Thursday, December 13, 2007

Five billion people will be connected to the Internet by 2015.

The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP), the organisers of GK3 are optimistic that five billion people will be connected to the Internet by 2015.

Walter Fust the Chair of the GKP Executive Committee expressed this while closing the conference. Fust, who is also the Director-General, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) said the plan, will not only create enormous job opportunities for software and hardware suppliers, but also connect billions of people to the Internet.

"The Internet will make a huge difference in terms of quality, quantity and availability to grow and expand global knowledge. This will bring enormous market opportunities," he said.

He noted that the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) will reduce the transaction costs of doing business.

The conference's theme Emerging People, Emerging Markets Emerging Technologies focused on the challenges to effective socio and economic development and use of ICTs as an enabler to connect those excluded from progress by providing them with access to knowledge through technology.

In support of the conference theme, Fust appealed for support to 'emerging people' who are the drivers of the information and knowledge revolution.

He commended youth for actively taking part in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) initiatives.

He hastened to add that dangers of misuse of ICTs as well solve cyber waste.

"Cyber security and cyber crime are the themes that deserve special attention," he concluded.

Conference participants called for the inclusion of ICTs not only in early-age education, but also for life long learning.

They also called for increasing use of low energy consumption made possible by green technologies and availability of low cost devices to contribute to affordable access to information and knowledge.

The conference attracted about 2000 delegates from different sectors, including private companies, governments, international institutions and civil society groups.

The United Arab Emirates has approached the secretariat with intent to host GKP4.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Improving the quality of journalism using web 2.0 – a practical training workshop

10th to 11th October 2007
Accra International Press Centre
Workshop Materials :


1.Video Blogging Prince Deh
http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=dhq5k5zf_10ghp7pr&fs=true
2. Wikis for the newsroom by  Kwami Ahiabenu,II
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_56c99vf3
3. POSTING VIDEO ON YOUR BLOG Emmanuel K Bensah II
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_57gvwwqv
4. Writing, Editing and Publishing online made easy for journalists using blogs Emmanuel K Bensah II
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_58gnwpp5
5. Introduction to ICT Journalism  by Kwami Ahiabenu,II
  http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_59gh4r2h
6. Blogs by Kwami Ahiabenu,II
 http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_60c4ngsz
7. Podcasting by Kwami Ahiabenu,II
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_61fkn9n9
8. The birth of the new Internet ? web 2.0 Kwami Ahiabenu,II
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_115g9p5vf
9. Pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ppbpix/
10. Press Release
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_116ct2gbv






Global Course in ICT Journalism 2007 Participants Project Work

PROJECT WORK REPORT


1.THE RELEVANCE OF PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN THE GENDER AREA
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_75gmp8sr

2.To Assess the Contribution of Internet as a Source of News and Information to the Print Media Industry in Tanzania. A case study of Daily Newspaper. BY DENNIS CRONERY
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_85djg5rw


3. Blogging: The New Face of Online Journalism By Harrison Alechenu Akoh
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_87cwbwhr



4. ICT and journalism development in Tunisia By yacine Ben chikha
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_91d6m8r9


5. Utilisation of ICTs in the state print media in Malawi. Deogratias Mmana http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_94fp8php


6.An analysis of the cultural factors that affect the message design - a case study of the Environmental problem by Eltahra Magzoub


7.ICT's in journalism or Computer Assisted Reporting by Humbulani Rambau http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_93gjh5w8


8. IT STORAGE DEVICES AND THEIR EFFECT ON USERS by BAMIGBOYE ANTHONIO-MAYOWA
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_79dqf8fg



9. Measures that Malawi Government is taking to improve the development of ICT by Lameck Masina
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_94fp8php


10.FACILITATION OF KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE USING ICT AT TRANS WORLD RADIO by Victor Kaonga
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_952hvffs


11.The contribution of blogs to freedom of expression by Emmanuel Kihaule and ELIZABETH Apondi
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_969h4wbc


12.Citizen Journalism: A look at the state of media by Javed Anwer http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_99fcfqxr


13.ICT JOURNALISM: POTENTIAL IMPACT ON ACCESS TO AGRICULTURE INFORMATION IN KENYA by Patrick Analo Akivaga
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_106dwzq5x


14. THE PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES OF ICT JOURNALISM IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF RADIO NIGERIA KADUNA by Iliya M. Kure,
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_107gfx54x


15.Research on strategies to satisfying online audience demands for news by NGEHNDAB DELPHINE GWANVALLA
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_108fkrwgt


16. 4.Press Agency Production of Health Issues in Cameroun by Irène Sidonie Ndjabun
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhq5k5zf_1128kx3zj

ends

Thursday, May 24, 2007

5th Week : The birth of the new Internet

Dear Change Leaders,

"When spider webs unite they can entangle a lion."
Ethiopian Proverb

Greetings to all of you, this week is a bit different, because of have a
number of things happening
1. Group week, this would be the last official week to bring this to closure

2. We are also working on the "bunch of great questions" posed by Nancy and
posted to our class wiki at
http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/A-bunch-of-Great-Questions-
STEPS TO EDITING
1. GO TO http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/A-bunch-of-Great-Questions-
2. To edit, it would ask you for your password, name and email address
3. enter the password, your name and email address
4. this would take you to editing box with
5. Add your contribution, that is go under each question and add your
contribution, please add your name to the start of your contribution
6. click SAVE
7. remember to LOG OUT
see example, Below
ORIGINAL ENTRY FROM NANCY
Can blogs earn a living for journalists? For journalist, what we do with
whatever we write is to help generate public opinion and positive reaction.
I think the issue of making a living from blog can only depend on the number
of readership one has made, such traffic can bring about adverts on your
blogs. So the issue write well.

THEN KWAMI WENT THROUGH THE EDITING STEPS 1- 7 ABOVE and added this

Kwami : Yes, though Journalists can make a living through blogging, I
believe it would take some time before this becomes a reality.

this part of the wiki now reads
Can blogs earn a living for journalists? For journalist, what we do with
whatever we write is to help generate public opinion and positive reaction.
I think the issue of making a living from blog can only depend on the number
of readership one has made, such traffic can bring about adverts on your
blogs. So the issue write well.
Kwami : Yes, though Journalists can make a living through blogging, I
believe it would take some time before this becomes a reality.
+++++++++++++
3. Discuss web 2.0, interesting and *controversial *
please feel free to add questions or responses
Going to pose trigger questions on web 2.0 tomorrow, see lecture notes
attached
4. lastly we are going to play with podcasting
Facilitator

Online Global Course in ICT Journalism : Newsroom as wiki group one report

You can view it live here: http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/Group-One


Our group with twelve members excluding the facilitator worked on a topic that has been circulated in an earlier report. From what I noted, it was exciting to learn and use wiki. From the contributions received, it appears only four people out of twelve managed to access the group page. There might have been difficulties for some members to locate the page on wiki or indeed to access it in any way. I suspect that there was confusion regarding which group to use. Why do I say this? We have our mediaictrain discussion group list to communicate, then the google group was created for each group and then the wiki workspace for the assignment. May be some little explanation on how different each is from the others would help or might have helped.

