Using suites of 'free' refurbished computers may cost over four times more than buying and using 'state of the art' m-learning technologies.

• From: Department for International Development
• Published: 1 January 2006

• Country: South Africa and Egypt
• Document Type: Conference Paper
• Theme: Education
• Authors: Power, T.

Abstract

This paper is situated in the context of teacher education in the global south, and the possible role of ICTs in supporting and enabling this. The paper arises from the DFID funded Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP), which has been researching the use of mobile technologies for teacher professional development, with teachers serving highly disadvantaged communities in South Africa and Egypt. The main DEEP research questions focus on the potential contribution of ICTs to teacher professional development, and subsequently on pupil learning. However, in presenting this work, the most frequently raised issue is that of cost. DEEP has used small numbers of new laptop and handheld computers in contexts where many believe suites of donated 'cast-off' computers are the only viable interpretation of ICT. This paper therefore, sets out to explore this challenge by comparing the total cost of ownership of the two models of ICT use.

Citation

British Education Research Association Conference, Warwick, UK, 6-9 September 2006, 11 pp.

Links

Using suites of ‘free’ refurbished computers may cost over four times more than buying and using ‘state of the art’ m-learning technologies.

Published 1 January 2006