Linking Mathematical Literacy to ICT

Finally, there is need to indicate the relationship between mathematics/mathematical literacy and ICTs. In this chapter, the two are seen as inseparable. In everyday life, a person is continually faced with challenges that call for mathematical skills, such as financial issues (hire-purchase, mortgage bonds, and investments), understand house plans, read a map, follow time table, et cetera; with the usage of ICT these can be done very fast and accurately. It is of utmost importance that a person must have a sense and knowledge of Mathematics, so as to detect mistakes committed by the usage of ICT.

Quest for Economic Empowerment of Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania

This case describes field research investigations that were conducted in Tanzania from June 2008 to June 2009 to examine access to, and use of cell phones by women residing in rural villages and in a nearby urban center. Rural villages were considered critical in this study as key players in the wellbeing of traditional rural families.

Socio-Economic Empowerment Through Technologies

The chapter presents a case of a community development project known as Lentswe La Oodi Weavers in a rural village, Oodi, in the Kgatleng district of Botswana with a goal of socio-economic empowerment for women operating it and for the community. The project reinforces sentiments that technology work best for local communities if it is compatible with their ways of life. The women who started the project almost 30 years ago did not have any formal education and achieved their dignity in their own communities as women who are independent and have empowered themselves for better livelihoods and sustainable income, meager as it may be. They use their natural talent of weaving and boost their productivity through compatible ICTs such as spinning wheel, Bobbin wheel, and flat looms. Short training is done to strengthen these natural skills. Their products are bought internationally. Challenges include lack of skills for proper management. They live in the world of bookkeeping and book auditing and their project is susceptible to problems if it does not go through such procedures. Thus, these women skill-needs are mostly in areas of management, marketing, and selling their produce; all of these could be said to need formal training.

Managing and Enhancing ICT Uptake in Rural Communities in Botswana

This chapter focuses on the management of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deployed in rural communities in Botswana to ensure its effective and efficient utilisation in order to improve the quality of life of the rural people. The key for ICT to reach rural communities and satisfy their needs lies with the availability of the telecommunication infrastructure. ICT rural service centres help connect the rural communities to the global village. One of the critical steps in the management of the uptake of ICT in rural communities is a strategic plan driven by village development committees (VDCs). This is expected to facilitate ownership and accountability of the recipients of ICTs. It empowers the communities and establishes keen interest in the uptake of ICT by male and female, old and young. Community centred development is enhanced when the communities themselves are involved right from the conception of ICT initiatives. Communities are more likely to tap into their indigenous knowledge systems to craft strategies that can minimise the digital phobia, hence, increase the ICT uptake by all age groups. Ultimately this arrangement can ensure gender parity. The increase in ICT uptake by rural communities has the potential to close the digital divide between urban and rural areas in Botswana.

Moving with Time and Strategy

This chapter presents evidence of using information and communication technologies (ICTs) towards the goal of sustainable community development. It argues that the biggest impediment to the growth of communities in the developing world is a lack of information and a fair incentive system, both of which can be addressed through ICTs. A three pronged action plan comprising of a development strategy, an information strategy, and a technology strategy is proposed towards this effect. The paper also showcases how a for-profit business, ITC Limited, transformed the face of agriculture in some parts of India, and how this model can be replicated in other parts of the world. It concludes with a description of the agricultural sector in Bangladesh and show how lessons drawn from the Indian case can be applied to Bangladesh and other developing countries.

ICT-Supported Education for Sustainable Development of South Korean Rural Communities

The rural communities in South Korea have faced serious challenges as the country has gradually opened the agricultural market and extended the conclusion of Free Trade Agreement with more and more countries. Moreover, due to the national socio-economic and political structures, South Korea has been undergoing the technological imbalance between rural and urban areas. In order to cope with these vital social challenges, the South Korean government has exerted considerable investment and effort in establishing ICT knowledge and skills as well as infrastructure in rural areas. Thus, conceptualizing ICT in the context of adult education, this chapter addresses three ICT-supported adult education programs oriented toward developing ICT skills and competencies of people in agricultural areas of South Korea. The South Korean cases of agricultural ICT education represent the vast and concentrated national efforts in integrating ICT across rural areas in this fast changing global situation.