The topic was easily chosen by our leader and there was no objection to the suggestion. It was relevant and I think equally good to generate contributions from group members.

One challenge I think had to do with access to Internet. It seems that some members have not been able to find access to the Internet as such they could not participate.

Demystifying the terms like wiki, blogs, etc might be helpful. I am not sure how best this could be done. Otherwise I am sure group one would want to practise more with wiki. Those that contributed enjoyed doing so and could make corrections to their contributions very easily.

A final thought or question is on usability of wiki in our newsroom. Do we think are newsrooms are ready for using wiki? Can we use it? Is there any among us who is using it? Please share how it works for you.

Group One members can add or subtract from what I have written. The rest are also welcome to respond on the final thought and question.

Recorder, Victor Kaonga

Online Global Course in ICT Journalism : Newsroom as wiki group two report

This is a report about Group Two activity.

Basic Information of the Group:


- The group was created by Media Group to facilitate discussions about WIKI task.

- The Group link is (http://groups.google.com/group/ppbtwo/topics (

- The period of Group activity is 8 -24 May 2007.

- The Group members are 15.

- The Group messages are 95.

- The participants in the Group Two WIKI are Five (until Thursday evening). Our WIKI URL is ( http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/Group_two)


Difficult Start

In the beginning, the Group faced a lot of difficulties which contributed to the delay of fulfilling its task.



Those difficulties can be summarized as followed:

- Some members got lost in many necessary steps were needed to do their task like accepting the Group invitations sent by the Media Group.



- We suffered misunderstanding between the function of the Group page and the function of the WIKI page, until we discovered that the Group page was created to facilitate private discussions between its members, and not for writing in group.



- Some of the member did not coordinate well with others and they hurried up to determine the subject of the report, eventually those steps did not work well in creating teamwork.


Turning Point


By the time, the members succeeded in doing their tasks well; they accepted the invitations of the Group; they took part actively in the private discussions within the Group page, and they were able to find their way easily to the WIKI page and work in it.

After we failed to create a teamwork regarding the proposed subject titled "The Future of Newspapers", we managed to reorganize the Group work again by appointing a leader , an editor and a recorder.

Through more active discussions in the Group, we agreed to choose the subject titled "The Freedom of Press", in which every member has written about the freedom of the press in his country- all the members from Africa.


Gradually, the members posted their work in the WIKI, and our editor worked hard to polish the final report.

Great Lessons

We have learned great experience from this task, as followed:
- It is easy to work alone, difficult to work in group, but working in group eventually leads to mutual benefits for all members.
- We thought it was impossible to start discussions with people we do not know, and to reach real results at the end, but now we are aware that coordinating within a group can be an easy task.
- To start a teamwork, you need to slow down and wait to let all the passengers catch the train. No need for a train without passengers. It was a mistake to hurry up and let the others behind.
- It is better to take a lot of time for discussions, but in the right time you need to be decisive to push everything forward.

Recroder of Group Two

Houssam Abdrabo

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Our Special Guest- week four - Nancy White

Dear Change Leaders,
This week was very exciting, once again Friday is here with us, meaning the end of another week
This week, we have the unique privilege of welcoming
Nancy White as our special Guest, she going to be with us as we take a look at " online tools for journalists" and going our sub group work on using wikis as a virtual news room
We are not going to have our traditional lecture notes but presentation from Nancy.
Nancy, on behalf of the class, you are welcome to our class, we are very pleased to have you in our learning space
This week is no doubt going to be very exciting
enjoy
kwami

Words into Action : using wiki as a virtual newsroom

The Class is currently using the class wiki located at http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/ as a virtual newsroom.
Because of the class large size, we have five groups working on five stories in all
This time we are going to use the WIKI as our newsroom, to do this we have divided the class into five groups
ppbone - group one
ppbtwo - group two
ppbthree - group three
ppbfour - group four
ppbfive - group five


THE TASK
1. Select a leader from your groups that is each group should have a leader ( especially providing editorial role)
2. Select a recorder, that is each group should have the recorder( to record and summarise the work of your group and posted it to mediaictrain@dgroups.org
3. Now have your first editorial meeting, basically select a story, the story can be relate to ICT journalism or ANY story of your choice
remember, the story should allow everybody to contribute to it
4. Go though the process of assignment, that is ask each of the group members to contribute portion of the story using the class wiki
http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/ please find your group page and work at this space. The instructions of getting into wiki remembers the same.
5. Set the deadline for each person to contribute
6. After all the class members have contribute to the story using the wiki then the group leader editor, must undertake some quick edit
7. then the final story should be submitted to the whole class at plus a short report about how your group worked ( work of the recorder)
8. remember the essence of this task is to use WIKI as a virtual newsroom, so all the work must be done at our wiki http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/ that is contribution and quick edit

Enjoy this important group task and make us proud!

Class Discussion : Using blogs in journalism

Hello to all,
I want to share with you some questions about using blogs in Journalism. In fact , it was so easy to creat one, but I am still asking mysef how this could by used in journalism with the ideal way. I know that a lot of blogs have important news. but I want an advice on how to research all blogs to find the most useful material for my work? Is there any techniques to search blogs effectively? How can I discover so important information in a blog ?

Also, after creating my blog, I asked myself how can I make this blog important. I know that blogs are mediums for sharing information, but millions blogs can be created and disappeared easily without affecting anybody.

Would you share with me your ideas about blogs?
Regards,
Houssam

+++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Houssam,

I have create a blog last year exclusively to look after my frustrations. Not to see my articles however validated during the conference drafting to undergo contrary modifications with reality. In order to preserve the entirety of the original article, I thought that a blog was the tool indicated best. Thus, my friends, and many other readers and sympathizers can make the difference between what was published and what was transmitted for publication.

Irène
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Irene,
Thanks for reply. What I have understood that blogs can be used as a draft tool or a personal platform. Another question: If my blog is equivalent to my website, May that means that blogs are going to spread and websites are going to be disappear, taking into account the easy process of creating a blog comparing with building a website? Also, why most of the organization have website and official blog at the same time? What are the different in functionality between them? Sorry for headache, I am trying to think with loud voice to understand what I am using.
Regards,
Houssam
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Houssam,
Blogging has many purposes; personal and professional reasons. Your blog as a journalist can help you express yourself more compared to your paper or media outlet. You can put on it whatever you want. It can earn you money-you have to do lots of work to start earning some money through adverts especially.

