Techknowlogia Journal 2001 July August

TM
Volume 3, Issue 4 July/August 2001
This issue is co-sponsored by:

UNESCO; Academy for Educational Development; Educational Testing Service
The contents of this Issue do not necessarily reflect the policies or the views of the co-sponsors or their affiliates
Thematic Focus: Technology for Social Action
5 Social Action: The Road to Where?

Wadi D. Haddad, Editor
Economic globalization is going hand in hand with a broadening of social concerns, which necessitate social
action. But wisdom and expediency call for the exploitation of all channels, including technologies, to make
the social actions successful, sustainable and timely.
7 Information and Communication Technologies and Poverty

Charles Kenny, Infrastructure Economist, The World Bank
This article discusses the use of ICTs in poverty alleviation, the poor’s limited access to ICTs, and
government policies that might help to overcome this ‘digital divide.’
12 E-Dialogue, Social Policy, and the United Nations

John E.S. Lawrence, Senior Associate, ManageForResults.com
The INTERNET LISTSERV is a relatively new and immensely promising phenomenon in United Nations
deliberations. This article traces the factors that led to its acceptance as a new force in the UN system
through four illustrative global conferences.
17 TechKnowNews
♦ IT Brings Connectivity to North America’s Native Populations ♦ All-Spanish Software Measures Telecenter
Impact ♦ National Science Foundation to Build Digital Library ♦ Verizon Introduces Suite of Software to Help
Meet Security & Privacy Protection Rules ♦ Top 15 Education and Training Vendors Outgrow Rest of Market
but Leave Plenty of Opportunity for Others, IDC Says
! 1 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

19 Schools Think about HIV/AIDS: A World Links Online Collaborative Project
Ann Klofkorn Bloome, World Links HIV/AIDS Consultant
Can you catch AIDS from kissing? Why doesn’t saliva transmit HIV? Why do we care about HIV/AIDS
anyway? These are the latest questions discussed by participants in the World Links HIV/AIDS Online
Collaborative Project, an ongoing HIV prevention effort conducted mainly via email, using, as resources, the
Internet and information downloaded onto a CD-ROM.
22 Nashe Maalo: Kids’ TV in Macedonia for Violence Prevention

Lisa Shochat, Media Project Manager, Common Ground Productions
A consortium of television and conflict-resolution experts recently debuted an educational project that
encourages intercultural respect and understanding among the children of Macedonia. After only one brief
season, research shows that a children’s television series has begun to make real inroads into overcoming
deep-seated prejudices and stereotypes.
24 Big Blue’s Coming to Town: Zimbabwe’s Mobile Computer Lab

Anthony Bloome, World Links
This is the story of “Big Blue,” a brightly colored mobile computer lab, that is providing Internet access and
computer literacy training to schools and community clients in a rural community in Zimbabwe.
27 Internet Learning in Unlikely Places: Supporting Education in Nations with Crisis

Maureen W. McClure, Director, GINIE Project; Frank Method, Consultant; Margherita Amodeo, Director of
Communications, UNICEF
The Internet is making a significant contribution to four critical areas of education for humanitarian assistance:
information management and decision support; professional development; external mobilization and
coordinated responses; and integration of technologies and basic services.
31 E-Volunteerism: Technology in Action

Sonia Jurich
With the incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into most sectors of life, the use
of technology as a tool and focus of volunteer actions should not come as a surprise. Read about five
volunteer organizations using ICTs as an integral part of their work.
33 Empowerment through the Internet: Opportunities and Challenges for Indigenous Peoples
Bjorn-Soren Gigler, The World Bank
This article provides, based on several case studies, a brief overview of Internet use by indigenous peoples;
highlights key challenges; and gives several policy recommendations on how to ensure that they can
participate in and benefit from the new information economy, while maintaining their cultural values and
identities.

38 Civic Education in 28 Countries: An IEA Cross-National Study
Judith Torney-Purta, University of Maryland
This is a summary of a two-phased study on civic education conducted by the International Association for
the Evaluation of Education Achievement, which examined civic knowledge and engagement of 14-year-olds
in 28 countries.
40 Mistica: A Collective Endeavor – In Search of the Social Impact of ICTs in Latin America and
the Caribbean
Luis Barnola, Research Associate, IDRC/CRDI Canada, and Daniel Pimienta, Executive Director
FUNREDES
What is the contribution and significance of virtual communities in the collective assessment of the social
impact of ICTs in Latin America and the Caribbean?
45 Francisco el Matemático: A TV Miniseries for Teaching Values in Bogotá

Clemencia Chiappe, General Director, IDEP
Francisco el Matemático is Bogotá’s innovative approach to using TV miniseries to teach values in the
schools. Read about its rationale, context, and outcomes.
48 IT and Education for the Poorest of the Poor: Constraints, Possibilities, and Principles
Daniel A. Wagner, Director, International Literacy Institute, University of Pennsylvania – UNESCO
In what ways can IT-based learning and information resources be put to service to assist the poorest sectors
of populations in diverse cultural settings?
51 Computer Mediated Communication and WWW: Delivery Modes and Implementation

Variables – The Case of the University of South Africa
Japie Heydenrych, Bureau for University Teaching, University of South Africa
This article aims at identifying four modes of distance education delivery, using CMC and the WWW to
varying degrees, and highlighting important organizational variables challenged by the technology.
55 Internet Appliances: Then, Now, and (Possibly) Tomorrow

Editorial Staff
What are Internet Appliances? What went wrong? And what’s in store for their future? Read on…

57 WorthWhileWebs
Anthony Lizardi, Graduate Student, International Education Program, The George Washington University
Here you will find a selection of websites of organizations that are in the business of social action, but more
importantly, use ICTs as an integral part of doing this business. The selection includes organizations
involved in social advocacy, or in providing support for others.
59 Internet2: The Internet Times a Thousand

Tressa Steffen Gipe
The Internet has fundamentally changed the way many people live their lives, do business and access
information. Internet2 promises to enhance all those remarkable advancements to create the next best thing
in Internet capabilities – times a thousand.
61 AED: Technology for Social Change

Kurt D. Moses, Vice President, Academy for Educational Development
AED’s use of technology for social change has run the gamut from the use of radio, to the use of advanced
Internet techniques, to accelerating information access through computer technologies/new software, to wide-
spread use of the World Wide Web (including in its wireless form) - - all to inform, entertain, and stimulate
change.
EDITORIAL CALENDAR YEAR 2001

January/ March/ May/ July/ September/ November/
February April June August October December
Management Science and e-Learning for Social Action Early Childhood Language
of Education Math Education the Work Place Development and Education
Systems Parental Ed.

Wadi D. Haddad, Editor
Social Action:
The Road to Where?
Global Social Concerns is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be
Economic globalization is going hand in constructed.” (Preamble to UNESCO’s constitution.)
hand with a broadening of concerns for Obviously education per se does not do it; only a certain kind
social development, democratization and can be effective. It is in the interest of everybody
peace. There is a growing consciousness (governments, businesses, communities, etc.) to draw on the
all over the world about issues of democracy, citizen best minds in conflict resolution, attitude change and civic
empowerment, freedom of communication, culture, civic education to face this challenge and create stable societies
participation, gender equity, human rights, civil justice, that are essential for political sustainability, social
peace and general quality of life. development and economic prosperity.
Likewise, development goals are no more restricted to Quality of Life

economic growth. The International Development Goals Despite advances in health and medicine,
(IDGs) of 2000 target " a world free of poverty and free of there continues to be massive human
the misery that poverty breeds." The goals are set in terms of suffering due to ravaging diseases, bad
reductions in poverty, improvements in health and education, health conditions, lack of understanding
and protection of the environment. They have been adopted of health issues and limited use of health
by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the services. The General Assembly of the United Nations, last
members of the Development Assistance Committee of the month, singled out HIV/AIDS for urgent and concerted
OECD, and many other agencies. They found a new action. HIV/AIDS increases human suffering, reduces life
expression in the Millennium Declaration of the United expectancy and productivity, disrupts social systems, and
Nations, adopted by the General Assembly in September exacerbates poverty. Countries urgently face a dual
2000. challenge of reducing HIV prevalence and of coping with the
impact of existing high prevalence rates on the education,
Conflict Resolution health, social, and economic sectors. This calls for frankness
There is an optimistic assumption that in addressing the problem and boldness in using the different
when countries and communities flourish channels, including the education system and mass media, to
they will not fight. But we have to ponder promote reproductive health education, including
the great paradox of the 20th century: no information on STD and HIV prevention. Such education
other period in history has produced so may help alter the social norms of the next generation of
much material progress, and at the same time so much mass adults in ways that encourage safer sexual behavior.
human and material destruction. The present outlook is not
much better. There are conflicts everywhere. They cause Facing the Challenges
severe human suffering, material devastation, human capital The challenges of social development,
loss and damage of the very social fabric. conflict resolution, peace and better
quality of life are not only formidable but
One of the major challenges in the face of existing and they belong to a category that we do not
potential strife, exploitation and human rights violations, is have much experience in dealing with.
to instill in the minds of citizens at all levels the principles of Unlike economic development, physical construction, and
tolerance, democracy, human rights, responsibility, technological advancement, these challenges are not
accountability and peace - among countries, within countries, straightforward. Many elements of them are contextual, fluid
and among people. "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it

and controversial. The challenge becomes dual: conceptual
and operational. Meeting the challenge involves issues of : TechKnowLogia™
Published by
• Advocacy - how to keep these issues on the agenda for Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.
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• Consensus building - how to create a common ground Organization (UNESCO )
Organization for Economic Co-operation
among interest groups divided by cultural and political
and Development (OECD )
ideologies, private and public interests and levels of
understanding and commitment;
• Know-how - how to stimulate and sustain social change EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Wadi D. Haddad, President, Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.
in different environments and what are the most
effective mechanisms for social action;
• Resources - how to mobilize necessary human, INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD:
institutional and financial resources under conditions of Jarl Bengtsson, Head, CERI, OEDC
Claudio Castro, Pres., Advisory Bd., Faculdade Pitágoras
competing demands; and Gajaraj Dhanarajan, President & CEO,
• Time - how to race with time to turn around the The Commonwealth of Learning
dynamics of poverty, conflict and suffering. Dee Dickenson, CEO, New Horizons for Learning
Alexandra Draxler, Director, Task force on Education for
the Twenty-first Century (UNESCO)
Pedro Paulo Poppovic, Secretary of Distance Education,
What About Technology Federal Ministry of Education, Brazil
Nicholas Veliotes, President Emeritus,
Experience has shown, as demonstrated Association of American Publishers
by the many articles in this Issue, that
technology has the potential to assist in
addressing the above six issues. ADVISORY EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:
Joanne Capper, Sr. Education Specialist, World Bank
Communication technologies may facilitate consensus Mary Fontaine, LearnLink, AED
building, collaborative actions and will draw into the process Kathleen Fulton, Independent Consultant
historically marginalized groups. Information technologies Gregg Jackson, Assoc. Prof., George Washington Univ.
have the ability to archive, classify and disseminate Sonia Jurich, Consultant
Frank Method, Dir., Washington Office, UNESCO
knowledge about social needs as well as lessons of Laurence Wolff, Sr. Consultant, IDB
experience. Mass media technologies - such as radio soap
operas and TV miniseries may be very effective in orienting MANAGING EDITOR:
and educating. Technologies could also be very effectual in Sandra Semaan
raising consciousness and making the case for the GENERAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
mobilization of resources. Finally, due to the nature, scope, FEEDBACK ON ARTICLES
coverage and speed of information and communication EDITORIAL MATTERS:
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Information and Communication Technologies
and Poverty
Charles Kenny
Infrastructure Economist, World Bank1
ckenny@worldbank.org
Few would argue that lack of access to information and communications technologies (ICTs) is
an element of poverty in the way that insufficient nutrition or inadequate shelter are. If being
poor is defined as lacking access to the Internet, for example, no one in the world escaped
poverty before 1969, when the first network was built. But, ICTs are increasingly central in
the effort to escape poverty. This article will discuss the use of ICTs in poverty alleviation, the
poor’s limited access to ICTs, and government policies that might help to overcome this ‘digi-
tal divide.’
ICTs and Poverty Alleviation The impact of ICTs on the lives of poor people goes far be-
yond income generation, however. In education, at the pri-
mary and secondary levels, radio and television are an in-
We have forty years of evidence on the utility of broadcast creasingly important means of reaching the rural poor. Edu-
media as a tool for improving incomes. A survey of some of cational radio has been utilized in:
the 21,000 farmers enrolled in radio-backed farm forums in
Zambia showed that 90 percent found programs relevant and • Mexico and Mali, for literacy training;
more than 50 percent credited the programs and forums with • Thailand, to teach mathematics to school children,
increasing their crop yields.2 Building telephone centers is and for teacher training and other curricula; and
another significant means for creating income. In the Indian
• The Dominion Republic and Paraguay, in support of
state of Punjab, for example, one study found over 10,000
primary education. 4
staffed telecenters had sprung up by 1996—generating close
to 9,000 USD in gross revenue per center, much of which
There are also a number of Internet-based education pro-
went to salaries. In Bangladesh, Grameen Phone gives
grams, including ENLACES in Chile and the World Bank’s
loans to low-income women entrepreneurs in rural areas to
WorldLinks program.
provide payphone services based on cellular technology.
Villagers report that the introduction of the service has al-
Information technology also has a role in improving the
lowed rural farmers to check livestock prices and coordinate
quality of health services. A significant percentage of health
medical needs, and has challenged the traditional power that
workers in Uganda (54 percent) and Kenya (20 percent/year)
wealthy landowners and intermediaries have held over rural
have taken part in radio-backed training courses and there are
economies and politics. Also, the phones themselves have
consistent reports and surveys suggesting that these result in
become an important new business sector in the villages,
improved knowledge, attitudes and practices. ICTs can also
generating jobs and income where none previously existed.3
significantly cut the cost of education and health care
The average income per village telephone operator has been
through the improvement of management systems using net-
estimated at $700 per annum. Small manufacturers of tradi-
worked computers. ICTs also have a role in supporting envi-
tional handicrafts are also discovering how ICTs can assist in
ronmental awareness programs and publicizing the actions of
the marketing and distribution of their wares to a worldwide
polluters, in preserving and disseminating cultural informa-
client base. In Kenya, the Naushad Trading Company
tion and practices, and a range of other development tasks.
(http://www.ntclimited.com), which sells local woodcarv-
ings, pottery, and baskets, has seen revenue growth from
Finally, ICTs also have a major role in reducing the vulner-
US$ 10,000 to over US$ 2 million in the two years since it
ability of the poor —especially to natural disasters and pow-
went online. Consumers and shopkeepers can access con-
erlessness. One of the reasons for this is the part that ICTs
stantly updated color pictures of NTCLimited’s product line,
can play in amplifying the voices of the poor. ICTs bridge
place orders, and make inquiries of other types of handi-
the distance between remote communities and service pro-
crafts.

