My experience in studying elearning has been interesting but non-productive to date.  Having failed to introduce ICT and elearning successfully while volunteering at a school in Tanzania, my ambition has been to find out how to succeed.  However, most of my study so far has focused on Higher Education rather than schools or required a level of teaching experience which I don’t have.

My observation in Tanzania however, was that teachers were keen to get onto Facebook and pupils were keen to play games – so there was an interest in digital culture, just not in formal elearning.  Part of the problem is the didactic nature of African school education – which doesn’t recognise interaction, enquiry and fun as part of the learning experience.

So, I have hopes that approaching elearning from the broader perspective of digital culture may be a route I can develop.  I can’t hope to change the culture of African education overnight but maybe I can try to lead digital explorers into more intellectual enquiry hence, at least vicariously, towards learning. In Africa, capability is often recognised as a de facto qualification for lower level jobs, hence those able to demonstrate digital literacy may be able to climb the ladder of employment, even though not as advantaged as those who have the approved examination certificates.