Children's books available electronically -when can we give them e-readers?

See: Project Gutenberg Children's collection


"African publishers lag in shift to electronic books
Electronic readers are transforming the way people enjoy their books. However, there is very little African published content on the online stores. For a reader looking for a Kenyan book or literature published in Africa, one has to get the ink-and-paper version as few publishers have moved online."

There are programs in place to provide one-laptop-per-child and the latest is getting e-readers to children. One of these is an organisation called Worldreader.org. What is the possibility of Namibia recognising this as a future trend and start planning for it.

I recently completed together with an international team, a study for the University of Washington on "Libraries, Telecenters and Cybercafés: A Comparison of Different Types of Public Access Venues".

It is sad that we neglecting our children's access - I just look at the example of our public library in Windhoek.

Worldreader aims to put a library of books in the hands of families worldwide, using e-reader technology.

Literacy depends on access to written material. E-readers can deliver written material anywhere, quickly and easily. But there is little known about the effect these devices have in classroom settings or in developing countries.

Worldreader.org completed several classroom trials using e-readers to explore the use of digital content in the developing world.

Our working hypotheses are that:

• E-readers will increase access to books due to lower distribution costs and immediate visibility of millions of books available online.
• This will result in a larger number and greater variety of books read, and increased excitement and exchange of ideas around these books.
• The result will be a higher value placed on reading within the classroom, family, and community.
• The results will be specific and measurable, and will, in the long term, increase literacy and opportunity for those involved.

Management coaching: There’s method in the madness | Africa Report

Management coaching: There’s method in the madness | Africa Report

It’s time to tackle the dreaded M word –management. With management coaching, this has never been easier.

By Craig Falck for Africa Report

Managers are not born… They are trained. And mentored. And coached. Management coaching is a new technique that’s gaining popularity around the world because it gives employees the skills they need when they enter higher management positions. After all, these programs are popular for a reason…

Being a manager is more than just delegating and having a “manager” sign on your business card, desk or office door. It’s about being able to handle the company, to mould and develop your team and department, and lead the team to victory. And that’s where management coaches come in. Like any coach in a sport, they will instil certain principles and knowledge in their leader and coach them to be the best that they can be. There are so many things that managers need to know these days and so many tools that they have at their disposal – there’s nothing that they can’t do in the workplace. Unless, of course, they haven’t had the proper training and coaching.

Management coaching is all about identifying your inner manager traits and learning how to use them. We’re talking communication skills that allow you to better communicate your needs and wants in the office; decision making that puts the power in your hands to quickly decide what needs to be done and what can be ignored; concentration that allows you to focus on your goal and make sure that you get there no matter what obstacles stand in your way; drive and determination that you can pass onto others to encourage them to meet their objectives; insight, discretion and understanding that will give you the tools to cope with the office dynamics and personal issues that arise, and a number of other character traits that make for a good manager and leader.

The thing is, as popular as manager coaching is, there are still those that scoff at the idea and call it “foolish” and “mad”. However, these names come from two kinds of people: those who think they know it all, and those who know nothing. You cannot simply slam a form of education or knowledge sharing because you don’t agree with it or because it’s not to your liking. Knowledge is power, and any form of education should be appreciated and exploited. The more you know, the better equipped you will be to handle what your workplace throws at you.

Huddle up, team… it’s time to coach your management skills and turn you from also-ran-boss to game winner in the blink of an eye.

Andreas Guibeb - Experimenting with education in Namibia

Andreas Guibeb
The poor outcome of the matric results of the past year takes me back down memory lane when I had the good fortune to serve as assistant teacher (hulp onderwyser) for a Grade9 class at Ella Du Plessis for a brief period.

I soon realized the huge gap in performances between the top and lowest performing students, especially those who commuted daily from Katatura to attend school in Khomasdal in the hope of a better future. I refused to accept that some kids were stupid whilst others were clever. My challenge was to proof that theory by narrowing that gap. But how...?