viders—markets, government departments, and aid agencies. pointer to the dominance of industrial countries. A recent
They can allow the opinions of the poor and the needs of the host survey shows that Africa generates only 0.4 percent of
poor to be heard. For example, in India, the women’s rights global content. Excluding South Africa, the rest of Africa
NGO ‘Sakashi’ had faced difficulties in lobbying for sexual generates a mere 0.02 percent.5
harassment legislation. With help from international
women’s networks provided over the Internet, Sakashi was And, especially for the Internet, use is dominated by a tiny
able to receive advice and technical assistance on legal issues educational elite. Ninety-eight percent of Ethiopian Internet
surrounding sexual harassment. As a result, the group suc- users had a university degree—in a country where 65 percent
ceeded in convincing the Supreme Court to establish sexual of the adult population is illiterate. Finally, women have less
harassment guidelines in the workplace and brought the issue access to ICTs than men. Only 38 percent of the population
within the purview of human rights violations. polled in urban Latin America who use a computer and
Internet are women. The numbers are even more skewed in
The Digital Divide Africa: a survey of African users found that 86, 83, and 64
percent of Internet users in Ethiopia, Senegal, and Zambia,
respectively, were male.
Despite these potential links between ICTs and poverty re-
duction, direct access by the poor to more advanced ICTs in
particular is extremely limited. Radio is listened to every Should There Be Concern?
week by as much as 80 percent of the populations of many
developing countries. Figure 1 suggests that even the poor- Having said that, the mere existence of a gap in levels of ICT
est developing countries also have more televisions per cap- services between rich and poor across and within countries
ita than would be suggested by their income level. But citi- does not imply that ICTs should be a priority for government
zens of poor countries have significantly less access to tele- action; after all, poor countries also have fewer factories,
phones and the Internet than those living in rich countries, fewer cars, fewer doctors and nurses, and lower calorie in-
while poorer people within countries are even further ex- takes per capita than wealthy countries. That said, there are a
cluded. For example, Rwanda has a population of over 6.5 number of reasons why a growing gap in the provision of
million. In 1998, it had 11,000 telephones—about half the advanced ICTs should be of concern:
number of telephones as Gibraltar, with a population of
27,000. Within Rwanda, these telephones were almost ex- • The gap in provision is already large, and for advanced
clusively concentrated in Kigali. There were 4 telephones ICTs it is much larger than income disparities. This rep-
per hundred people in the capital city, compared to 4 per resents a majority of people around the world—and es-
10,000 in the rest of the country. pecially the poor—having no access to modern net-
working technologies. And the gap is growing at a time
when the trends in other determinants of development,
such as levels of education, health, and access to trans-
port, are converging.6
• Threshold effects are at work. Two linked economic

features suggest that low provision could force people
and countries into poverty traps—network externalities,
where there are increasing benefits to a connection the
more that others are connected, and bottlenecks. In the
same way that a weak port infrastructure reduces the at-
tractiveness of all merchandise trade with a country, it
might be that a weak information infrastructure will re-
duce the competitiveness of an even wider range of
goods and services. Weak information infrastructure
might then act as a bottleneck to trade-led development.
Evidence is growing that a range of ICTs is vital for
taking part in trading, and the lack of such technology
really does act as a bottleneck. For example, surveys in
Botswana and Zimbabwe suggest that areas lacking tele-
phone access see significantly less entrepreneurial activ-
Looking at the Internet, in 1998, Bangladesh had a popula- ity than those with access.
tion of 125 million, with just over 1,000 Internet users. The
availability of local content on the Internet is a further

• Within-country gaps in service provision worsen ex- communications operators; moving toward cost-oriented
isting inequities. If the opportunities for improved in- tariffs and the elimination of internal cross-subsidies, with
come generation and access to services provided by the the limited exception of carefully designed subsidies to en-
new ICTs are limited to the wealthy, this will perpetuate sure access and use for the poor; as well as recourse to a
and strengthen a number of disparities, including gender strong and truly independent regulatory agency, capable of
inequality and the inequalities faced by the disabled. enforcing rules.
Policies to Ensure Access

for the Poorest
The first step to begin fulfilling the communications needs of
the poor is to leverage the full potential of market mecha-
nisms in reaching out to poor communities, by allowing the
establishment of a competitive, private sector–led market. A
range of studies suggest that there can be dramatic increases
in access to telephone and Internet services, through a tele-
communications-sector reform program based on three pil-
lars: privatization, competition, and independent regulation.
Privatization
Figure 2 below, based on evidence from a set of Latin
American countries, shows that privatized open telecommu-
nications markets in that region saw basic line rollout ap- Regulation
proximately three times as fast as countries with a state mo-
nopoly and twice as fast as those with private monopolies. Moving to private competitive markets is unlikely to be
A liberalized telecommunications sector is also vital to make enough to ensure that the poor have access to ICTs, however.
access to advanced information technology more affordable, A combination of regulatory requirements, carefully de-
because a large part of the costs of Internet access are ac- signed privatization and license contracts, and bidding pro-
counted for by telecommunications. A recent study of Afri- cedures and financial support for private provision of public
can Internet service providers suggests that countries with a access will be required to meet this goal.
highly liberalized telecommunications network had costs of
Internet access eight times lower than those with a com- Service requirements are a simple method used by regulatory
pletely closed market. Countries with more open telecom- agencies to ensure a certain minimum level or distribution of
munications sectors also had more host sites, lower monthly telecommunications development within a country. They are
Internet charges, a greater number of providers, and higher primarily written as conditions into the license of an opera-
rates of Internet penetration.7 tor. They can involve teledensity or rollout targets for public
and private lines, along with conditions on the quality and
Opening the broadcast sector to independent operators can speed of service. Regulations can also support access by the
also have a dramatic impact on the range and quality of pro- disabled, supporting enhanced accessibility features to allow
gramming. In Columbia, for example, over 1,000 new li- use by the visually and hearing-impaired. Service require-
censes were issued to community stations in 1995. This ments should be set bearing in mind their commercial feasi-
should be part of a broader move to issue spectrum licenses bility: requirements that are unrealistically ambitious may
to local and national stations, which can dramatically in- jeopardize financial performance and thus operators’ ability
crease listener choice and information flow. to meet the targets and improve access.
In license-tendering processes, build-out targets are increas-

Competition ingly used as an important, sometimes primary, bid evalua-
Gaining full benefit from private-sector participation and tion criterion, alongside the bid price. This approach, if pre-
liberalization also requires the regulatory environment of the ceded by careful analysis of the target users’ capacity to pay,
communications industry to be conducive to a well- ensures that the rollout targets are indeed feasible. For ex-
functioning competitive market. In the telecommunications ample, in both Uganda and India, bid evaluations included
sector, this can be achieved through legal and regulatory rollout or coverage criteria. If license conditions are to be
mechanisms that promote, among other things: fair intercon- met, enforcement procedures to follow up on the accom-
nection and revenue-sharing arrangements between tele- plishment of committed targets and a plan of sanctions for

failure are essential. To make licenses with rollout conditions approach to support the establishment of public Internet ac-
more attractive, a range of options are available, including cess points, notably through telecenters. This has been the
bundling, packaging areas, and free choice of technology. approach followed in South Africa, where the Universal
Service Agency has used the funds to franchise telecenters
Potential Benefits around the country. Peru has recently started using a similar
mechanism to support the public provision of telecenters and
Using regulatory and policy support for public access, be it
Internet terminals in poor city neighborhoods.
to a telephone line, to a radio, TV screen, or to an Internet
terminal, countries can aggregate demand so that a large
number of people benefit from one or a few connections. Into the Future
This allows sustainable provision of ICT services even where
incomes are low. In Senegal, for example, more than 6,000 It should be noted that the ICT movement is still in its early
privately operated and highly profitable telecenters have stages in developing countries, and it has faced some set-
come into existence since the early 1990s.9 Public access to backs. One study of a pilot program of the Ministry of Envi-
a telephone has more than doubled. India, Peru, South Af- ronment, Natural Resources, and Fisheries in Mexico, for
rica, and Thailand have also seen dramatic growth in pri- example, found that of 23 telecenters set up in rural areas
vately owned and operated telecenters providing rural in- around the country, only five remained functional after two
habitants with new information sources and opportunities. years. Problems encountered included insufficient mainte-
nance funding, inadequate political interest and will, and
In a competitive environment, the costs of providing public cultural constraints that hampered community interest in the
access in environments where private returns to provision are projects.11 This suggests the importance of participatory de-
likely to be low can be financed through special funds. These sign and continued government support. Local communities
funds are set up as a transitory mechanism to help partially need to be involved in the design of universal access pro-
defray the initial investment costs of network expansion in grams by participating in decisions about particular informa-
rural and poor areas. tion access outlets. Indeed, most studies find that the most
effective way of ensuring the economic success of ICTs in
A prime regulatory objective in setting up universal access rural areas is to encourage local participation and create so-
funds is to maximize the impact of the subsidies awarded, cial institutions in support of the new technologies. This can
which is why the funds should be allocated to operators in a be achieved through a participatory approach, to complement
competitive way. The introduction of competition through a technical and economic calculations of telephone placement.
bidding process for the use of funds encourages operators to
look for the best technology and other cost-savings practices. Further, given the cost and skills demands of Internet access,
This tends to minimize the need for subsidies, if they are it is likely that direct access by the poorest in developing
required at all. The choice of a funding strategy can also sup- countries will remain limited. Through the more affordable
port a level playing field among operators so that none of the intermediary of the radio, however, some of the benefits of
operators is overly compensated or unfairly burdened by the Internet access can be provided to those without direct ac-
funding mechanism. cess. In Kothmale, Sri Lanka, a joint project between
UNESCO, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and
In such a competitive bidding process, the fund administrator the Media, the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, and the
determines the target areas to be served, normally based on Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission uses
socioeconomic studies and on consultation with the local radio as an interface between rural people and the Internet.
authorities and population. New entrants and sometimes ex- A daily one hour live radio program in which an announcer
isting operators compete for subsidies for network build-out and a panel of resource persons browse the Internet at the
in these areas. The subsidy is then awarded to the operator requests of listeners, has proven to be capable of overcoming
with the lowest required subsidy or the highest service roll- linguistic barriers in using the Internet by non-English
out commitment, or a combination of both. speakers. The radio station adds value to the information by
interpreting it into a local context, by broadcasting it in ver-
In Chile, for example, just over US$ 2 million in public nacular languages, and by providing a platform for feedback
funds leveraged US$ 40 million in private investment to in- through local discussion and networks of local correspon-
stall telephones in 1,000 localities, at about ten percent of the dents. In addition to the radio program, the Kothmale Com-
costs of direct public provision. Very few areas received no munity radio station is developing a rural database
bids and thus remained unserved.10 (http://www.kothmale.net), primarily by packaging public
domain information often requested by listeners for off-line
Although the initial focus of these types of universal access use.
funds was to support the provision of public telephones by
telecommunications operators, some countries are using this

