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COMPUTER GAMES, VIDEO GAME AND VIRTUAL CLASSROOM FOR HIV/AIDS PREVENTION EDUCATION IN UGANDAN SCHOOLS

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COMPUTER GAMES, VIDEO GAME AND VIRTUAL CLASSROOM FOR HIV/AIDS PREVENTION EDUCATION IN UGANDAN SCHOOLS

Alto
Bug
hace 13 years 1 week

The sixth United Nations

The sixth United Nations millennium development goal is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases by 2015. Young people remain at the center of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in terms of rates of infection, vulnerability, impact, and potential for change. In situations where young people are well informed of HIV risks and preventive actions, they are changing their behavior in a way that reduces their vulnerability. Young people are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection for social, political, cultural, biological and economic reasons. In order to protect themselves against HIV, the youth need information, skills, youth-friendly health services and a safe and supportive environment. The modern ICT solutions can play an important and relevant role in HIV/AIDS preventive education when they are designed accordingly. HIV/AIDS education for youth is a challenge because many feel uncomfortable when talking with adults about sex-related topics. Privacy and flexibility combined with the increased use of ICT creates a logical venue for technology supported HIV/AIDS preventive education directed at youth. Internet has potential for HIV/AIDS preventive education targeting youth. Low cost of service delivery, greater intervention fidelity and enhanced flexibility in dissemination means are the clear benefits of ICT in HIV/AIDS preventive education. Contribution to schools

1) Behavioral change HIV/AIDS prevention intervention: The students take online lessons and ask questions on HIV epidemic in a virtual classroom at http://cs.joensuu.fi/~jbada/netaids/. The following are some of the points students discussed on the online forum: avoid peer pressure to have sex, abstain from sex before marriage, and avoid drinking alcohol, accept advices from teachers and parents. This is good environment for behavioral change. I developed, implemented and evaluated two computer games for HIV prevention intervention in schools. The games run on CDs and students use them for learning. We trained 25 teachers and 200 students to use computer games and digital learning environment for HIV prevention education and counseling support.

2) Effective way of communication The students expressed that they were able to ask sensitive questions in online discussions and they got replies to the questions. These questions were difficult to ask in face to face classroom sessions. Games introduced a new pedagogy for HIV prevention education and they were accepted by community of students and teachers.

3) Technology-based guidance and counseling services Students learned use of computer technology to counsel infected children in society and to protect them from getting infections

4) Project extension to other countries The web enables communication for behavioral change among the youth as a strategy for fighting the spread of HIV. We carried out this research in three schools and the results demonstrate that it can be extended to other schools in the entire country and to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

5) Virtual classroom – This approach of educating youth is beneficial in a number of ways: it is cheap since computer hardware and Internet connectivity is now common in schools. You do not have to hire places for stakeholders to meet and learn. They meet online using web 2.0 tools of social networks for interactions.

Impact: Social and Behavioural Change
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