What do you think about this approach to ICTD courses? Harnessing Mobile Tech and Students to Promote Development in Kenya Stanford University (03/19/12) Stanford University professors Joshua Cohen and Terry Winograd teach a course that brings interdisciplinary teams of Stanford students together with students from the University of Nairobi and local nongovernmental organizations to design new uses for mobile platforms that promote human development in Nairobi's informal settlements. Cohen says the course, called Designing Liberation Technologies, is premised on the idea that mobile tech is a promising means for providing jumpstarts in human welfare. He says the reason the class focuses on using mobile applications in areas of health, education, and economic development is because mobile is the most rapidly growing technology, especially in the developing world. The students use a problem-solving process that involves starting with the potential users themselves, and then developing insights about how their needs can be solved with mobile applications, Cohen notes. The projects have involved locating malaria drugs and checking them for counterfeiting, helping health workers collect patient information and control patient workflow, and helping pregnant women save money for prenatal care. The group is readying the launch of a six-month pilot for the M-Maji project in five villages in Kibera, which is designed to help people find clean water, especially during water shortages. http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/cohen-mobile-kenya.html