range of subjects and topics (math, language, health, and
It should be noted that provision of infrastructure is only the agriculture) have been found to be highly cost-effective.
first step in exploiting ICTs for development. Without ap-
propriate content, for example, the Internet will not be rele- Utilizing private investment and entrepreneurship to its full
vant to the poor in developing countries. There is also a extent, then providing government support to ‘fill in the
large role for government to support the creation of appropri- gaps,’ developing countries can go a long way in overcoming
ate content in broadcasting media. Same-language subtitling the digital divide and use ICTs as a powerful tool of poverty
for television broadcasts supports language and literacy relief.
goals, and radio-based educational programming across a
1
Based on Kenny, Charles, Juan Navas-Sabater, Christine Z. Qiang (2001) "Information and Communication Technologies
and Poverty in the World Bank" (Ed) Poverty Reduction Strategy Sourcebook, Washington DC: World Bank.
(http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/strategies/chapters/ict/ict.htm) The longer paper also discusses the importance of ICTs in
improved provision of government services and governance. The ideas and opinions in this paper are those of the author, and
do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank or its Executive Directors.
2
Dodds, T. (1999) Non-Formal and Adult Basic Education through Open and Distance Learning in Africa. Mimeo, Centre for
External Studies, University of Namibia.
3
More information can be found on Grameen Phone at http://www.rdc.com.au/grameen/impact.html.
4
The examples on the use of radio come from Nwaerondu, Ndubuisi Goodluck, and Gordon Thompson. 1987. "The Use of
Educational Radio in Developing Countries: Lessons from the Past." Journal of Distance Education 2(2): 43-54.
5
The statistics in this paragraph are drawn from Africa Internet Forum. 1999. “Internet Economic Toolkit for African Policy
Makers,” available online at http://www.infodev.org/projects/finafcon.htm, ITU.(1999). World Telecommunication Develop-
ment Report. ITU, Geneva, and Wilson, E. and Rodriguez, F. 1999. Are Poor Countries Losing the Internet Revolution? in-
foDev Working Paper. Washington, D.C.
6
See Easterly, W. 1996. Life During Growth. Washington D.C.: World Bank..
7
Africa Internet Forum. 1999. “Internet Economic Toolkit for African Policy Makers,” available on line at
http://www.infodev.org/projects/finafcon.htm.
8
Wellenius, Bjorn. 1997a. Telecommunications Reform: How to Succeed, World Bank Viewpoint Note No. 130.
9
For more information on telecenters in Senegal, see http://www.idrc.ca/acacia/engine/eng_6.htm and
http://www.sonatel.sn/deplac.htm.
10
Wellenius, Bjorn. 1997b. Extending Telecommunications Service to Rural Areas—the Chilean Experience, World Bank
Viewpoint Note No. 105.
11
Robinson, Scott S. 2000. Telecenters in Mexico: Learning the Hard Way, presented at the “Partnerships and Participation in
Telecommunications for Rural Development: Exploring What Works and Why” conference at the University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario, Canada, October 26-27. http://www.devmedia.org/documents/robinson.htm.

E-Dialogue, Social Policy,
and the United Nations
By John E.S. Lawrence

Senior Associate, ManageForResults.com
THE E-DIMENSION OF DIALOGUE factors identified which led to the rapid mainstreaming of
these techniques.
The 1990s decade saw an unprecedented array of global
summits and conferences addressing various aspects of social These cases illustrate some of the advantages (and disadvan-
development. Amongst the most influential were the World tages) of bringing innovative information/communication
Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in March of technologies (ICTs) into the service of social development,
1995, the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women later specifically in the context of engaging people not otherwise
in 1995, the Global Knowledge Conference in Toronto in likely to be engaged (locally) in building global consensus.
1997, and the Dakar World Education Forum in 2000 in As such, the link between community and na-
Senegal. tional/international policy dialogue is tenuous, but alive and
intriguing, and is discussed at greater length elsewhere.1 In
The United Nations system (including the Bretton Woods the case of the Social Summit, successful application of the
institutions) was closely involved in each of these fora, hav- methodology itself was as important as the substance, or in-
ing encouraged such dialogues in search of improved social formational throughput of the dialogue, because this was a
and economic conditions during the fifty years since its in- first attempt at formalizing the e-process in a United Nations
ception. But for the first time in 1995 at the Social Summit, summit. In the case of Dakar, the substance was more im-
an e-dimension was introduced. This was to open a new portant, since it dealt with the impact of HIV/AIDS on edu-
electronic window on the proceedings, and permit (in theory) cational systems in southern Africa (a subject until that time
much greater participation by ordinary people (albeit those not given the priority it clearly deserved).
with access to INTERNET- still a major limitation). Opposed
initially as a disruptive intrusion into the arcane maze of Many positive outcomes emerged from these experiments. E-
protocol and delicate diplomatic and substantive balancing dialogue has both illuminatory and participatory dimensions,
necessary to reach consensus, this e-tributary has swelled in and in addition offers various forms of anonymity. Despite
flood to become a wide river. Electronic discussion LISTS initial fears, the INTERNET proved neither a threat to UN
are now a central, vital part of the policy-shaping process protocol, nor exclusionary to `southern’ involvement. Wider
both of the UN system, and of its composite and partner engagement in UN functions promoted greater clarity, as
agencies. But it was not always that way, and the pioneers well as transparency, such that brighter light was necessarily
had to trek new territory! shone on issues and procedures under discussion. Formerly,
only delegates in touch with their governments, and their
Because the INTERNET LISTSERV, as a democratic forum, small and refined coteries of specialized experts were privy
is a relatively new and immensely promising phenomenon in to decision-making and preparing for major global events. E-
United Nations deliberations, it is worth tracing the factors, dialogue simply opens up this process (the digital divide
which led to its acceptance as a new force in the UN system notwithstanding) to a much broader audience. The prevailing
through these four illustrative global conferences. While they tendency of a unidirectional information arrow – from `us’
were by no means the only uses of e-discussions ongoing in out to `them’ – is reversed. Feedback offers new information
their time, the four examples chosen here were unique in on which more responsive social policy can be intelligently
respect to the way UN business was then being formally based.
conducted. So, a brief summary of each is presented, and key

Disadvantages are also documented, such as difficulties in to survive another fifty years, the UN must stand proudly as
engaging senior policymakers, and the inevitable friction the peoples’ forum. A Social Development summit should
inherent in bringing constituencies onboard that are resistant therefore have the greatest possible participation (with due
to virtual participation. On balance however, the evidence is deference to the ways each member government wishes to be
predominantly positive and favors the further incorporation represented).
of these and other yet-to-be identified (and perhaps even
more democratic, across the digital divide) technologies. The It seemed that the INTERNET might take one step towards
purpose is to promote wider engagement in international providing greater awareness of the Preparatory Committee’s
discussion of serious social development issues. Participation deliberations at least in the form of an information outlet.
through ICTs in many aspects of UN dialogue and program- And perhaps, if carefully managed (but without strangling
ming is widening inexorably as time progresses, and as tech- spontaneity), it might work the other way by helping the de-
nologies improve. Although poverty and illiteracy, and lan- liberations become more participatory, and by bringing fresh
guage-dominance (persistence of colonial languages in newly ideas/voices to the discussion process. Thus a new channel
independent countries) continue to pose difficult challenges, presented itself through which a kind of `knowledge interac-
the precedents set in the nineties bode well for the new cen- tivity’ could be enabled.
tury, and for extended enfranchisement of local interests in
setting global priorities. In no way can the formal roles of Heads of States and na-
tional governments and their elected or appointed represen-
tatives be usurped. Rather, a complementary role must be
CASE 1: sought where ordinary folks can see themselves as legitimate
participants rather than mere recipients. This was the ration-
THE WORLD SUMMIT FOR ale on which the argument for a WSSD electronic discussion
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT list was based.
(WSSD) Membership of the WSSD LISTSERV included a broad
spectrum of civil society worldwide, and with specific focus
on `southern’ as contrasted with `northern’ institutions. Or-
The Social Summit (WSSD) in ganizations (intergovernmental, governmental and non-
Copenhagen in March 1995 was the largest governmental) were contacted to catalyze and broaden ex-
gathering ever of world leaders at that time.2 It pledged to put pression of social development options for consideration and
people at the center of development. It sought three quite discussion at all levels. In addition, the project design was
ambitious social objectives: the outright conquest of poverty, deliberately self-conscious in that it sought to examine sys-
full employment, and the fostering of social integration. tematically and document its own progress.3
During the Summit’s preparation in 1994, the INTERNET
was just budding, and not full flowering. But even then, its The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) sup-
power was recognized as a mechanism for rapid electronic ported the Education Development Center (EDC) in design
access to enormous, undifferentiated amounts of knowledge. and operation of the LISTSERV during the seven months
Still, however, only a lucky few could purchase a ticket to prior to, during, and immediately following implementation
the on-ramps for what was then called the Information of WSSD in March 1995. This experiment broke new ground
Highway. in attracting 600 subscribers from 54 countries representing
all world regions. Surprisingly, half of the participants were
It struck some of us engaged in the formal planning process outside North America, and 21% from Latin America, Asia
for WSSD that ICTs could work both ways in opening up a and Africa despite the inability of the project to defray par-
relatively privileged discussion. There were people living ticipant access costs.
within a block of UN Headquarters who had no idea what
WSSD was about, indeed who had no access to information A key outcome of the LISTSERV was the participation of
on UN business in general. They watched limousines pulling NGOs in raising awareness, and sharing information around
up at the gates, and discharging small elite bands at the dele- WSSD issues. Documentation (drafts, position papers, and
gates’ entrance. Little could be deduced from the gatherings technical reports) were made available, and ultimately, dele-
of dignitaries other than another irritating traffic jam around gations were contacted independently as a result of
the UN. How much greater were the degrees of separation LISTSERV discussions. On at least one documented occa-
from those living in poverty in the remotest areas of the sion, a nation’s reluctance to meet with its NGOs on sub-
world. Yet the first words of the UN charter establish the stantive draft language was noted on the LISTSERV, and
responsibility of `we the peoples of the United Nations....’ as collective pressure was brought to bear to bring about suc-
determining the course of the organization. Above all, if it is cessful collaboration.4 Another key outcome was recognition

and acceptance of the LISTSERV as a justifiable and legiti- America and Europe offering solutions, even promising sub-
mate method of complementing the WSSD deliberations. scriptions to keep the LISTSERV from closing. Finally an
Initial resistance gave way to acknowledgement that not only anonymous LISTSERV member from a private (northern)
was this democratic extension inevitable, but also generally firm came forward with funding to extend the life of the fo-
beneficial. rum for further discussion of post-Beijing issues.
CASE 2: CASE 3:
THE BEIJING FOURTH WORLD THE GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE FOR
CONFERENCE ON WOMEN (FWCW) DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE (GKD)
The Beijing Conference took place in September 1995, only

