********************************

This TAD Consortium Information Service has been sponsored by Juta

Publishers

*********************************

Dear friends,

Here is the latest news update. Hope you find it useful.

Regards

Neil Butcher

********************************

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CENTRE FOR SOUTH AFRICA

>From the 3rd to the 6th of February, representatives from eleven southern

African countries met at the Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve to discuss and

clarify the role of the new Regional Environmental Education Programme

(REEP). The initial focus of the programme has been the establishment of a

Regional Centre at Umgeni Valley. Delegates from as far afield as Mauritius

and Tanzania addressed the three focal areas of the Programme which are:

International networking, Resource material development, and Training.

The REEP is a project of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

and the implementing organisation is the Wildlife and Environment Society of

South Africa which has owned and run the Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve for

the past 24 years. Funding for the initial phase of the project, which will

run for three years, has been obtained from Sida, the Swedish International

Development Cooperation Agency.

At the meeting, delegates discussed the most appropriate mechanisms to

promote networking and cooperation amongst the various diverse countries of

southern Africa, all of whom are engaged in environmental education of one

form or another. The innovative use of e-mail in support of networking was

discussed and clarified. Thanks to e-mail, messages can now be sent through

to remote areas with high levels of reliability and this communication

method enabled the coordination of this first meeting. Environmental

enthusiasts in Angola, for example, were able to link with the workshop

through e-mail and a live radio broadcast was conducted from the Valley and

aired directly on Angolan radio in Portuguese!

Training facilities and numerous innovative courses are also being offered

by the centre. These range from popular four day courses in environmental

education to a two month full-time course certificated by Rhodes University.

Participants on this course focus their work around the needs of their own

countries and the final assignment, which is the development of an

educational resource relevant to their own country will be completed on

return to their country. The Centre also offers a year long distance

education course, also in cooperation with Rhodes University and the Gold

Fields Foundation and this course has been successfully adapted and

conducted in Zanzibar and Zimbabwe with other countries likely to take up

the initiative in the near future.

Educational resource materials will initially focus on indigenous knowledge,

but these will build on the popular range of resources currently available

through Share-Net, a cooperative resource development initiative which is

housed at the Umgeni Valley Project and involves teachers, community workers

and other practitioners in the development of resources.

Should anyone have further queries about the Regional EE Programme they are

invited to contact Mike Ward (REEP Training Coordinator), Nathi Ndlovu

(Share-Net Resources) or Dr. Jim Taylor (Director of Environmental

Education) at 0332-303931 or e-mail at sadc-reec@alpha.futurenet.co.za.

******************************************

THE WEB VIA ELECTRICITY CABLES

UK School Receives Web Over Electricity Cables - A Manchester primary school

is helping trial a new technology that delivers Internet data over

electricity cables, bypassing the local telephone network. Instead of using

telephone lines, Seymour Park primary school links to the Web via the same

cables that supply its electricity. Not only are the computers permanently

online, but download times are more than 30 times as fast as using a

standard modem. Internet signals travel on fibre-optic links as far as the

local electricity sub-station where they are then turned into a radio

frequency, shielded from electrical interference, and finally delivered down

the power line to the school. Minor alterations had to be made to the school

's meter box, and an additional input/output card was installed in the host

computer - but no modem was needed. The technology was developed jointly by

global communications company Nortel and electricity supplier Norweb.

Seymour Park school was chosen because of its proximity to both Norweb's

headquarters and to the local electricity sub station. (Source: BBC)

[The Benton Communications Policy Mailing List, 2/2/98]

******************************************

TOWN TALK

Welcome to TownTalk, the Internet e-mail discussion list for virtual

community developers.

This note contains a brief introduction to the list followed by instructions

on how the list operates and its rules. For that reason, it is important

that you SAVE this message. Even if you are a mailing list veteran, you may

find some aspects of this list unique, so you should read and retain this

entire note.

This list is intended to provide people involved in developing and managing

Internet virtual communities a place to discuss issues, swap ideas and share

information. Our goal is that all of us will become better at what we do and

learn to server our community members better.

We define a virtual community this way:

1) It is interactive and built on the concept of many-to-many communications

with newsgroups, Web forums, mailing lists, chat and other Internet-based

communication systems;

2) It is designed to attract and retain community members who become more

than superficially involved in community events and discussions and that

they are able to make new friends through the community;

3) It has a single defining focus; the community has a special interest that

draws Internet visitors in and gives them a reason to return;

4) It provides services to community members, such as editorial content,

member-generated content, shopping services or other services that meet

community member needs;

5) It has, or has the potential to develop, a strong commercial element,

either through member dues, advertising banners or retail sales.

There are many websites and places on the Internet that call themselves

virtual communities, but few meet all five of these criteria. Among those

few, however, are many that are growing, either by choice or by chance, into

a fully-functional virtual community. We hope this list will meet the needs

of all virtual community developers, planners, designers and managers,

regardless of the current stage of their projects.

