Technology Salon

What does it mean to be “connected” in Asia, the world’s most populous region? From hyper-connected Hong Kong and Singapore to disconnected North Korea, several billion people have several billion difference Internet experiences. Hence the San Francisco Technology Salon question: Is the Asia-Pacific Region Leading in Internet Connectivity? The conversation mainly focused on regions that…

Many would regard the Asia-Pacific as one of the fasting growing regions for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). With Bangladeshi telecenters, Chinese manufacturing hubs, and the popularity of social media in Indonesia, it seems like Asian tech progress is a foregone conclusion. Especially since 717 million young people aged 15 to 24, 60% of the…

The Bay Area community is deeply engaged and interested in the Internet of Things, and the lively conversation from the March Technology Salon San Francisco on “How Can Sensors and the Internt of Things Improve International Development Outcomes?” proved it. I am Jana Melpolder and I joined forty participants gathered to cover the exciting future…

The special focus of women’s use of technology has been a part of ICT projects for decades. Whether it’s focus groups, particular reports, or special training programs, the fact is that women are often a central point within ICT4D projects. But looking even further, what has all that work achieved for women’s empowerment? The San…

Currently it is estimated that there are 4.6 million Syrian refugees; 6.6 million displaced persons inside Syria. Of these, half are children. In March, Technology Salon Amman brought together people working in education and technology to discuss how technology can support education throughout a Syrian child’s journey. As was noted throughout the discussion, war and…

An essential component for successfully engaging smallholder farmers using technology comes from providing a voice, a dialogue, with the farmers themselves. This coupling of human engagement to information and communication technologies was a core idea debated at the Technology Salon on How Can We Better Engage with Smallholder Farmers? Over 30 thought leaders exchanged perspectives…

Since early in this decade, we’ve seen speculation that applications and other tech development and programming could create and jump start private sectors and local economies, a world of hype, enthusiasm and investments (from venture capital to public and donor money) appears to be funneling towards app development and mobile hubs around the world. Apps4D…

What does digital storytelling mean to you? Where do you find data? What form does your data take? Who’s your audience? How do you know what data you need? These questions were the focus of the February Technology Salon Denver held at the Posner Center for International Development. The event on Digital Storytelling brought together…

December’s San Francisco Technology Salon focused on “How to connect stakeholders HERE with innovators and emerging leaders THERE?” We had an energizing conversation that covered questions like: What role should Silicon Valley be playing in international development? What can Silicon Valley learn from those on the ground? What works and when doesn’t it work? The…

The potential for science, technology, innovation, and partnerships (STIP) to tackle, or even attempt to solve, the myriad of global development challenges we face is largely dependent on the adequate and appropriate catalysation of their respective eco-systems. These eco-systems, made up of the actors, mechanisms and institutions through which STIP solutions emerge, often need to…

The “How to Work with VAS Vendors for M4D Impact?”, Technology Salon featured a lively discussion with Vijay Sai Pratap, Julia Burchell, and Kristen Roggemann. We focused on value-added service (VAS) vendors, the third-party organizations who create, integrate, launch, and maintain mobile services outside of ‘core’ Mobile Network Operator services: voice, SMS, and data. Participants…

At the “How Can We Bridge Gender Gaps and Increase Women and Girls Access to Technology?” Technology Salon in Washington, D.C., leaders in various fields came together to discuss data and initiatives aimed to bridge the gender gaps in technology, with lead discussants Shireen Santosham, Revi Sterling, and Elise Young. I was fortunate enough to…

In a world where 6 billion people have access to a phone, yet only 4.5 billion have access to a toilet, it is pertinent to ask how technological innovation can meet the needs of those living in poverty. At the How Can We Do Technology for Development Better? Technology Salon at ThoughtWorks in London, Amber…

The inaugural Technology Salon in Bangkok on April 30th explored whether mobile games can really help to improve development outcomes. Lead discussants included: Sowirin Chuanprapun of UNESCO, which has been exploring the use of gamification to enhance its broader programs, including the release of Sai Fah – The Flood Fighter, a mobile-based game that they…

At the April Technology Salon San Francisco, the discussion moderator, Aaron Mason, welcomed everyone and quickly focused the thought leaders from across the technology and development fields on the issue at hand: How Can New Technologies Improve Disaster Response? At the heart of the initial conversation was the recent American Red Cross report: A Vision…

I had a chance to spend a morning last week at a roundtable discussion on technology and structural discrimination, as part of the Technology Salon events. The conversation brought together activists, organizers, technologists, and few international development types like myself, though many in the room blurred those boundaries. Technology provided a filter for the discussion,…

“Don’t let the tech wag the MEL dog.” This quote sums up the conversation from the London Tech Salon focused on “How can ICTs improve Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)?” Essentially it means that when exploring the applicability of ICT we have to ensure we start from what MEL is setting out to achieve and…