The World Bank, UNDP, the Canadian Government and
six months later.5 Given the modest but significant success of
other public and private agencies sponsored the GKD Con-
the WSSD LISTSERV, the UNDP/EDC team decided to
ference in 1997 in Toronto.8 Its purpose was to establish an
continue with the LISTSERV subscriber base, but roll it over
international benchmark for the role of information tech-
conceptually and substantively to meet the new demand for
nologies in international development at the close of the
information and participation predominantly by women. The
twentieth century, and to document and exhibit best case
linkage was fortunate and productive between the two dis-
examples. It constituted a natural opportunity to build on our
cussions, thus enhancing the substantive relationship be-
UN system experience with virtual participation in both ear-
tween WSSD and Beijing goals.
lier conferences. UNDP thus supported EDC again in design
and moderation of the GKD LISTSERV, which still contin-
Considerable outreach was needed to encompass the new
ues as of this time, under World Bank sponsorship, as one of
constituencies implied by the substance of FWCW, and es-
the most informative current sources for updates on ICTs and
pecially the Asian venue in China. LISTSERV membership
development.9
expanded very fast, and ended up reaching more than 1600
people from 65 countries. Discussion centered around three
Not only was this Conference exclusively devoted to the im-
broad topics: administrative and organizational information
pact of info-technologies on development (thus demanding
sharing on meeting schedules and activities; substantive de-
more of the LISTSERV process both technically and sub-
bate over documentation, particularly the Conference plat-
stantively) but it was clear that these LISTSERV members,
form and program of action; and news from the Conference
many of whom were from the private sector, would need
and its satellite meetings. The INTERNET turned out to be a
clear evidence of influence and participatory engagement.
major information exchange medium for FWCW through not
Considerable effort was taken to broaden the scope of the
only the LISTSERV, but through various other channels,
discussion to accommodate different interests. The sponsors
formal and informal. One UN report states that there were a
again agreed to offer a limited number of ‘scholarships’ to
total of 158,722 visits to the INTERNET space at the Con-
those LISTSERV members who were particularly articulate
ference from 68 countries.6
discussants, and who were able to physically participate
onsite in Toronto.
These efforts by UNDP and others to widen electronic access
to FWCW were explicitly recognized and formally docu-
This experimental LISTSERV was ambitious, and was con-
mented during a June 1996 international follow-up session in
spicuously effective, featuring prominently and favorably in
New York solely devoted to continuing use of electronic
independent evaluations of the Toronto meeting. As the offi-
communications and future virtual conferencing in the serv-
cial evaluation report states:
ice of women’s development.7
‘Many participants found the "virtual conference"-
The major utility of the LISTSERV to subscribers, however,
in particular the GKD97 Discussion List- very use-
was discovered later, when UNDP decided to conclude
ful for learning, sharing ideas, and networking.
funding after the Conference had finished. There was an
This may be the greatest legacy of the conference,
outcry from most world regions. Appreciative and supportive
and the vehicle through which the conference ulti-
messages flooded in from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, North

mately addresses its core objectives. Follow-up and its impact on education systems. The WEF, held in Da-
evaluations should explore this phenomenon in kar Senegal in April 2000,11 marked the end of the first dec-
greater detail. The List ...contained meaningful dis- ade following the Jomtien World Conference on Education
cussions of real cases, practical aspects of imple- for All. Over the intervening years, the HIV/AIDS epidemic
menting ICT, and identification of re- reached disastrous proportions, particularly in southern Af-
sources...involved considerable discussion of how rica, where at least 860,000 elementary students in the region
and when ICT can enhance development and bene- lost a teacher to the disease in 1999.
fit the world's poor [and] involved people around
the globe, including significant representation from UNDP decided to try an INTERNET-based LISTSERV as a
developing countries. vehicle for helping to break the policy silence around this
disease, and open up regional discussion in ways that could
The virtual conference continues, with the potential usefully inform the WEF. This project initially presented
to build upon the initiative of the conference several problems. As with the LISTSERV for WSSD, there
started in Toronto.’10 was some opposition to employing the INTERNET as a de-
vice for communicating throughout this sub-region. Outside
By the end of the Conference, more than 2000 people from South Africa itself, there was thought to be little significant
90 countries (51 from the `developing’ world) had joined the connectivity. Furthermore, even where access to the
LISTSERV. It was most encouraging to see virtual partici- INTERNET existed, what was the likelihood that people
pation so vigorously endorsed, and so actively engaged in would engage in abstract discussion of such a serious and
many aspects of the Conference, including online panels. But personal matter?
most of all, the forum proved sustainable, and so far has
continued for almost four years. As reported in detail elsewhere,12, 13 these fears were largely
ungrounded. The archives of this discussion14 show a highly
Furthermore, there were several instances where the Virtual substantive set of postings, containing astonishing breadth
Conference positively influenced the actual conference, and and scope of policy-relevant knowledge and experience
set the stage for much greater use of these methods and pro- across individuals, communities, and institutions. Even
cedures in the future. For example, in reaction to publication though the LISTSERV ran only for four months, there were
of the provisional speaker list, members noted the lack of 667 subscribers, representing 54 countries, of which 25 are in
women speakers. Conference managers immediately rectified Sub-Saharan Africa.
this.
We are still sorting through these data, and encourage others
The LISTSERV provided an opportunity for a variety of to do the same. They were most informative in presentations
shared experiences to be documented both online as they to the WEF panel on the impact of HIV/AIDS in Dakar. The
were posted, and in the archives for later study. Informative `scholarship’ idea was used again, and two representatives
commentaries and many spin-off ideas resulted. Scholarship traveled from within the region to Senegal to participate.
recipients from Peru (female) and Africa (male) were able to
voice their concerns and suggestions on behalf of their com- The policy significance of this kind of discussion is high.
munities. The continued sustainability, however, of the The fact that this kind of electronic window can be brought
LISTSERV, and its extraordinarily comprehensive and con- even into the world’s less developed regions, and provide a
temporary knowledge base, are perhaps the best testimony to forum for informed, and high quality discussion on sensitive
the legitimacy and credibility of this new vehicle for global issues of public policy, is most encouraging. Negotiations are
communication around ICTs. underway to continue this discussion forum, with a host
server in the Sub-Saharan region.
CASE 4: CONCLUSIONS
THE DAKAR What do we conclude from these four cases? Our original
purpose was to look at policy implications, but the focus
WORLD broadens as evidence mounts that people respond so posi-
EDUCATION tively to having these technologies made available to them. If
FORUM (WEF) one objective of social development is to widen peoples’
choices, then ICTs and specifically, well-managed
INTERNET LISTSERVs, are a crucial tool. The technology
This final example is different from the others in that it deals is moving so fast that these may be mechanically and techni-
with a LISTSERV focusing on a specific (and very sensitive) cally outdated as new (hand held, wireless, satellite) and
substantive area of social development, namely HIV/AIDS

more personal tools are developed. But the principles are disasters, as documented before the ECOSOC,15 and of
powerful. course go far beyond just these kinds of interactive e-lists.
However, the INTERNET specifically seems to provide a
Anyone who has participated actively in global discussions new dimension for democracy, and gives strength and direc-
can understand intimately the barriers to extending that par- tion to participatory energies. More needs to be done to en-
ticipation. The potential humiliation lurking around oppo- gage policymakers themselves in the dialogue. Furthermore,
nents’ reactions, inarticulateness in the face of large groups, the greatest challenge is the enormous and growing gap be-
and intimidation felt in expressing deeply held positions in tween those able to take advantage of ICTs, and those margi-
formal gatherings; all of these inhibitors are greatly reduced nalized by them. Development agencies, governments, and
in e-fora. Entrepreneurial and courageous ideas can emerge people generally should apply one simple, single criterion to
and flourish in the relative anonymity of the virtual space. all activity in this area: do our actions reduce, or contribute to
this divide?
Governments are looking for ways to reach out to their con-
stituencies, spreading responsibility, and engaging their
communities. ICTs have already saved many lives during
1
Lawrence, J.E.S. and Brodman, J. "Linking Communities to Global policymaking: A New Electronic Window on the United
Nations." In Community Informatics. Gurstein, M. (Ed). Idea Publishing, Hershey Pennsylvania. 2000. pp 470-493.
2
See http://www.undp.org/wssd/wssd.html
3
Education Development Center. Newton, Massachusetts. The New Global Forum: Expanding Participation in UN Confer-
ences via the Internet. Final Report to UNDP. 1996.
4
Lawrence and Brodman. 2000. p 479.
5
See http://www.un.org/womenwatch/confer/
6
See http://www.un.org/womenwatch/resources/documents/fwcw/26Jun96_rep.htm (para 5)
7
See http://www.un.org/womenwatch/resources/documents/fwcw/26Jun96_rep.htm (para 15)
8
See http://www.globalknowledge.org/GK97/overview.html
9
See archives at http://www.globalknowledge.org/
10
See Para 5 of Evaluation Report at http://www.globalknowledge.org/GK97/evaluation.html
11
See http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/index.shtml
12
Final Report. Global Forum on the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Education Systems: Focus on Africa Submitted to UNDP by
Education Development Center, Inc. July 2000. see http://www.undp.org/poverty/forums/hiv-impact.htm
13
Lawrence, J.E.S. African voices on HIV/AIDS and education: an electronic forum for 2000. Paper for UK Department of
International Development 2001 (in press).
14
See http://www.edc.org/GLG/hiv-impact/hypermail/
15
UN Press Release ECOSOC/5898, 7 July, 2000.

TechKnowNews
IT Brings Connectivity to North All-Spanish Software Measures
America’s Native Populations Telecenter Impact
In a move to help American Indians join the technology age, All-Spanish software that measures the impact of Telecenters
achieve economic independence and bridge the digital debuted in May of this year in Bogota, Colombia. The
divide, the computer company Hewlett Packard announced a software is developed by Colnodo, a Colombian
$US 5 million grant to the Southern California Tribal communications network provider operated by the non-profit
Chairmen’s Association, an organization of 18 tribes in the organization called Colombian Association of Non-
San Diego, California, area. The flexible grant will allow the Governmental Organizations for Email Communication
tribes to choose how they will spend the money. However, (Asociación Colombiana de Organizaciones no
the main component will be a high-speed, broadband Gubernamentales para la Comunicación Vía Correo
wireless network between the reservations. Electrónico) and founded by a conglomeration of Colombian
telecom and social advocacy companies.
Connecting the tribes to the Internet and with each other will
hopefully help them towards preserving their culture, The software is a low-cost, easy-to-use, electronic
educating their children (and adults!), building community, registration system that allows the capture of qualitative and
and providing new economic sustenance. This “Digital quantitative data, which can be applied in different impact
Village” will benefit at least 20,000 people, significantly evaluation methodologies. This is a break-through for
more than the current 10% of tribal members that have had telecenter owners, evaluators, donors, and researchers in
some exposure to technology. Latin America. Colnodo hopes that with this information,
telecenter administrators and workers will have new reasons
In one reservation where some changes are already taking to value the social contribution of their work.
place, library director Doretta Musick recounts that with the
advance of a high-speed network, they are able to greatly Written for LINUX, a non-proprietary operating system, the
expand their educational services to the local population. For software also runs on windows. It’s user-friendly and
example, the library now offers a greater number of offered for free. It’s expected that it will be translated into
computers for use, more classes in basic computing skills, other languages soon. For more information see:
Web research and Web design classes, web cameras for http://www.colnodo.apc.org/registro/index.html.
connecting kids and tutors, and the list goes on.
Sources: Colnodo and APC
Last, but not least, this technology will help preserve http://www.colnodo.apc.org/summary_english.html
American Indian culture – the language, music, stories, and http://www.apc.org/english/news/fulltext.shtml?sh_itm=cb1a
traditions – through audio, video, and the Internet. e55cfcc785161ce99609edcc3bf5
In a similar situation, Telesat Canada and the Assembly of

