The central component for every Fulbright application is the two-page Statement of Proposed Study. Here is the most refined version I have drafted to date. Please pass along any comments, as they will be greatly appreciated.

My primary objective is to partner with the leaders and users of Wireless Ghana to develop a digital literacy program reinforcing Wireless Ghana’s mission to promote a reading culture while breaking regional isolation through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Digital Literacy as referred to in this proposal builds upon the traditional literacies of reading and writing to include the skills, strategies, and concepts necessary to successfully use and adapt to rapidly changing ICT [The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences].

Founded in 2005, Wireless Ghana is a community based non-proprietary wireless network located in the Akwapim North district in the Eastern Region of Ghana. With potential to serve the 1.2 million people living in the district, Wireless Ghana is unique because it is an existing infrastructure that is open to everyone. With nodes located in schools, libraries, churches and activity centers, the network covers a 20km range, an area that is expected to double as part of an ongoing expansion.

While Wireless Ghana has been successful in building an ICT infrastructure that provides connectivity between the people living in the region and the world through Internet, a key component is missing. Director of Wireless Ghana, John Atkinson, has observed that “no member of the Wireless Ghana community has seen all the different uses of the networks. People accessing our network in Accra [Ghana’s capital] use more advanced applications than people who use our rural flagship network in Akwapim.” Wireless Ghana’s resources have been dedicated to installing, maintaining, and expanding their network infrastructure. My partnership with Wireless Ghana will help the organization realize its mission, by introducing end-users to the opportunity provided by participatory media on the World Wide Web, while simultaneously researching and documenting the use of that media by different communities

My time working with Wireless Ghana will be structured into two phases. The first phase will last four months (September - December), and be divided into researching how the community uses the wireless network and planning workshops based around the communities desired growth. The remaining six months (January - June) will be used to implement the curriculum in Akwapim’s six major towns, as well as local schools and libraries. Additionally, throughout my ten months in Ghana I will use my technical background and experience to assist in the day to day network operations of Wireless Ghana.

The digital literacy curriculum that I create will be designed to meet the needs of the intended beneficiaries of the Wireless Ghana: teachers, public and private school students, community leaders, small business owners and church groups. Practical outcomes for this curriculum will include fluency in basic Web communication through VoIP and email, information gathering, and utilization of the Internet as a resource to help accomplish goals in the real world.

continue reading "Statement of Proposed Study."

A little more than a year ago I was working for the Online NewsHour. As a desk assistant for Extra, the NH’s website for students and teachers the sexiest part of my job was writing articles aimed at tenth graders. Aside from the articles I wrote about the state of modern meat packing industry in lieu of The Jungle’s 100th anniversary and farm to school programs, my crowning achievement was my article about cities providing WiFi.

In a very real way my article, ‘Cities Go Wireless’, was the impetus for the Fulbright application that I am currently working on. One of the interviews that I conducted for the article was with Sascha Meinrath, the visionary leader of the community based wireless movement. Through him I learned about Wireless Ghana, an organization that his CUWIN helped set up. While worth mentioning this is partially tangential, as both CUWIN and Wireless Ghana are NOT municipal wireless networks.

The whole genesis for this post is a great post at Wired [dot] com’s Tech Biz: IT blog. Titled ‘What ’s Behind the Epidemic of Municipal Wi-Fi Failutes?‘ this article breaks down the very real challenges of setting up municipal wireless networks. While I am not surprised that some of these public-private ventures are failing, I am surprised by the 180 degree turn in the perception of their success. Last year it seemed like cities were poised to prosper, especially with companies like Google providing the backing. Now this is obviously in doubt.

Earlier this year I attended the International Community Wireless Summit, where I met all sorts of incredibly cool people. In addition to Sascha I met many other leaders in this growing movement. Their by the people for the people attitude is just one thing that distinguishes this movement from the Muni WiFi crowd, but I believe that it is one of their strongest weapons against the corrupt telecoms.

Currently, I am in the process of applying for a Fulbright to study and work in Ghana. I plan to work with Wireless Ghana; a community based group that provides free wireless Internet connectivity to rural areas around Akwapim.

Wireless Ghana: A Case Study, is a white paper that was commissioned by the World Bank and published in August of 2006 details Wireless Ghana’s objectives, methods for implementation, and plans for growth.

In this post I will focus on WG’s objectives, detailed below, and how I plan to contribute to their realization.

1. Promote a reading culture.
2. Train rural schoolchildren and teachers in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
3. Empower rural communities by providing access to information and breaking isolation.
4. Provide and use ICT to help increase direct participation in development and decision-making processes at local and national levels.
5. Help to make Internet access in rural communities a reality.

continue reading "the Five Objectives"

In case you didn’t read it on Slashdot or the BBC first, please let me be the first (or second, or third, …) to tell you that manufactures have received the go-ahead to start producing components for the OLPC. According to my source, the projected launch date for the completed $100 laptops is October 2007.

Implementation is sure to be slow at first, but getting these computers into the hands of students world-wide is only the first major step.

Once millions of OLPC are in place, attention must be paid to making them useful. Not only does this include building infrastructure, like Wireless Ghana, but it also means developing relevant educational software, and training teachers how to use this technology.

My goal in applying for the Fulbright and working with Wireless Ghana is to position myself (for graduate school, and eventually employment) in a field where I can participate in community development and the increasing of education standards world-wide through technology like the OLPC.

Alongside from improving global education, this technology can be used to increase community collaboration and develop more open societies on this planet.

Sascha Meinrath put me in touch with John Atkinson, the director of Wireless Ghana. While I guess this was an inevitable step, I am glad that it is a step behind me. With 115 days left till the Fulbright application is officially due (and 97 till I want to submit)  I am glad that the rolling ball is now picking up speed.  Not only has Atkinson offered to assist me with my application — his knowledge will be essential in helping to refine my ideas so that my project may best serve W.G. — he seems excited about the collaboration.