Reaching the Hard to Reach

Information Technology has become core in national development across the globe; hence, the government of Botswana decided to use ICTs to give rural people newer options of communicating, sourcing, and sharing information through the introduction of a project called Nteletsa 2. A village, Kaudwane, whose residents have relied on the word of mouth for so long, is now communicating through mobile phones as a result of this program. This project is done under the Rural Telecommunications Strategy with a goal of providing telecommunications services to rural areas in the most cost effective, efficient, logical, and transparent manner possible. The government works in partnership with Botswana Telecommunication Centre which provides mobile services with capability to deliver Internet, voice, and data. The project also uses Public Communications Centre (PUCC) now referred to as Dikitsong Center operated by communities in partnership with Mascom or Botswana Telecommunication Center. Services include provision of an Internet café, charging individual cellular phones at a fee, and selling airtime to both locals and visitors. The result is great: employment creation and easier communication amongst individuals and visitors. However, low literacy level of some villagers limits use. Also, there are high maintenance costs due to poor roads.

Experiencing the Functionality of Mathematical Indigenous ICTs on Community Development

The benefits of the farm to the community are multifold. About 80% of workers in the Dairy House Farm project come from Molapowabojang, a rural village in which this farm is located. There is no doubt that this farm contributes to the wellbeing of its employees. This project also contributes directly to community members not working in the farm. They are given liquid whey for free and the product is useful in a number of ways. It can be used to cook sour meal (sorghum or porridge). Overall, the madila product is highly nutritious making the farm contribute to development of the village by reducing the rate of malnutrition among people especially, children who benefit from it.

The National Spatial Database Infrastructure (NSDI) in the Context of E-Governance Initiatives in Botswana

The National Spatial Database Infrastructure (NSDI) is presented in this chapter as ideal for sharing information that can help improve the lives of citizens. It takes into consideration technologies, policies, and people as necessary resources to promote sharing of geospatial data at all levels of government, private, and academic community. To this effect, the government of Botswana has a service portal where anyone, anywhere in the world who is networked can use it. NSDI is part of this portal. This chapter presents NSDI as a mitigation tool for e-governance in the monitoring of natural resource like deforestations and land for agriculture. For example, the Ministry of Agriculture use NSDI to help farmers to locate the best soils suitable for certain types of crops like land suitability for rainfed crops. The Department of Geological Survey uses it for monitoring and assessing for mineral prospects in the country. The Botswana Defence Force could employ it for poaching or for wildlife movement surveillances. Challenges to the use of NSDI include low level of literacy, lack of technical knowhow and communication framework necessary for NSDI building. This leads to some stakeholders being excluded in the planning and access of the technology.

Exploring the Impact of Google Igbo in South East Nigeria

This chapter presents the impact of Google’s search engine on the lives of the native speakers of Igbo, a major language in South East Nigeria. As part of efforts to connect with those who rely on local languages for communication as distinct from their chief language of communication, English, the American company had floated a series of search systems for native speakers around the world, one of which is projected in http://www.google.com.ng/, specifically for Igbo speakers. Google’s efforts are commendable because they offer a mechanism against the dearth and death of native languages, particularly for Igbo. Of the three major local languages in Nigeria, Hausa and Yoruba have managed to survive and flourish, while Igbo has been on the decline socially, culturally, and economically as speakers of the language would prefer Nigeria’s lingua franca – English. On Google’s Igbo website, natives are opportune to browse as well as look up sites on which search queries can be answered in the native language. A study of five age groups of the native speakers was carried out in a panel design to demonstrate the impact Google’s efforts have had on the lives of users. Case description was done from five expectation standpoints of the respondents– fundamental, training, conventional, personal, and contextual. According to findings, which correlate in all the perspectives, Google’s efforts are amounting to waste of Web resources. This is because visitors to the site often find that queries do not produce tangible results in the Igbo language, thereby making it impossible for the community to access Google, thus calling for re-strategizing not only on the part of Google, but also on the part of those who speak the language.