Ethical Implication of ICT for Disadvantaged Youth Project

Questions to help you:

•                Did you do good? What good?

•                How do you determine whether you did good or not?

•                What does sustainability have to do with it?

•                Was your service project sustainable?

•                What could you do differently in the future? 

•                What is you biggest critique of the service project? 

Throughout the ICT for Disadvantaged Youth Project, I have been involved with different rolls. I had to organize some of the lessons that has been planned for the students. Also I personally did something good for the children, as the organization aimed to provide more access and experiences to technology to the students. However, I personally do not think that the activity had much connections to the sustainability of the environment, rather it aimed to tackle the fundamental societal problem that needs to be solved. Then by doing so, it hoped to teach people to understand more about sustainability.

Digital divide was the problem that I mainly tried to solve from this project. From this experience, I tried to provide more access to technology to the students who participated the project. In many of the Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDC), income inequality widens due to the lack of knowledge that is available to the people. This is mainly caused from the lack of information passed through such poorer areas of the country. Through providing more experiences and chances to the participants, the main goal was to give more awareness to the participants about the availability of information through the use of the technology.

However, much of the project did not fully follow what had been planned from the start. The project failed to provide enough computers, which were used to provide access to internet and technology. Also much of the curriculum for the target children was not fully developed and many of the times, the class times were spent just wasting time trying to teach the students to do something that we have taught before. In addition, many of the students have different computer skills that it was nearly impossible to come up with the set schedule and curriculum for the students. Also too much free time was given to the students, which ultimately decreased the productivity of the project as a whole.

Also many questioned rather this particular service project was helpful to the target audience. I personally believe that the service project does not necessarily have to tackle and to solve entire issue at once. So I personally felt that it is important for the small group to at least try to introduce the people to more technology and information. Another biggest critiques came from my peers as the project did not last long. The project did not continue in the second semester of my senior year, so many criticised for lacking continuity in the project that needs to be.

If I had to do this project again, I would be stricter with the time and with following the set curriculum. Also I will try to make the curriculum mainly based on utilising  resources found in the internet, which will also be easily be accessible to the target group. I will also make use of the more advanced computer lab located in my school premise to give better opportunity for the target students. With the four suggestions and possible improvements, I personally believe that the particular service project can improve and be more fruitful to the target students and for volunteers themselves.