recovery and Growth Session), it seems there are many countries battling with the issue. I think incentivising such initiatives would spark some interest. Regards On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:13 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu@yahoo.com> wrote:
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens...
walu.
--- On *Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com>* wrote:
From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM
I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years!
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com<http://mc/compose?to=emailsignet@mailcan.com>
wrote:
Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!?
Kind Regards, Waudo
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Barrack, I agree with you. I think one way to endeavour to stay connetcted and engaged in/with the Internet World, is as we talk about creating institutions in Kenya to tackle a variety of issues and sort of build relationship and bring harmony, we need to do the same in/with Kenya's Internet Society. We need to institutionalize the processes that lead/take us where we ant to go. Right now, with the Grand coalition Government, we need to borrow the same idea and build a dynamic colation to tackle the diverse Internet and Internet Governance issues in Kenya. We need a mechanism that will ensure inclusion and participation. As it is, something is lacking. There is a missing link. Can we do something? Kind regards John On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com>wrote:
Walu, this issue has just been discussed at IGF09 (Internet Governance Economic Recovery and Growth Session), it seems there are many countries battling with the issue. I think incentivising such initiatives would spark some interest.
Regards
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:13 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu@yahoo.com> wrote:
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens...
walu.
--- On *Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com>* wrote:
From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM
I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years!
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com<http://mc/compose?to=emailsignet@mailcan.com>
wrote:
Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!?
Kind Regards, Waudo
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Dear Colleagues- As I do not have another way to reach all the colleagues at the IGF I wish to use the Kictanet to bring them to speed regarding security situation as per below, following football match last weekend and tomorrow's play-off. Some Kenya's arriving thru Cairo on Sunday encountered problems such as traffic jams and unrully crowds so be on the watch out especially those travelling tomorrow (Wednesday)- Security Situation Updates Egypt Clashes follow international football match in Cairo; further unrest possible prior to, after play-off in Sudan on 18 November Created: November 16, 2009 18:25 GMT Updated: November 17, 2009 00:03 GMT More than 30 people, including 20 Algerian nationals, on 14 November were injured during unrest in the capital Cairo and the nearby city of Giza (Giza governorate) following the national football (soccer) team's 2-0 victory over Algeria in a crucial qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup tournament. Egyptian supporters reportedly threw stones at their Algerian counterparts as they left the match venue, Cairo's International Stadium, triggering disturbances. The two teams will meet again in a play-off fixture in the neutral city of Omdurman (Sudan) on 18 November to determine qualification for the World Cup finals. The play-off became necessary after the two teams finished level on points and goal difference in Group C of the African qualifying zone. Comment and Analysis There is a traditional sporting rivalry between the two countries, and additional security personnel are also likely to be deployed in the city centre in areas where supporters may congregate. Further unrest involving football supporters in Cairo and other major urban centres is possible before and after the forthcoming play-off; the potential for unrest will rise in the event of an Egyptian defeat in the fixture. In the context of such an outcome, there is a possibility that angry supporters may seek to target Algerian nationals. The security forces are likely to employ robust crowd-control measures such as baton charges and tear gas in the event of unrest, posing incidental risks to bystanders. Prior to the match, five members of the Algerian team on 12 November were reportedly injured when their team bus was attacked by stone-throwing Egyptian football supporters while en route from Cairo International Airport (CAI) to a hotel in the city. Egypt's subsequent victory in the match prompted disturbances in the Algerian capital Algiers; thousands of people on 15 November attended a rally in support of the national football team which subsequently turned violent, with participants ransacking the premises of Egyptian-owned businesses, including an office of the national carrier EgyptAir. The fixture's outcome also sparked off unrest in the port city of Marseilles (France), when youths of Algerian extraction threw stones at the police, vandalised shops and set fire to boats in the port after Egypt scored a late second goal, paving the way for the play-off. Eight people were detained by the police. Violent scenes have previously marred football matches between the two countries, and have contributed to a rivalry that has spanned several decades. Most notoriously, scuffles in November 1989 broke out between rival supporters across Cairo in the aftermath of a qualifying match for the 1990 World Cup, and violence during a post-match reception resulted in the Egyptian team doctor sustaining a severe eye injury. Travel Advice * Exercise vigilance at locations likely to be crowded with football fans, such as bars and restaurants. * Avoid all demonstrations to mitigate the risk of incidental exposure to violence. This is a follow-up alert based upon the pre-travel advisory email you received for your destination. Please note that the follow-up alerts are sent to you just for the duration of your trip in order to notify you about the health and safety risks in your destination. If you have any questions, please contact onlinehelp@internationalsos.com . Important Notice: This communication (including any attachments) is for the use of the intended recipient(s) only and may contain information that is confidential, privileged or legally protected. Any unauthorized use or dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by return e-mail message and delete all copies of the original communication. Thank you for your cooperation.
