Mozilla Learning & Webmaker in Bangladesh — market establishment proposal
Summary and objectives
Mozilla Foundation seeks to grow a global web literacy movement, and to someday offer certifications for mentors and learners in a global “virtual university” that encompasses programs like Mozilla Learning Networks (http://teach.mozilla.org) and the Mozilla Developer Network (http://developer.mozilla.org). Additionally, Mozilla wishes to offer the Webmaker mobile content creation software (http://webmaker.org) to a large number of users through distribution channels, i.e. partnerships with mobile network operators, governments, and development organizations.
In 2015, Mozilla has set twin goals of 1) establishing volunteer-led “Clubs” of the Mozilla Learning Network in 500 cities, and 2) attaining 250,000 monthly active users of the Webmaker software.
Bangladesh has been identified as a target country for Mozilla Learning Network & Webmaker growth, because 1) money is or can be available to support local programs; 2) the regional climate is conducive to Mozilla digital skills goals; 3) there are broader Mozilla (i.e. Firefox OS) plans; 4) there is a robust Mozilla community; 5) this expansion should be relatively organic (because of ready partners, existing structures, and successful proof of concept events in country).
Possible Mozilla delegation to Bangladesh, early-mid June
Objective 1: Kickstart establishment of Mozilla Clubs through train-the-trainer workshop
•Maps to: 500 cities KPI
•Re-establish Mozilla Bangladesh community around a new north star: 64 active Mozilla Clubs in each of the country’s administrative districts.
•The Prime Minister’s office and the ICT minister can provide resources, time, and logistical support to accomplish this goal—and nominate Club leaders where we’re thin on existing Mozilla volunteers.
•We will host an exciting kickoff event that appeals to the Mozilla mission and Bangladeshi national pride— the need for universal digital literacy, increased digital opportunity, and locally relevant web in Bangladesh.
•This event will be designed to:
•bring all community members back into the fold and signal inclusiveness
•develop facilitation skills that can be carried out into the edges of the community
•rally and enable community members to start Webmaker Clubs
•brainstorm strategies for growing the community
•welcome Club leaders nominated by the Prime Minister’s office into to the Mozilla community
•enable more distributed leadership going forward
Objective 2: Workshop for mobile network operators: toward a national local content & digital literacy initiative
•Maps to: 250,000 MAU KPI
•This is an attempt to integrate Webmaker with MNOs’ existing models for engaging customers, to be documented as part of GSMA/Mozilla research on skills+local content.
•DNet and Mozilla host a workshop for Bangladesh mobile network operators to shape field tests of Webmaker mobile software on their networks. Expected participants: Robi, Banglalink, Grameenphone, Airtel, Teletalk, Citicell, and the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators Bangladesh.
•We will approach these field tests as both user and market research opportunities (i.e., “we need your help doing field trials with segments of your customers, and to better understand the viability of these ideas.”)
•Hypothesis: operators can provide tools and skills to enable people to make things on their mobile, and increase incentives for smartphones and data
•Our specific ask to MNos: send someone to this workshop, commit to doing a 6 week field test, commit to sharing information. We’ll co-design and pay for the tests .
•If it works, we’ll try to carry it forward into a national initiative with A2I blessing and participation of all MNOs.
•This could, for instance, shape the 2016 iGen digital literacy campaign, which reaches 20 million ++ people through nationally syndicated media.
•We’ll be setting up the Mozilla Bangladesh community to enable their leadership of this opportunity, and also viewing this process as a way to grow Mozilla community longer-term.
Objective 3: Additional community work, partnerships and field research
•collaboratively plan out the community’s ambition, and how we can support it
•troubleshoot community issues
•meet with senior leadership of MNOs and NGOs
•properly set up dNet collaboration to channel above MNO work into research insights
•better understand funding opportunities through development sector
•additional field research led by Laura de Reynal and DNet, to flesh out the initial work: http://mzl.la/bangladesh
Background
Partner background — GSMA
GSMA and Mozilla have formed a partnership to research and prototype approaches to mobile content creation on low-cost smartphones: http://webmaker.org/localweb
This partnership has resulted in the creation of a Webmaker mobile app: http://webmaker.org/app and a local content theme in Mozilla’s presence at Mobile World Congress 2015.
In the next phase of this collaboration, we are seeking Webmaker partnerships in Bangladesh, including approaching the 5 major mobile carriers to test and improve on Webmaker. The objective is to better understand how we might invest in user capabilities and mobile content creation. We hope to make Webmaker part of the service portfolio of mobile carriers and experiment with marketing and distribution partnerships.
If successful, this work might also feed into a market-wide campaign for “digital skills and making” with the backing of the Prime Minister’s office.
