Exploring the culture of educational software : is the software culturally neutral? : localization of educational technology for developing Nations

The focus of this research on software content and culture will extend across four domains: Policy, Education, Program evaluation and Asset-based development. A key question is whether or not policy that incorporates local knowledge, culture and language in its development stages is more likely to succeed locally than a policy that has neglected to take all these into consideration. It is important to study what culture dominates educational software development, and what these effects are on a developing nations' educational process, especially if the content is not being localized. Is this culture intended or accidental and is it more important to focus on the product, i.e., software, than the mode of production, i.e., the computer. First I will analyze current Canadian policy development, using case studies of policy implementation of the SchoolNet project. Then I will compare the research with what is being done in Thailand as far as Large Scale Change (LSC) in the school environment by using the Chen model for program/policy evaluation and Kretzman and McKnight's asset-based community development model. The next step in the analysis will be to explore how Canadian ICT policies compare to Thai policies and where both countries are presently technologically situated. It is hoped that the results of the research could have implications on how ICTs are implemented into schools as well as the content that is developed to go along with the new technologies. The asset-based approach to educational policy implementation that takes into account local needs is in my opinion key if we do not want to see a homogenization of education around the world