A nice topic here! Any lecturers (Esp. Compsci) in here? I think what is lacking is mentorship at the very universities.Yellowed notes...Culture of 'read to pass exams' even up there. On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 1:39 PM, John K. Njoroge <kabogojn@gmail.com> wrote:
Barrack, I agree with you.
I think one way to endeavour to stay connetcted and engaged in/with the Internet World, is as we talk about creating institutions in Kenya to tackle a variety of issues and sort of build relationship and bring harmony, we need to do the same in/with Kenya's Internet Society. We need to institutionalize the processes that lead/take us where we ant to go. Right now, with the Grand coalition Government, we need to borrow the same idea and build a dynamic colation to tackle the diverse Internet and Internet Governance issues in Kenya. We need a mechanism that will ensure inclusion and participation. As it is, something is lacking. There is a missing link. Can we do something?
Kind regards
John
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com
wrote:
Walu, this issue has just been discussed at IGF09 (Internet Governance Economic Recovery and Growth Session), it seems there are many countries battling with the issue. I think incentivising such initiatives would spark some interest.
Regards
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:13 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu@yahoo.com> wrote:
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens...
walu.
--- On *Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com>* wrote:
From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM
I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years!
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com<http://mc/compose?to=emailsignet@mailcan.com>
wrote:
Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!?
Kind Regards, Waudo
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i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge
from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens..
I could not agree more. Science Congress still happens, but I bet if you go for the science congress, the tin foil solar cooker will probably win "best innovation" as it has for the past 20 odd years... There is a general sense of only doing what is required by the system to succeed. Innovation is really frowned upon. I think a sense of *learning* is missing. Students are more interested in getting the degree than the knowledge. I think this post by Sunny Bindra may explain it better than I can put it in words. http://ow.ly/D0RY -- With Regards, Phares Kariuki | T: +254 734 810 802 | E: pkariuki@gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype: kariukiphares |
I was a judge at the Imagine Cup and I must confess that i was extremely disappointed. The eventual winner was a contestant from Ethiopia that developed a heart monitoring system that interfaced with hardware that connected to a patient's chest via electrodes to measure the heart rate and predict when a heart attack was imminent. It would plot the hearbeat on the wearer's phone. It would then send the location of the wearer via his phone through GPRS to the nearest hospital that would use the GPS coordinates to map out a route for the ambulance to the patient. Contestants from Kenya i am ashamed to say were presenting Library systems and their ilk. I was very taken aback at this disconnect. On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 12:13 PM, Walubengo J <jwalu@yahoo.com> wrote:
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens...
walu.
We are not yet as exposed as we need to be to compete a global level. Wish more Kenyans could access the Microsoft and Google Tech High Quality (HQ) educational videos - (a 1 hour HQ Video is about 1GB). Now, it will cost a Kenyan (on the mobile networks we use) to stream or download a 1 hr HQ Video the same as it costs Korean, Japanese or Western students download or stream 60 (GB) to 80 (GB) HQ educational (or entertainment) videos per month. The US, Europe and Asia do not use expensive mobile networks for their large downloads (60GB-100GB monthly) but ADSL or Fibre. If Orange soon provides bandwidth of up to 1Mbs @ 4K-6K allowing monthly downloads of up to 30GB to begin with - they will win the SOHO / SME (data) market. If Safaricom builds their own Fibre Optic Network before Orange styles up .... Keep and Watch your Safaricom shares! Rad! wrote:
I was a judge at the Imagine Cup and I must confess that i was extremely disappointed. The eventual winner was a contestant from Ethiopia that developed a heart monitoring system that interfaced with hardware that connected to a patient's chest via electrodes to measure the heart rate and predict when a heart attack was imminent. It would plot the hearbeat on the wearer's phone. It would then send the location of the wearer via his phone through GPRS to the nearest hospital that would use the GPS coordinates to map out a route for the ambulance to the patient.
Contestants from Kenya i am ashamed to say were presenting Library systems and their ilk.
I was very taken aback at this disconnect.
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 12:13 PM, Walubengo J <jwalu@yahoo.com <mailto:jwalu@yahoo.com>> wrote:
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens...
walu.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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I totally agree with Walu. Something must be changed in our education system to allow for creativity and 'hunger' for additional knowledge in addition to 'drilling' the youth to pass exams. Rad has said that Kenya is leading in Africa on the use of Facebook! The question is - what information is being exchanged? Are the youth (graduates) aware that Facebook has other useful content in addition to socialization? Hmmm From: kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Walubengo J Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 12:13 PM To: emuchiri@andestbites.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected. We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens... walu. --- On Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote: From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years! On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com> wrote: Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!? Kind Regards, Waudo -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: jwalu@yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com
Rad, Let us not bash ourselves, Kenya has always been the best i think we are having one of the biggest delegations at IGF09 from African countries which attests to this, even those with Library systems tried, that is just an isolated case, we simply need to bring the vehicle back to the road, The annual Engineering students expo needs to be scaled down to secondary school level , we don t need to re-invent the wheel, may be we should call it ICT congress Is Kevit online... On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Esther Muchiri <emuchiri@andestbites.com>wrote:
I totally agree with Walu.
