Thinker Spot

For Low-Income Kids, Access to Devices Could Be the Equalizer | MindShift While the race in the hardware industry is perhaps most notable amongst makers of devices such as mobile phones and tablets, a seemingly unforgotten reality remains a stark reality for many: the digital divide. With ever smarter phones, and other 'always on' devices, the policies that govern state monopolies over broadband play a damning role for the poor who remains unconnected. This reality stared me in the face when I started to engage with my first cohort of Foundation Phase Teacher students who are part of a program to establish the first new university in South Africa since the establishment of a new democratic government in 1994. In South Africa we are faced with numerous problems and inefficiencies for various reasons. Apart from the usual political upheavals and concerns about the future of democracy in the country, none is so real as the digital divide. The cost of broadband is exceptionally...

Toys are cultural representations and as such carry meaning beyond that which might have been intended by their designers. Or does it? Does a wooden steam engine have the same meaning to a Grade R child in England as it would for a child in a rural area half-way around the globe who has never seen any train before, let alone ride in a steam-driven one? What connection does an African child have with a white Barby doll? Similarly, what sense must a Westerner make of an intricately woven grass bowel or a hollowed out kalabash? Watching a group of rural-based South African teachers unpacking a large consignment of toys that has been donated to them by the European Union became an experience and eye-opener. In many respects the thrill of receiving, unpacking, and opening the numerous boxes resembled the excitement when receiving presents on one's birthday. However, as Grade R teachers in a rural area, these numerous toys do not necessarily connect with what they have been doing ...