Assignments:

Class Preparation - 19 March (Thursday)

1. What kind of applications can you envision for this technology?
2. Jeff stated that interfaces should adapt to us rather than the other way around. Can you envision what this might mean for ICTD?

1. What kinds of problems does a Segway solve?
2. What problems have been encountered trying to disseminate this technology solution?
3. How might these problems carry over to implementation or dissemination of other solutions?

Class Preparation - 17 March (Tuesday)

1. What are some of the technology innovations that Neil is working on?
2. What does his ideas have to do with ICTD? Can this really be IT development for the masses?
3. Neil claims the result of personal fabrication yields the potential to “locally design and produce solutions to local problems.” Explain what he means.

1. How is playing with blocks problem solving?
2. What are siftables?
3. What can you do with siftables?
4. How could these be used in ICTD?

Case Study Assignment

Class Preparation - 12 March (Thursday)

Class Preparation - 10 March (Tuesday)

Final Project

Class Preparation - 3 March (Tuesday)

1. What is the method that Jeffrey says we need to adopt in order to end poverty by the year 2025?
2. What are some of the misconceptions about the causes of poverty?
3. How does Jeffrey characterize those in "extreme poverty"?
4. What are the five development interventions advocated by Jeffrey?
5. Do you agree with the myths about poverty presented? Why? Why not?
6. Do you think his steps will accomplish the end of poverty? Why? Why not?

1. "We live in a world which is interdependent but insufficient." What did he mean? What three areas were explicitly enumerated?
2. What does Bill see as a far bigger problem in poor countries than corruption? Why?
3. What kind of health care system does he want to build in Rwanda?
4. Whose model did he use in implementing health care in Rwanda? Why?
5. How long does he say it will be before these systems are sustainable without foreign aid? Why?

Class Preparation - 24 February (Tuesday)

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By6qtBafak8
   
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYtfviYA38Q
   
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4wxo5IHpT0
   

1. What is microfinance? Microcredit?
2. According to Princess Maxima, why is it important for the world’s poorest to have access to banking or financial services?
3. According to Roshaneh Zofar, what has been the impact of microfinance on the world’s poor?
4. What were some of the challenges Roshaneh faced in setting up her microfinance business?

1. How was the fund started?
2. Why was it successful?

1. What is seen as a major drawback to microfinance system compared to traditional banks?
2. Why is a high interest rate typically charged by some microfinance persons?
3. How do the locally owned microfinance groups differ from a MFI?
4. What were some of the problems with microfinance that were discussed in the video?
5. What were the claims that microfinance falls short in eradicating poverty?

Class Preparation - 19 February (Thursday)

1. Paul states that to give hope to the billion living at the bottom he proposes an 'alliance of compassion and enlightened self-interest'. What did he mean? What example did he use?
2. According to Paul there are 4 areas needed for effective policies. What are they?
3. Which of these does he then choose to discuss? Why?
4. What is the 'resource curse'? When does this occur? Why (according to Paul)?
5. What was the effect of democracy on resource booms? What aspect of democracy seemed to do the most damage?
6. What is his solution?

Class Preparation - 17 February (Tuesday)

1. Bill makes the statement: "The market does not drive the scientists, communicators, thinkers, governments to do the right things." What did he mean?
2. Why was malaria eradicated from the non-temperate zones?
3. Why do tools (for example for fighting malaria) eventually become ineffective?
4. Why does new tools alone (for fighting malaria) not provide the roadmap to get rid of the disease?
5. What does Bill Gates state that it will take to eradicate or severely reduce malaria worldwide?
6. Why does Bill Gates claim that the key to educating the masses revolves around having ‘good teachers’?
7. How does Bill suggest to use technology to help teachers improve?

Capacity Building Assignment - UPDATED

Class Preparation - 12 February (Thursday)

1. Read http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu/docs/ict4d06/social_development_kerala-rk.pdf
2. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DygAgWi4Tbo
3. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyN2yux_NY
4. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vpqO8Fnq9E&NR=1

1. What are the dilemmas and tradeoffs facing ICT projects at the 'macro level' (state and political parties) and 'micro level' (entrepreneurs and potential consumers)?
2. How did the socially-driven entrepreneurs view the government role in the kiosks? How did the business-driven entrepreneurs view their telecenters? How does the balance driven entrepreneur balance social development with business viability?
3. How did the consumers generally view the Akshaya project?

1. How does technology boost income?
2. How does it reduce poverty?
3. Is the video an accurate assessment of technology's impact on developing communities and poverty?

1. How does this use of technology fit with your idea of ICTD?

1. How are cell phones battling poverty?
2. How has the cell phone become a bank?
3. How do you envision the cell phone aiding the poor?

Class Preparation - 10 February (Tuesday)

1. Read http://www.i4donline.net/nov05/ictdnewsletter.pdf
2. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW3c1QHvSqc
3. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBmWlI16JM8
4. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIuRbiX9px4

1. What are the difference between monitoring and evaluation? Why are both needed?
2. Why are participatory techniques necessary for evaluations to be effective?
3. What is e-Governance? Why is a 'rational assessment framework' important for e-Governance projects? What is the purpose of the assessment?