As you blog, you are adding your own and country's voice and presence to web. You may be the only person from your country that can present a certain perspective that the world would want to know online. Your posts can also be picked by other publishers, researchers, etc and you would never know who else reads them and the impact that may have. You can easily install traffic counters on your blog so that you know who and where from the visitors came. That helps give a picture of how your blog does. You can promote it by telling friends all over and invite them to read and comment.They in turn tell others, etc. On top of that, note that search engines can easily pick the content of your posts so anyone searching for say Houssam using google might be led to your blog as long as you have tagged it properly.

Note that as you blog, you are adding value to the web whether you like it or not. Here is a link that you can read: http://westciv.typepad.com/dog_or_higher/2006/10/why_blogging_as.html You can also simply search on the internet why people blog.

I don't know if you know Global Voices (www.globalvoicesonline.org) which aggregates, curates, and amplifies the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore. Your blog might be used on this site too. I do write round-ups for my country and it is a good way of telling the world how bloggers the issues under discussion in an individual country. Check your own country on this site and see what other bloggers say.

Victor
+++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Irene and others
I share your sentiment about creating a blog to care of your frustrations in the newsroom.
I guess we all have the same problems of editors turning your stories upside down and sometimes putting unsuitable headlines or totally shelving your story.
With blogging, no story should end up in the trash can.
I do credit the source of my stories I put on my blog to take care of copyright problems coming from my employers, in case they ever raise the issue of the fact that they sponsored the stories and as such they own them. After all, all.africa.com has been distributing many stories from African media for free and several websites are using them without knowing the sources or paying any monies to the writers or originators or the newspapers concerned.
All they do is to credit the sources.
Therefore I don't think I should feel anything, putting a copy of my already published story on my blog and crediting the Paper.
Thanks,
Isabella
++++++++++++++++

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Death of Newspapers/Radio/TV - Class debate

Are we going to see the death of newspapers/radio/television due to ICT?

Not really. But they will have to change/evolve. The situation is dire especially for print journalism. I believe that in near future we will be getting all our NEWS from the Internet or television. But than, as we know from communication theories, the newspapers do not exist only to give news to people. I strongly believe in Uses and Gratification Theory ( http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/uses.htm) and think that if newspapers can evolve according to the changing needs of their users they can still be relevant. Combine it with the Media Dependency Theory ( http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/dependency.htm) and you will understand what I am thinking of. I believe we use a particular newspaper not only because it can break stories more regularly than its competitors but because the way it presents news. When it comes to newspapers, we all have our favourites, largely, I suppose due to the perspective that the newspaper gives to the news items. It is the character of the respective newspapers, the way they present news ~ with a shade of particular ideology ~ that will help them survive the new media onslaught. Of-course to fend off the challenge they will have to supplement their main product with some ICT channels like websites, but if they can work to build a loyal user base on the ideological lines, they will survive. Now I must stress that by this argument I do not mean to say that newspapers have to be dividing factors in a society or rabble-rousers with biased reportage. Objectivity still has to be the guiding factor but your readers should be able to associate themselves with the newspaper's general ideas and should feel gratified with the association. (Javed Anwer)
++++++++++++++++

The Idea of ICT journalism replacing print media or traditional electronic media like radio and television is far fetched and to belongs to a distant future, but even in the developed countries despite the existance of the ICT infrastructure these traditional media channels like the newspapers, radio and television still exist and are still influencial as ever.( Paul Kihika)

+++++++++++++++++++
Young people should not be blamed entirely for the slow decline in circulation of newspapers. We should also consider that the age bracket you have mentioned is more concerned with entertainment. The 43 minutes they spend reading is probably spent on finding best spots for meeting people or checking out which cinema to go to.
NB: At least in Kenyan context.(Liz Apondi)
+++++++++++++++

Yes, I am agreeing with miss Apondi for the contribution, young group should not be blamed since this group likes more entertainment than other news stories, from there I can say that people likes watching and listening. when you take a newspaper its just the eyes which are used, when you consider television people see and listen. This entertain them more.

In our countries which are developing its difficult for decline of circulation of newspapers since majority of village dwellers dont have television for watching they depend on the newspapers and sometimes radios for those who can afford buying it.

I can give an example in my country Tanzania in the village they have an access of newspapers though they reach there late due to communication problems like bad roads. But accessing broadcasting media like radios and television is difficulty since there is no electricity in many of the villages. they can access radios only if they have money to buy batteries.

The example our colleague gave us is of a developed country USA. For them I think they can manage making the newspapers circulation decline but for ours it may not be easy( Caren Kahangwa)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Given the way in which the world is split between those who have and those who dont,especially in the southern hemisphere, I can't forsee the death of newspapers, radio or television due to ICTs. In this part of the world, Radio leads as the main way to reach communities of people literally living in a SEA OF ISLANDS. If anything, and taking the question literally, my response would be that ICTs can enhance the LIVES of newspapers, radio and television depending on what strategies publishing and news organisations take -- and I think the readings pose a wide range of strategic planning actions and ways to manage change.(Lisa Williams-Lahari )

++++++++++++++++++

Are we going to see the death of the newspaper/magazine/radio/television due to ICT?
No, ICT can not bring about the death of the print and electronic media. Actually, ICT complements the print and electronic media in disseminating accurate and prompt information. ICT makes it possible for print and electronic media outlets to be able to have large audience coverage. By this I mean they are able to use the internet to disseminate reports, news and images to a larger audience. Digital technology has made it possible for print and electronic media houses to put their contents on the internet which can be read, heard and seen by those interested in the information.(Harrison Alechenu Akoh )

++++++++++++++++++++
What we are going to experience is a shift in newspapers, radio and television business models. Newspapers are already availing their content online and this offers newspaper companies an opportunity to cross-promote their online content with hard copy content (e.g you click on an online news story and the “read more” link directs you to the hard copy version for a full story). It will also be cost-effective for news makers to update changes, online when such changes are necessary (i.e ICT will make it possible to correct and update facts online ).
Radio stations are already broadcasting over Internet through streaming audio.This means that the use of ICT will enable broadcasters to reach wider audiences. It also means that listeners will have an opportunity to choose the broadcasting content which appeals to them(i.e freedom of information consumption)
Television also broadcasts over the Internet , offering the audiences the a complete communication solution, package(converged communication solution)(Humbulani Rambau)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I do not think think that we are going to see the
death of newspapers, radio and television. Rather I
see a situation where these media will be enhanced by
ICT. The positive thing that ICt has brought to
journalism is that now jouirnalists will have to more
careful with the information the disseminbate bearing
in mind that there many others out the (self
-journalists) who are providing information to the
"world" at large. Journalists can no longer take their
readers/audience for granted.