Not prejudiced by the dogma of formal teacher training I experimented a lot and tested the tolerance limits of the school principal by abolishing the system of giving individual test marks and replacing it with a test mark for each student equal to the class average test mark for the subject. So every pupil in the class had either a good or horrible test mark for each subject. My point was that the success of everyone in the class was and should be our collective concern. We will only achieve that objective if we all start sharing good studying and learning strategies with everyone and increase the class average by helping the poor performers to up their contribution to the average class performances. I said let's all fake it till we make it and achieve the highest possible average class result, which means that everybody is doing well individually.

I therefore paired pupils to do homework and prepare for tests and taking particular care to pair top performers with under performers. I did this intuitively and without any knowledge of "positive deviancy theory" developed years later by Harvard Professor Jerry and Monique Sternin. With hindsight it reasures me that there was sense to the experiments of the scientist gone mad in the Ella du Plessis School laboratory.

This initiative was however very disturbing (understatement) to the school principal, school administration, the top performers and their parents in the class. The underlying spirit of: "We are in this together and we win when everyone wins" that I was trying to share, militated against the acquired wisdom pervasive in all aspects of our life of: "Each one for him/herself and God help us all". 

So I convened a meeting of parents, the school principle, students and myself where I explained that if the top performers and poor performers studied together both will win. When both win everyone wins. The top performers would gain lifelong friends and the poor performers gained a window into the thinking and study methods of top performers. The poor performers would gain self-esteem they lacked before when they see improved results. Once successful, they will dislike failure forever.

I am greatful to the school principal, parents and pupils for having allowed me to continue that risky experiment, but the rest is history as they say. 
Though I spend only a few months with the class all of them passed matric and gained access to university long after I left the school. The empowering lesson. If allowed, challenged and supported by all stakeholders the learners themselves will come up with more resourcefull and efficient solutions to the most chalenging situations. Because they come up with the solution themselves, it sets them on a lifelong course of success.

I am gratefull to the star pupils of my class at Ella du Plessis who took the exercise to heart and help under performers acquire better study habits and thus raised the test average for all. 

As Shakespeare says,"when the tide rises all boats are lifted". No top performer became worse because of helping others but all under performers became star pupils and realized their full potential. This is literally and figuratively true in all fields of life as today proven by the "positive deviancy theory".

Roux-che Locke: teachers who were part of my life's journey: thank you

Roux-che Locke 

(Facebook status - 18 January 2012)

This is gonna be quite a lengthy piece, so - you are under no obligation to view my status...Anyway,I went to register my Gr. 5 son at his school this week when "Mother-Nature" called... a little boy directs me to the nearest girls'-restroom, and it is here that I am greeted by those smaaaaaaaalllllll miniature toilet-pots - first thought: would my "African-booty" fit on this? But now Mother-Nature is really calling, and I dont' have much of a choice! So, I sit down - as in reaaaaaalllly sit down, in fact, it felt more like I was doing a failed sit-up attempt - knees almost touching my chin: that's how low!! Anyway, I am immediately taken back to almost 30 yrs ago when I started my first school day: Sub A, M.H Greeff Prim: 2 netjies gekamde-bees-gelekte laaaaaaaaaannng vlegseltjies net soos ma dit kon doen, "dressed-2-kill" in my blou skool-rokkie wat so byna onder die knie stop en 2 stokkies-beentjies wat net-net uitsteek (ogh, how I hated this look!!), en my bruin "suitcasey" lekker ge-stock met ma se "bederf" vir die dag...my teacher, Mrs. Strauss (the most beautiful and elegant teacher, and today "aunty Maureen" to me...) Dis hier waar ek my eerste tree na die res van my "shaping-en-moulding" gee, waar ek my karakter ontdek en verder create...Maar wat ek eintlik wil se is dat dit hier is - op hierdie miniature-toiletjie (en neeeeeee, dit was nie so lank wat ek gesit het nie...lol!) dat ek besef watter noble job dit is om onderwyser te wees... So, to aaaaaaaaallllll my teachers who were part of my life's journey: thank you for your valued contribution to who and what I am today. And to my child(ren)'s teachers and those-to-be: thank you for the contribution and impact you will make in his (their) life! En nou is dit tyd om op te staan van hierdie klein miniatuur potjie, want my bene en booty kan dit nie meer hou nie!!

