Thank you to all who participated in our live meeting Thursday 23 September. The recording of this seminar is available here For text transcript, please see further down:

Daniel Kweku Ainooson – Noonoo:hello
Daniel Kweku Ainooson – Noonoo:hello Jackob
Puleng:Hi all
Lawrence Mashau:Hi
Amita:yes
Kafui:Yes i can hear you.
Lawrence Mashau:Yes i can hear you.
Puleng:Yes, I can
Jakob Pedersen:Daniel you able to hear my voice just now?
Jakob Pedersen:Daniel were you able to run another Audio Setup Wizard..
Puleng:I don’t have a mic, will just listen
Daniel Kweku Ainooson – Noonoo:yeah i did could hear you out but having similar problems as yesterday
Jakob Pedersen:Daniel do you perhaps have another headset or microphone there, alternatively another laptop? Please also see if you can locate microphone settings on the pc/laptop you are using
Robert Kalima:Am here from Malawi, Robert
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Hello Everyone
Natalie Denmeade:Hello, thank you for the invitation to join this conference, I am in Australia, but will soon be returning to Tanzania.
Robert Kalima:My video cannot load. Robert, Malawi
Khanyi Ngodwana:Hi everyone.
Kafui 2:I am currently in Germany and will make my contributions through text. Thank you all.
Daniel Kweku Ainooson – Noonoo 2:i can hear you all
Jakob Pedersen 2:Currently working on getting Daniel’s microphone working – in the mean please introduce yourself in the text chat
Lawrence Mashau:My name is Lawrence Mashau. I am a masters student at Tswane university Of Technology in South Africa.
Robert Kalima:I can now hear you
kolawole:I can hear anaything
kolawole:I mean I cant get the sound
Ikechukwu Nwanze:My name is Ikechukwu Nwanze, an assistant lecturer and online support staff at the disabilities studies division at the University of Cape Town.
Khanyi Ngodwana:Sounds good
Kafui 2:Great. I can hear Daniel too.
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Yes i can hear Daniel’s voice
Natalie Denmeade:yes
kolawole:Yes I can get the sound now
kolawole:Hi Khanyi
Khanyi Ngodwana:Hi Kola. Good to be hanging out with oyu here
kolawole:Yeek Khanyi
kolawole:Good to be with you too
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Just to ask if we are supposed to see slide progression of the presentation? As I don’t see any. I just see a Thank You.
Jakob Pedersen 3:Hi Daniel you can change the slides by using the arrows underneath
Khanyi Ngodwana:Have we lost Daniel?
Robert Kalima:I am having connectivity problem, Robert
Khanyi Ngodwana:Hi Robert, you are in.
Kafui 2:Seems my sound is lost
Jerome Dooga:Welcome everyone. Glad to be here with Daniel and the rest of the community
Lawrence Mashau:I lost Daniel i cant hear him.
Ikechukwu Nwanze:I can’t hear Daniel also.
Jerome Dooga:I can hear you Jacob. But can’t hear Daniel, yet.
Kafui 2:Welcome Jerome.
Robert Kalima:I can partially hear Jacob
Jerome Dooga:In the meantime, I can see the slides moving, ginving us a panoramic view of what to expect in the presentation.
Robert Kalima:I can see the slides as well
Jerome Dooga:Waaoh! glad that you are back Daniel.
Khanyi Ngodwana:Connectivity is still a big thing in our African context
Kafui 2:Sure
Jerome Dooga:Nevertheless, we are doing well, at least now.
Kafui 2:We cannot give up.
Jerome Dooga:We can hear you Danny, continue
Robert Kalima:Ya I agree with you Khanyi. We are doing fine
Jerome Dooga:Very clear theory Technology Acceptance Model.
Robert Kalima:The slide change is abit fast
Jerome Dooga:So, people will rather use what they have in more functional ways than keep chasing new technologies as a fad. Good point
Jakob Pedersen 3:To download slides from this presentation for easier viewing: http://goo.gl/YucCG9
Jerome Dooga:Thanks Jacob
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Thanks Jakob
Robert Kalima:ok Thanks Jacob
Jerome Dooga:There are implications for policy from this research.
Jerome Dooga:So, aside from the e/merge Africa platform, how widely have the results of this research been shared, epecially in Ghana?
Khanyi Ngodwana:Can we please not click on the slides.
Jakob Pedersen 3:Please leave slide navigation to Daniel and Kafui
Kafui 3:sound is faint
Robert Kalima:Good question Jerome. Publicity is a key
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Am interested to see what course content is pushed to mobile phones and kind of mobile phones that were prevalent.
Ikechukwu Nwanze:very interesting
kolawole:Mobile learning is the way to go in developing countries
Khanyi Ngodwana:@Kafui try ajusting your speaker volume
Kafui 3:ok
Jerome Dooga:But teachers need to be educated. Many imagine teaching as same with giving lecture notes. So, they wonder how they can give ALL their notes on a mobile phone.
Jakob Pedersen 3:Or Daniel speak a bit louder
Natalie Denmeade:I have been experimenting in developing content for mobile phones . I am keen connect with others who would like to partner in this.
kolawole:Students are more at home with using their mobile device, so teachers and educators should focus more on taking advantage of students interest in mobile devices in teaching and learning process.
Jerome Dooga:So, the challenge goes back to the basic issues of how teachers themselves percieve what constitutes “teaching.”
kolawole:The perception that mobile phones are distractions to students should be reconsidered
Jerome Dooga:Oh! We lost audio, again!
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Did the teachers go through any learning design targetting use of mobile phones as the medium? I will be very interested to look into the learning design.
Kafui 3:Kolawole, we need a lot more sensitisation
Ikechukwu Nwanze:so one can try replicate
Kafui 3:Kolawole, we need a lot more sensitisation
Jerome Dooga:No problem, we are doing quite well chating
Jerome Dooga:Yes. I have got a lot out of the presentation, already.
