Short Description: MIT-Africa Internet Technology Initiative (MIT-AITI) is an innovative program started by MIT students to integrate computers and Internet technology into the education of students in African schools.
Phase/Type of Activity: Pilot Status: Completed
Start date: April 01, 2003 End Date: July 01, 2003
Partners:
Person(s) to contact
Contact
Roy Zimmermann , Project Director
Education Development Center Email: Tel: (202) 572-3700
Full Description: MIT-Africa Internet Technology Initiative (MIT-AITI) is an innovative program started by MIT students to integrate computers and Internet technology into the education of students in African schools. The program uses innovation such as cutting edge programming and tools and free open-source systems to introduce students in Africa to the Internet, and to equip them with the skills that will allow them to be creative and resourceful. The plan is to send eight MIT students as summer interns to instruct 100 students and ten teachers in Africa in cutting-edge web-related technologies and programming languages. The program will be implemented with an emphasis on classroom teachers and with community- oriented projects. The project was completed in the summer of 2003.
Key Results: In the sumer of 2003, 16 MIT students went to Ghana and Ethiopia, and 8 MIT students remotely mentored participants in Kenya (due to travel restrictions). A total of 10 students and two instructors participated in the remote program, while in Ethipia, 140 students and 5 faculty participated. In ghana, three faculty and 66 students participated, for a total of 216 students and 10 instructors engaged in the six-week program.
During the program, innovative curriculum was developed around cutting edge technical topics, including the JAVA programming language, JAVA Server Pages, Apace WebServer, Tomcat, Sun One Studio IDE, and the Linux Operating system.
Core funding for the DOT-COM Alliance is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture & Trade, Office of Infrastructure and Engineering (EGAT/OI&E), Office of Education (EGAT/ED), and Office of Women in Development (EGAT/WID), under the terms of Award numbers: GDG-A-00-01-00009-00, dot-GOV; GDG-A-00-01-00014-00, dot-ORG; GDG-A-00-01-00011-00, dot-EDU.
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