12509: Re: 12495: Just a thought on higher education in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Haldor Noss <halnoss@halnoss.com>

At 08:34 PM 7/10/02 -0500, you wrote:
>What if instead, they offer university courses on the web? They build some
>facilities or use existing ones, where Haitian professors, at home and
>abroad, design curricula that can be taught on the web?

Greetings,
         I have always believed that television and radio are the most
under-used education tools in the world.  One real class-room complete with
professors and students could be filmed and shown to the rest of the
country on television or radio, and all interested people could tune in to
help educate themselves.  I can see televisions in living rooms, in school
rooms, in backyards or front yards, and yes, even in bars, showing a people
eager to learn a professor teaching a class.  There are unfortunately
complications to setting up a television or radio station or program.
         Education over the internet opens up further possibilities,
beginning with the fact that individuals or organizations could put
together an education program and post it to the internet, allowing other
individuals to access the posted material to learn from it.  The
complications would include getting computers and internet access to the
people who want to learn, and making sure that someone at that location
knew how to operate the equipment and follow the courses posted on the
internet.  I would strongly urge the young people who are growing up with
computers and internet access to explore this new technology and source of
information and help share this powerful resource with other members of
their community.
         Are there curricula from schools or universities already available
on the web, in either English or French?
         Are there easy to read and explain texts that can be downloaded
from the internet and printed out for a classroom? (I learn better from
easy to read materials than from in-depth theoretical philosophies).
         Are there Haitian teachers with appropriate education material
that can be posted to a site on the internet?
         Are there any websites that have information like in the book
"Where there is no Doctor," or "Where there is no Vetinarian"?
         Is there easy to read / understand information about agriculture
that can be applied in a practical manner in Haiti?
         Is there a database of educational information not about Haiti but
rather:  FOR Haiti ?  To be used IN Haiti?  that can be applied in a real
and practical way FOR Haitians?
         Someone with time and internet access could research what is
already available on the internet and share a list of links with
educational material that is relevant to Haiti or practical for
Haiti.  This would not only let people know what is already available, but
would also help to show what materials should be added to websites.
         It would also be fascinating to know if anyone in Haiti has
experience putting a computer in a classroom and using it to access the
internet as a resource for teaching a class--how well does this idea work
from the perspective of the learner in the classroom and what are the
problems that can be improved upon?  Are there classrooms and students who
would like to have educational information posted for them to access--what
information is needed?

just my 2 cents worth of thoughts, seeking real solutions for real people.
Honeur, Respect,
Hal Noss.