First Nations (AFN) signed an agreement in May, which National Science Foundation to
would help get all First Nations communities in Canada Build Digital Library
connected by early 2004. Telesat Canada will provide
expertise and technology, while the AFN will provide input
on what applications and technology will be provided.
Wired magazine online reported that the National Science
Sources: Wired Magazine and NewsBytes Foundation in the U.S. announced it would be launching a
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,43718,00.htm “Digital Library” in the fall of 2002. The National Science
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/166287.html Digital Library (NSCL) will be one library with many

portals, where users will be able to browse digital collections than the overall market in 2000. The overall market grew
in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology 15% from $19.5 billion in 1999 to $22.4 billion in 2000
education. The library is being developed by teams of while the top 15 grew 20% from $3.6 billion to $4.3 billion.
computer scientists and librarians from Cornell, Columbia, This information comes from IDC's recent bulletin The Top
the University of Missouri and other institutions in the 15 Worldwide IT Training Providers in 2000.
United States.
"2000 was a terrific year for the IT education and training
Source: Wired Magazine market and for the top 15 vendors in particular," said Ellen
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,44554,00.html Julian, director of IDC's Workforce Management Services
research. "The momentum in the industry was generated by a
number of factors, including increased spending on software,
Verizon Introduces Suite of which heightened the need for training, a growing need for
professionals with technology integration skills, and an effort
Software to Help Meet Security & to reskill existing employees to compensate for the
Privacy Protection Rules continuing IT skills shortage."
Verizon announced the introduction of a “comprehensive IDC ranks the top five vendors in the IT education and
suite of data security products and related specialized training market according to 2000 revenues as follows:
professional services designed to enable schools and libraries
around the country to improve the security of their networks 1. IBM Global Services
and use the Internet as an effective and worry-free learning 2. Oracle University
tool,” according to a Verizon press release dated June 27, 3. New Horizons Worldwide
2001. 4. Global Knowledge Network
5. SAP Education
The software, through virtual private networks (VPNs) and
firewall routers, will address Federal Regulations stipulated According to IDC, 12 of the 15 top vendors were also among
in the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000 (CIPA). last year's leaders. Newcomers include Gateway Learning,
The offering is targeted for educational institutions with NIIT, and Siemens Business Services. Because the top 15
students in K-12 grade. "Everybody is concerned about vendors control less than 20% of the market, IDC believes
children being exposed to inappropriate materials over the the IT education and training market offers lots of
Internet," said Edward McGuinness, senior vice president, opportunity for all vendors in the industry.
marketing, Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group. "Verizon
Circle of Trust(SM) Education Network provides schools "IT training providers that demonstrate their ability to help
and libraries around the country with the ability to offer companies improve employee productivity and meet their
children the full benefits of the Internet while shielding them business goals more efficiently, by leveraging technology,
from content considered to be harmful." will be the preferred providers of training services," said
Cushing Anderson, manager of IDC's Learning Services
Verizon Communications is one of the world’s leading research.
providers of communications services. Verizon Enterprise
Solutions Group manages the design, operation and IDC recently published The Top 15 Worldwide IT Training
maintenance of end-to-end total network integrated solutions Providers in 2000 (IDC #B24970). The bulletin names the
for large business and government customers across the top 15 vendors in 2000 according to revenues and shows
United States. 1999-2000 growth rates. It also identifies up-and-coming IT
education and training providers. To purchase this bulletin,
Source: Verizon Press Release, June 27, 2001 contact Jim Nagle at jnagle@idc.com.
http://newscenter.verizon.com/
IDC is the foremost global market intelligence and advisory
Top 15 IT Education and Training firm helping clients gain insight into technology and e-
Vendors Outgrow Rest of Market business trends to develop sound business strategies.
Additional information can be found at www.idc.com. IDC is
but Leave Plenty of Opportunity a division of IDG, the world's leading IT media, research and
for Others, IDC Says exposition company. “
“The top 15 IT education and training vendors grew faster Source: PR Newswire, Wednesday June 27, 2001

SCHOOLS THINK ABOUT HIV/AIDS:
A World Links Online Collaborative Project
Ann Klofkorn Bloome,

World Links HIV/AIDS Consultant1
Can you catch AIDS from kissing?
Why doesn’t saliva transmit HIV?
Why do we care about HIV/AIDS anyway?
These are the latest questions discussed by participants in the World Links HIV/AIDS Online Collabo-
rative Project, an ongoing HIV prevention effort conducted mainly via email, using, as resources, the
Internet and information downloaded onto a CD-ROM.
WORLD LINKS WORLD LINKS AND HIV/AIDS

World Links, www.world-links.org, At the start of the year 2000, World Links took a look at the
established in 1997 within the HIV/AIDS situation in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, and Af-
World Bank, is now a program rica in general, and decided to sponsor a new collaborative
jointly coordinated by the World project on the prevention of HIV. The World Links' Execu-
Bank’s World Links for Develop- tive Director, Mr. Sam Carlson, and the regional coordinator
ment Program (WorLD) and the living in Zimbabwe, Mr. Anthony Bloome, saw how the
World Links Organization, a non-profit based in Washing- AIDS epidemic is affecting Africans, their children, their
ton, D.C. This international program, currently in twenty- economies and their way of life, and wanted to explore how
seven developing countries around the world, works with the program could help. Financial support for the project
Ministries of Education and secondary schools to promote came partly from an online auction on the program’s behalf
the use of information and communications technologies by Wired magazine.
(ICT) to enhance teaching and learning.
Students and teachers from fifteen schools in four African
With support from public and private sector partners, World countries -- Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe –
Links has established over 700 school-based Internet Learn- signed up to learn more about HIV/AIDS through the proj-
ing Centers. The World Links program focuses on profes- ect's educational activities.
sional development workshops for students and teachers on
how computers and the Internet can be used as resources Over one in four Zimbabwean adults between the ages of
across the curriculum. fifteen and forty-nine are infected with HIV, and over half a
million orphaned children struggle to survive in a deterio-
As part of an ongoing series of workshops, schools partici- rating economy. In South Africa, adult HIV prevalence rose
pate in a number of online collaborative projects, on topics as from 2% at the start of the 1990s to nearly 20% by the end of
diverse as border disputes, solid waste management, bully- the decade. The AIDS situation in both Ghana and Uganda
ing, traditional medicine, and HIV/AIDS. contrasts with Zimbabwe and South Africa. Uganda used to
be the most affected country in the world in the 1990s, but
has since brought its adult HIV prevalence under 10%. This

was done through sincere government interventions, public workers, traditional healers, and pastors. Participants also
discussions, and the encouragement of condom use. Ghana discussed whether the blood supply in their country is safe --
has been fortunate enough to keep its adult HIV prevalence for the most part, it is. The topic of culture and its influence
under 5%, partly because of its location in West Africa, on HIV prevention prompted many contributions to the proj-
where HIV is neither as prevalent or as virulent as in South- ect LISTSERV. These discussions and interviews led to the
ern Africa. last activity, Social Action.
A SOUTH AFRICAN EXAMPLE SOCIAL ACTION

A typical World Links school, Mpophomeni is in a township The HIV/AIDS Collaborative Project challenged each school
in the Midlands of KwaZulu/Natal, in the east of South Af- to design an HIV/AIDS Action Plan, through which the stu-
rica. AIDS is a huge killer in the township. Seven hundred dents could attempt to make an impact on their community.
and fifty students and eighteen teachers work at the school Most schools planned to prevent the further spread of HIV or
every weekday. One teacher, Pam Robertson, and her stu- to alleviate the effects of HIV/ AIDS on the infected or af-
dents have been participating in the HIV/AIDS Collaborative fected, for example, the many orphans not attending school.
Project for over a year.
One school moved from plan to action. The West Africa
The teacher continues to participate despite her busy sched- Secondary School (WASS), in Ghana, under the leadership
ule and problems with connectivity, because, "even though of Mr. Chris Kwei, worked with AIDS Action Ghana
there is a lot of information about [HIV/AIDS], we don't (AAG), a local non-governmental organization (NGO), to
seem to be winning the battle…Each year we have girls who train student peer educators. WASS and AAG held a work-
fall pregnant. This shows that our students are sexually ac- shop at the school to train students to help their peers learn
tive at a young age and that they are engaging in unprotected correct information about HIV/AIDS. Peer education is an
sex. My hope is that through projects like this one our stu- important tool for HIV prevention, because knowing the
dents will think more seriously about the risk that AIDS facts is the first step towards safe sexual behavior among
poses to their lives." youth.
COLLABORATIVE PROJECT ACTIVITIES 13TH INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE

With the help of the World Bank’s AIDS Campaign Team The 2000 World Links HIV/AIDS Collaborative Project
for Africa (ACTAfrica), World Links designed a five-month culminated in the 13th International AIDS Conference, held
collaborative project on HIV/AIDS. First, students and for the first time in Africa. One teacher and student from
teachers introduced themselves via a questionnaire, then each of the four countries attended the weeklong conference,
went to work on four educational goal activities, one each held in Durban, South Africa, in July 2000. The students and
month. The teachers and students explored the myths often teachers were thrilled by the dramatic Opening Ceremony,
associated with HIV and AIDS, conducted individual and learned a lot of new facts about HIV/AIDS at the conference
team research to separate these from the facts about the dis- sessions, and joined thousands of conference delegates to
ease, and discussed how they could prevent HIV in their own hear Nelson Mandela close the conference by calling on eve-
communities. ryone around the world to break the silence surrounding HIV
and AIDS.
Working in World Links computer laboratories in schools or
community centers, participants responded to the questions 2001 COLLABORATIVE PROJECT –
raised by posting their replies on a private, moderated
LISTSERV. The first HIV/AIDS educational activ- YEAR 2
ity made sure that participants knew the basic facts of Because of student enthusiasm and the continuing epidemic,
HIV/AIDS – what HIV and AIDS are, how they differ, and World Links decided to sponsor the HIV/AIDS Collaborative
some statistics for each country. Participants confronted Project for a second year. Twenty-five schools are partici-
common myths, such as the belief that mosquitoes or sharing pating this year and the activities have been stretched over
eating utensils or toilets can transmit the virus. Students and six months to promote even more discussion in each activity.
their teachers also discussed controversial issues, such as the New this year are more partners and enhanced discussion.
kissing questions above, or the effectiveness of condoms. With the help of the United Negro College Fund and Metro
Teen AIDS, a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C.,
The second activity explored why the issue of high schools in the United States capital are joining the proj-
HIV/AIDS is important to the participants, their school, ect. The DC students seem to have very similar information
needs as their peers in Africa, as many do not know the per-
community and country. Activity three had the students
centage of adults infected in their own country (less than 1%
out in their community interviewing authorities such as clinic

overall, but increasing), let alone the impact of the epidemic D.C. to visit their counterparts' schools, as well as youth
around the world. centers run by Metro Teen AIDS.
In addition, World Links' Alliance for Global Learning part- SUSTAINABILITY -- LINKING SCHOOLS
ner organization, the International Education and Resource WITH HIV/AIDS NGOS
Network (I@EARN), wrote a successful proposal to the US
State Department for an expansion of the project. In the sec- World Links and its partners hope that the HIV/AIDS col-
ond half of 2001, three more African countries will join the laborative project will be only the start of activities in school
project -- Botswana, Nigeria and Zambia. communities in the US and Africa. The project also aims to
link each school with a local HIV/AIDS organization. World
Links envisions this as a "win-win" situation. The schools
ENHANCING HIV/AIDS MATERIALS would help the HIV/AIDS groups learn how to use e-mail,
The funding from the State Department will also parallel the Internet, and computers in general to enhance their
World Link’s additional efforts to get HIV/AIDS materials HIV/AIDS interventions. The HIV/AIDS experts in turn
into schools: in print, on CD-ROM, and over the Internet. would assist with HIV prevention and lessening the impact
As of now, schools have few comprehensive HIV/AIDS of AIDS by training students to be peer educators and home-
materials available to them in any medium. I@EARN and based volunteers for AIDS sufferers.
World Links plan to remedy this by gathering for review
HIV/AIDS materials from the US, Africa -- and Russia, The World Links project has already proven that such joint
where Metro Teen AIDS has worked. Materials will be re- activities are possible through the work of West Africa Sec-
viewed with teachers, representatives from HIV/AIDS ondary School and AIDS Action Ghana, and hopes to have a
NGOs, and other affected individuals at a pre-workshop to collaboration of this sort in each school's community by the
the Africa Connects/I@EARN Conference held in Cape end of 2002.
Town, South Africa, this July. The goal of the workshop will
be to start the production process for needed materials, and As for the discussion questions about kissing, participants
ultimately to make resources available to answer any ques- rightly agreed that kissing is much less risky than sex. As
tion on HIV/AIDS, even in remote areas. well, World Links and project participants agree that the
project is a small but important contribution to HIV/AIDS
The State Department funding also enables teachers from the work in Africa, at least in the lives of the participating stu-
seven African countries to visit the United States. In early dents and teachers.
2002, about two dozen of the teachers who have been work-
ing with the collaborative project will meet in Washington,
1
Ms. Klofkorn lived in Zimbabwe from 1998 to 2000, and while there served as Programme Officer for a network of Zimbab-
wean HIV/AIDS groups. .