http://www.republikein.com.na/politiek-en-nasionale/tyd-loop-uit-vir-inspraak-in-kommunikasiewet.56567.php

6.07.2007

Tyd loop uit vir inspraak in kommunikasiewet

ROLSPELERS in die telekommunikasiebedryf en ander belangstellendes het nog net tot Dinsdag om insette te lewer oor voorgestelde wysigings aan die land se langverwagte nuwe kommunikasiewet.
Die Namibiese Kommunikasiekommissie (NCC) sal slegs tot 10 Julie bykomende kommentaar ontvang oor 'n konsepwet wat die grondslag vir die volledige liberalisering van die telkommark sal lê.
'n Nasionale slypskool sal vanaf 25 tot 27 Julie plaasvind om finaal vorm aan 'n wet te gee wat deur 'n ewekansige geleentheid vir vrye en gesonde mededinging uiteindelik vir Jan Alleman onder meer die beste moontlike diens en pryse moet verseker.
Die wet sal die NCC ook vervang met 'n veel gevaarliker waghond, die Namibiese Kommunikasieowerheid (NCA).
Die Kabinet het in Maart vanjaar midde 'n hete geveg tussen Telecom, MTC en Cell One oor of die staatsvoorsiener die mobiele foonmark met sy nuwe produk Switch kon betree, hierdie wetgewing wat al agt jaar in aantog is, op die sneltrajek geskuif. Behalwe dat Telecom opdrag gegee is om Switch-kliënte se opvangs intussen tot die dorp waar hulle woon te beperk, is bevel gegee dat die nuwe kommunikasiewet reeds vandeesmaand in die Nasionale Vergadering moet dien.
Hierdie tydvenster is reeds gemis. Ná finalisering sal die wet ook eers weer voor die Kabinet moet dien.
Die Inligtings- en Kommunikasietegnologie-alliansie (ICTA) is 'n forum wie se lede by laat vandeesmaand se finale indaba oor die kommunikasiewet hul stemme na verwagting baie dik kan maak. Volgens mnr. Milton Louw wat die Alliansie bestuur, is daar die volgende twee maande nog twee baie belangrike byeenkomste.
Op 2 en 3 Augustus sal IKT-beleid in die visier inskuif, terwyl 'n konferensie op 13 September halsstarrige probleme met die administrasie van Namibië se domeinnaam op die internet (.na) gaan takel. As deel van die nasionale besit is dit volgens mnr. Louw noodsaaklik dat die land se internetkode in nasionale belang bestuur moet word.
Die ICTA wie se nuusbrief 'n omsendsyfer van byna 1 400 het, het volgens mnr. Louw nuwe lewe gekry ná 'n lang sluimerperiode en verwag om hul individue ledetal, wat verlede jaar op 10 gestaan het, tot in die omgewing van 80 te vermeerder. 'n Totaal van 54 sakeondernemings was verlede jaar deel van hierdie belange- en drukgroep. 
Enigiemand met navrae oor die werk van dié Alliansie is welkom om mnr. Louw by 081 304 3282 te skakel, of hom by milton@iit.com.na te vonkpos. Hul webwerf is www. ictalliance.org.na.
Voorleggings oor die huidige konsepkommunikasiewet, beskikbaar by die NCC (061 222 666), moet in elektroniese en gedrukte formaat wees (vyf afskrifte van elke voorstel is nodig) en dit moet die Kommissie op die laatste teen 10 Julie bereik. Hul kantore is by Robert Mugaberylaan 56.
Die NCC sal na verwagting eersdaags die konsultante aanwys wat aan die spits van die finalisering van die wet sal staan.

Dani Booysen