Lustmühle (CH), December 2007 - While eLearning has become a standard in language and professional training, much of its potential for the delivery of Basic Skills remains yet to be unlocked. The Swiss eLearning specialist Avallain has started an open source initiative to create Basic Skills content and technology for the OLPC (One Laptop per Child) project and is inviting interested parties to participate in the effort.
"A commonly repeated argument holds that the spread of ICT deepens the digital divide", states Ursula Suter, Avallain's managing director. "We think that, on the contrary, computer and internet-based learning can be used to reduce the gap as it has become a proven instrument to provide quality, cost-effective education that lays the foundation for further learning and growth - such as literacy, numeracy, and what is broadly referred to as work skills."
Even defining the term "the digital divide" has become difficult when, for example, many emerging economies have witnessed a higher and more diverse use of mobile phones than we see in Europe. By adapting the possibilities of eLearning to the respective infrastructures available in different societies and supporting self-study as well as blended learning concepts, an ideal tool for higher distribution, quality control and accountability becomes available.
Avallain is convinced that in regions where there is a vacuum of available solutions, their recent areas of activity such as "Basic Skills" or "Agricultural E-Education for African farmers" also function as innovation triggers for eLearning in general. This is because they often push the technical requirements and conceptual flexibility far beyond the standard.
