EduWiki Conference 2023/Program/Offline tools
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Offline tools- Florence Devouard
Ruby Damenshie-Brown
Time: 16:25 - 17:15
Room: Forum Room
Abstract:
This session will demonstrate how Offline tools like Kiwix and WikiFundi is bridging the digital divide and creating opportunities for underrepresented communities to access and contribute to knowledge without having to think of the barriers to accessing the internet. This session will try to be as practical as possible while engaging the understanding of the audience. Please feel free to come with questions or suggestions.
Access to online educational resources remains a challenge for most parts of the world. Even though more than 58.8% (according to datareportal.com) of the world is connected to the internet today, the majority stems from the West. This leaves a lot of countries in the Global South at a disadvantage, limiting their access to information, knowledge, and complementary educational resources on the web. Offline tools like Kiwix, and WikiFundi are creating opportunities for both users and contributors of knowledge without the internet. This was more apparent during this pandemic, as teachers and students have had to rely on the internet to teach and learn across the world. One of the main causes of this problem, among other factors, is the high cost of maintaining internet infrastructure and poor internet connectivity in the Global South.
The session will be the opportunity to
- briefly present two offline education initiatives, the Kiwix4schools mentorship program and the WikiChallenge Ecoles d’Afrique,
- as well as to present two offline tools used in those programs (Kiwix and WikiFundi) and briefly demo upon request
- share and discuss insights, stories, successes, challenges, failures, and next steps, with the audience
Kiwix4schools Project/Mentorship Program- WikiChallenge_Ecoles d'Afrique/en
- Kiwix
- WikiFundi/en
- All presenters have extensive knowledge and experience using and implementing those tools and are in a position to impact others. Wikimedians for offline wikis
- Using offline tools to build open content and introduce to open knowledge movement : video
