Medical diagnostics help us evaluate a range of disorders, such as cancer and infectious diseases. In the United States and other developed countries, doctors have access to advanced equipment and laboratories that provide reliable diagnoses. As a result, when we are sick, we feel confident that we will get the treatment we need. Unfortunately,…

The nonprofit organization One Laptop per Child (OLPC) has a mission that is easy to articulate but very challenging to achieve: Provide laptop computers to the almost 2 billion children who live in parts of the world where poverty and the lack of a structured educational system deprive them of an adequate education. To further complicate the…

This article argues that advances in nanotechnology in general, and lab-on-chip technology in particular, have the potential to benefit the developing world in its quest to control risks to human health and the environment. Based on the "risk society" thesis of Ulrich Beck, it is argued that the developed world must realign its science and…

Discussion of developments in satellite communications and educational applications focuses on the possibilities of adapting satellite technology for instruction in developing countries. Topics include satellite use in Australia and the United States; and recommendations for the adoption of satellite technology in Saudi Arabia. (Author/LRW)

Describes the French Language Information Network in Canada as an example of a national network and discusses the work of the International Federation of Library Associations in developing international networks. It is argued that, in order to design effective networks for developing countries, it is essential to first survey local needs. (seven…

Differences in training in developing countries can be traced to the experiences of colonization, industrialization, and advancing technology. Since decolonization after World War II, developing countries have had to cope with depleted primary resources and unprecedented and unexpectedly rapid industrialization. Industrialization has taken the…

Discusses worldwide efforts to use technology as a distance learning tool, particularly in less-developed countries. Topics include telecommunications and transfer of knowledge, including subject matter, pedagogy employed, and use of appropriate technology; and examples of three projects currently underway in less-developed countries to help…

Discussion of the use of appropriate educational media and technology in developing countries focuses on conditions in Zimbabwe. Poverty as a cultural factor is examined, transferring technology from one country to another is discussed, and the need for skilled and trained personnel is emphasized. (LRW)

Discusses how the lack of information infrastructures supporting scientific and technical research hampers attempts to transfer certain information technologies, such as online database searching, to developing nations. It is argued that laserdisk information storage technologies, such as CD-ROM, conform more closely to the prevailing conditions…

The problem with developing technology in the South Pacific is similar to that of most developing countries. The size of these island nations and the market alternatives compound the problem in the South Pacific. Although there have been some piecemeal efforts in the South Pacific to develop technology, none has made more than a limited impact. In…

Four issues of this newsletter focus primarily on the use of communication technologies in developing nations to educate their people. The issues included in this collection are: (1) No. 60 (1988-1), which features articles on the recent emergence of intercountry networks of collaboration (resulting in the sharing of staff, equipment, and…

Describes efforts in Indonesia to use educational technology in appropriate ways to help alleviate education problems. Lessons learned are discussed as they relate to cultural affairs, personnel and training, organization and management; and leadership. Reasons for success are also highlighted, including local control, long range planning, and…

Provides a rationale for considering English for specific purposes in terms of "appropriate technology"; surveys the philosophical and intellectual underpinnings of the appropriate technology movement; defines key terms and clarifies them with language teaching examples; and briefly considers some objections to the notion of appropriate…

"Global outreach" refers to the international delivery of education, health, public information, commercial, and other services using appropriate communications technology. International organizations are partnering in various ways with developing-country governments, private companies, local communities, and non-governmental…