On 9 June about 40 representatives from government agencies, civil society organizations and academia gathered in Kista Science Tower to discuss the influence of ICT on democratic processes. Those who could not make it in person could follow the workshop online.
The inception of the workshop was the popular uprisings that have swept North Africa and the Middle East throughout the spring. Twitter and Facebook were widely recognized as key elements in enabling popular movements. Indeed, social media have become an important tool in the mobilization of crowds, by enabling people to share information with friends, friends of friends and so. The consequences have been unprecedented.
The SPIDER-supported project "Virtual Interactive Classroom" in
Bangladesh, a collaboration between Örebro University in Sweden and
Open University in Bangladesh, uses an innovative teaching methodology
based of television broadcasted seminars and SMS technology, This
methodology enables students to attend classes outside regular school
or office hours and regardless of where they live in the country. On
May 15, the first lesson will be broadcasted on Bangladeshi national
television. The course teaches English and consists of 28 lessons.
For further information about the project contact: Åke Grönlund gron@informatik.umu.se
Spider is hosted by the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University.
