Global Bridges

Delft, Netherlands

(June 11 - 15, 2005)
Maria Beebe and Ryan Sain facilitated The Grand Workshop for Nettel at the Delft Technological University in the Netherlands. This workshop was targeted at Lead course lecturers, Department Chairs or NetTel @ Africa coordinators nominated by their Deans or Directors from African NetTel partner universities (Southern, West and East Africa) with SIGNED MoUs and Senate approvals, ready to start their roll-out in July 2005.

The purpose of this meeting was quite large: address lessons learned from the first year of on-line learning (2004, the pilot year); establish a research agenda for NetTel@Africa; identify the best combination of face to face and online discussion forums; discuss achieving results through synergies among the 4 Nettel components; begin an evaluation of instructor performance; perform an appreciative inquiry with NetTel members; build capacity for all the lecturers from all 20 universities through the Executive Development Program; and gain experience/perform user testing on KEWL Next Generation (new course management tool). By the end of the meeting, participants were expected to be able to: effectively roll out the Network Semester in July 2005; use and train others on the application of KEWL Next Gen; run a follow up workshop in their institutions; develop topics for student or institutional research that are responsive to an approved research agenda.

Kigali, Rwanda

(February 3 - February 20, 2005)
The CBDD hosted a two-week intensive, youth led technology training for youth. Colleen Taugher met with stakeholders with the capacity to build the program into a sustainable curriculum in the public school system.

Washington, D.C.

(November 30 - December 4, 2004)
Maria Beebe convened with representatives from USAID's Leland Initiative to explore future collaborations with other partners regarding the NetTel program. For example, World Bank, Education Development Center, Office of Spectrum Management, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Ithaca, New York

(November 19-20, 2004)
Maria Beebe presented at Cornell University in a major symposium on Building the ICT Capacity of African Universities for Promoting Development. The title of her paper was ICTs, Universities, and Development.

Botswana, South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia

(November 15-19, 2004)
The CBDD hosted a five day work session on the campuses of WSU (Spokane and Pullman) for the African NetTel Partners to review, revise, and launch the advanced courses for the transnational Masters Degree program in ICT and Telecommunications Policy and Regulation. A special video session is viewable
Download the session in Windows Media Player or
Real Player

Boston, Massachusetts

(December 1, 2004)
By invitation, Bill Gillis presented at the W3C's10th Annual World Wide Web Consortium. He presented on how the Web can and is improving lives for ordinary people everywhere. His presentation is viewable here »

Paris, France

(November 6-7 2004)
Maria Beebe met with Dr. Adebayo Olukoshi (CODESRIA) and Dr. Kelly Wong (CIDCM/UMD) to brainstorm how to replicate NetTel's policy and regulation process with content on conflict analysis, management, and negotiation content.

Kampala, Uganda

(October 31 - November 5, 2004)
Maria Beebe participated in the 5th forum on telecommunications regulation in Africa (hosted by Uganda Communications Commission). She also met with TRASA regarding NetTel's Advisory Council and peering MOU.

Nairobi, Kenya

(June 14-18, 2004)
Maria Beebe and Matthew Mitchell led an e-Learning workshop for the Kenya Education Network. The event was hosted by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Salzburg, Austria

(June 1-6, 2004)
Matthew Mitchell, Deputy Director of Global Networks participated in the Freeman Symposium - East Asia and United States: A Search for Common Values.

Nairobi, Kenya

(May 25-28, 2004)
Professor Henry Thairu, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology visited the Center to Bridge the Digital Divide to discuss future training sessions and development of cooperative programs.

Abuja, Nigeria

(May 17-21, 2004)
Maria Beebe, Director of Global Networks facilitated an intesive e-Learning seminar for the Digital Divide Institute in Abuja, Nigeria. A notable highlight of this event was a presentation by the Nigeria's President Osabanjo.

Lesotho, Maseru

(March 6-30, 2004)
Former Ambassador Percy Mangoaela was hosted by the Center to Bridge the Digital Divide on a multi-stop visit with state level public utility commissions in Washington D.C., North Carolina, and Washington State. Mr. Mangoaela, the current chair of the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority, attended the annual meeting for NARUC.

Johannesburg, South Africa

(March 2004)
Alison Olzendam, Director of Education and Technology Networks partnered with faculty from the University of Witwatersrand to provide a workshop for secondary school teachers who are beginning to use technology in the classroom.

