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Re: [school-discuss] What to ask?



Teprine Baldo wrote:
I would totally have a few questions.

1. Do the policies for implementation of technologies
take into account the realities of the needs of
teachers on the ground level?
Always a valid question. The policies are usually put in place by administrators who don't always understand the needs in the classroom completely.

2. Are the students learning technology from a Western
viewpoint, meaning have the softwares that are being
used been localized to the swahili culture?
Well, Swahili is a language, not a culture, and it's from quite a ways north of South Africa. But your point is well-taken, has the software been localized in local languages? Better said, has the software been localized in the standard languages of instruction in the schools? (I don't know if instruction is primarily in English, Xhosa, Bantu, or other languages.)

3.  Has implementation been successful on the ground,
or is it just what the documents are telling us?

This is more than just one question. :) It will be a major part of the visit I think, seeing how well things are working "in the trenches."

I have a million other questions, but I think that is
enough.  Let me know if I am totally in left field
here.

I think you're on track. :)