Something must be changed in our education system to allow for creativity and ‘hunger’ for additional knowledge in addition to ‘drilling’ the youth to pass exams.
Rad has said that Kenya is leading in Africa on the use of Facebook! The question is – what information is being exchanged? Are the youth (graduates) aware that Facebook has other useful content in addition to socialization? Hmmm
*From:* kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke[mailto: kictanet-bounces+emuchiri <kictanet-bounces%2Bemuchiri>=andestbites.com@ lists.kictanet.or.ke] *On Behalf Of *Walubengo J *Sent:* Tuesday, November 17, 2009 12:13 PM *To:* emuchiri@andestbites.com
*Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens...
walu.
--- On *Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com>* wrote:
From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM
I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years!
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com<http://mc/compose?to=emailsignet@mailcan.com>> wrote:
Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!?
Kind Regards, Waudo
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My friends, I am not bashing. I am simply stating facts candidly so we can identify the problem. On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 12:39 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com>wrote:
Rad, Let us not bash ourselves, Kenya has always been the best i think we are having one of the biggest delegations at IGF09 from African countries which attests to this, even those with Library systems tried, that is just an isolated case, we simply need to bring the vehicle back to the road, The annual Engineering students expo needs to be scaled down to secondary school level , we don t need to re-invent the wheel, may be we should call it ICT congress Is Kevit online...
Hello All, There is need to have an ICT Think Tank that would scope on the industry trends and making sectoral IS alignments. For example, we have Facebook how do we make it relevant to the farmer, to the health worker, how do we make wiki relevant to education, the list is endless. The mandate of the Think Tank would be to study/research and make available its new findings to schools, colleges and other groups that would form a foundation for knowledge generation. Students in most cases "discover" the new technologies on there own or through a source, this sort of discovery would be narrow. And would not give them a chance to anchor it well since they lack a background. It is noted that the we use about 20% of the installed capabilities office productivity tools that we install in spite of owning them for over 3 years on our computers. Esther wondered whether the youth are aware of the capabilities of Facebook, well they may fall within the Kenyan users of productivity software of below 20%. I have in the past coordinated ICT projects in schools (Global Teenager Project, School Chain Project, Mtandao Africa and NetGen Studio Project), each dealing with an aspect of ICT, these students can do wonders if they are guided. This guidance must come from a different level, because going by the current syllabus the teachers must drill them to pass exams, sadly a number of them were also drilled! Let us not castigate the products of science congress; the solar cooker could be a wonder for the student, even though repeated elsewhere. How nice would it be if the presenter states that the solar cooker can boil water at 110 degrees through a collaboration between him/her and a Korean student using internet resource e.g. Facebook. We need to look at Internet as a complementing resource than cannibalising. It is nice reading from Hon Rege about parliamentarian’s eventual registration and use of social networks, this is a clear message of adoption which is good for the industry, however, it is important to evaluate the net benefits. How nice it would be to show teachers how time saving it is to use a portal for download and upload of learning materials. Can proceed to class with a powerpoint presentation therefore avoiding the trouble of duster and chalk (writing and rubbing) the time saved can be used for teaching. Sometimes we tell them we have the capacity of letting an American teacher to teach Kenyan History through a video conference! Regards, Sam Aguyo ________________________________ From: Esther Muchiri <emuchiri@andestbites.com> To: saguyo@yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Tue, November 17, 2009 12:26:50 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table I totally agree with Walu. Something must be changed in our education system to allow for creativity and ‘hunger’ for additional knowledge in addition to ‘drilling’ the youth to pass exams. Rad has said that Kenya is leading in Africa on the use of Facebook! The question is – what information is being exchanged? Are the youth (graduates) aware that Facebook has other useful content in addition to socialization? Hmmm From:kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Walubengo J Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 12:13 PM To: emuchiri@andestbites.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected. We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens... walu. --- On Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote: From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years! On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com> wrote: Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!? Kind Regards, Waudo -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: jwalu@yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com
Well Said Sam, The most "sickening part" is having to *compare* ourselves with the developed world instead of *charting* our own path to developement, MJ always says we are always on the verge of success, our biggest challenge is unity of purpose and indiscipline when it comes to execution of projects however small they are , people like Mugo Kebati of Vision 2030 among other distinguished Kenyans on this list and off are capable of leading this nation to the promised land, we already have adequate think tanks, in addition we must develop *an attitude of gratitude*, begin by appreciating the small strides we have made if we are to achieve greatness as a Nation. On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 7:18 AM, Sam Aguyo <saguyo@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hello All,
There is need to have an ICT Think Tank that would scope on the industry trends and making sectoral IS alignments. For example, we have Facebook how do we make it relevant to the farmer, to the health worker, how do we make wiki relevant to education, the list is endless. The mandate of the Think Tank would be to study/research and make available its new findings to schools, colleges and other groups that would form a foundation for knowledge generation.