The most important tool is the internet. We uise it to
collect information, for research and keeping in
contact with our various sources. The telephone too is
very important. We can record telephone interviews.
The cellphone is handy as we use it to record certain
events especially if one does not have a still or
video camera when they come across breaking news.

We can generate more stories from other news source
including other media organisation through the
internet. Appoints do not necessary have to be done
through one meduim. Most organisation have internet,
therefore if the phone is not working, we can get in
touch them through the internet or cell phone.(mildred chama)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NO. Actually we are going to see an improvement in the delivery of information because of the ICTs. A classic example is where I work – Chikuni Radio. From the time we were equipped with internet facilities we have been very able to produce well researched programmes and news items. We have been able to access government documents online which would otherwise have taken very long to access the hard copies. In countries like Zambia, accessing official documents is very hard thing especially when you are in a rural area. Newspapers are not forthcoming to the rural areas. With online editions of newspapers we are able to have the news and stories from other parts of the country. There are a number of people that cannot afford missing out the hard copy of newspapers. This is because you can read back and through wherever you want, and it is highly portable to the developing world. The ICTs have created a mutual dissemination of information.(Matongo Maumbi)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


No , I think its not true that ICT is going to do that. Moreover I do Believe
that It is going to make the Journalism Too easy to do. As it is much time
consuming to write keyboard than a pen. No Only that ICT helps the
Television/ Radio to broadcast News the news too early to happened by the
Modern Cameras and other technical factor . About The News Paper ICT help
the national Newspapers to become International through The Internet.(Naznin Kabir)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Guys,

Agree or Disagree?

I would like to make a comment on the issue of whether
we are going to see the death of newspapers/ radio/
television due to ICT.

In my opinion I feel that the opposite would happen
instead. This means that the growth of ICT would see
the birth of many newspapers/ radio and television
with improved quality.

For example newspapers would publish high quality copy
due to sophisticated Cameras, Software and Printing
Machines. Who knows, in future due to improvement in
ICT we would witness newspapers printed using
hand-held devices unlike now when we are only using
stationary and very big printing machines.

In Radio, it is evident that ICT is performing wonders
in the growth radio industry. In the past it was hard
and expensive to run a radio station on shortwave and
medium wave frequencies. But now the introduction of
FM frequencies has witnessed the birth of many radio
stations. For your own information, currently the
world radio industry is positively responding to a
call to switch from analog transmission (FM
transmission) to digital transmission by the year
2015. This development has been facilitated by the new
radio technology on the market.

There have also been a growing number of internet
radios which are run using ICT products. Malawi has
one, Radio Yako, which operates from Florida in USA
and can be accessed at www.radioyako.com .At local
level; Capital Radio which broadcast from the
commercial capital Blantyre airs its morning show
programme Day Break Malawi at
www.capitalradiomalawi.com

On television, Malawi Television (TVM) is in the
process of broadcasting on satellite – a shift from
the previous terrestrial transmission – all because of
ICT.

With above arguments I strongly feel that ICT would
instead contribute to the birth and operation of
Newspapers/ Radio /Television and NOT the demise of
any.

Do you agree or disagree with my opinion? You have the
floor…..(Lameck masina)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To add to what lameck wrote, don't think the internet or news online can replace newspapers, Televison or radio.
People have listened to radio for many years in our part of the world. For nstance in Ghana, the prolifearation of FM stations has made radio a household tool. Broadcasting in local languages have made radio very popular as market women listen to news and discuss issues as if they were politicians. Newspaper stories are read and interpreted on radio every morning and people are able to call in and make contributions. Also in Ghana where the bulk of people are illiterates or semi literate and live in rural areas, I don't think they are going to carry laptops to their farms even in the next 50 years and read their news online.

Even in the advanced countries people get tired of being behind the the computer screen for a long time and prefer reading newspapers for a change.
.
Also reading news tit bits via mobile phone does not provide all the details. Therefore people will still want to have the details in features in newspapers while relaxing etc.
Therefore what I want to say is that while among the elite some people will be stuck to their screens surfing the net. newspapers, radios and televison will continue to serve poor countries for many years to come and will still be relevant even in the advanced countries.
To me what will happen is taht each media will have its own clientele based on the kind of comfort and satisfaction a person gets from it be it inteh office, home, market, farm etc.
Therefore ICT cannot kill the newspapers, radio or televison, just tough comeptition(Isabella Gyau Orhin)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Newspapers would not die just because of ICT. ICTs are there to enhance newspapers production and sales depending on the approach of the newshouse. I know of a few newspapers in the Scandinavian countries (which top the list of the best Internet connection and usage http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Information%20Technology%20Report/index.htm) and they have taken advantage of Internet. These countries like Sweden, Finland, etc, still lead the world in newspaper sales partly not only because people subscribe but also the papers have web versions which also carry adverts in a webfriendly manner. One of the newspapers in Sweden even runs webtv for the younger generation that does not want the hard copy. The webtv has commercials and it is interesting to see how a newspaper is using this opportunity to run stories in webtv format. It is all an issue of business plan for the paper. If ICTs are seen to be useful to a newsroom, then there should be a way of selling the idea to the very customers who benefit from it.( Victor Kaonga)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No, because the ICT is not going in this way but the give high technologies for the better in the future for the Journalism around the world's and share information with them and how to owning the skill to dealing with globalization. I think ICT to convert the local to become regionally and it become internationally. It becomes that as followed:

1- Participate of the database.

2- Web site (blogs). ( Eltahra Magzoub)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I agree with Paul that ICT cannot kill newspapers. If
anything it will simply be complimentary. If Dennis'
example of Tanzania is anything to go by, then it will
take plenty of years for ICT to kill papers especially
in Africa.

Many countries in Africa are not well versed with ICT.
Many are in the process of acquiring ICT skills. Can
you imagine that a lot of senior government officers
in Malawi do not have email addresses? They cannot
access internet. What does that mean? If officials
have no idea about ICT what can they offer to their
country?( deogratias mmana)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Trigger Questions - tools of our trade

1. Can you list five top ICT tools in your news room?

2. How do we protect and secure our hardware and software in the newsroom?

3. What factors should we consider in selecting and implementing ICT tools in our news room?

4. Should we make use of "free" software (especially open source software) or we should go for paid for ones?

5. Do computer software make it easy for us to manipulate facts, figures, statistics etc in the news room?

6. We have two types of convergence - digital convergence and media convergence. What are the key similar elements?
Happy Contributions

News feeds from the BBC

What are News Feeds?
News feeds allow you to see when websites have added new content. You can get the latest headlines and video in one place, as soon as its published, without having to visit the websites you have taken the feed from.
Feeds are also known as RSS. There is some discussion as to what RSS stands for, but most people plump for 'Really Simple Syndication'. In essence, the feeds themselves are just web pages, designed to be read by computers rather than people.


