Can technology stunt community growth and personal development?

Could it be that, despite the rising importance and inarguable necessity of technological advancement, we are actually doing harm to society?

We know technological advancement is good, and makes some things possible that could never have been dreamed of even 10 years ago. In education as well, this has created new ways of delivering content and, to a certain extent, revolutionised schooling - just look at CIDA as an example of the benefits.

Reading this post about online education by Jeremy from Huddlemind Labs, as well as this article about e-learning by the Department of Education, it's obvious that this is a part of our future, and probably a very big part at that.

The big flashing warning sign - if we take education online and remove students from interactive classes, how will they develop the ability to interact at a social level? It's already difficult enough with kids in schools interacting with others every day. But if half of the children were to sit at home with little interaction, we must be cautious of raising a generation of individualistic loners with no ability to communicate with others, let alone function as part of a team.

This is not an argument against using technology to educate, but rather just a thought that this needs to be managed as we make these changes. I believe that this is a huge opportunity sitting and waiting to be developed - the management of children's social and educational development at the same time. If a workable solution can be created, not only can we improve education throughout the country, reaching far and wide, but also improve the strength of community and thereby improve everyone's quality of life.

[And with all the talk of "free" around and SA's [slow] move towards free education, here's a link to something I wrote a while ago: what is mahala education actually worth?]

Is a blog just a bad business in disguise?

After two related posts relating to blogs for sale, I got to thinking about the real value of blogging. WHY DO WE DO THIS?

Eve Dmochowska's question here relating to a blog for sale had me thinking the answer was obvious, but then to see Adii seriously considering purchasing one here made me rethink it for a second.

Just to take a little step back... I see a distinguishing factor between a great business and a great businessman. You can be a great businessman/salesman/widget-maker-extraordinaire but still not have a great business. One of the marks of a great business is that the system runs regardless of whether the owner/manager is there [ie the business doesn't go home at night when you do]. I've written previously about the great education model that's been built at CIDA - but in reading this article in the Economist ["CIDA remains intimately associated with its founder and chief executive, and there are questions about whether it would survive without him."], it seems that this is even an issue in their hallowed halls.

Building a business away from yourself is largely contradictory to how most blogs are developed - where the personalities involved often become the main attraction, and advertising revenues [see the two examples Adii cites] are the business model. I'm sure we've all seen many blogs simply dripping with tons of paid links awaiting your beloved clicks. Shouldn't a blog be more than this?

That's one of the reasons I don't have any Adsense or other paid-links here. I love writing and want to enjoy it for what it is. Do I want a blog that is widely read and respected? Sure - we all do. What I would also love to do is build an AWESOME, amazing business one day that will change the world!!! But will a blog ever be that? Sure, it can be a part of it, but I don't believe the blog should ever be the business itself.

Please don't take this the wrong way. I know sites that attract lots of eyeballs are valuable. I know there's huge potential and the possibilities are amazing - but there's still quite a lot of work to be done in this particular case. Buying it is a shortcut which many might be able to use well, so if someone is willing to pay over $8,000 for a blog, without any other clear business model built around it [precious few contracts, current relatively low revenue levels, etc], I wish them all the best, and can only say congrats to the high-school going developer. Hey - that's the entrepreneurial spirit!

Education vs innovation?

A good place to start is one very close to my heart, as I believe it underlies many of the other critical aspects to making lasting changes - education!

As a nation, this is one of our largest challenges. We have an abundance of creative, energetic young individuals who have amazing ideas that could change the world... if only they knew how.

CIDA has managed to bridge this gap by revolutionising the tertiary education model for developing countries.

I was very fortunate to attend a meeting at CIDA City Campus in 2001, where I was part of a group that saw the inner-workings and met one of the early drivers of the process - Taddy Blecher. Work commitments kept me from making the contribution I wanted to, and I ended up missing out on something incredible - who would've known how it would impact society.

Lesson learned - incredible opportunities come along all the time - don't let them pass you by!

However, education remains one of the greatest opportunities in South Africa. But how do you provide a solid foundation from an early age to children in disadvantaged communities? Well, this is a challenge in any community... but having found a nursery school which provides meaningful input, I'm interested to see if there is a way to roll this out inexpensively, while providing suitable rewards for the teachers and educators involved. There must be a way, and I'll keep you posted on my findings.