Petersburg and Pretoria, South Africa

(February 15-25, 2004)
Doreen Hauser-Lindstrom, Director of Youth Community Networks conducted a workshop on youth technology projects from 4H. The event was hosted by the University of the North.

South Africa, Tanzania, and Nigeria

(February 2004)
Three NetTel associates attended the International Training Program on Utility Regulation and Strategy at the PURC, University of Florida. Betty Rammutla (South Africa), Marcellina Chijoriga (Tanzania), and Funlola Akiode (Nigeria) attended the training program.

Geneva, Switzerland @ WSIS

(December 10-12, 2003)
Maria Beebe, Director Global Networks presented an overview of NetTel@Africa as part of a panel on Public-Private Partnerships for Digital Opportunity organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)@ICT4D @ WSIS. With Madanmohan Rao, co-editor for AfricaDotEdu and authors Mike Jensen and Venancio Massingue also @WSIS, a book signing was held at the USAID booth.

Lilongwe, Malawi

(December 1, 2003)
Bill Gillis, Director of the Center to Bridge the Digital Divide and Ted Trepenair, Washington State Department of Transportation met with representatives of Malawi Ministry of Transportation and Public Works to brief on progress of the Malawi NetTOPS (now renamed Malawi NetTOM—Transportation Operations Management).

Blantyre, Malawi

(December 2-5, 2003)
Bill Gillis, Director of the Center to Bridge the Digital Divide and Ted Trepenair, Washington State Department of Transportation worked with Dr. Grant Kululanga (Polytechnic Blantyre) and Ms. Joce Ngwenya (Malawi College of Accountancy), along with the course developers on framework for developing courses for eLearning.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

(December 7-9, 2003)
Bill Gillis met with Elizabeth Nzagi (chief counsel and acting director), Goodluck Ole-Medeye and Francis Msungu (senior staff) of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority to compare notes on U.S. and Tanzania regulatory approaches to key challenges including universal access and competition policy.

Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa

(November 30 December 2, 2003)
Alison Olzendam met with the Schools of Education Consortium and Gauteng Department of Education regarding the teaching, learning, and technology network under the leadership of the University of Witswatersrand.

Blantyre, Malawi

(November 26-29, 2003)
Alison Olzendam provided training to the University of Malawi (Polytechnic at Blantyre) and the Malawi College of Accounting on eLearning Principles.

Pretoria, South Africa

(November 2003)
Maria Beebe read a paper on KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS (KELP): SPMA and Public Administration at the symposium on Africanising Public Administration: Issues for Leadership. The symposium was hosted by the School of Public and Management Administration (SPMA) at the University of Pretoria during their 10th year anniversary.

Edinburgh, Scotland

(September 14-20, 2003)
Maria Beebe participated in the International Conference on Tropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests: Ecology, Environment and Development at the Royal Botanic Garden. While there she discussed with the Savanna Southern Africa Savanna Network a book outline for submission to the Scientific Commission on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE).

Blantyre, Malawi

(September 13-20, 2003)
Matthew Mitchell, Deputy Global Networks, along with Wesley Nitsckie provided training to the University of Malawi, Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic Blantyre and the Malawi College of Acountancy on the use of KEWL, an online learning management system.

Salzburg, Austria

(September 3-10, 2003)
Matthew Mitchell was invited as a Fellow at the Salzburg Seminar for Digital Inclusion: Confronting the Information Gap.

Pori, Finland

(June 23-27, 2003)
Matthew Mitchell presented a paper on Possible, Probable and Preferable Futures of the Digital Divide at the 2003 Informing Science and Information Technology Education Conference.

London, U.K.

(March 6-7, 2003)
Maria Beebe met separately with the top bidders for the DFID-funded CATIA to explain USAID's plans for expanding NetTel@Africa and how options for co-ordination/linkages between USAID and DFID.

Paris, France @OECD

(March 4-5, 2003)
Maria Beebe participated in the OECD Global Forum on Knowledge Economy Joint OECD/UN/World Bank Global Forum: Integrating ICT in Development Programmes. The Forum is part of the OECD response to international calls to "mainstream" ICT, not only within project planning and design, but within development strategies, both nationally and internationally.