Partner background — A2I / Government of Bangladesh
Mozilla Foundation is close to finalizing an MOU with Access to Information (A2I) programme, a department within the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s office. Under this MOU, a2i and Mozilla commit to exploring innovative approaches to building nationwide, inclusive digital literacy programs through volunteerism and open web tools for the citizens of Bangladesh. These free and open programs should build a national mentor corps helping people learn important new digital literacies, skills and competencies.
This partnership will explore and leverage existing state investments in digital centres, telecentres, district offices, educational institutions and public events, such as Innovation Fairs, Students Innovation Camp, to ensure that all citizens have opportunities to learn about and benefit from ICTs and open web tools.
The Parties will seek to build and recruit mentors into a nationwide learning network, comprised of govt. officials, entrepreneurs, teachers and students with various competencies, specializations, and placements. This cohort will grow over time, and will receive support and incentives from the partners, including a mentorship certification. Mentors in this network will also have access to a repository, maintained by the partnership, of free and open resources in English and Bengali, curriculum development; etc.
Over time, we will gather requirements, feedback and learnings, in order to develop a nationwide digital literacy credential, led and backed by Bangladesh Technical Education Board / Bangladesh Open University. This credential (perhaps one of many) is imagined as a national entitlement and a signal to potential employers that the candidate has undergone a course of informal study and possesses certain digital skills.
Partner background — USAID
USAID, the development agency, is an existing funder of the A2I programme.
Mozilla and USAID have a preliminary agreement to develop a “digital skills framework” that would inform investments into the kinds of programs implied in the MOU with A2I. As part of this USAID has offered to fund research and an experts convening.
Mozilla and USAID will host the convening sometime over summer, bring interested parties (including funders) to the table. The convening could perhaps take place in Bangladesh.
Partner background — Dnet
Dnet is a respected digital skills training NGO that will help support the objectives outlined here. Mozilla has signed a 3 month contract with Dnet to pilot and improve upon the Webmaker app using its network of trainers, relationships with MNOs and NGOs, user testing and feedback.
DNet will help the Learning Networks and Webmaker teams better understand user needs, test the feasibility of improvements and new features, and validate in direct user feedback sessions with various segments of users—infoladies, teachers, students, youth, entrepreneurs & businesspeople.
DNet will also help collaboratively develop documentation / curriculum for Webmaker events where people can learn and create on their mobile device.
Mozilla Learning & Webmaker in Bangladesh — market establishment proposal
Summary and objectives
Mozilla Foundation seeks to grow a global web literacy movement, and to someday offer certifications for mentors and learners in a global “virtual university” that encompasses programs like Mozilla Learning Networks (http://teach.mozilla.org) and the Mozilla Developer Network (http://developer.mozilla.org). Additionally, Mozilla wishes to offer the Webmaker mobile content creation software (http://webmaker.org) to a large number of users through distribution channels, i.e. partnerships with mobile network operators, governments, and development organizations.
In 2015, Mozilla has set twin goals of 1) establishing volunteer-led “Clubs” of the Mozilla Learning Network in 500 cities, and 2) attaining 250,000 monthly active users of the Webmaker software.
Bangladesh has been identified as a target country for Mozilla Learning Network & Webmaker growth, because 1) money is or can be available to support local programs; 2) the regional climate is conducive to Mozilla digital skills goals; 3) there are broader Mozilla (i.e. Firefox OS) plans; 4) there is a robust Mozilla community; 5) this expansion should be relatively organic (because of ready partners, existing structures, and successful proof of concept events in country).