1. What novel approach did Microsoft use in its Multipoint project?

1. How was same language subtitling (SLS) used to increase literacy?
2. What was Brij's contribution?

1. Why did Patrick feel that education of leaders is of utmost importance particularly in developing communities?
2. Why should we strive for perfection (even though it is impossible)?

Class Preparation - 5 February (Thursday)

1. http://www.viktoria.se/altchi/submissions/submission_indranimedhi_0.pdf
2. http://www.cs.colorado.edu/department/publications/reports/docs/CU-CS-1006-06.pdf
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpRRivQgpjc&feature=related
4. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/iqbal_quadir_says_mobiles_fight_poverty.html

1. What are the problems for non-literate PC users?
2. How were full-context videos used to overcome perceived problems?
3. Why was the job application concept selected as the means of testing the full-context video concept?

1. Why was a project for empowering women in Kenya chosen? Why do you agree (or disagree) with their rationale?
2. Why did the authors choose to use radio?
3. What are some factors that contributed to the success of this project?

1. Was this a full story? Why? Why not?

1. What was the speaker's answer to 'Why does poverty persist?'
2. What was his solution? i.e. How can citizens be empowered?
3. Why did he believe that telephones would aid/empower citizens?
4. How was this ultimately implemented in Bangladesh?
5. What are some of the myths about the poor pointed out the speaker?

Class Preparation - 3 February (Tuesday)

1. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=4548168&isnumber=4548155
2. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=4548169&isnumber=4548155
3. One more reading - Sent to you via e-mail
4. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjWcmaVfMyY

1. Who is the 'development' in ICTD?
2. Why should "access to information" be considered a fundamental human right?
3. What constitutes ICT?
4. How can ICT have a positive impact on the less fortunate that survive on less than a dollar a day?
5. How would you describe the ICTD field?

1. What lessons were learned from the ICT4D 1.0 projects?
2. In what areas will hardware innovations be required for ICT4D 2.0?
3. What are the 4 main development roles ICT4D is slowing moving toward?
4. What are the pro-poor, para-poor, and per-poor innovation efforts? Examples?
5. What are the three areas or disciplines involved in creating ICT4D success? What is the role of each? Why is each needed?
6. What is the most prominent difference between ICT4D 1.0 and ICT4D 2.0?

1. What are some of the questions being addressed in the ICTD field? How is information communication technology being applied to problems traditionally addressed in development?
2. What is the role of computer science in ICTD?
3. Who (what fields) are involved in ICTD? What is their role?
4. What are some of the challenges of ICTD?
5. What are some of the issues involved in trying to make ICTD projects sustainable?

1. What makes TechBridgeWorld projects different from traditional help to developing communities?

Class Preparation - 29 January (Thursday)

1. How did the state of the government in Bangladesh affect the establishing of the Grameen Bank?
2. Who was A. M. A. Muhith? What role did he play in helping Yunus establish the Grameen Bank?
3. Was the bank established as envisioned by Yunus? What were the differences in the bank created and the one Yunus desired?
4. Were all the problems ultimately resolved to Yunus’ liking?
5. What was Muhith’s promise regarding the bank? Was he able to keep his promise? Why or why not?
6. What lessons can you take away from Yunus’ experiences in the establishment of the Grameen Bank?
7. What did you learn from the pictures?

Campaign Assignment

Media Assignment

Class Preparation - 27 January (Tuesday)

1. What were some of the problems with the way water was supplied to the villagers at the beginning of film?
2. How was clean water brought to the village?
3. What problems (and for whom) arose with this solution?
4. Why did this solution fail?
5. Who initiated finding out why the project failed (i.e. why the pumps were not repaired)?
6. What were the problems? Why was there no resolution to these problems?
7. Who initiated a possible solution to broken pumps in Ayole? What were the attitudes (initially) of the workers sent in to facilitate helping the villagers have clean water? What were the attitudes of the villagers?
8. Identify the stakeholders in the second solution. What was the role of each?
9. Why was this solution successful?
10. What were other benefits resulting (than clean water) from this solution?

Class Preparation - 21 January (Thursday)

1. What in the movie matched your view of living in poverty? Was there anything that did not match your view of poverty?
2. What were the challenges of the family in the movie? Would you consider these challenges unique to living in poverty? Unique to living in Tehran?
3. Consider how the relationships were depicted in the film. Were they similar or different than you would expect?
4. Would you consider the film to be a real depiction of poverty? A romanticization of a poor community?

Class Preparation - 19 January (Tuesday)

1. What were the author's motivations for studying the poor (surveying Jobra’s economy)?
2. Why do economists usually not consider the issues of poverty and hunger?
3. How did Yunus plan to assist the villagers of Jobra overcome the famine? How did the villagers view his plan? Why?
4. What strategies did Yunus use to overcome challenges?
5. Why did Yunus’ experience with Jobra’s deep tubewell lead him to concentrate on the landless poor?
6. Why was trying to help the women particularly difficult?
7. Why would the banks not lend to the poor?

Research Assignment

Pre-Assessment