October 2006 Volume 9 Number 4

Third, with the exception of the Omar Dengo Foundation in Costa Rica, these Laureates are working on the
periphery of education systems rather than at the core, and thus in some cases it is difficult to imagine them
being able to scale up to a point where their impacts and influence could be systemic and go beyond a fairly
narrow audience (Joyce, 2005). The positive impact of their mere presence should not be underestimated, but at
the same time, as organizations they face the typical challenges of growth and sustainability if they are to survive
and thrive for the long term. As mentioned above, the GSBI program intends to address this issue by developing
the skills and knowledge bases of key members of the Laureates’ organizations, initially through on-campus
training and later through an online environment.
While not a representative sample of the universe of technological innovation in education around the world, this
review does provide valuable information about possible directions for future research and development. These
include:
Electrical power
The Freeplay Foundation’s development of the windup radio was a creative solution to vexing problems
surrounding access to information through electronic media, which require electrical power to function. When a
country’s electricity grid does not reach every community and household, and when portable power (batteries,
fuel-powered plants) is too expensive, alternative sources of power (mechanical, wind, solar) that can keep
equipment running for significant amounts of time, with little or no effort and at minimal cost, are a critical
strategy to pursue. Literacy programs are among the first to benefit when future readers have easier access to
electric lighting.
Hardware
Despite the relentless drops in price for computer and networking equipment, computers and peripherals
designed to operate in industrialized office or home environments have a much shorter productive life when used
in less-than-ideal circumstances, and are still too expensive for the vast majority of people around the world.
Dust, heat, humidity, and unstable power sources are just some of the problems that may cause equipment to fail.
There is ample room for creativity and innovation in this area, particularly if design efforts involve potential
users from less-developed countries from the start as full-fledged co-designers, rather than merely as
consumers—and even that, as an afterthought.
Training
Projects and programs from organizations like Schools Online, Global SchoolNet, I*EARN, the Lewis Center
for Educational Research, Katha, the Omar Dengo Foundation, Computers for Youth, Enlace Quiché, and
Fahamu spend considerable effort in preparing the intended beneficiaries to be successful over the long term.
Learning and instructional technologies are rarely self-evident in their use, even at the operational level, and
much less so when it comes to their integration into daily classroom (learning spaces) practice, highlighting the
need for thoughtful training and ongoing professional development processes.
Content
While the Internet is, indeed, a wonderful resource for information and resources, much of what is available is in
English and was created with an industrialized world audience in mind. Project Gutenberg, Equal Access, Katha,
Brij Kothari’s subtitling technology, and Design that Matters’ Kinkajou project are examples of projects that
allow free access to valuable content, much of it developed in close cooperation with representatives from the
intended audiences. Affordable software tools that allow users with limited technical skills to create quality
content in a variety of media (text, audio, graphic/photo, video, and multimedia), in their own and multiple
languages, are needed to encourage and promote creativity as well as knowledge creation and dissemination at
all levels.
Structures and systems
Most of the projects highlighted here, but particularly those based in or focusing their work in less-developed
countries, would benefit from having ready access to communities of practice with whom to share information
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