I have a close friend from South Africa who is very passionate about the advancements of the South African people. From what he tells me, the country is behind the times when it comes to using technology and means to acquire technology. Internet connections are almost non-existent, and if you do find an ISP/Telco willing/able to deliver, most South Africans are unable to pay the fees associated with connecting to the rest of the world via the Internet.
After meeting with another South African last year who runs an orphanage and school in South Africa, and hearing the stories he had to tell about the hunger for education in South Africa, I decided to offer my services in anyway I could assist and now have my ears opened for any advancements taking place in the South African area. When I saw this article posted on the FreeBSD web site last month I instantly gave it a read. I reread the article today and thought I would pass it along for others to see how open source solutions are making it possible for others around the world, South Africa in this instance, to be introduced to technology and the Internet specifically.
The article discusses kiosks, powered by FreeBSD and Linux, developed by Digital Doorway that allows South Africans to familiarize themselves with computers and the Internet. Digital Doorway makes the technology available to the people and allows them to learn on their own time. From the article:
Underpinning the project is the idea of people’s inherent cognitive ability to teach themselves computer skills with minimal external intervention.
For this to happen, computers must be easily accessible to potential learners in an environment conducive to experimentation. Apart of the ability to read text, literacy also involves image and screen literacy, particularly information navigation. Through access to information on the Internet, a new way of learning by “discovery” rather than by “lecture” becomes possible.
Personally, I feel that this is the best way to learn. I prefer hands-on learning as opposed to lecturing especially when it comes to technology. In my opinion, you can only go so far in a classroom setting without getting your hands dirty and actually doing something with the technology being taught. I think this is a great thing for the South Africans and hope to see this type of setup spread to other less-developed countries around the world.
