GEM II Task Order 39 Quarterly Report: ICT4E FY 2012, Quarterly Report: April 1, 2012 – June 30, 2012

The program is managed by the Aguirre Division of JBS International under a contract with the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The program's primary objective is to support the development and implementation of effective ICT4E solutions in various regions. The program's activities are organized into several key areas, including analytical research, knowledge exchange, e-forums, workshops, and conferences. In the third quarter of FY 2012, the program's activities focused on supporting the Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance's upcoming International Symposium, to be held in Washington, D.C. in September 2012. The symposium aimed to bring together stakeholders from the education, technology, and development sectors to discuss and share best practices in using mobile technologies to improve education outcomes. Aguirre/JBS conducted a brief analytical scan of existing uses of open educational resources (OER) and ICTs for early grade reading, in preparation for the 2012 mEducation Alliance Research Roundtable. The scan identified several examples of technologies in practice for specific types of interventions proven to lead to improved learning outcomes. The program also updated its inventory spreadsheet of ICT4E projects, which includes details on regional focus, donor, and project websites. In addition to supporting the mEducation Alliance, the program provided technical support for the Education Grand Challenge / All Children Reading (ACR-GC) initiative. This support included participation in the panel review of full technical proposals, assistance with inventory summaries of finalists, and participation in the ACR-GC Partners Meeting. The program also assisted USAID with strategic planning efforts for fomenting Alliance partnerships with Intel, Microsoft, and YouTube EDU. The program's budget for the third quarter of FY 2012 was $138,230.35, with the majority of expenses allocated to supporting the mEducation Alliance and the Education Grand Challenge / All Children Reading initiative. The program's overall budget for the first year was $494,244.00, with a total obligated budget of $97,725. The program's budget balance for the first year was -$172,789.90, indicating that the program had exceeded its budgeted resources. The program's activities for the coming quarter will focus on planning and logistical preparations for the mEducation Alliance Symposium, finalizing the re-design of the mEducation website, launching the Mobiles for Youth Workforce Development Working Group, and continuing to provide administrative and logistical support for the USAID-led Education Grand Challenge – All Children Reading.