Nashe Maalo:
Kids’ TV in Macedonia for Violence Preven
Prevention
By
Lisa Shochat
Media Project Manager, Common Ground Productions1
"Our Neighborhood" The Show – Grounded in Research

A consortium of television and conflict-resolution experts The show features children of Albanian, Macedonian, Roma
recently debuted an educational project that encourages and Turkish backgrounds who live in an imaginary apart-
intercultural respect and understanding among the children of ment building in Skopje. These kids share a secret that binds
Macedonia. After only one brief season, research shows that them together – the building they live in is alive! Her name is
a children’s television series has begun to make real inroads Karmen and, in addition to being the kids’ confidante and
into overcoming deep-seated prejudices and stereotypes. friend, she possesses a power: She can magically transport
them into their neighbors’ cultural and psychological mi-
Developed for kids ages 7-12, Nashe Maalo (“Our Neigh- lieus. These scenes open the eyes of our characters to other
borhood” in Macedonian) is a dramatic TV series first pro- people’s ways of thinking and living.
duced during the Kosovo crisis in 1999, and broadcast as
eight half-hour episodes starting in October 1999. Now in its While this is one of the first enterprises of its kind – a televi-
third production season, Nashe Maalo’s creators are striving sion series for children aged 7-12 designed specifically to
to balance clearly researched curricular goals with the ele- promote tolerance among children in a multi ethnic society –
ments that make a children’s TV series successful: that it it is based on Sesame Workshop’s experience in creating
grabs kids’ imaginations, is entertaining, and makes the kids children’s programming during the past 30 years. Measurable
want to see more. Co-produced by Search for Common research of the series’ impact is central to the project design.
Ground in Macedonia (SCGM)2 and Common Ground Pro- In formative stages of the series, researchers and conflict-
ductions (CGP),3 and developed in association with Sesame resolution experts outlined desired outcomes for the series. A
Workshop,4 the series is the product of a collaboration be- curriculum emerged that was used for both pre-broadcast
tween experts in children’s television production and a team base-line research and for summative research documenting
of research and content specialists with extensive experience children’s responses to the pilot season of the series.
in the Balkan region.5
Conflicts such as the recent war over Kosovo have dealt a

Children’s Responses
hard blow to Macedonia’s economy and its internal inter-
ethnic relations. Two-thirds of Macedonia's population is A pilot study of one episode of the series showed that chil-
ethnic Macedonian, with the remainder comprising ethnic dren demonstrated a high level of engagement with the pro-
Albanians (23%), Turks (4%), and several smaller groups, gram (Najchevska & Hall, 1999). A viewership survey dur-
including Roma, at 2% each. They tend to lead lives rigidly, ing the first broadcast season of Nashe Maalo showed that
if voluntarily, segregated by language, residence, and educa- the program was very popular among children, both with
tion, and interact with each other only on a superficial level. respect to the viewership rate (75 percent of all children in
Nashe Maalo is a central element of SCGM’s systematic the country) and positive response rates: the overwhelming
approach to building tolerance and understanding across majority of children watching rated it as good or excellent
these barriers in this emerging democracy. (Najchevska & Cole, 2000).

To examine the impact viewing, recognition of minority languages had improved
of the series over the across all ethnic groups, and most dramatically among ethnic
course of several Macedonian children (the ethnic majority group) (Najchev-
months, researchers ska & Cole, 2000).
interviewed 240 chil-
dren at eight schools in
the Skopje region –
Wider Implications
sixty 10-year-olds
from each of the four The implications of the series go far beyond the borders of
ethnic groups – before Macedonia as a potential tool to complement violence-
and after viewing prevention efforts by international peace negotiators. Com-
videotaped versions of mon Ground Productions is now investigating ways in which
the series. This study the model can be used in other parts of the world as well.
began before the TV
series went on the air.
Prior to viewing, many
References
children demonstrated
Mirjana Najchevska & Eve Hall (1999) Pilot Summative
negative, stereotyped
Study. Common Ground Productions, Search for Common
perceptions of mem-
Ground in Macedonia, Sesame Workshop, University of
bers of other ethnic
Skopje.
groups than their own.
After viewing, more
Mirjana Najchevska & Charlotte Cole (2000) Lessons from
children showed posi-
Nashe Maalo. A Research Report on What Ethnic Albanian,
tive perceptions. For
Macedonian, Roma, and Turkish Youth Learned from
example, there was a significant increase among ethnic Ma-
Watching Nashe Maalo. Common Ground Productions,
cedonian children who after viewing said they were willing
Search for Common Ground in Macedonia, Sesame Work-
to invite a child from the ethnic Albanian, Roma, and Turk-
shop, University of Skopje. (Summary)
ish groups to their home. Another finding was that after
1
Common Ground Productions is located in Washington, DC, USA. Lisa Shochat can be reached at:
Fax: +1 202 232 6718; E-mail: lshochat@sfcg.org. Web: http://www.sfcg.org
2
Search for Common Ground in Macedonia, based in Skopje since 1994, works to promote multi-ethnic dialogue and aims to
prevent violence through a broad set of programs involving Macedonian television, newspapers, and schools (web site:
http://www.sfcg.org/locations.cfm?locus=Macedonia&locid=8).
3
Common Ground Productions, the media-production division of Search for Common Ground, aims at creating television,
radio, and Internet programming for the reduction or prevention of conflict (web site: http://www.cgponline.org). Search for
Common Ground, based in Washington, DC, USA, and the European Centre for Common Ground, based in Brussels, Belgium,
established in 1982 and 1995 respectively, are partner NGOs that work together to prevent violence and transform conflict in
the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the USA (web site: http://www.sfcg.org).
4
Sesame Workshop (formerly known as Children’s Television Workshop, CTW) is a non-profit production organization that
uses media as an educational force in the lives of children. Its products include television, online, CD-ROMs, magazines,
books, film, community outreach, and licensing. Best known as the creators of Sesame Street, the Workshop produces pro-
gramming that has been broadcast in 148 countries, including 20 co-productions reflecting local languages, customs, and edu-
cational needs (web site:http://www.ctw.org).
5
Nashe Maalo has been financially supported by the United States Agency for International Development, the Ministry of For-
eign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the British Department for International
Development, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Swedish International Development Agency, the United Nations Edu-
cational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United States Institute of Peace, and the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation.

BIG BLUE’s Com
Coming to Town:
Zimbabwe’s Mobile Computer Lab
Anthony Bloome, World Links*
A wash of “blue” is not a typical sight on the dusty streets of Binga Township in northwest Zimbabwe. But
today there is a splash of it as “Big Blue,” a brightly colored mobile computer lab, is in place and providing
Internet access and computer literacy training to schools and community clients in this rural community.
“Big
Big Blue”
Blue is a converted Renault truck sponsored by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Education and the World Links
Program, an international program designed to promote the use of information and communications technol-
ogy (ICT) to enhance teaching and learning in developing countries. As most rural schools in Zimbabwe can-
not afford the capital outlay to purchase hardware and software, the van provides an ideal opportunity for
introducing this technology and instruction to first-time computer learners around the country.
Configuration The van can accommodate ten adult (read “large”) or fifteen
student (read “not-so-large”) clients and holds eleven com-
puters – ten computers and a server.
“Big Blue” was born in 1999 when the Ministry of Educa-
tion and World Links decided to rebuild an accident- Initially, World Links donated a printer, modem, ten refur-
damaged truck to serve as a mobile computer lab. With bished workstation computers and a new Pentium III server
World Links' financial assistance, the body was repaired and running Windows/Office 98 and browser software. Recently,
painted and a local architectural design company was con- Compaq’s Southern Africa office donated five new Pentium
tracted to develop foldable computer stations to secure the class computers to the van -- and Big Blue’s owners are
desktop computers in stationary use – and on the road. looking for donations to replace the other five workstations.
As infrequent guests for consistent -- and often bumpy -- The van has its own generator which allows for one week of
road-trips, the computer stations needed to be robust to keep running time between charges and is wired to connect to the
the computer innards in a happy and healthy state after a long Internet and e-mail through dial-up connections where avail-
trip. This was no easy task – one which required much back- able. Through support from Ecoweb, a national cellular pro-
and-forth late night creative discussion and design develop- vider, it will receive equipment for wireless access to allow
ments between the Zimbabwe-World national program coor- Internet and e-mail access over a wider national area.
dinator, Mr. Eliada Gudza, the Director of the Ministry’s
Audio-Visual Services (AVS), Mr. Ted Sells, and the de-
signer before agreeing upon one prototype. Services
With the computer stations in place, Big Blue’s interior was The van has a small, but growing, educational software li-
painted and wired by the hard-working AVS staff who also brary which includes Microsoft’s Encyclopedia Encarta,
provided the trunking and networking of the computers. World Book’s World Atlas, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
and Plato, a comprehensive educational software set. It will

also carry automated software to offer training and testing counting software to assist rural and growth point storekeep-
packages for the International Computing Driving License. ers in doing their books.
In addition to computer hardware and software, the van also The van’s colorfully dominating presence on any Zimbabwe
comes equipped with a rear screen projection unit that can be road also offers terrific public relations opportunities for
used at night for large community viewing. Recently, the van public and private sector supporters. This moving billboard
received educational videos and a large video playback sys- prominently features the logos of its program’s partners on
tem donated by Discovery Channel’s Global Education its exterior as well as the World Links’ mantra of
Fund. By showing these and other educational videos, the lab “…Opening a World of Learning” in Zimbabwe’s three main
can showcase programming on virtually any subject. For languages -- English, Shona and Ndbele.
example, a recent showing in Murerwa district was “Yellow
Card” an award-winning local production by Zimbabwe’s
Center for Media Development which deals with teenage
Staffing
pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and cross-cultural
relationships. The Ministry of Education employs Big Blue’s driver and
teaching staff. When the van arrives in a new region, ar-
rangements are made for a nearby World Links-program
Operating Costs trained teacher to join for the duration of the van’s stay.
These teachers have been introduced to the package of World
The Ministry of Education and the schools that are served Links professional development material and workshops on
currently underwrite the van’s operating costs. Nevertheless, how to use computers and the Internet for enhancing teach-
Mr. Sells has ambitious plans for using the van to help re- ing and learning across the curriculum.
coup these and future costs through its use as a mobile com-
munity telecenter -- providing a variety of services to aca-
demic and professional clients. For example, the van could
National Network
be used as a mobile communication center providing e-mail
message servicing (synchronous or asynchronous), press The van complements an already impressive national net-
reporting, and the training of branch staff in computer skill work of school-based telecenters established through partner-
development. Also it could be hired out for use at conven- ships between World Links and the Ministry of Education.
tions and conferences during school holidays. A variety of
software packages and training opportunities could be of- Before the end of 2001, there will be at least 58 sites geo-
fered to suit the needs of various stakeholders, including ac- graphically disbursed around the country, each serving a sur-
rounding cluster of schools during the day and pro-
viding community access in the after-school hours.
As a demonstration of its commitment, the Ministry
had employed twenty teachers to work in the twelve
initial pilot World Links sites and has agreed to un-
derwrite the staffing costs of at least one full-time
teacher at each of the new centers, including a
teacher who will be assigned full-time with the van
in a few weeks’ time. All of these teachers will par-
ticipate in professional development workshops.
The project’s rapid expansion also highlights the

catalyzing impact of a successful program: hardware
and software for thirty new school labs have been
donated by the California-based non-profit Schools
Online (one of World Links’ strategic partners), and
an additional fifteen sites will be developed with
hardware contributions raised from public and pri-
vate sector stakeholders internationally. In this last
grouping, a “champion” contributor has been Mr.
Andrew Gulland creator of the London-based NGO
Computers for African Schools.

