Mtandao Afrika - Empowering Youth ...

Friday, November 21, 2008

|

|

SchoolNet Africa

|

|

|

|


Login Name:

Password:

- Previous Winners

- Training Programs

- News and Events

- Rules and Rubrics

- Success Stories

- Youth Camps

Rules Arabic Download

Rules English Download

Rules French Download

- Registeration Guide

- Parental Consent Form

- Uploading Guide

- Sponsored By:

- Mtandao Afrika : Internet Challenge 2008 Rules :

Check Judging Criteria and Rubrics page.

I. Introduction

Mtandao Afrika (MAf) is a Pan African educational program based on the development of web sites by African youth and taking the form of a contest. Youth in the age of 12-19 are encouraged to form teams and develop their web site according to the criteria described in the rules of the program.

II. How to join Mtandao Afrika (MAf)

In order to join you have to:

Form a team: teams could be made up of 2, 3 or 4 learners and 1 or 2 coaches. Team members should be between the age of 12-19. Coaches should be 21 years and older
Select a topic: of interest to your team, your topic should fit with the categories of MAf.
Register your team: by filling the online application on the MAf web site.
Complete the Parental Consent Form: Make sure that your parent signs the parental consent form and send it by fax to: +221-8254714 or scanned image to
Your application will be screened for appropriateness and if approved, you will have a special area on the site to post your entry.
You will receive an email from the system notifying you of your team ID and password.

Your entry will be accepted conditionally until SchoolNet Africa receives the parental consent form certifying that your parents approve your participation in the contest. In case SchoolNet Africa does not receive the form by the deadline of the contest your entry will be disqualified.

LEARNER is eligible if he/she is: 12 to 19 years of age on the application deadline date, and enrolled at a school.

A COACH is eligible if he or she is: An educator or other adult 21 years and older and has been approved by a learner member's parent. Persons over the age of 19 years, who are ineligible to participate as a learner team member, may serve as a coach provided that there is at least one coach on the team that meets the above stated criteria.

Special Category for University Students:

Team should be composed of 2-4 team members who are currently enrolled in a university, Coach should be a university graduate, all other rules apply

Restrictions:

A learner cannot be a member of more than one team.
No more than two immediate family members can join the same team.

III. Contest Themes

Teams may submit their web sites in any of the five categories listed below:

Arts & Literature
Science & Mathematics
Social Sciences
Sports & Health
Interdisciplinary*

* There are no limits on this category. An Interdisciplinary entry category might combine subjects from two of the other categories - The Physics of Baseball, for example. Or, it simply may not fit into any of the other categories.

IV. Judging Criteria

1. Diversity of Computer and Network Resources among Learner Team Members and Team Collaboration (10 points)

The Judges will consider significant differences in computer and network resources available among the learner team members' schools. The greater the difference between the highest and lowest learner team members' levels of access to computer and network resources, the more points the Judges will award. Team members must enter this information when the team completes its entry form.

In order to encourage collaboration by learners with different skills, resources, and backgrounds, the Judges will evaluate:

How successfully team members collaborated on their entry by sharing their individual knowledge, skills, effort and contributions with other team members, and
Other factors (such as the different languages, nationalities, genders and ages of the participants) that influenced the collaboration.

In the entry form, each team should provide detailed information about its learner team members that are relevant to this criterion.

2. Educational Value (20 points)

In order to encourage teams to create entries that have significant educational value, the Judges will evaluate:

The importance of the educational objectives of the entry,
The extent to which the entry meets these educational objectives in (a) above, and
The originality, innovation and artistic presentation of the entry and its material.

3. Entry Quality (20 points)

In order to encourage learners to create high-quality entries, the Judges will evaluate:

The technical quality of the entry, including its reliability, ease-of-use, internal consistency, robustness, and ability to perform quality checks on data submitted, and to work efficiently as increasing numbers of learners and schools use the entry, and
The quality of the content of the entry, including the accuracy and completeness of information (formulae, propositions, text, illustrations, etc.), the expressiveness and clarity in communication of ideas, and the appropriateness of the attribution(s) for the work of others.