On this list, we hope to discuss tips and techniques for building

communities, elements of a successful community, how to interact with

community members and the tools necessary for creating a community. Any

issue related to virtual communities is an acceptable discussion topic on

TownTalk.

We take much of our inspiration for what constitutes a virtual community

from the book "Net Gain" by John Hagel III and Arthur G. Armstrong and

published by Harvard Business School Press.

The list is managed by Doug Gentry, president of Dynapolis Consulting

The list operates on a single e-mail address. That address is used for

posting to the list and for handling all list commands. The list address is

towntalk@dynapolis.com.

SUBSCRIBE

To subscribe to TownTalk, send an e-mail message with the word "subscribe"

in either the body or the subject line to towntalk@dynapolis.com.

UNSUBSCRIBE

To unsubscribe to TownTalk, send an e-mail message with the word

"unsubscribe" in either the body or the subject line to

towntalk@dynapolis.com.

DIGEST

To receive the digest version of TownTalk, send an e-mail message with the

words "subscribe digest" in either the body or the subject line to

towntalk@dynapolis.com.

HELP FILE

This welcome letter also serves as the list's Help File. To receive another

copy of it send an e-mail message with the word "help" in either the body or

the subject line to towntalk@dynapolis.com.

LIST ARCHIVES

The list is currently being archived for possible future availability. The

list owners reserve the right to retain limited copyright of all posts for

the purpose of archiving and electronic retrieval. Participation in the list

is an implied acceptance of this provision.

LIST CONDUCT

Like most mailing lists, the list managers prohibit flaming and off topic

posts. Furthermore, unauthorized commercial postings, or advertisements, are

prohibited.

ARCHIVES

We will be storing all of the messages from this list in a FileMakerPro

database, in order to make a searchable archive available on the Web in the

near future. When you post a message to this list, you name and email

address will become available to visitors who wish to scan these archives.

All questions about the list, its purpose, its operation or its rules can be

directed via private e-mail to Doug Gentry dwgentry@polarconsult.com or

Howard Owens howard@rvclub.com.

QUICK CLICKS

To remove yourself from the list:

To get a single digest each day:

******************************************

CLOCKWORK RADIO

(Note: This article was sourced from PRODDER, a regular newsletter compiled

by the HSRC. If you would like to receive PRODDER regularly, send a request

to DBB@zeus.hsrc.ac.za or YOF@zeus.hsrc.ac.za)

-------------

The recent introduction of a handful of low-tech inventions has begun to

help people in some of Africa's most undeveloped areas upgrade their

standards of living and improve their daily lives. The inspiration came to

British Investor Trevor Baylis in 1992 as he watched a television

documentary about the spread of AIDS in Africa. World Health Organisation

experts explained that the epidemic could not be halted by medical means,

but only by widespread health education. Baylis realised that the only

practical way of transmitting information about AIDS prevention - radio -

was out of the reach of the millions at risk because there is no electrical

power in most of rural Africa. That night, at home in his London workshop,

he assembled the makings of the first clockwork radio, a deceptively simple

device that can receive FM, AM and shortwave transmissions without the need

for an external power supply.

The principle of the clockwork radio is relatively straightforward. A single

winding coils the spring, much like cranking up an old gramophone, which

pushes power through a gearing mechanism to the generator as it unwinds.

This power, in turn, fuels the radio, which can run for an hour after a

25-second wind-up. Liberty Life, a leading South African insurance company,

provided investment capital to bring the product to market in 1996 and

BayGen, another South African firm, is now cranking out 20 000 of the radios

a month from its factory in Cape Town. Endorsed by South African President

Nelson Mandela, the lunch-box size radio is being snapped up by aid agencies

such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the

International Red Cross. Baylis is now working with General Electric and

Apple to develop and mass produce lap-top computers that run on the

clockwork principle. Should the wind-up computer prove feasible, Baylis'

invention could eventually help bring the information superhighway to the

dirt roads of Africa's remotest villages. (Time Magazine)

ENQUIRIES: Leigh-Ann Groenink, Regional Manager - Southern and Eastern

Africa, GayGen Power Group Tel: (+27) (21) 794-4888 Fax: (+27) (21) 794-4848

E-mail: jeh@iafrica.com

******************************************

SITE FOR DEVELOPERS OF WEB-BASED EDUCATIONAL COURSES

Instructional Systems Inc. (ISI) is proud to announce the launching of a new

Web site dedicated to the needs of everyone involved in creating, teaching,

and administering Web-based college-level Distance Learning courses. We've

dubbed it The Wellspring: An Online Community of Distance Educators

Our goal is to provide faculty, Distance Learning Coordinators, and other

interested parties with a central meeting place where we discuss matters of

common concern, link out to the best journal articles and other documents

online regarding Web-based instruction, participate in a series of regular

online Special Events, and in general share our experiences in delivering

online education.