How do I start using feeds?
In general, the first thing you need is something called a news reader. This is a piece of software that checks the feeds and lets you read any new articles that have been added. There are many different versions, some of which are accessed using a browser, and some of which are downloadable applications.
Browser-based news readers let you catch up with your RSS feed subscriptions from any computer, whereas downloadable applications let you store them on your main computer, in the same way that you either download your e-mail using Outlook, or keep it on a web-based service like Hotmail.
Once you have chosen a news reader, all you have to do is to decide what content you want it to receive. For example, if you would like the latest BBC News Entertainment stories, simply visit the Entertainment section and you will notice an orange button on the left hand side.

Using BBC News feeds on your site
If you run your own website, you can display the latest headlines from other websites on your own site using RSS.
We encourage the use of BBC News feeds as part of a website, however, we do require that the proper format and attribution is used when BBC News content appears. The attribution text should read "BBC News" or "bbc.co.uk/news" as appropriate. You may not use any BBC logo or other BBC trademark.
We reserve the right to prevent the distribution of BBC News content and the BBC does not accept any liability for its feeds. Please see the Terms and Conditions for full details.

Can I make my own feeds?
It is possible to create your own feeds, by using the BBC News search engine. The first step is to choose a search term, and type it into the search engine as normal. When your search results load, then choose the "BBC News & Sport" tab. Review the new results, and if they accurately reflect the topic you have chosen you can now use the orange feeds button to add the selection to your news reader, or to your website.

How do I get a news reader?
There is a range of different news readers available and new versions are appearing all the time.
Different news readers work on different operating systems, so you will need to choose one that will work with your computer.
Windows
www.NewzCrawler.com
http://www.feeddemon.com/
www.awasu.com
Mac OS X
www.newsfirerss.com
http://ranchero.com/
Web
Bloglines http://www.bloglines.com/
NewsGator http://www.newsgator.com/
Microsoft Live www.live.com
My Yahoo! www.my.yahoo.com
Browser
Mozilla Firefox www.mozilla.com/firefox
Other News Readers (GOOGLE)http://tinyurl.com/nv0p

Monday, April 30, 2007

Week Two - intro to the list

Dear Change Leaders,
Thanks once again for a great Class
Today is Friday 27th April 2007, bringing to a close our class discussion on the topic ICT Journalism
Next week we are going to take a look at tools of our trade, see lecture notes attached
tools of our trade(part one) quick summary
1. Introduction to ICT tools for journalism
2. Digital Convergence
3. Media Convergence
4. Computer Assisted Journalism
5. Using Geographic Information System in Journalism
6. Publishing platforms
7. Content Management System
8. Database Management System
9. Maths and Stats for the newsroom
then tools of our trade(part two) looks at some online tools

During this week, we are going to be working with a number of tools, including blogging, more information to be sent to the class list soon

Happy reading

Podcasting will change radio, not kill it

BLOG and wiki were already dictionary words in 2004 when Adam Curry, a former show host on MTV, used his own celebrity and the underlying technologies of blogging to popularise yet another next big thing: “podcasting” (which provided him with a new nickname, “podfather”).
The word itself is hip but not helpful. The “pod” comes from Apple's iPod, a fashionable portable music player—a stroke of marketing luck for Apple, which initially had nothing to do with podcasting. The “casting” comes from broadcasting, which means sending a radio signal to an entire population in a particular geographic area at a particular time. Confusingly, in some respects that is the opposite of podcasting. But none of this matters any more. As with blogs and wikis, people are discovering podcasting as something genuinely new.
It works as follows. A podcaster records something—anything from music to philosophical ramblings, professional news or snorting noises—into a computer with the aid of a microphone, then posts this audio file onto the internet. There, people can listen to it and, more importantly, subscribe to a “feed” from the same podcaster, so that all new audio files from that source are automatically pulled down as soon as they are published. Whenever listeners dock their iPods or other music players for charging, the feeds that have newly arrived on the computers are transferred to the portable devices. People can then listen in their car, while jogging, or wherever and whenever they please.
It is not quite true, therefore, that podcasting is to audio as blogging is to text. Podcasting is about “time-shifting” (listening offline to something at a time of one's own choosing, as opposed to a broadcaster's), whereas reading blogs requires a live internet connection and a screen. More subtly, podcasts are different from blogs and wikis in that they cannot link directly to other podcasts. This makes podcasting a less social, and probably less revolutionary, medium.

Nonetheless, its rise has been nothing short of astonishing. Mr Curry's own podcast, The Daily Source Code, has several million listeners. Apple's iTunes, the software application and online music store that makes iPods work, currently lists 20,000 free podcasts and is adding them at a fast clip, all before podcasting's second birthday. Podcasting is even expanding from audio to video, although this trend is as yet so new that several words (“vodcasting”, “vidcasting” , “vlogging”) are still vying for the honour.
For listeners, the appeal is threefold. First, they become their own programmers, mixing the music and talk feeds that they enjoy. This liberates commuters, say, from commercial radio stations that, in America especially, seem only ever to get dumber and duller. Second, podcasts liberate listeners from advertising, and thus put an end to the tedious and dangerous toggling between the car radio's pre-set buttons at 100km an hour. (However, some podcasters are experimenting with putting advertisements into their podcasts.) Above all, the time-shifting that podcasts make possible liberates people from having to sit in their parked cars to hear the end of a good programme.
For creative types, professional or amateur, the appeal of podcasting is much the same as that of other participatory media: it dramatically lowers the costs of producing content. All they need is a microphone, a computer and an internet connection, and most people already have those.

