development aspect of this project will focus on mobile devices - handheld computers, portable game consoles, and smart phones - as a primary data collection and delivery platform.

In this project, we investigate the facilitation of connections among community elders, primary school teachers, and science teacher educators using mobile phone Web 2.0 technologies (e.g. blogs and wikis, instant and text messaging) to learn about sustainable agriculture in Africa. The development aspect of this project focuses on mobile devices (handheld computers and smart phones) as a primary data collection and delivery platform. Initial interviews focus on the cultural context for connecting community elders to schools. From this analysis, we are iteratively designing, implementing, and evaluating mobile and Web 2.0 technologies in a participatory manner. A participatory design approach creates a living archive of traditional and scientific knowledge related to sustainable agriculture.

Unfortunately, the current network infrastructure in many African nations is underdeveloped, thus limiting ICT networking. On the contrary, mobile smart phones are used for maintaining communications, accessing computer networks, and capturing and delivering multimedia.  For example, in the year 2000, Malawi had 49,000 cell phones in use and by 2004 the number increased to 222,100.  Since May of 2007, Celltel Malawi, affiliated with Cingular Wireless, has been offering web-based access with mobile phones. Mobile phones are now being explored as a platform for delivery of instructional multimedia.

In an effort to establish a culturally-diverse team connected by mobile technologies, the following research questions are proposed: 1) How do we connect elders with knowledge of sustainable farming practices with students and teachers in primary schools and science teacher education classes? 2) How do we design and develop multimedia curriculum that draws from both traditional and scientific knowledge of sustainable farming practices? 3) How do we design instructional multimedia on sustainable agricultural practices to be delivered via mobile phones?