Our next ICT4D Meetup is Tuesday 25 July and we are excited to have a speaker from Oxford University, Ms. Divya Joseph! Divya will share her perspectives on her journey to blend her electronics engineering background with her passion for education, focusing on her exceptional work in India in the private and non-profit sectors.
Read MoreEthnography, microfinance, digital education and more new directions for Panoply Digital: Introducing Isabelle and Angela
Panoply Digital is on the move again and thrilled to add two more members to our growing team. Joining Brian, Eko, and Thelonius, we are very proud to announce that Isabelle Amazon-Brown and Angela De Michele have joined Panoply Digital.
Read MoreSocial media for advocacy: changing perceptions, one workshop at a time
While the UK basks in a heatwave - for international readers, anything over 25 degrees means that we Brits go into meltdown, mostly because of our lack of air conditioning - I’ve been enjoying the blue skies and similar temperatures (and air conditioning) in Belgrade, Serbia with our partner CIPE, running a workshop on using social media for advocacy.
Read MoreSurveillance and silence: the rise of curbs on communication
Surveillance and the lack of security are two of the larger issues in the world of ICT4D precisely because they attack the very trust and openness that predicates much of what makes the internet a potentially valuable tool for development. Imagine for a moment how much of what we do online is predicated on trust. From online banking or shopping, to mobile or eHealth initiatives, to basic education and communication. All of it is predicated to some degree on the belief that I am safe, I am secure, and I am being left alone. Surveillance and the lack of security attack all of these.
Read More(Open) Data ICT4D Meetup Presentations
Last month, we hosted an engaging night of talks at the fantastic Newspeak House in Shoreditch. For those of you who were not able to attend, or who wanted to follow up on presentation points made, we have now shared the presentations online!
Read MorePanoply Digital and new directions: introducing our new Associates
We are expanding a bit, so I wanted to take a brief moment to introduce the newest additions to Panoply Digital. The Panoply Digital Associates joined us in 2017 and represent some of the brightest lights in the field bringing with them considerable capacity for knowledge management, for programming, evaluation, informatics, and more. Truly an exceptional bunch.
Read MoreICT4D Meetup Tuesday 30 May: (Open) Data for Development
It's that time of the year again: Another incredible evening of ICT4D talks by some of the most interesting organizations working in the space: Open Knowledge International, BBC Media Action, OneWorld UK, Oxfam, and the British Red Cross! REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND!
Read MoreThe Myopia of Student Surveillance: Lazy Edtech and Lax Data Protection
The world of educational technology is clearly a favorite subject of mine, particularly as it applies to developing contexts. We have seen an almost litany of attempts, some seemingly well-intentioned and others not so much, to avoid the dirty work of teacher training in favor of automation or some sort of teach by numbers approach (see any number of posts we have done on this). We have seen some naive approaches to student surveillance and lax approaches to protecting the data that emerges as a result. All of this is, more or less, an effect of neoliberal policy designed, overtly or not, to pull back or disinvest from commitments to the public sector at the national level, in favor of privatization or whatever the market will bear. In some communities, this means a repurposing of education towards a more market orientation. In other communities, particularly developing nations, this is a process a bit more fraught with danger.
Read MoreM&E, technology and network outages in Kenya
Last week, I was in Nairobi, Kenya with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and their Kenyan partners from a wide variety of organisations, including civil society organisations and business membership associations from across Kenya. I was delivering a two-day training workshop on monitoring, evaluation and communication, how to use technology for those M&E and advocacy activities, and how to think about digital security.
Read MoreClosing the Gender Digital Divide
We've been working with mSTAR, USAID Digital Inclusion and Big Blue Communications to create a 2 minute animation on what the gender digital divide is, and why it matters. The final animation is now public - enjoy!
Read MorePresentations from "Messaging, the Unsung Hero of ICT4D" Meetup + Synopsis
Last month, I hosted an ICT4D Meetup that took ICT4D back to basics by exploring how messaging is still used as a vital tool in development work. We had five incredible speakers, whose details you can find from my previous blog post announcing the event. My major takeaway from the talks was that the old adage "Keep it simple, Simon/Sally!" still very much applies.