4. Internet Style of Learning (10 points)

In order to encourage each team to create an entry which uses computers and the Internet to enhance the users' learning experiences, the Judges will evaluate the extent to which an entry:

Allows for active participation by others,
Encourages others to share data, ideas, and materials that can enrich the overall value of the entry, and that help to create a "learning community" around the entry, and
Fosters interactive, participatory, collaborative "Internet style" learning that encourages users to explore the Internet's timely resources and to create new relationships that broaden the communities in which they live.
In the entry form, each team should describe how its team members believe the entry will allow, encourage and foster these activities and how users can enrich the value of the entry.

5. Entry Usage (10 points)

The Judges will determine whether an entry has been, and is likely to be, highly used by others. This evaluation will be based on:

The valid frequency of use of an entry, the nature of its use and users, and the comments of other users about the entry.
The expectation that other learners will heavily use the entry.

Consequently, factors learners should consider as they build an entry include:

The entry's appealing nature
Its breadth of potential users
Its educational effectiveness
Its originality, appropriateness, and clarity
Its ability to work on a variety of platforms and browsers.

Learner team members should also plan how to effectively and appropriately inform potential users of the merits of their entry, and how to implement their plan once the entry is made available for use by others.

6. Multilingual (15 points)

Learners will have the possibility of gaining extra points based on its multilingual nature. Learners are encouraged to develop multilingual web sites in either a combination of the official languages (English, French) or one of the official languages in addition to one local language.

7. Africa related content (15 points)

The Judges will determine whether an entry has a significant Africa related content in terms of addressing topics of importance / benefit to Africa, in terms of providing rich content about African countries, culture, contributions to different fields, within the framework of the above mentioned MAf categories etc.

V. Awards

Winning teams will receive a certificate of achievement and their sites will be published on the Mtandao Afrika library. Cash awards may also be awarded to wining teams. only African contestants are eligible to receive cash awards, non African participants will receive certificates of merit in case of wining.

VI. Disqualification

Mtandao Afrika or the Judges may decide to disqualify an application or disqualify an entry if it believes that is does not meet the objectives of the contest.

VII. Tentative Teams Acceptance

Your entry will be accepted conditionally until SchoolNet Africa receives the parental consent form certifying that your parents approve your participation in the contest. In case SchoolNet Africa does not receive the form by the deadline of the contest, your entry will be disqualified.

VIII. E-mail Address Verification

All participants should make sure that their e-mail is working prior to the registration. Non-working e-mail addresses at the registration will lead to the suspension of the participant's account. Also when registering a team, please make sure that the address used for the whole team is a valid e-mail that is continuously checked, Mtandao Afrika will be only contacting you through this address and you will receive all your details through it.

IX. Ownership of Intellectual Property and the Rights & Duties of Parties

An entry will remain the property of the submitting team. SchoolNetAfrica (SNA) will have an irrevocable license to make all or a portion of such entry, as it initially is or as it may be modified, improved, or enlarged, available to persons or organizations desiring to use, or to make it available for the use by others. SchoolNetAfrica may also keep such entry on their respective web sites and distribute it in any manner, for example, on CD-ROMs. For the avoidance of doubt, such use or distribution of the entry by SchoolNetAfrica may be for their profit or not, at the election of SchoolNetAfrica.

Mtandao Afrika shall have the right, but no obligation, to take actions it deems appropriate to prevent misuse of an entry. The team members, and their parent(s) and guardian(s), may take such steps or actions to prevent misuse of the entry, as submitted, as they deem appropriate.

X. Choice of Laws and Resolution of Disputes

The MAf contests, and all disputes arising out of or relating to the agreement or agreements contained in these rules, the rules specific to each contest, and the contests themselves, shall be governed in accordance with the Senegal governing laws.

Each party shall pay for the costs of its own counsel, witnesses, other personal expenses, and its appropriate share of any costs agreed to be borne jointly.

XI. Modification of the Rules

MAf reserves the right to modify the rules to the extent that it believes it is appropriate to enable the contest to be carried out most effectively in one country or more than one country and/or to comply with the laws and regulations of such country or countries. However, in no event will any change be made in the Rules to comply with the laws or regulations of a particular country if such change would, in the opinion of MAf, diminish the fairness of the contest itself or interfere with the achievement of the objectives of the contest. Modifications will be posted on the MAf Web site. The rules published on MAf web site are the final version of the rules and should be consulted periodically by all MAf participants.