[UgaBYTES] telecentre academy | more principles

[Pete Cranston]

Hi

Great posts, and thanks very much for the positive feedback: I always learn more from these exchanges than I give. I am afraid that I spent too long in adult education not to want to share some reactions:

1 The Colombia academy seems to be steaming: the mix of user-generated co-created content and options for collaboration is really strong. I think that suggests another principle: basing the academy in the knowledge of the local telecentre community to generate materials, provide feedback and resources.

I think I agree with Peter Balaba: by local I mean, local enough to have meaning to learners but not so local as to ignore what can be general. For example, there are some general principles about ways to connect, and power telecentres which can be shared but also a lot of local information about particular providers, government regulations etc which are specific to a context. I also think that local *community* means people who can share knowledge and support with others that is based in that local understanding as well as regular possibilities for meeting: I can offer some hours of volunteer mentoring on using online video tools, for example, but am little use to someone preparing materials to offer a paid-for service in Eastern Uganda. And of course Peter Balaba is a rich source of knowledge on so many things, but Gladman and others from SAFIRE in Zimbabwe, for example, will add specific value on the Southern African context.

2. Shipra's post on the Indian experience is really interesting and so sensible: I have developed loads of training and learning materials, from books to online support resources, and it takes ages and ages and ages to produce something that is of use generally and can be customised to suit particular contexts. Yet people also learn using awful materials if their learning experiences - other people, access to resources and tutors - are good. 

SO another suggested principle: the academy should strive to find materials that are *good enough* to use as the basis for customisation. The 80/20 rule works here I think: the last 20% of the effort to make something really excellent takes more than 50% of the time, and is not worth it if we agree that the learning process is at least as important than the products we use - though I still maintain process matters more. 

This principle was first suggested for me by Meddie's mention last year ago of the World Bank telecentre materials. (http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/91628/telecentres/telecentres/workshop/trainingmaterials.htm. They are certainly good enough: they provide a framework (syllabus) for learning, they can be adapted - and they are freely available. The telecentre cookbook is another - and I am sure you all know other materials that can be used/adapted.

I also think that newer tools can help a lot, and tie together both these principles. I am currently working with www.Euforic.org for some of my time. They have been doing web 2.0 training using video as a tool to share other's learning, and as the basis for discussion. I am sorry if your bandwidth makes this difficult, but have a look at http://euforic.blip.tv for their work, or http://farastaff.blogspot.com/2008/02/workshop-to-elaborate-fara.html for an African example of how to liven up a blog with video. 

It is soooo easy these days to construct a simple clip that makes your point of view, captures your experience. That can easily be converted into a smaller file, and shared. It is a superb tool to not only capture knowledge of you all who are experts in different parts of your work, but is a lot more engaging as a material. It would be good at Gadaref, for example, to immediately start interviewing people about their experience on specific topics, and maybe begin a library collection in Ugabytes? The clips can of course be transferred to a DVD for distribution. 

This is already a long post, so I will write separately an idea about certification and reply to Jean Paul. 

Best wishes

Pete