Hammed radio
Does podcasting therefore spell the end of radio? “I don't really buy into that per se; what we're really seeing is a big mash-up of stuff,” says Mr Curry, the podfather. Podcasting, terrestrial radio and another newcomer, paid-for (ie, mostly advertising-free) satellite radio, are all carving out their niches in people's crowded media lives. The limiting factor of podcasting, says Mr Curry, is that it is “inherently asynchronous” (ie, not live). “If they find Osama bin Laden, don't go running to your iPod,” he adds. Breaking news, call-in shows (an old-fashioned form of participatory media) and other live programming will still work on terrestrial radio.
This might lull radio bosses into a false sense of security, however. “I'm not sure that the average consumer is going to want to hear, you know, Joe podcasting out of his garage,” says Mark Mays, the chief executive of Clear Channel Communications, America's largest radio broadcaster with 1,200 commercial stations. Mr Mays claims that when people buy an iPod they will reduce their radio listening for a few months, but then increase it again to educate themselves about new music. “And where else to go for music than their local radio station?” asks Mr Mays.
If they are young, they will go anywhere but to their local radio station, says David Goldberg, the music boss at Yahoo! “The odds that you and I like the same five songs in a row are very low,” he says. “If you hate Metallica, you're not going to sit through three minutes hoping that the fourth minute gets better.” To young people today, song sequences are simply “playlists”, which happen to be among the easiest things to share with friends online, so this is what Yahoo! concentrates on doing. It lets people listen to music (for a small monthly subscription or pay-by-download) and then rate the song. Yahoo! then uses its knowledge of the online communities formed by its users to recommend the right kinds of songs “by connecting you with other people who like the same music”, says Mr Goldberg.
The effects on radio, while not lethal, will therefore be large. Radio broadcasters understand that they need to make commercial radio less disagreeable to listen to, which above all means shorter advertising interruptions. This is why Clear Channel has introduced a campaign called “less is more”, in which it sells fewer minutes to advertisers in the hope that this will drive up ratings and prices.
Historically, radio has been good at adapting. When Franklin Roosevelt gave his “fireside chats”, radios were in the living room and families gathered round them during prime time. Then television came along, and radios migrated to the car for use during rush hours. Podcasting may herald yet another migration, to a place and context yet to be determined.

Copyright © 2006 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.

Monday, April 23, 2007

ICT Journalism Gets Its Due

By Michael Alan Hamlin
May 13, 2002
One of the concerns of the Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (ITECC) is disseminating factually accurate information about the Philippines' information and communication technology (ICT) sectors to key publics like investors, entrepreneurs, and investment analysts. That includes getting this information out regularly, so that awareness of the Philippines' emerging ICT sectors builds among those constituencies. In other words, ITECC wants the Philippines' ICT sectors to be top-of-mind among people who matter most.
There are several reasons why it's sometimes difficult to disseminate information that has to do with technology. The most important reason now is that technology has lost a lot of its luster. The average technology stock has lost 75 percent of its value since the tech meltdown began two years ago. Another reason is that technology isn't easy to write about. For one thing, technology can be very complicated, and so it's difficult to understand. And, it's always changing. Taking a subject that is inherently complicated and is constantly evolving and explaining it in a way that non-techies understand is a huge challenge.
But it's also a challenge that must be met. Despite the lost luster, technology drives product and service innovation in every company and every industry. When it comes to economic development in general, technology is an efficient creator of value-added jobs. It's not a fast ticket to development, but it certainly is a faster ticket to development than traditional development models. That's still true, and it will be for a long time. Probably forever.
There are a number of ways to disseminate information about the Philippines ICT sectors. But of all the communication channels available media is probably the most effective and timely. For this reason, it's important to have journalists not just assigned to ICT beats, but journalists that have an interest in technology, understand it, and are enthusiastic about reporting its development.
Philippine ICT journalists understand this. In an effort to strengthen ICT reporting they formed a kind of press club, called the CyberPress six or seven years ago, according to Jerry Liao, the producer and host of InfoChat. The club is an informal switchboard for trading information, but also organizes and attends seminars on both writing and technology. It provides a means of continuing education and skills and knowledge enhancement.
Many in the ICT sectors appreciate that effort, which the ICT journalists took upon themselves, and have looked for a way to acknowledge the work and role of ICT journalism. And so this year, for the first time, Microsoft and IBM have formed an alliance to present what will be called "The Excellence in ICT Journalism Awards." The project is being conducted in cooperation with the Asian Institute of Journalism, which is administering the awards process and supervising the evaluation of submissions. (Full Disclosure: Microsoft and IBM are clients of my firm, TeamAsia, and we have been retained to organize the awards.)
There are three main objectives for the awards. First, the program is intended to encourage ICT journalists in popularizing and humanizing ICT. Even in this day and age, there are lots more people who shun talk of technology - and enjoy only an uneasy relationship with their keyboards - than embrace the next big idea. Second, the awards will recognize ICT journalists who excel in their field. Finally, the program is expected to promote the development of online journalism (I am consistently surprised at the number of people who tell me they have given up on hard copy reading in favor of "surfing" the news.).
There are five different categories encompassing both print and online journalism, and news, feature, and column writing (No, I wasn't allowed to submit. Unfortunately.). And there are even cash prizes. Not big prizes, but worthwhile prices, ranging from P10,000 to P25,000. The real prize, though, is the honor of being judged by impartial, expert evaluators, and having your work held up as an example of the product of professional journalism. That sets a standard for others to aspire to, and to surpass.
Our firm has quite a lot of experience with rigorous, respected awards programs, and we've seen how they can energize both individuals and entire organizations. Seeing that impact is one of the most important benefits of the work we do. And so we're delighted to have the opportunity to be a part of this program. We think that others will also find the program a project that deservers their support.
And I have good news. There's room for other organizations that share the interest of Microsoft and IBM in supporting ICT journalism to participate. If you represent one of those organizations, you know where to contact me (See below.). But you'll have to hurry. The first awards ceremony will be conducted on June 20. Submissions for this first year are already in, and the evaluation process is beginning.
There are a lot of noble and worthy projects to invest in that give something back to the country and the market that supports our businesses. This is certainly among the most important.

(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of consultancy TeamAsia and the author of three books on Asian economies and companies. His latest book is Marketing Asian Places, of which he is co-author. His e-mail address is mahamlin@teamasia.com.ph.)
http://www.teamasia.com/media/2002/05132002.htm

