SPIDER participated at eLearning Africa

This year's eLearning Africa conference took place in Dakar, Senegal on May 27th to 29th. At the conference SPIDER, together with MKFC Stockholm College, held a pre-conference workshop, “mLearning for all” on the usage of mobile phones as a tool for teaching and learning. Annika Andersson and Rizvee Bhuyan from Örebro University demonstrated how the Bangladesh Virtual Interactive Classroom (BVIC) system works by using mobile phones and a laptop as a communication server. In the same workshop Bengt Nykvist, Mid Sweden University and Jabiri Bakari, Open University Tanzania (OUT) showed how mobiles phones are used as a tool in a pilot course at the OUT under the SPIDER supported project Enhancement of In-Service Teachers Training Programme Through Mobile Phones in Tanzania. The workshop was much appreciated by the participants and both projects got valuable contacts for future collaboration.

The project at OUT in Tanzania was also presented during one of the conference sessions. Eva Lindén, Nyköpings Folkhögskola, Sweden and John Stephen Oluoch, Cordio East Africa, Kenya discussed their experiences from the project Empowering SHGs in Kenya and India through ICT for better education and alternative livelihood opportunities on the topic "Empowering Women Groups in Kenya: ICT for Education and Promotion of Livelihood".

Henrik Hansson from the Dept. of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University, moderated a session on "One-To-One Computing Visions and Experiences", which got positive response from the audience.

The conference featured 1315 participants from 85 countries and 336 speakers and chairpersons from approximately 50 countries. SPIDER supported the conference organizers ICWE with funding to developing country delegates, these were mainly from Africa.

Pictured below: Bengt Nykvist demonstrating the mobile phones used in Tanzania and Annika Andersson and Rizvee Bhuyan presenting the project Bangladesh Virtual Classroom.