Table of contents

In focus: MOOC – New trend or empty hype?
A massive open online course (MOOC) is an online course aimed at large-scale interactive participation and open access via the web. Are they the big reform of education, or a new buzzword?

Highlighted articles

- Information and communication technology (ICT) in education in five Arab states
- ICTs are key to growth and inclusion in post-revolution Tunisia
- The Impact and Reach of MOOCs: A Developing Countries’ Perspective
- E-learning Nigeria: Exploring the Opportunities in e-learning to enhance Education in Nigeria
- Civic Engagement in the Digital Age
- Online and upcoming: The Internet's impact on India
- Making aid work for education in developing countries. An analysis of aid effectiveness for primary education coverage and quality
- 2013 Human Development Report - The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World
- A Framework Using Institutional Analysis and the Capability Approach in ICT4D
- How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in Their Classrooms
- World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development
- Open Data in Developing Countries
- Achieving Development Success: Strategies and Lessons from the Developing World
- ITU: The World in 2013. ICT Facts and Figures

New documents in the Observatory
In this chapter you can find a list of every new item which has been added to the Observatory in the last period.

Title: 6 Guidelines for Better Development Outcomes Using Social Media
Author: Wayan Vota
Source: ICTworks
Date (published): 24/05/2013
Date (accessed): 27/05/2013
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: In the next few years, another 2 billion people will be coming online; transforming the Internet from what once was an elite network of the world’s privileged to a democratizer of information and power. This wave of new users will mainly enter the Internet via mobile phones on social networks.

Title: Report: Google considering Internet balloons to connect sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Megan Geuss
Source: Arstechnica
Date (published): 26/05/2013
Date (accessed): 27/05/2013
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that Google is working on a “multi-pronged effort” to build wireless networks that could connect more than a billion people in emerging markets.

Title: Information and communication technology (ICT) in education in five arab states
Source: UNESCO, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization
Date (published): 15/04/2013
Date (accessed): 20/05/2013
Type of information: information paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: More than ever, the advent of the knowledge economy and global economic competition compel governments to prioritise educational quality, lifelong learning and the provision of equal opportunities for all. Education policymakers widely accept that improved access to information and communication technology (ICT) in education can help individuals to compete in a global economy by creating a skilled work force and facilitating social mobility. They emphasise that ICT in education has a multiplier effect throughout the education system, by enhancing learning and providing students with new sets of skills; by reaching students with poor or no access (especially those in rural and remote regions); by facilitating and improving the training of teachers; and by minimising costs associated with the delivery of instruction.

Title: ICTs are key to growth and inclusion in post-revolution Tunisia
Authors: Zack Brisson, Kate Krontiris
Source: infoDev
Date (published): 13/05/2013
Date (accessed): 14/05/2013
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: According to a new report commissioned by infoDev, information and communication technologies (ICTs) can reduce regional disparities in Tunisia by accelerating economic development and social inclusion. The unemployment rate is between 20 to 30% in the more isolated interior, compared to less than 10% in the main coastal cities. The study "Tunisia: from revolutions to institutions" stresses how technology-oriented small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) can generate economic expansion and job growth, including in the economically-isolated interior provinces. Tunisian ICT companies are likely to find an attractive market in Northern Africa and parts of Europe, thanks to Arabic and French language skills and lower labor costs.

Title: The Impact and Reach of MOOCs: A Developing Countries’ Perspective
Author: Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, Shirley Williams, Andrew Adams
Source: Elearningeuropa.info
Date (published): 09/05/2013
Date (accessed): 14/05/2013
Type of information: online article
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a recent but hugely popular phenomenon in the online learning world. They are hailed by many as a solution for the developing world’s lack of access to education because MOOCs can provide learning opportunities to a massive number of learners from anywhere in the world as long as they can access the course through Internet.

Title: South Africa To Launch National Traditional Knowledge Recording System
Author: Catherine Saez
Source: Intellectual Property Watch
Date (published): 10/05/2013
Date (accessed): 14/05/2013
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: The National Recordal System (NRS) is an initiative of the South African Department of Science and Technology (CSIR) with the ultimate goal of creating opportunities "for benefits to flow back to the communities" according to the CSIR. Benefits could include community recognition, sustainable livelihood, economic value and improved quality of life.

Title: We Should Celebrate Educational Technology in Affordable Private Schools
Authors: Kim Campbell, Hila Mehr
Source: Educational Technology Debate
Date (published): 09/05/20123
Date (accessed): 14/05/2013
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Governments, foundations, and the private sector are all engaged in the task of providing a quality education to the millions of children who are born into poor socio-economic circumstances throughout the world. This is crucial because education is seen as the most certain vehicle for breaking the cycle of poverty. As institutions embrace ways that education technology can play a part in accomplishing this goal, the developing world’s private school sector is well primed to explore the potential of ed-tech in the classroom.

Title: Hong Kong Calling: How China's Cheap Phones Make Their Way to Africa
Author: Simon Allison
Source: Think Africa Press
Date (published): 02/05/2013
Date (accessed): 06/05/2013
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Pause and shift your geographical attention to the markets of Africa, a continent that has also embraced the mobile phone in recent years. The informal nature of this business makes it difficult to cite exact figures, but it is likely that most mobiles sold in Africa are not traded through official, licensed channels. They are hawked in markets or sold in small family-run shops displaying a dizzying array of brands and phone styles, many unfamiliar.

Title: Scaling Internet-Based Startups in African Markets
Author: Will Mutua
Source: Afrinnovator
Date (published): 02/05/2013
Date (accessed): 03/05/2013
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: The difficulty of doing Internet business in many African markets is that one may likely find that they have significant challenges with market development in addition to product development. In fact, it may well be that product development is the easiest piece of the puzzle relative to the task of market development.