Sunday, April 22, 2007

New technologies: The influence of ICT on African Newspapers

There are many African countries where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has already had a great impact on the media scene. This way of dealing with both communication and material transfer could revolutionise African newspapers.
Kunda Chinyanta Mwila is a Zambian web development specialist with much experience in journalism. He is vice board chairman of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter. He tells RAP 21 about how he sees the future of ICT and African newspapers.
RAP 21: Which changes has ICT brought to African newspapers?
Mr Mwila: Africa is a diverse and multi-faceted continent in the sense that countries like South Africa and most North African countries, such as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, got advanced communication infrastructure earlier than countries in sub-saharan Africa, for example Zambia, Tanzania and Ghana.
The introduction of ICT has led to a change in type-setting, layout, designing and printing infrastructure at most African newspapers. For instance in Zambia, which is representative of sub-Saharan Africa, almost no newspapers use typewriters for typesetting or editing their news stories, or for page layout or designing. Instead they are now using computers to typeset, edit and design their publications.
There’s also been a lot of transformation in the communication infrastructure. Instead of using telex and fax machines to send or receive material, many newspapers today use e-mail or computer networks for such purposes. Mobile and satellite telephones, and general improvement of landlines have made it possible for newspapers to get stories from a reporter stationed anywhere.
It’s worth mentioning that the fax machines still remains an integral part of communication in many media houses and not all newspapers have taken the full advantage of ICT.
RAP 21: Why has there not been greater change?
Mr Mwila: The most prominent reason for failure by media houses to fully incorporate ICT in their daily operations is financial constraint. It is very difficult for most newspapers, for instance in Zambia, to run profitably, hence they are constrained with money to invest in ICT infrastructure. For example, the cheapest PC costs around US$ 1,000, a cost many media houses can hardly contemplate. Although many media houses have an internet connection, the monthly subscription is still high (an average of US$ 20 per month) and this might be uneconomic for small newspapers.
In the rural set-up of most African countries, there is no infrastructure to support the existence and availability of ICT. Even where they might exist, the cost is even higher than those in urban areas. Hence, many media houses in rural set-ups have to continue with the old communication tools.
There is also the aspect of the high-level of computer illiteracy in Africa, from which the journalism profession has not been spared. Most old journalists have no knowledge of computers and even modern trained ones have limited abilities. Therefore, even where ICT facilities exist, no maximum usage may be applied.
RAP 21: How would you say that ICT could ideally change the African newsrooms?
Mr Mwila: Once fully adopted and adapted, the ICT will transform the newsrooms into cabled and networked centres with all journalists discharging stories onto a network, editors picking them before sending them to the page designers or casters in the case of electronic media. Basically, the newsrooms will utilise all the available ICT to easily coordinate material for publication or broadcasting and also to communicate among staff.
RAP 21: How could an African newsroom with, for example, 20 employees benefit from ICT in their daily work?
Mr Mwila: With accurate deployment of ICT, newsrooms will be able to efficiently coordinate material, communicate easily with all members of the staff and easily send materials for publication or broadcasting. For instance, instead of individuals getting copy from one desk to another, the ICT will enable copy and articles to flow on a local area network (LAN), drastically reducing the time lag in passing materials.
RAP 21: Can you give me an example of an African newsroom where ICT has made a radical difference?
Mr Mwila: The Post newspaper in Zambia has fully networked its newsroom which has improved tremendously in copy and material flow from the reporter to the editor, to the graphic and page designers and to the printers. The Post’s use of internet or e-mail facilities also enable the staff to easily access especially international stories. There is no doubt that ICT will transform the African newsrooms for the better.
http://www.rap21.org/article718.html

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Training : Global Online Course in ICT Journalism Starts Today


Training : Global Online Course in ICT Journalism (April 20 to July 20 2007)
After successfully pioneering an online course in ICT Journalism in 2006, The International Institute for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Journalism Penplusbytes is starting today its second online course. 55 participants were selected from Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia to participate in this course from over 100 applications received

year 2007 participants pictures
Participants will be exposed to the wider context of ICTs assisted journalism including its history, how these technologies are impacting on the world of journalism, how ICT can be used in producing stories and how to manage change process in using innovative ICT tools.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Self Introduction format, no rules but protocol yes and 3 Tasks

Self Introduction format, no rules but protocol yes and 3 Tasks

SELF INTRODUCTION FORMAT
I am going to send my self introduction as a sample soon
SUBJECT: INTRODUCTION FULL NAME, ORGANISATION AND COUNTRY
1. Start with TASK STATEMENT - Tell us if you have successfully log into dgroups, updated the class wiki with my self introduction and your five key objectives as well. If you have a personal blog, please provide us with the address. If you don’t do not worry, you are going create one soon as part of this class.
2. Tell us about your name, which country you currently reside etc
3. Your educational background
4. What is your job title, current roles and responsibilities etc
5. Share with the class, your five key objectives for participating in the training course( as much as possible your objectives should be measurable )
6. Lastly share with us the most interesting application of ICT in your work


NO RULES BUT PROTOCOL
PLEASE MAKE IT A POINT TO READ, READ AND READ ALL POSTINGS TO THE LIST AND MORE IMPORTANTLY SAVE THEM FOR EASY AND FUTURE REFERENCE.
We want to avoid rules, rules and rules for this class space but we strongly suggest we all ensure that this space is used for its intended purpose that is training space for ICT Journalism.
If you have a very strong reason to post some which is not relate to the course, please state in your subject line OT – out of topic, for example, if you have a new car and you strongly believe you should tell us, please state OT in the subject line. Eg, Subject: OT NEW CAR.
Your subject must correspond to the body of your message
Secondly, make sure your subject line reflects the body of your message. Do not click reply to – Subject: RE: online journalism when in the body of your mail your content refers to Newsroom Knowledge Management.

As much as possible please let us all stick to the purpose of this list – ICT JOURNALISM.

DIGEST FORMAT

Due to the expected high volume of mails, you can request a digest format, whereby message would be sent to you in batches instead of single mails.

TASK LIST

TASK ONE -DGROUPS
1. Go to http://www.dgroups.org/groups/Mediaictrain and enter your email address and password (provided in the first mail from dgroups). If you have forgotten your password, then you can click on RETRIEVE A PASSWORD(found below email address a password and submit slots) then input your email address then click on retrieve password and a reminder would be sent to your email box)
2. Click on my groups and then click on MEDIAICTRAIN
3. Then go to MY PROFILE
4. MY PROFILE opens with the following information
A. * First Name:
B. * Last Name:
C. Email:
D. * Password:
E. * Verify:
F. Country:
G. Organization:
H. Website:
I. Picture:
J. Comments:
At MY PROFILE window, you can do corrections to your name, change your password, change your email address, update your profile with your organization name, website, upload your picture and add comments etc
TASK TWO - WIKI – Creating a self introduction page
1. Go to Course wiki found at https://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/
2. Enter the password : provided on the class list
3. Click on create NEW PAGE
4. Then click on NAME YOUR NEW PAGE and this, please use your name
5. Select a template – please use Journalist's article repository template
6. Click on Create a New Page
7. Copy and paste your self introduction on this page
8. Click on Save
TASK THREE -WIKI- Adding your five objectives to the home page
1. Still in the WIKI click on HOME PAGE
2. Then click on EDIT PAGE
3. Type out your name then copy and paste your five objectives from the introduction to the HOME PAGE

