E-voting

A number of countries, such as India, have introduced e-voting systems. Citizens can vote by going to a specified location, such as a school, or they can vote from home using a computer. Each voter is provided with a unique identifier, such as IND55454, that they must enter into the system when they vote.

These e-voting systems usually consist of a user interface (see Figure 1), linked to a relational database (see Figure 2).

Figure 1: An example of an e-voting interface

Figure 2: An example of a relational database

BYOD at Xingu Academy

Some students at Xingu Academy have been allowed to “bring your own device (BYOD)” into school so they can use assistive technologies, such as speech-to-text, to support their learning (see Figure 3). Mayu Jimenez, the Head of Learning and Teaching, has seen the benefits for these students. A number of other teachers believe there will be benefits if the school becomes a BYOD school. However, before a decision can be made, Alejandro Gandolla, the Head of IT, has been asked to investigate whether the school would be able to cope with the demands of the increased number of devices.

Figure 3: Assistive technologies

A cashless society

In the near future, it is possible that cash will not be accepted as a means of payment in Sweden. People are already using alternative ways of paying, such as mobile payment, card payment and internet payment. Currently, over 95% of citizens in Sweden have internet access.

Many people in Sweden claim there are advantages of using an app developed by Swish. The Swish app allows friends to share a restaurant bill, pay where credit or debit cards are not accepted, for babysitting or parking tickets, or make a donation at church.

However, other people in Sweden claim that making the Swish app the only means of payment may increase inequalities within the country.

Discuss whether countries should pass legislation making apps such as Swish the only means of payment.

Cell phone farmers

Many farmers in Cameroon are not able to use the internet due to the very limited communication infrastructure in the country. In addition, accessing the internet is expensive for most farmers.

As many farmers have cell/mobile phones, they could make better use of technologies such as text messaging (SMS*) to access information that would assist them in their farming.

However, recent research has suggested that a lack of internet access is not the main factor limiting the development of farming in Cameroon: the main factor is farmers’ lack of IT knowledge.

Some farmers in Cameroon are trialling a system called Agritexte, which uses text messages to provide information on the market prices of produce, such as cassava leaves and cocoa (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: An example of a text message

* SMS: short message service

Technology disruption in Orams Academy

Many schools use virtual learning environments (VLEs), such as Firefly, PowerSchool Learning, Schoology, Final Site LMS, and Google Classroom. The VLE is used for document storage, lesson content, and homework management as well as for communication between the school, students and parents.

In addition to the VLE, collaborative cloud-based online tools, such as Google G Suite and Microsoft Office 365, are used by students and teachers.

Recently, Daniela Stark, the principal at Orams Academy, has become concerned that using only one VLE may not prove to be as beneficial as originally thought. She has heard that some teachers and students are also successfully using social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to share their learning. She has also been told that the lack of bandwidth that the school experiences at times can cause problems.

Daniela is considering an alternative approach, allowing teachers and students to choose the most appropriate tools to manage their learning.

Braille keyboards

According to the World Health Organization, over 250 million people worldwide are blind or visually impaired. Many of them use a writing system called Braille, which they read by touching patterns of raised dots with their fingertips.

Several companies have recently developed Braille keyboards, such as the one shown in Figure 1. Braille keyboards use different combinations of the nine main keys to form characters.

Figure 1: A Braille keyboard

Braille keyboards are usually very expensive. They can cost twenty or thirty times more than standard keyboards. They are always protected by patents and cannot be cheaply reproduced.

Umair Osman, a young teacher in Pakistan, has invented a haptic interface that uses a flexible plastic overlay1 to imitate the layout of a Braille keyboard.

Umair has also developed software that converts the combinations of keys pressed on the overlay to the corresponding ASCII2 character. The overlay, together with the software, enables visually impaired students to convert a standard keyboard into a Braille keyboard.

Umair is considering releasing his software as open-source software and using crowdfunding3 to develop the Braille keyboard further.

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1 overlay: a flexible plastic cover that is placed over the keyboard to allow combinations of keys to be pressed by the user

2 ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange

3 crowdfunding: funding projects from donations made by a large number of people via the internet

Schools told not to use cloud computing software applications

Schools in the German state of Hesse will no longer be able to use cloud computing services with software applications, such as G Suite and Office 365, due to new data protection rules. This has identified the risk of schools’ data being stored and accessed by third parties from outside of Germany.

In contrast, many schools in other parts of the world use cloud computing services and software applications. These applications allow students to access software that was previously only installed on their computers.