Students in most cases "discover" the new technologies on there own or through a source, this sort of discovery would be narrow. And would not give them a chance to anchor it well since they lack a background. It is noted that the we use about 20% of the installed capabilities office productivity tools that we install in spite of owning them for over 3 years on our computers.
Esther wondered whether the youth are aware of the capabilities of Facebook, well they may fall within the Kenyan users of productivity software of below 20%. I have in the past coordinated ICT projects in schools (Global Teenager Project, School Chain Project, Mtandao Africa and NetGen Studio Project), each dealing with an aspect of ICT, these students can do wonders if they are guided. This guidance must come from a different level, because going by the current syllabus the teachers must drill them to pass exams, sadly a number of them were also drilled!
Let us not castigate the products of science congress; the solar cooker could be a wonder for the student, even though repeated elsewhere. How nice would it be if the presenter states that the solar cooker can boil water at 110 degrees through a collaboration between him/her and a Korean student using internet resource e.g. Facebook. We need to look at Internet as a complementing resource than cannibalising.
It is nice reading from Hon Rege about parliamentarian’s eventual registration and use of social networks, this is a clear message of adoption which is good for the industry, however, it is important to evaluate the net benefits.
How nice it would be to show teachers how time saving it is to use a portal for download and upload of learning materials. Can proceed to class with a powerpoint presentation therefore avoiding the trouble of duster and chalk (writing and rubbing) the time saved can be used for teaching. Sometimes we tell them we have the capacity of letting an American teacher to teach Kenyan History through a video conference!
Regards,
Sam Aguyo
------------------------------ *From:* Esther Muchiri <emuchiri@andestbites.com> *To:* saguyo@yahoo.com
*Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> *Sent:* Tue, November 17, 2009 12:26:50 PM
*Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table
I totally agree with Walu.
Something must be changed in our education system to allow for creativity and ‘hunger’ for additional knowledge in addition to ‘drilling’ the youth to pass exams.
Rad has said that Kenya is leading in Africa on the use of Facebook! The question is – what information is being exchanged? Are the youth (graduates) aware that Facebook has other useful content in addition to socialization? Hmmm
*From:* kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke[mailto: kictanet-bounces+emuchiri <kictanet-bounces%2Bemuchiri>=andestbites.com@ lists.kictanet.or.ke] *On Behalf Of *Walubengo J *Sent:* Tuesday, November 17, 2009 12:13 PM *To:* emuchiri@andestbites.com *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table
i agree. its not awareness...i remember pushing another similar challenge from Microsoft, "Imagine Cup 2009" at Multimedia University. It got a serious mute response...i think our students from primary school are drilled to focus on and pass exams....anything that has little or no impact on their exam tends to be neglected.
We seem to have failed to cultivate a culture of intellectual "activism" in our education system. When I was growing up we used to have something called "science-congress" where all high-schools would compete from district, provincial and finally national level to show-case their innovations. Not quite sure if this still happens...
walu.
--- On *Tue, 11/17/09, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com>* wrote:
From: Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Africa's Absence From The Table To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:43 AM
I do not believe awareness is an issue. I recall reading some statistics some time back to the effect that Kenya is one of the heaviest facebook users in Africa. It is the same internet. Why are we unable to capitalize on it? The challange has been in the public domain for years!
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com> wrote:
Hi Rad! Is the awareness of such opportunities done? Maybe one needs to raise the alert before rather than after the horse bolts!?
Kind Regards, Waudo
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-- Barrack O. Otieno Administrative Manager Afriregister Ltd (Ke) P.o.Box 21682 Nairobi 00100 Tel: +254721325277 +254733206359 +254202498789 Riara Road, Bamboo Lane www.afriregister.com www.afriregister.co.ke ICANN accredited registrar. Skype: barrack.otieno
participants (10)
-
Barrack Otieno -
Esther Muchiri -
John K. Njoroge -
Musya Michael -
Phares Kariuki -
Rad! -
S.Murigi Muraya -
Sam Aguyo -
Walubengo J -
waudo siganga