over the country eagerly seek after the van. Its typical tour of
Two Other Examples of Impact duty is from one to three weeks at a single location serving a
surrounding cluster of schools before moving on to another
site. Mr. Sells estimates that outside of maintenance visits to
The van’s presence in communities has also yielded other Harare and some weeks during school holidays that the van
unintended consequences. will be “on the road” for approximately 45 weeks of the year.
In the first instance, the Tonga project, an Austrian-supported

NGO arranged for a two-week use of Big Blue to serve Can “Big
“Big Blue”
Blue” and “Big Yellow” be
be-
students and teachers for a few weeks in the economically
poor Tonga language region. In exchange for that, the project
get other mo
mobile vans?
agreed to establish a computer lab at Binga High School.
This partnership not only shows how donor projects can With such a large mandate, it is no surprise that there are
work together, but also will hopefully pave the way for other plans for a second van to join the first. “Big Yellow” is a
donor-supported “adopt-a-school-lab” partnerships. Renault van donated by the Ministry of Education to the
project. AVS hopes to raise resources for its refurbishment
The van also had a modest impact on the country’s and have it up and running before year’s end.
telecommunications infrastructure! During a recent school
visit in the Murerwa district, the van’s driver knocked over a World Links, spun off from the World Bank Institute in 1999
telephone pole which in classic domino fashion then knocked and recently ranked the “number one” international digital
over five other poles. The driver was intensely apologetic, divide project by the Davos World Economic Forum’s Digi-
but the school’s headmaster was somewhat more tal Divide Task Force, hopes that “Big Blue” will serve as an
philosophical about the whole event saying that the phones innovative example of how ICTs can reach rural communi-
hadn’t really worked anyway “so maybe this would get the ties. As for the Zimbabwe-World Links program and Zim-
PTC (the national phone operator) out here sooner to finally babwe’s Ministry of Education, there are still grander hopes
fix it.” yet for raising additional support from the public and private
sector for a fleet of mobile computer labs crisscrossing the
country.
A Lot of Traveling
And while it might give local wildlife a fright, there’s still no
Mr. Sells describes the van as instrumental in “plowing the word yet on when students in a rural Zimbabwean town will
land with resources … by offering computer skills, Internet be visited by “Big Magenta.”
connectivity, and content to people who have never seen a
computer before.” As such, schools in rural communities all
*
Anthony Bloome is the Eastern and Southern Africa Coordinator for the World Links Program and lived in Zimbabwe from
1998-2000. He can be reached at abloome@worldbank.org. The World Links Program spun off from the World Bank Institute
in 1999 and recently ranked the “number one” international digital divide project by the Davos World Economic Forum’s
Digital Divide Task Force. For more information, see www.world-links.org.
…“plowing the land with resources … by offering

computer skills, Internet connectivity, and content
to people who have never seen a computer before.”

Inter net Lear ning in Unlikely Places:
Supporting Education in Nations with Crises
Maureen W. McClure1, Frank Method2 and Margherita Amodeo3
Innovations in technology and learning are making fundamental changes in the way education professionals work in
nations with crises. Global telecommunications greatly reduce problems created by distance and by time zones. Tele-
communications reduce the costs of international communications, providing greater opportunities for interaction
across donors, relief workers and disaster victims. On-line peer learning networks help offset the loss of professional
coaching and mentoring created by shifts to short-term contract work. New forms of Internet multi-media help close
the growing gaps across the experiences of donors, aid workers and beneficiaries.
The role of crisis education professionals is also being shaped by new understandings of learning as more than a private
activity with a book. Learning is also socially situated, shaping communities and being shaped by them. Learning re-
search is recasting the role of educators as mediators of learning in context http://www.stw.ed.gov/factsht/bull0996.htm.
This constructivist view shifts thinking about education in nations with crises beyond short-term emergency responses
http://www.educationau.edu.au/archives/cp/04k.htm.4 Rebuilding, reinventing and reinvigorating education and
learning systems are also opportunities to renew and rebuild civil society commitments through generational and peer
learning networks.5 The planning underway in Sierra Leone provides a good example of the rapid convergence of
technology and learning.
Communications for Complex Conditions • information management and decision support;

Educational crises requiring international responses occur • professional development;
under extraordinarily complex conditions. The normal rou- • external mobilization and coordinated responses; and
tines of civil life often have disappeared. Security is a defin- • integration of technologies and basic services.
ing problem. Natural or man-made disasters often have dam-
aged some or all of a country’s educational delivery systems. Information Management and Decision Support
Consequently, responses often need to be multiple, simulta- International crises are increasingly media events. Both
neous, rapid and large scale. Problems are often transna- public and private resources flow according to the level of
tional. For example, refugees may flee to neighboring coun- general public interest, often within a narrow time frame.
tries too poor to adequately host them. Finally, rarely is there There is fierce competition for media attention. Conse-
a single national or international entity able to take responsi- quently, many international crises languish in the dark with
bility for all aspects. Coordination, decision support and no camera lights, while others struggle to coordinate the
sharing of information are essential strategic concerns. competing voices and images.
During the early stages of an emergency, both time and The Internet helps to offset the problem of insufficient media
bandwidth are at a premium.6 Those who have access to the space. Relief organizations develop websites that let others,
Internet need to move as quickly and efficiently as possible.7 especially donors, partners and the press, know about their
The Internet can provide rapid access to high quality knowl- activities in the field. Within days of a major international
edge and expertise in ‘digestible’ formats at relatively low disaster, hundreds of related web pages spring up within in-
costs. stitutional websites. Here are a few:
Many development workers in poor countries with crises do ! CARE http://www.care.org/info_center/notes.html - notes from
not place a high priority on local Internet development. the field
Comments heard include, “There is no electricity.” “These ! GINIE http://ginie1.sched.pitt.edu/referencedesk - countries,
people don’t have enough to eat.” “How can you be so in- materials, guides
sensitive to other local needs?” “You are forcing English on ! ICRC http://www.icrc.org/eng/operations_country - Red Cross
people.” “There are many problems in the field [bandwidth, operations in 50 countries
cost, politics of ownership, maintenance and upgrades, etc.” ! InterAction http://www.interaction.org/disaster/index.html - US
non-profits
Nevertheless, the Internet is making a significant contribu-
! ReliefWeb http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/vLND - relief
tion to four critical areas of education for humanitarian as-
coordination
sistance:

! Save the Children US http://www.savethechildren.org/crisis - them updated. For example, see
children in war http://ginie1.sched.pitt.edu/countries/sierraleone/search.html.
! UNESCO
http://www.unesco.org/education/emergency/index.shtml - edu- Digital Photography and Rapid Publication
cation In Sierra Leone in June 1999, a rapid teacher training team of
! UNICEF http://unicef.org/emerg/country.htm - focus on chil- Plan International, UNESCO and MOYES (Ministry of
dren Youth, Education and Sports) professionals rapidly assem-
! USAID http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda - US gov- bled a manual by downloading GINIE materials and com-
ernment relief efforts bining them with local ones. The team also produced a re-
port that was published in GINIE within one day. It not only
Professional Development was more rapid than hardcopy publication; it also increased
Educators (and other field workers) in crisis and post-crisis donor accessibility. The team leader, Gonzalo Retamal of
contexts, both international and local personnel, often are UNESCO, purchased a digital camera and took pictures of
working in unfamiliar contexts and roles, in ad-hoc organi- the educational conditions and child soldiers of Sierra Leone.
zations and without much institutional support. Providing These digital photographs were added to the team’s report,
reliable information, coaching and professional support is giving headquarters and donors rapid visual access to the
essential to short-term success. Sustaining the learning and context in which they worked.
documentation of field experience and bringing this forward http://ginie1.sched.pitt.edu/countries/SierraLeone/sierra-
into ongoing systems of support and training can help move update/SierraRep1.html.
the situation from ad-hoc ‘temp agency’ responses to sus-
tainable professional systems.8 Video Clips
By September 2000, digital camcorders were drawing donors
These learning networks can provide peer coaching and on- in even closer to the experience of children, communities and
line mentoring, helping to offset both an increasing use of field personnel in nations with crises. UNICEF included
contract workers and shrinking professional development powerful video clips of the experience of children in Sierra
budgets.9 Leone and elsewhere at the Conference for War-Affected
Children in Winnipeg
External Mobilization and Coordinated Re- http://www.waraffectedchildren.gc.ca/menu-e.asp.
sponses GIS for Interagency Coordination
The Interagency Network on Education in Emergencies Donor coordination can now benefit from innovative systems
(INEE) led by UNESCO, UNHCR and UNICEF has ex- of geographic information systems (GIS) during crises. For
panded opportunities for external mobilization and coordi- example, the UN’s primary humanitarian assistance coordi-
nated responses in three ways. First, it shares materials cre- nating website, ReliefWeb, provides detailed maps of crisis
ated by professional colleagues (emergency education guide- countries including location of refugee camps, IDP move-
lines, landmine awareness, psycho-social trauma, etc.).10 See, ments, etc. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/map.nsf/home. Un-
for example http://ginie1.sched.pitt.edu/ginie-crises-links/lm. der highly fluid conditions, these maps can be rapidly up-
Second, it supports an e-mail list that helps reduce the pro- dated and globally distributed.
fessional isolation of a far-flung global community of emer-
gency educators.11 Third, it supports the development of In May 2001, ReliefWeb published a series of maps showing
more efficient technological coordinating systems for infor- the geographic distribution of activities in Sierra Leone by
mation. non-governmental organizations such as the Norwegian
Refugee Council, Save the Children and the International
Micro-Searches Rescue Committee.
Donor agencies often have little time to check with each http://www.reliefweb.int/w/map.nsf/wByCLatest/4DB7249D
other, even when their reports are available on their websites. DFC1D05B85256A47007626A3?Opendocument. These
Why? Commercial search engines don’t read agency data- maps can be enormously helpful in determining the coverage
bases. In response, the GINIE (the Global Information Net- of areas with mobile populations of refugee and internally
works in Education) project, in partnership with the Univer- displaced persons. Donors can clearly see where they are
sity of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences, under and aren’t in comparison with others.
the direction of Marut Buranarach, developed country-level
micro-searches of key development agency databases.12 This Integration of Technologies and Basic Services
distributed model also allows the GINIE country-level ar- As an example of what a fully realized integration of the best
chives to stay current because the agencies themselves keep available media and communications technologies could be
in a post-crisis context, Linda Hawkin-Israel and colleagues