Read MoreSteer clear of the bridge: Bridge International Academies in Kenya, neoliberalism, and lazy shortcuts to meaningful education
Returning to a favorite subject of mine, discussed here and here in past posts, is the ongoing Bridge Academy debacle throughout the continent, but particularly in Kenya, which has now turned legal.
“Lawyers for the for-profit chain secured a temporary court order preventing Wilson Sossion, General Secretary of the Kenyan National Union of Teachers (KNUT), and the union or its “agents,” from publicly criticizing Bridge “pending” a court hearing. Bridge accuses Sossion of putting a “malicious post on twitter about the institution.” Sosson accused Bridge of recruiting the “richest of the poor at great cost of those families.”
Read MoreWomen's Pathways to the Digital Sector: Stories of Opportunities and Challenges
Panoply Digital is very excited to announce the launch of the Women’s Pathways to the Digital Sector: Stories of Opportunities and Challenges report. Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) within the framework of the G20 initiative #eSkills4Girls.
Read MoreNow Scientific Fact: Mobile Money Can Lift Women Out of Poverty
In the Science journal article "The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money", Suri and Jack (2016) have caused waves with the finding that access and use of M-PESA has lifted an astounding 2% of households out of poverty - with women experiencing the most profound effects of this phenomenon.
Read MoreM&E, technology and $2000 smartphones in Argentina
Last week, I was in Rosario, Argentina with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and their partner in Argentina, Fundacion Libertad. I was there delivering a two-day training workshop on monitoring, evaluation and communication, and using technology for those M&E and advocacy activities.
Read MoreNGOs in Kathmandu and Mountain Cell Towers in Ramechhap: ICT4D Projects in Nepal
I recently returned from Nepal where I was working on a few projects: the first a two day training event in Kathmandu for women business associations from the South Asia region (Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh) for one of our favorite clients the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). These were women business owners who were advocating for greater inclusion for women on boards, policy bodies, and chambers of commerce, paving the way, no doubt, for future generations of women business owners in the region. A lively two days of hands-on work with ICT using VotoMobile, Google Forms, Signal (for secure communication, an issue for many) as well as a full day of monitoring & evaluation (M&E) training. All had some experience with this but this was about aligning these activities with organizational goals.
Read MoreThe Women Using Tech to Empower Others - Happy International Women's Day!
Panoply Digital would like to wish women the world over a very Happy International Women's Day and a felicitous Women's History Month to our sisters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In 2017, it has never been more important to #BeBoldforChange and to continue the fight for gender equality in all areas of life. Use of technology is increasingly becoming a tool in this endeavor, and our own Ronda Zelezny-Green is being featured on a panel today to discuss how she has approached her work in this area.
Read MoreCelebrating Two Major Panoply Digital Achievements: Doctor Doctor!
This is a special blog post to highlight that two members of the Panoply Digital team have recently achieved significant milestones. Co-Founders Michael Gallagher and Ronda Zelezny-Green are now officially PhD holders! They met before launching the consultancy since they shared Associate Professor Niall Winters (Oxford) as a supporting PhD supervisor on their different but related mobile learning PhD projects.
Read MoreMarch London Meetup: Messaging, the Unsung Hero of ICT4D
On Tuesday 28 March at 6:30pm in the GSMA HQ in Central London, we're delighted to be hosting our next Meetup (#ICT4DLdn) which is taking us back to basics with the use of messaging in ICT4D. We have five exciting speakers from organizations we're sure you'll love. You can join this Meetup by clicking here.
Read MoreWho can afford internet access in 2017? The latest A4AI report now available!
Given our experience in ICT4D, we understand well that no solution which makes use of technology will be sustainable if the intended beneficiaries cannot afford the technology. This is why we are excited to share our takeaways from the latest A4AI annual Affordability Report, what we consider to be a definitive source on issues related to ICT access.
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