Instructional Design and Technology Implications for Indigenous Knowledge: Africa's Introspective

It is fairly accurate to assume that societies are facing a paradigm shift from industrial to information society, and a transition from information to knowledge society. This shift has impacted the nature of the relationship between society, knowledge and technology. It is also valid to assume that knowledge is a resource. This chapter discusses instructional design and technology from Africa’s indigenous knowledge perspective. It is not the intent necessarily to dichotomize indigenous and non-indigenous knowledge structures. Rather, the objective is to rationalize the place of indigenous knowledge by addressing the context of usage, challenges and dilemmas, and provide a rationale and suggestions for instructional integration. IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING This paper appears in the publication, Information Technology and Indigenous People edited by Laurel Evelyn Dyson , Max Hendriks , Stephen Grant © 2007, Idea Group Inc. 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033-1240, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com ITB13272