Much of the thinking behind The Wellspring and its construction is due to

the sterling work of faculty and students from Teachers College (TC) of

Columbia University, one of the most highly regarded schools of education in

the country. Distance Learning is a prime area of current research at TC.

DISCUSSION FORUMS

asynchronous threaded conferences on subjects like "Teaching an Online

Course" and "What Makes for a Good Online Course?"

READING ROOMS

original documents and links to the most seminal, practical, or

thought-provoking articles devoted to Distance Education in general and

asynchronous Web-based college courses in particular

SEMINAR ROOMS

scheduled live online chats occur, featuring knowledgeable Distance

Educators and important educational policy makers

Please join us for our first Special Event from 4:00 to 5:00 EST on

Wednesday, 18 February, a live chat session with Professor Benjamin Bell of

Teachers College, Columbia University. Prof. Bell will discuss "Distance

Learning by Distance Doing."

The Wellspring is meant to be your resource, and we invite you to visit

regularly.

For further information get in touch with ISI at:

----------------------------------

Instructional Systems Inc.

411 Hackensack Avenue

Hackensack, NJ 07601

1-800-314-8991

partners@isinj.com

******************************************

IS THE WEB A `VAST WASTELAND?'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The Internet is fast becoming the "vast wasteland"

that some claimed television turned into after the forces of mass marketing

took over the medium, critics said Thursday.

But they also held out hope that the self-repairing mechanisms of the Net

could curb commercial excesses.

The comments -- and the heated rejoinders that followed -- came during the

opening day of the Networked Entertainment World conference here, a show

dedicated to exploring how entertainment will be delivered online.

"At moments, it does seem as if we are inventing the vaster wasteland" of

cybermedia, said Paul Saffo, a director at the Institute for the Future, in

Menlo Park, Calif. Saffo moderated a panel that included authors Neal

Stephenson and Douglas Rushkoff, and Disney fellow Alan Kay.

One gripe: The forces of mass marketing are trying so hard to make a buck on

the Net that their efforts eclipse the truly wonderful things that have been

created on the Web. A risk is that many worthwhile but low-budget sites will

be neglected.

Rushkoff said that although the Net has great potential for becoming an

interactive medium and bringing people closer together, it has not realized

that potential. Instead, some businesses seem intent on turning the Web into

a TV-like passive medium.

"Hopefully, we can reinvent ourselves out of this mess," Saffo said.

Kay suggested that is likely, saying the Internet was designed with the

lowest level protocols just so it would be easy to repair and grow.

When an audience member took issue with the suggestion that entertainment

over the Web was somehow bad, Kay responded that there was nothing wrong

with entertainment per se. The issue is with the mass-market push behind it.

The assessment of the Web as an expanding wasteland drew a blast from Mark

Mariani, executive vice president of sales for CBS SportsLine. "To them, I'm

the Antichrist," Mariani said.

He claimed the Net, far from being a wasteland, is already a boon to people

who need information, want to be entertained, or want to buy goods

instantly.

And he said that the Web will soon supplant some traditional kinds of media,

such as daily newspapers. Though major national brands such as the Wall

Street Journal will survive, it's likely that most newspapers will be pushed

aside by the ability of the Internet to deliver instant, customized

information instantly. "Newspapers are going to go by the wayside, no doubt

about it," he said.

******************************************

INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROFESSIONALS

BRITISH MASTERS DEGREE TO FURTHER YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT

NOW IS THE TIME...

The Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) Masters of Science in Information

Systems degree is a management degree specifically designed for IS

professionals in mid-career. Participating in this degree course will

strengthen your Information Systems Management competence, making you better

placed to manage in a sophisticated, fast moving IS environment. With an MSc

in IS you will be able to seek promotion to senior IS positions both in

South

Africa and abroad.

This Masters degree includes subjects such as Organisations and Information

Systems, Information Systems Platforms and Technologies, Project Management

and Quality, Business Processes and Information Management, Information

Strategy Planning, Information and Globalisation which will be taught by

international experts from LMU's Information Systems Faculty.

The LMU MSc in IS is a part-time degree commencing in Johannesburg in March

months over extended weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday). Small

classes will ensure individual attention and networking opportunities.

Leeds Metropolitan University is a large long established institution with

over 24,000 students.Its degrees are recognised world-wide and have an

outstanding reputation in the business community.

For further details contact Professor Dan Remenyi or Leslie-Anne Foulkes on

Tel (011) 784 9200 or fax (011) 784 9209 email: amsi@commerce.co.za

Please quote TAD when responding.

Sent via the BRIDGES Community Information Network.

***********************************************************

Telematics for African Development Consortium

P.O. Box 31822

Braamfontein

2017

Johannesburg

South Africa

Tel: +27 +11 403-2813

Fax: +27 +11 403-2814

neilshel@icon.co.za