mediadev library

Donor Organizations and the Principles for Digital Development: A Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis

Björn Haßler, Meaghan Brugha, Chisenga Muyoya, Joel Mitchell, David Hollow, Alan Jackson

London: Jigsaw Consult (2018), 39 pp.

"This study engages with a comprehensive spectrum of stakeholders within the development and aid sectors around the role of digital, and the ideals that guide that role. The Principles for Digital Development, stewarded by Digital Impact Alliance, and the community of endorsers present a key forum f ... more

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The Future of Learning and Technology in Deprived Contexts

Tim Unwin, Mark Weber, Meaghan Brugha, David Hollow

London: Save the Children (2017), 51 pp.

"This report has focused on predicting what basic education, the use of ICTs, and the ways that these technologies will contribute to education will look like by 2025, with a particular emphasis on the implication for those living in the most deprived locations. Three broad conclusions are appropria ... te. First, there is immense diversity, not only in education delivery but also in access to, and use of, ICTs. This will remain the case in 2025, and the resultant inequalities might well be very much worse than they are today. If current trends continue, then the use of technologies by the rich will be markedly different from the use of ICTs by the poor. The most deprived will continue not to have access to ICTs, will continue not to benefit from them, and will become relatively more disadvantaged. However, millions of slightly better off poor people will indeed be able to benefit from the potential that existing ICTs will be able to deliver over the next decade, especially in terms of access to educational content that may enable them to live more fulfilled lives. Second, for education systems to be improved, especially for the poorest and most marginalised children, there must be a fundamental rethinking of the vision for education in almost every country of the world. Educational change is slow, but some of those consulted for this report were optimistic, and thought that the pressure for change will soon become so high that governments will have to respond by instigating fundamental reforms. These, though, will be very expensive, and it still remains unclear how they will be funded and implemented. While the ICT sector is still likely to experience much rapid innovation, it is much more probable that the education sector will only evolve slowly. It is therefore also important that these technologies are used to enhance opportunities for learning everywhere, even where the education systems are slow to evolve. Third, there have indeed been many exciting and innovative uses of technology within education over the last two decades, and some of these are already being applied in contexts of both physical and socio-cultural deprivation. However, all too often those implementing ICTs initiatives in the education sector focus primarily on the technologies, rather than the education. If technology is indeed to be used to support learning, both in school and out of it, there needs to be a complete reversal of much current practice. The focus must be first on the education, and only then on the various technologies that can help deliver it." (Conclusions, page 20) more

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Children, ICT and Development: Capturing the Potential, Meeting the Challenges

Dorothea Kleine, David Hollow, Sammia Poveda

London; Florence: University of London, ICT4D Centre at Royal Holloway;Jigsaw Consult;UNICEF Office of Research (2014), viii, 62 pp.

"The pioneering research process consisted of a review of relevant literature and in-depth interviews with 35 experts in the field connecting ICT4D with child-focused development, thus providing one of the most comprehensive overviews of the subject to date. The literature review focuses on the topi ... more