Jakob Pedersen 3:Daniel, do you read us in the text chat
Robert Kalima:Those teachers who view use of mobile technology as disruptive or chaotic, they should learn how to manage that chaos brought by the same
kolawole:The Push and Pull paradigm should be reconsidered
Jerome Dooga:So, mobile learning will be more attractive to teachers, if they are helped to differentiate “teaching” from providing “resources.”
kolawole:The digital divide between educators and learners also need to be addressed and bridged through training and re-training both for students and teachers
Daniel Kweku Ainooson – Noonoo:yes that is true
Khanyi Ngodwana:So it is reappropriating the spaces that students occupy.
Natalie Denmeade:I find mobiles most useful for communication between students and between the teacher and students. They are very active in our Google Community.
Lawrence Mashau:I think teachers must be trainned so that they can get to see the benefits in term to change their perception. Mobile learning it has got lots of benefits.
kolawole:Students are ready to pull the teachers into use and adoption of technologies in teaching and learning process
Jerome Dooga:We can hear you. Just continue
Kafui 3:The acceptance is usually a problem due to cultural and other issues.
Ikechukwu Nwanze:I can hear you Daniel.
Jerome Dooga:We understand
Jerome Dooga:And we have lots of them in the chat
Jerome Dooga:Yes Kafui. What exactly is the problem with applying this model in our context?
Khanyi Ngodwana:@Kafui, can you give a few examples of these cultural issues.
Robert Kalima:What about ICT policy issues to African governments?
Ikechukwu Nwanze:if any were made available to students through mobile phones? Are we talking text, video, images or all the above?
Natalie Denmeade:Did you look at the types of mobile devices .. eg tablets or aphones. Android, or other, smartphone s. or text only.
Kafui 3:Jerome, we need to include service providers in winning the trust of those who are yet to be “converted”
Khanyi Ngodwana:Go ahead Kola, we can hear you.
Kafui 3:Ghana has a policy that bans mobile devices in our SHSs
Lawrence Mashau:Did you look at the cost of learning teaching and learning using mobile phone?
Robert Kalima:Governments should invest massively in ICT infrastructure in Africa
Kafui 3:Cost was not looked at
Lawrence Mashau:Robert what ICT infrustructure are you refering to?
Kafui 3:But the issue is that we claim we are training our studnets at international standards
Khanyi Ngodwana:Agree with Kola. This resonates with Jerome’s sentiments in the discussion forums.
Kafui 3:Kolawole, well said.
Jerome Dooga:Kola, your point is correct. But teachers should first design learning that is compatible with the use of mobile phones.
kolawole:Yes, i quite agree with you Jerome
Kafui 3:We have focused too much on the negative aspects of technology. We cannot say that teaching and learning ithout technology do not come with problems. How do we manage those ones?
Natalie Denmeade:I must go now, thankyou for the interesting conversation and quality research Daniel
kolawole:The learning design must come before considering the suitability of mobile devices in implementing what was designed
Kafui 3:Thanks Natalie…let us do more dialogue and research to see how far this can go.
Khanyi Ngodwana:I think often the concern has been on the vices of the devices, and very little on how teachers can capitalise on the affordances of the devices. I think it was George who used the term ‘assistive techologies’.
Jerome Dooga:Naturally, if instructors provide learning activities and artefacts on mobile devices, learners will be more tn happy to exploit them.
kolawole:I think the open and dsiatnce learning of higher institutions are not doing badly in this respect but the problem is with the basic and post basic education level
Ikechukwu Nwanze:I feel taching and learning pedagogy should guide the use of technology. So looking at what excatly teaching and learning wants to accomplish, then see how technology can help.
Kafui 3:Obviously, Kola, but we are aware of issues students from rural areas cannot compete with their counterparts in the city just because of content and personnel issues. Now mobile phones are just becoming part of our basic needs in Africa.
kolawole:You are right Jerome, this resonates what Dick and Cheryl taught us some few years ago
Khanyi Ngodwana:Since Daniel’s focus was the school system, is there anyone who knows what is happening in the teacher training sector to change the tide?
Lawrence Mashau:Mobile Technology give students to learn where ever they are, at their convinient time to solve the problem they have at the present time than waiting for the class the following day.
Robert Kalima:@Mashau, I meant telecommunication technologies, mobile service provision etc! thats why i linked it to policy issues
Jakob Pedersen 3:Landing page for this seminar (with access to discussion forum): bit.ly/1WcWj65
Lawrence Mashau:Okay Robert, thanks for clarity.
Kafui 3:Even as teachers/parents with the some “freedom” on the internet, do we always have the time for vices? When the courses are designed well and the ethical issues are treated as topics very well, we stand the chance of producing very quality students.
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Thanks Daniel and team for the presentation and sharing your research findings. Definitely more food for thought and application.
Ikechukwu Nwanze:Thanks Jakob for organising. I’ve got to be off. Cheers all.
Robert Kalima:Thanks guys. I liked your text sharings despite my challenges with connectivity
Kafui 3:I do not personally think the lack of institutionalising these concepts prevent the students from using these devices. By our laws and actions, we are rather promoting them to focus on the vices.
Kafui 3:Thank you all. Let us continue on the discusion page. Can Jakob please share that link again?
Khanyi Ngodwana:While poor connectivity coud have derailed today’s presentation, it seems to have had the opposite effect on the discussions. Let the discussion not end here. Let’s take it to our Facebook group and the Emerger Africa site. Thank you so much for your contributions.
Jakob Pedersen 3:link to the landing page: bit.ly/1WcWj65
kolawole:Thanks Jakob
Khanyi Ngodwana:Bye everyone.