Possible Mozilla delegation to Bangladesh, early-mid June
Objective 1: Kickstart establishment of Mozilla Clubs through train-the-trainer workshop •Maps to: 500 cities KPI •Re-establish Mozilla Bangladesh community around a new north star: 64 active Mozilla Clubs in each of the country’s administrative districts. •The Prime Minister’s office and the ICT minister can provide resources, time, and logistical support to accomplish this goal—and nominate Club leaders where we’re thin on existing Mozilla volunteers. •We will host an exciting kickoff event that appeals to the Mozilla mission and Bangladeshi national pride— the need for universal digital literacy, increased digital opportunity, and locally relevant web in Bangladesh. •This event will be designed to: •bring all community members back into the fold and signal inclusiveness •develop facilitation skills that can be carried out into the edges of the community •rally and enable community members to start Webmaker Clubs •brainstorm strategies for growing the community •welcome Club leaders nominated by the Prime Minister’s office into to the Mozilla community •enable more distributed leadership going forward
Objective 2: Workshop for mobile network operators: toward a national local content & digital literacy initiative •Maps to: 250,000 MAU KPI •This is an attempt to integrate Webmaker with MNOs’ existing models for engaging customers, to be documented as part of GSMA/Mozilla research on skills+local content. •DNet and Mozilla host a workshop for Bangladesh mobile network operators to shape field tests of Webmaker mobile software on their networks. Expected participants: Robi, Banglalink, Grameenphone, Airtel, Teletalk, Citicell, and the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators Bangladesh. •We will approach these field tests as both user and market research opportunities (i.e., “we need your help doing field trials with segments of your customers, and to better understand the viability of these ideas.”) •Hypothesis: operators can provide tools and skills to enable people to make things on their mobile, and increase incentives for smartphones and data •Our specific ask to MNos: send someone to this workshop, commit to doing a 6 week field test, commit to sharing information. We’ll co-design and pay for the tests . •If it works, we’ll try to carry it forward into a national initiative with A2I blessing and participation of all MNOs. •This could, for instance, shape the 2016 iGen digital literacy campaign, which reaches 20 million ++ people through nationally syndicated media. •We’ll be setting up the Mozilla Bangladesh community to enable their leadership of this opportunity, and also viewing this process as a way to grow Mozilla community longer-term. Objective 3: Additional community work, partnerships and field research •collaboratively plan out the community’s ambition, and how we can support it •troubleshoot community issues •meet with senior leadership of MNOs and NGOs •properly set up dNet collaboration to channel above MNO work into research insights •better understand funding opportunities through development sector •additional field research led by Laura de Reynal and DNet, to flesh out the initial work: http://mzl.la/bangladesh
Background
Partner background — GSMA
GSMA and Mozilla have formed a partnership to research and prototype approaches to mobile content creation on low-cost smartphones: http://webmaker.org/localweb
This partnership has resulted in the creation of a Webmaker mobile app: http://webmaker.org/app and a local content theme in Mozilla’s presence at Mobile World Congress 2015.
In the next phase of this collaboration, we are seeking Webmaker partnerships in Bangladesh, including approaching the 5 major mobile carriers to test and improve on Webmaker. The objective is to better understand how we might invest in user capabilities and mobile content creation. We hope to make Webmaker part of the service portfolio of mobile carriers and experiment with marketing and distribution partnerships.
If successful, this work might also feed into a market-wide campaign for “digital skills and making” with the backing of the Prime Minister’s office.
Partner background — A2I / Government of Bangladesh
Mozilla Foundation is close to finalizing an MOU with Access to Information (A2I) programme, a department within the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s office. Under this MOU, a2i and Mozilla commit to exploring innovative approaches to building nationwide, inclusive digital literacy programs through volunteerism and open web tools for the citizens of Bangladesh. These free and open programs should build a national mentor corps helping people learn important new digital literacies, skills and competencies.
This partnership will explore and leverage existing state investments in digital centres, telecentres, district offices, educational institutions and public events, such as Innovation Fairs, Students Innovation Camp, to ensure that all citizens have opportunities to learn about and benefit from ICTs and open web tools.
The Parties will seek to build and recruit mentors into a nationwide learning network, comprised of govt. officials, entrepreneurs, teachers and students with various competencies, specializations, and placements. This cohort will grow over time, and will receive support and incentives from the partners, including a mentorship certification. Mentors in this network will also have access to a repository, maintained by the partnership, of free and open resources in English and Bengali, curriculum development; etc.
Over time, we will gather requirements, feedback and learnings, in order to develop a nationwide digital literacy credential, led and backed by Bangladesh Technical Education Board / Bangladesh Open University. This credential (perhaps one of many) is imagined as a national entitlement and a signal to potential employers that the candidate has undergone a course of informal study and possesses certain digital skills.
Partner background — USAID
USAID, the development agency, is an existing funder of the A2I programme.
Mozilla and USAID have a preliminary agreement to develop a “digital skills framework” that would inform investments into the kinds of programs implied in the MOU with A2I. As part of this USAID has offered to fund research and an experts convening.
Mozilla and USAID will host the convening sometime over summer, bring interested parties (including funders) to the table. The convening could perhaps take place in Bangladesh.
Partner background — Dnet
Dnet is a respected digital skills training NGO that will help support the objectives outlined here. Mozilla has signed a 3 month contract with Dnet to pilot and improve upon the Webmaker app using its network of trainers, relationships with MNOs and NGOs, user testing and feedback.
DNet will help the Learning Networks and Webmaker teams better understand user needs, test the feasibility of improvements and new features, and validate in direct user feedback sessions with various segments of users—infoladies, teachers, students, youth, entrepreneurs & businesspeople.
DNet will also help collaboratively develop documentation / curriculum for Webmaker events where people can learn and create on their mobile device.