0000000001267602
AUTHOR
Dianah Nampijja
“If you take away my phone, you take away my life...” Community Narratives about the Social Implications of Mobile phone Usage for Livelihood Security
Smallholder farmers in developing regions like sub-Saharan Africa still grapple with development challenges like poverty, illiteracy, food insecurity, poor infrastructures like roads and limited access to learning opportunities. Moreover, amidst all these challenges, these possess mobile phones as they continuously engage in diverse livelihood activities. Echoed in previous research, mobile phones are the most diffused technologies available in many rural communities. Yet, most mobile technological interventions are urban-based projects neglecting rural locales in harnessing mobile phone usage. More so, mobile for development research uses quantitative methods which limits proper interrogat…
Contextualisation of eLearning Systems in Higher Education Institutions
The proliferation of digital technologies, and the emergence of global lifelong learning has steered the transformation of education from the predominant classroom based learning to more flexible technology enhanced learning. However, realizing technology enhanced learning’s much anticipated benefits towards improving the educational potential of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in Developing Countries (DCs) is still a challenge because of the high information systems failure rate. Research suggests potentially substantial misalignment between DC HEIs’ E-Learning Management Systems (ELMS) and their institutional contexts. To explore this gap, this research employs a qualitative approa…
Philosophical and ethical concerns in researching online learning groups
There is hype in the use of technology for teaching and learning. Online learning groups have been preferred and advocated for increasing learning. However, developing technology supported teaching and learning require user centered approaches to ensure that the design solutions meet users' needs. Since the research is situated within a practice area of online learning groups, pragmatism and social constructivism will inform this study. In this paper, pragmatism and social constructivism philosophy is discussed. The non-consequentialist philosophical ethical approach and how it relates to this research field is also analyzed. The paper argues that non-consequentialist philosophical ethical …
Adoption and use of mobile technologies for learning among smallholder farmer communities in Uganda
Mobile learning (mLeaming) in formal education is getting wide spread but little is known about how to adopt mLeaming in non-formal contexts among smallholder farmer communities, who constitute the majority in most African states. These rely on agriculture, yet their livelihoods are affected by immense changes in seasons. Smallholder farmers' access to mobile phones can act as bridges in supporting learning for secure livelihoods. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), we have conducted multiple case studies of the Community Knowledge Worker project in Uganda. The intention was to analyse mobile learning adoption and use practices among farmers. Based on our f…
Learning with Mobiles. A Developing Country Perspective on Mobile Technologies use in Learning for Livelihood Support
Paper VI is excluded from the dissertation until it will be published. This doctoral thesis focuses on understanding the role of mobile technologies as tools to enhance learning for livelihood support. To date, the body of knowledge on the use of mobile technologies for development is growing, as mobiles avail a chance for many developing countries’ communities to improve their economic and social well-being. The current integration of mobile technologies for development has to a large extent focused on information dissemination, with less emphasis on how mobiles offer learning spaces to propel development. Yet, mobile technologies offer possibilities for access to learning for communities …
Access to Learning Through Mobiles
The common myth that mobile learning cannot propel in a rural setting is null and void. The influx of modern ICTs like mobile technologies can revolutionize information access among the less privileged in many African communities. Using the Actor-Network Theory as a methodological tool, the chapter explores opportunities of increasing knowledge access through mobiles, by understanding the networks involved in farmer's mobile learning practice, with reference to Uganda. The chapter reveals that mobile technologies offer affordable individual and group learning opportunities to smallholder farmers. Learning is a socially constructed activity, where farmers with access to ICTs like mobile phon…
The role of ICT in community rural development : the case of Buwama multi-media community centre Mpigi district, Uganda
Masteroppgave i development management- Universitetet i Agder 2010 The study explored the role of ICT in community rural development with a critical look at how the project is meeting community needs. Much focus analysed people’s perception of the project, impact of the project to rural livelihoods, and a great extent of identifying the management and sustainability strategies in ensuring project sustainability. Information and Communication Technologies have radically changed the modes of production and organization of work at global and national levels. And quite important is the fact that there is a direct correlation between access to ICTs and socio-economic development, and ICTs are no…