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Tech4Africa notes: day 2

Day 2 was business day at t4a. Below are some brief notes from a few of the talks that peaked my interest.

Doing something new in an old company by Bradley Whittington of Mxit

  • new stuff is hard, tiring
  • find the elephant in the room project
  • start small, focused, and isolated
  • prove your approach
  • have "demo friday"

The Next Billion. Delivering the Internet Revolution to the Developing World by Derek Kopke of DataWind

  • mobile networks are congested
  • is the US, when the cost of PCs equalled 1 week of salary, their adoption rate rocketed
  • internet access helps. Indian stats have shown that distance from a big city is correlated with quality of education
  • shift revenue to recurring streams

The Impact of Agile & Lean on Product Management & Innovation by Brett Steingo of Internet Solutions

  • define success metrics and assumptions
  • use short cycles to help your team be regular, predictable.

Building a system to transform the way Africa learns by Barbara Mallinson of Obami

  • 7 innovations in education
    1. rich media
    2. flipped classroom.
    3. mobility. Not bound to a classroom.
    4. MOOCS, online learning. But only about 5% completion rate.
    5. Gamification. Learning without realising, aiming for badges.
    6. Big data. Customised lessons for students.
    7. Social networking, social learning.
  • Collaborate, share, learn