Intelligent Tutoring Systems by and for the Developing World: A Review of Trends and Approaches for Educational Technology in a Global Context <s> Student Basic ICT Skills <s> This study reports results of an ethnographic action research study, exploring mobile-centric internet use. Over the course of 13 weeks, eight women, each a member of a livelihoods collective in urban Cape Town, South Africa, received training to make use of the data (internet) features on the phones they already owned. None of the women had previous exposure to PCs or the internet. Activities focused on social networking, entertainment, information search, and, in particular, job searches. Results of the exercise reveal both the promise of, and barriers to, mobile internet use by a potentially large community of first-time, mobile-centric users. Discussion focuses on the importance of self-expression and identity management in the refinement of online and offline presences, and considers these forces relative to issues of gender and socioeconomic status. <s> BIB001 </s> Intelligent Tutoring Systems by and for the Developing World: A Review of Trends and Approaches for Educational Technology in a Global Context <s> Student Basic ICT Skills <s> MCT-LAC - a Math Cognitive Tutor System - consists of a teaching-learning strategy based on "learning by doing", which is enhanced by the use of an interactive software tool that adapts itself to the student's interactions and responses. It is a system in the sense that includes both teaching-learning strategies and an interactive-adaptable technology. The strategy uses both an individual approach (in the computer lab) and a collaborative approach (in the classroom). The MCT-LAC software tools provide progress feedback to students and teachers, both in an individualized and a group format. As a side effect, the MCT-LAC system also serves as an excellent tool for teachers to re-enforce their math knowledge and associated teaching strategies. In this paper we describe the strategy and tools of the MCT-LAC system, the implementation of a pilot experience in several Latin American countries and some preliminary assessment results. <s> BIB002 </s> Intelligent Tutoring Systems by and for the Developing World: A Review of Trends and Approaches for Educational Technology in a Global Context <s> Student Basic ICT Skills <s> Technology has the promise to transform educational prac-tices worldwide. In particular, cognitive tutoring systems are an example of educational technology that has been ex-tremely effective at improving mathematics learning over traditional classroom instruction. However, studies on the effectiveness of tutor software have been conducted mainly in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, and little is known about how these systems might be used in other contexts with differing classroom practices and values. To understand this question, we studied the usage of mathematics tutoring software for middle school at sites in three Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico, and Costa Rica. While cognitive tutors were designed for individual use, we found that students in these classrooms worked collaboratively, engaging in interdependently paced work and conducting work away from their own computer. In this paper we present design recommendations for how cognitive tutors might be incorporated into different classroom practices, and better adapted for student needs in these environments. <s> BIB003
Research on basic computing skills for students indicates significant differences between individual use and classroom use. Pilots of Cognitive Tutor and LISTEN Reading Tutor in the developing world found that students were able to navigate the software fairly quickly BIB002  ). However, a study on mobile access in South Africa showed a much higher barrier to basic web use BIB001 . Two factors appear to mitigate lack of basic ICT skills by students: peer support and initial device setup (e.g., operating system setup, Internet and network connectivity). Peer groups can be very beneficial because even a small number of technically-adept learners can help inexperienced peers perform basic setup tasks. In some cases, technically-proficient learners have also helped teachers with limited ICT skills BIB003 . In many ways, this is a support issue: users can learn how to use an ITS, but setting up a device is difficult. In classroom and institutional settings, this responsibility typically falls on technical support staff. Even where such support is limited, peer support sometimes mitigates this challenge. Informal and home contexts are more complicated, because technical support may be entirely unavailable. One solution is to simplify the system: Savvopoulos and Virvou (2010) approached elderly populations with low ICT skills by providing tutoring over interactive TV. The holein-the-wall experiments also sidestepped this hurdle by embedding Internet-ready computers in public spaces  . However, mobile devices are the prevalent independent platform. On mobile platforms, community support such as libraries and schools may be pivotal to help install and setup ITS for home use.