SP.772 Internet Technology in Local and Global Communities, Spring 2005

Abstract

The MIT-Africa Internet Technology Initiative (MIT-AITI) organization is an innovative approach by MIT students to integrate computers and internet technology into the education of students in African schools. The program focuses upon programming principles, cutting-edge internet technology, free open-source systems, and even an entrepreneurship seminar to introduce students in Africa to the power of technology and to equip them with skills that will allow them to be creative, resourceful, and prosperous. The mission statement of the AITI program is based on the idea that information technology carries the potential to empower people around the globe with knowledge. The AITI program is implemented with emphasis on classroom teaching, community-oriented projects, and independent learning. MIT-AITI achieves this goal by sending MIT students to three African nations in order to teach both students and teachers through intensive classroom and lab sessions for six weeks. Hence, MIT-AITI provides MIT students with an opportunity for community service where they can apply their extensive engineering skills. Moreover, MIT-AITI creates a long-term cultural and technical understanding between MIT and African educational institutions.