ENDS

Welcome Message year 2007 course

International Institute for ICT Journalism – Penplusbytes: www.penplusbytes.net
PPB01007 - Global Online Course in ICT Journalism
Three months (20th April to 20 July 2007)
Level: Intermediate
Welcome message
Welcome to International Institute for ICT Journalism -PenPlusBytes online course on ICT Journalism for the period of three months (20th April to 20th July 2007)
Classes
We shall post weekly lecture notes based on the topic for the week plus relevant documents via the class primary online space http://www.dgroups.org/groups/Mediaictrain. All class members would receive mails automatically to their email address once it is posted to the mediaictrain@dgroups.org. In addition to interfacing via email, you can also log in at http://www.dgroups.org/groups/Mediaictrain with your email address and password(provided in the first mail from dgroups or you can click on request password and a reminder would be sent to your email box)
Active Participation is key
Participants are expected to contribute through questions, comments, contributions, suggestion etc after reading the lectures notes and undertaking your own research. Please remember that class postings constitute part of your final grading. It is not enough to say I agree with someone posting, yes you can agree or disagree but tell us why. One of the course objectives is to ensure participants learn from each other and by posting your colleagues can learn from you.
At the end of each week, a weekly summary of postings shall be post to the list.
Class Assignments
Class assignments are expected to be submitted on due dates.
Submit your assignment before Sunday each week to mediaictrain@gmail.com
In the subject line indicate your name and the question for the weekly assignment
For example, question: Are ICT tools replacing Journalists? Name: Viva Jima
Subject: Viva Jima (Are ICT tools replacing Journalists?)
If you can not submit your assignment for a valid, please request for extension in advance from course facilitators.

Project Work
At the end of the course, each participant is expected to submit a project work in any ICT Journalism area of choice. Class members are allowed to submit group project work upon agreement from the course facilitators.
Special Guests
In addition to the course instructors, participants would have a unique opportunity to interact with special guests with expertise in ICT Journalism.
Participants
53 participants have qualified and registered to take part in this online course from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North American.
A full participants list shall be made available to the group soon.
Grading: Participants are expected to undertake weekly assignment, participate in online discussion and published final project work on PenPlusBytes website.
Final grades:
• 20% on weekly assignments
• 20% on class participation
• 40% on project work
• 20% on multiple tests
Links
The course mailing list is located at http://www.dgroups.org/groups/Mediaictrain
See course blog at http://mediaictrain.blogspot.com/
Course wiki is found at https://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/
For PenPlusBytes website point your browser to www.penplusbytes.net
Class assignment email address mediaictrain@gmail.com
Course sponsors: www.penplusbytes.net
CLASS TIME TABLE - Three months (20th April to 20TH July 2007)
PERIOD CONTENT
WEEK ONE 20th April Introduction of Participants and Course Objectives Introduction to ICT Journalism concept, theory and definition, History of ICT Journalism
WEEK TWO 27th April Introduction to ICT tools for Journalism
WEEK THREE 4th May Wikis, Blogs, Website, Chat, Forum, e-mail
WEEK FOUR 11th May Web 2.0 /Web 3.0 for Journalism
WEEK FIVE 18th May Content management system, news room management system and publishing platforms
WEEK SIX 25th May The role of information and knowledge management in the newsroom
WEEK SEVEN 1st June Online Research
WEEK EIGHT 8th June Online Research/Special Guest
WEEK NINE - 15th June Reporting ICT Stories
WEEK TEN – 22ND JUNE Special Guests/Business models of Online Journalism
WEEK ELEVEN – 29TH JUNE Special Guests/Project Work
WEEK TWELVE – 6TH JULY Special Guests/Project Work
WEEK THIRTEEN – 13TH JULY – 20th JULY Conclusion and Future of ICT Journalism
Learning Online
Learning online comes with a lot of advantages especially when learning about technologies. There are inherent challenges when learning online mostly because of the lack of face to face experience. Learning online is an important skill you have to acquire.
Tips
1. Set a period of day to undertake online learning
2. Find a folder and print out hard copies of key notes and resources
3. Plan your on learning experience
4. Interact and connect with other participants via f2f, email or phone calls
5. Discipline
6. Time commitment
Course Facilitators
Course Director Kwami Ahiabenu, II
Eric Osiakwan
Kofi Mangesi
Ends

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Global Online Course in ICT Journalism (April 20 – July 20 2007)

Training

Global Online Course in ICT Journalism (April 20 – July 20 2007)
Level : Intermediate



After successfully pioneering an online course in ICT Journalism in 2006, The International Institute for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Journalism – Penplusbytes is pleased to announce a three month (April 20th – July 20th 2007) online training opportunity for journalists in the area of ICT Journalism. Participants will be exposed to the wider context of ICTs assisted journalism including its history, how these technologies are impacting on the world of journalism, how ICT can be used in producing stories and how to manage change process in using innovative ICT tools.

Course Description and Goals: This course teaches the theory and concept of ICTs journalism; the impact of ICTs on Journalism and how to increase excellence in journalism using ICTs as a tool.

At the end of the course, the participants will learn four main set of skills:
You will learn and understand broad spectrum of ICTs tools available for journalism
You will learn how to research and publish content online
You will learn that despite that the proliferation of technology for journalism the fundamental principles of journalism still apply.
You will learn how to use a selection of ICT tools for journalism
Prerequisites: This course does not have any special prerequisites though participants will need to have basic computer skills such sending and receiving mails, managing files and browsing the Internet. The course assumes participants are practicing journalists who have mastered journalism skills.

Class Meeting: Participants are expected to meet online via group discussion weekly, it is expected that a participants must devote at least five hours per week online.

Course Content
Introduction to ICT Journalism – concept, theory and definition
ICT tools for Journalism – web 2.0/3.0, wikis, blogs, podcasting, online collaborative tools, newsroom content management system and publishing platforms
The role of information and knowledge management in the newsroom
Specialization in ICT Journalism
Online Research
Business Models of Online Journalism
Future of ICT Journalism
Materials
Participants will be provided with regular resources during the duration of the course, these resources will available mostly online or via CD ROM.

Grading: Participants are expected to undertake weekly assignment, participate in online discussion, make use of ICT tools and produce a final project work to be published on penplusbytes website.



Certificates
All participants who fully successfully complete the course and would be awarded a certificate.

Application
To apply download and fill out the enclosed application form at
http://www.dgroups.org/admin/index.cfm?op=dsp_resource_details&resource_id=37813&cat_id=7040
Email completed form and statement to: info@penplusbytes.net

Closing date for receipt of application and statement is 20th March 2007.
Notification of acceptance: 2nd April 2007


Links
Class bookmarks
http://del.icio.us/mediaictrain
Class Blog
http://mediaictrain.blogspot.com/
Class Wiki
http://mediaictrain.pbwiki.com/
Alumni list and 1st Online Course online Space
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mediaictrain/
2nd Course Class online Space
http://www.dgroups.org/groups/Mediaictrain



Ends
Engaging, informative, and high-quality online training course created and offered by Penplusbytes.