Alex Little

There’s only until next Saturday (18th February) to get your entries in for our mobile developer challenge. More details on how to enter.

We just launched the Digital Campus Mobile Development Challenge, for you to win a smartphone for building an Android application to help Health Extension Workers in Ethiopia manage their tasks/appointments for maternal care visits.

For full details please visit: http://digital-campus.org/dev-challenge/

I’ve just put up a new version of the mQuiz website and mQuiz Android app.

The key update is that you can now import quizzes in the GIFT format (which Moodle also uses). So if you already have a Moodle quiz then you can export it in GIFT format and upload to run in mQuiz – I’ve uploaded the 4 quizzes from our Certificate in Online Education course to demonstrate. Alternatively you can write your own quiz in GIFT format directly.

This now allows to create quizzes with more interesting question types than only single-option multiple choice, such as multi-option multiple choice, numerical, essay, short answer and true/false.

Any feedback on this is much appreciated!
Update (5th Dec 2011)… I’ve just added the facility to display feedback…

Over the last few days I’ve made quite a lot of updates to the mQuiz server and Android application…

mQuiz server updates

• Graphs and better info about quiz responses – note that if you created the quiz then any responses you submit will not count towards average scores etc.
• A download queue, so you can share quizzes with a link…. e.g. clicking on this link will add the ‘European Capitals’ quiz to your download queue, and will be downloaded next time you start the client phone app. You can use this even if you haven’t yet installed the phone app. As soon as you install and log in to the client, the quiz will be scheduled for download.
• Quizzes can now have download/submissions turned on/off. Allows a quiz to be under development, and not downloadable to any clients, also by turning submissions off you can stop people sending in more results.
• The leaderboard on the homepage now works. You’ll only appear once you have submitted results from at least 3 different quizzes (sorry, quizzes you created don’t count!).
• Homepage much improved (I think anyway!).

mQuiz Android updates

• You now need to register/login when you first open the client app. You’ll need valid login details to download quizzes, submit responses etc.
• The download scheduler is implemented – so the client will automatically download any quizzes you’ve selected on the server. The scheduler only runs when you have the mQuiz client open and you can set how often it will check for quizzes in the preferences (from the mQuiz main page click on the menu button and select ‘preferences’).
• Manage quizzes: you can now remove installed quizzes as well as just download them. Note that this will remove all your scores too (though results already send to the server will be kept).
• The download quiz page now won’t try to download quizzes that are already installed
• After you complete a quiz you now have the option to share your results via twitter, email, text message, facebook etc.

There’s still quite a lot I’d like to do to tidy up the client code, and all the other features I’d like to add too! Any feedback on the above, or the app generally, much appreciated

Julia, a friend who was also working last year with VSO in Ethiopia but now returned to London, is organising the VSO London social group. Anyone, ex VSO, prospective VSO or just generally interested is welcome to attend:

6.30pm – 9.30pm, Monday 30th November, 2009; Pitcher & Piano, 40 – 42 William IV Street, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4DD
You are cordially invited to the second social evening of the London VSO Group!

We had a good time in September – about thirty of us turned up. This time we want more!

As you may recall, the group is open to all, returned volunteers, friends and family, potential new volunteers, VSO staff – literally anyone with any involvement with VSO or an interest in development.

We want to have another “just” social evening, to get us feeling like a group, but would like our meeting in the new year to be more formal with some sort of theme/structure – as ever, we’re keen that YOU help shape how the group proceeds, so we will be canvassing your opinion on this. Thoughts to consider:

How often would you attend?
What would you like to come along to – what would be really nice to get involved with?
What can you bring to this?
Where would you like to meet – do you have venue ideas?

Here is the link to the VSO site, which will keep you updated with activities –
http://community.vsointernational.org/groups/vso-london-supporter-group-uk

We very much hope to see you at our second drinks evening on Monday 30th November. Please bring along friends or anyone else – the more the merrier. Please also distribute this notice to your own networks.

Look forward to seeing you there!

For those of you interested in statistics! From EthioBlog and ITU:

Ethiopia ranks 147th in information and communication technologies (ICT) Development index, according to a report released by International Telecommunication Union (ITU). According to the report, Ethiopia has one of the lowest telephone density in the world with 1.1 fixed telephones per 100 inhabitants and 1.5 Mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Just 0.2 percent of Ethiopian households have computer and 0.1 of Ethiopian household have access to the Internet, the report writes.

ICT DEVELOPMENT INDEX 2007 RANKING (2002 RANKING)

Top 10 in ICT Development
1 – SWEDEN (1)
2 – SOUTH KOREA (3)
3 – DENMARK (4)
4 – NETHERLANDS (6)
5 – ICELAND (2)
6 – NORWAY (5)
7 – LUXEMBOURG (21)
8 – SWITZERLAND (7)
9 – FINLAND (8)
10 – UNITED KINGDOM (10)

Bottom 10 in ICT Development
145 – TANZANIA (138)
146 – MALI (150)
147 – ETHIOPIA (147)
148 – MOZAMBIQUE (148)
149 – ERITREA (137)
150 – BURKINA FASO (151)
151 – DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (144)
152 – GUINEA-BISSAU (153)
153 – CHAD (152)
154 – NIGER (154)