are working to develop and implement the MAMAS' Crisis the country, regional and HQ levels before reaching key
Communication Network in Sierra Leone. http://www.ianlee- audiences. The “hands-on” information loses some of its
designs.com/mamas/ The MAMAS’ [originally, Mothers “live” quality, and thus its effectiveness, as it passes through
Against Military Aggression in Sierra Leone] network is links in the communication chain. Even though this well-
designed to break down the barriers to maternal/child health tried system does deliver information relatively rapidly, it
and other basic services as well as to reduce the isolation of does not carry the “bite” of a live exchange of facts and
villagers, focusing particularly on women in the displaced ideas.
persons camps and resettlement areas.
This can now be realized with the introduction of a series of
The strategy is to integrate the best of available technologies IT developments, especially videoconferencing, which can
and media including Web-based multi-media, broadcast talk be assimilated and internalized into the standard “modus
radio, satellite communications and a highly interactive net- operandi” for field strategy – initially, in emergency situa-
work of community-based health workers linked by a matrix tions and, later, in a more generalized fashion.
of wireless technologies with shared access linking isolated
communities and refugee camps with a network for support, The comparative advantage of video-conferencing lies in its
GIS mapping of needed services and links to health clinics, wide variety of management and programmatic applications:
schools and local relief and development services. In areas where the appropriate technology is available, it can
be used as a social mobilization, social marketing and com-
MAMAS' Crisis Communication Network is a partnership- munity awareness-building tool. In the world of education, it
based program, a project of Digital Partners can fulfill the dual function of educating while bringing in-
http://www.digitaldivide.org/, and a member of Seattle-based formation technology skills to the widest possible audience.
Alliance for Integrated Development of Communities Audio/visual data transmission links (telephone line, satel-
(AIDC) in cooperation with the University of Washington, lite, etc.), allow media/donors to experience program inter-
the University of Sierra Leone and an expanding network of ventions and to talk to the implementers in real time.
organizational partners and sponsors. Corporate partners
such as Greenstar combine renewable energy with innovative This interactive communication can be done in many ways,
models for connecting small villages to services and to the such as: conversing with representative/program officers and
global community, http://www.greenstar.org/. members of vulnerable populations in a fixed location (viz.
office) against a backdrop of recently shot footage filmed at
The MAMAS’ experimental site also provides a communi- crisis locations, or viewing a live voice-over of digital foot-
cations link from the villages to the outside. Digital camcor- age that has just been filmed.13
ders spotlight African mothers who converse directly with
viewers about their experience http://www.ianlee- Eventually, one could also examine the possibility of pro-
designs.com/mamas/intro.html. These clips are linked to viding a regular (twice daily, daily, weekly, depending on the
background maps with overlays of refugee camp locations. need) on-line update to the website about the situation on the
The site pulls in the viewer by creating a place where donors ground, backed by footage of the ongoing crisis. Statistical
can learn from refugees. information would be complemented by short, regularly up-
dated “human interest” filmed stories – short, topical, possi-
bly semi-professional but, nonetheless, effective.14 This type
Next Steps: Video-Conferencing
of service would become an invaluable resource both for
Margherita Amodeo is pushing the interactive technology donors in their fund-raising activities and for the media.15
and learning envelope even further by designing IS systems
that place education and communications specialists into the
Conclusion
same rowboat. Together they function as a team to engage
donors not as silent witnesses to tragic events, but as active Educational strategies in crisis contexts need to be framed
partners working collegially with field staff and local com- not only as media events to be managed or systems to be
munities. The team helps to raise donor, media and public fixed, but also as sustainable communication networks
awareness by bringing them into the heart of field activities within and across generations. Crisis education is moving
in real time almost anywhere around the globe – thus making from its focus on short-term emergency responses to dis-
live inter-active documentation a reality. Although some of rupted schools and literacy programs to more complex
the equipment involved is rather costly, its cost-effectiveness thinking about learning as meaningful communications that
far outweighs the initial outlay. help form new communities within the context of crises.
Today, field information in the form of situation reports, up- Professional networks developed during crises can help re-
dates, media releases, audio-visuals, for both donors and me- construct a national infrastructure in post-crisis transitions.
dia is channeled and filtered through a number of players at Grassroots professional networks can be extended to link

local communities across donor and crisis nations. These
10
new global learning communities can then begin to work on The INEE collects and shares field-based resources created in
the problems of education and globalization that face them different countries and posts them on its website for global use.
simultaneously -- education for civil economies, public UNESCO and UNICEF, two of the founders of INEE asked
health, labor mobility, trade, etc. Most important, the hard- GINIE to collect locally produced land mine awareness education
materials for global distribution and review. The purpose of the
learned lessons of countries emerging from crisis can now be site was to archive gray materials that would help reduce field
made available to others faster, with less cost and with the time spent re-inventing the wheel. In addition, contributors were
specificity and practical knowledge exchanges that can only asked to provide not only the materials, but also a narrative that
come from peer-mediated networks. explained the context in which the materials were developed. Us-
ers were invited both to contribute to and to comment on the ma-
terials. This discussion eventually morphed with others into the
1
Maureen W. McClure is the Director of the Global Information emer-edu email list, creating a virtual learning community.
Networks in Education (GINIE) project, a long-term research ef- 11
E-lists have been used as inquiry management systems to link
fort dedicated to the support of education in nations with crises donors and field professionals. The Sierra Leone rapid education
and transitions. She is also an associate professor in the Depart- teacher training team decided that they needed information about
ment of Administrative and Policy Studies, and a senior research tools to assess psycho-social trauma and cognitive functioning
associate in the Institute for International Studies in Education in separately. They used the emer-edu listserv managed by Inter-
the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh, US. Works to forward their request. Many list members were from
2
Frank J. Method, fmethod@erols.com, is an education policy spe- donor agencies. Over fifteen people responded within three days.
cialist, formerly with UNESCO and USAID, currently focused on Most were not members of the emer-edu list. They were instead
issues of conflict prevention and the roles of education in shaping eminent clinical psychologists and researchers with expertise in
civil societies. the area of children and violence. Donors had generously shared
3
Margherita Amodeo is currently the Director of Communications their knowledge and their own personal networks with people in
for UNICEF in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. the field they did not know.
4 12
See Principles of Learning The GINIE project is a long-term research project centered in the
http://www.instituteforlearning.org/pol3.html and Institute for International Studies in Education at the University
Technology in Teaching and Learning of Pittsburgh. It focuses on education in nations with crises and
http://www.lrdc.pitt.edu/netlearn/tech/j.html. transitions.
Learning research and technologies are shifting the roles of edu- 13
The hardware required to make this possible includes: mobile
cation professionals from arbiters of classroom teaching toward and/or office-based video-conferencing equipment, web-
mediators of learning within actual and virtual communities in conferencing equipment, digital cameras, digital video camcor-
and out of schools. ders, etc. This should initially be a regional “hub” operation. The
http://rem.bangor.ac.uk/~martin_owen/reflect/profdev.html. hub would stream the material onto a public or Intranet website
5
The development of transnational peer networks for professional for use by donors. It could also be transmitted as an email at-
improvement creates important new tools for managing education tachment, recorded on a videocassette, archived on a website
in nations with crises as well as for facilitating the learning and and/or burned onto a CD. As the technology, added value and
professional development of the educators themselves. funding becomes clearer, this could be expanded to other offices.
6
Too often, field-related decision support in crisis and post-crisis (IT expertise and advice required for information and modalities
contexts is sporadic at best. Decisions are made on the basis of regarding in-country capacity, feasibility, cost, etc.)
personal experience and professional relationships, and not neces-
sarily informed either by data or by the actions of others. Tele- Transmission of data presupposes the availability of compatible
phone calls are limited by time zones and fax quality can often be equipment at the receiving end. Therefore, at the outset, it may
poor. The addition of wireless email to the telecommunications be necessary to foresee a strong involvement of local institutions,
options has allowed field communications to become somewhat as well as national and regional offices in donor organizations
more reliable. Email has reduced the time zone problem and im- where meetings/press briefings could be held with a direct link to
proved the visual quality of information transfer. the field. As best as possible, the field team will direct a live, in-
7
Education-specific sites such as GINIE (the Global Information ter-active “program” that provides regular data on the crisis. By
Networks in Education) project http://www.ginie.org focus their interviewing program officers and vulnerable populations, the
attention narrowly on education-related sectors in countries with field team can elaborate on the emergency at hand, while docu-
crises like Ethiopia, Kosovo or East Timor. The GINIE project menting their organizations’ implemented and planned involve-
provides access to distributed documents as well as crisis-related ment. Imagine the impact of staffers and teachers speaking to a
links http://ginie1.sched.pitt.edu/countries/ethiopia. camera against a backdrop of an ongoing program…
8 14
The ‘temp agency’ problem reduces informal incentives for or- Relevant reliable data and statistics would be mapped onto over-
ganizational workers to mentor the next generation of profession- lying satellite and district maps of the affected coun-
als. This loss is being somewhat offset by the development of try/region/area using developing GIS (Geographical Information
Intranets that create greater access to organizational expertise for Systems).
professionals at institutions like USAID and UNICEF. 15
Focal points would act as gatekeepers for material to be posted on
9
On-line global peer learning networks can now structure multi- the website.
media materials on websites through more exploratory formats
than traditional, sequential forms of text-based learning.

E-Volunteerism TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION :
Sonia Jurich
Throughout history volunteers have provided valuable service to needy individuals and communities. Many times they filled
up gaps left by uncaring government policies or brought a personal touch to situations that large bureaucracies were unable to
handle adequately. Religious groups have traditionally been a major source of volunteerism, but more recently private, non-
religious, and public organizations have entered the field and expanded its scope. With the incorporation of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) into most sectors of life, the use of technology as a tool and focus of volunteer actions
should not come as a surprise.
PEACE CORPS (http://www.peacecorps.gov) was established reflects a partnership between Peace Corps and the Belize
in 1961 by President John Kennedy as an instrument for government, with the objective of bringing computers to all
world peace and friendship between the United States and primary schools in Belize by the year 2005. The first IT
developing countries. The organization recruits and trains Peace Corps volunteers traveled to Belize this past summer.
volunteers who are sent to two-year field duties in develop- They are working with school district offices to prepare
ing countries. Peace Corps volunteers are involved in proj- teachers in basic computer literacy and the integration of
ects that must (1) respond to defined local needs, (2) be computers into the school curricula. The volunteers are also
owned by local communities, (3) focus on poverty reduction involved in a number of other technology-related projects,
and development, and (4) involve sustainable transfer of including developing an environmental resources database
knowledge. In the past 40 years, more than 160,000 Peace for the Ministry of Natural Resources, implementing voca-
Corps volunteers have worked in 135 different countries to tional training in computer repairs to disadvantaged youth,
develop projects on education (mostly), health, environ- and helping in the design of business plans for citrus growers
mental protection, agriculture, small business, and municipal and community-based eco-tourism enterprises.1
development. In the year 2000 alone, 7,300 volunteers of all
ages served in 78 countries in Latin America, Eastern Similar to the Peace Corps, NETCORPS CANADA
Europe, Central Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands. INTERNATIONAL (http://www.netcorps-cyberjeunes.org/) is a
government-funded volunteer organization launched in 1998
For many years Peace Corps volunteers had used information by the Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. NetCorps
and communication technologies to contact families and has two main goals: (1) share the country’s experience in
friends in the U.S., obtain information, or communicate with using information technology for social and economic devel-
experts in relation to their different projects. However, in opment with developing nations and (2) create opportunities
recent times, volunteers were being requested to expand their for personal and professional growth among Canadian youth.
original projects and help schools to set up and run computer The three-year program represents a $14 million investment
labs or teach small business owners how to use computers. under the Youth Employment Strategy and is run by a coali-
Volunteers were returning from the field with a message that tion of volunteer placement and international development
people in developing countries were ready to adopt informa- agencies in partnership with Industry Canada.
tion technologies as a tool for socio-economic development,
but needed help to obtain hardware/software and receive The program provides internships of approximately six
training. In response to this demand, Peace Corps launched months to volunteers between the ages of 19 and 30 to teach
its e-initiative in June 2000. computer literacy in developing countries. The youth receive
training in computer systems and applications before going
The e-initiative has a twofold approach. It challenges infor- to the field. International partners, such as the Trust for the
mation technology corporations to contribute funds, hard- Americas, the United Nations Volunteers, and the Interna-
ware, software and teaching modules to the Peace Corps e- tional Telecommunication Union, sponsor some NetCorps
Partnership Funds, and recruits Information Technology (IT) projects. Ongoing projects include SchoolNet South Africa,
generalists and specialists to work in developing countries. where 18 interns are helping to connect schools and libraries
The IT volunteers receive training on teaching skills before to the Internet and training staff. In Jamaica, interns are
they are sent to the field. Projects under this initiative focus training students in software installation, Web page design
on building school and community computer literacy centers and maintenance, and the development of public Cybercen-
and teaching micro and small business owners how to design ters. In Chile, NetCorps interns developed workshops in
and maintain web pages to expand their markets. The first computer applications and website development. In Viet-
e-initiative project, the National Computer Literacy Project, nam, they set up an intranet system to improve communica-

tion between the headquarters of an agricultural organization establishes a linkage between schools and industry leaders.
and its regional offices, and developed training programs for TECH CORPS volunteers have trained student technology
the staff. assistants in Ohio to help teachers enhance their curriculum
with technology tools and develop Web sites. In Washing-
“The Vietnamese weren’t the only ones who learned ton, D.C., they held weekly workshops on Internet and net-
something that day. I learned that although there may be working for teachers, while in Wisconsin and Georgia, vol-
many obstacles in our path, with some hard work and de- unteers refurbished donated equipment and delivered them to
termination we can overcome them. My co-workers had schools, while training the teachers on how to use the equip-
overcome enormous hardships during their lives to get ment.
where they were and still had many hurdles ahead. The
best resource I could possibly give them was knowledge NETCORPS (www.netcorps.org), based in Eugene, Oregon
so that they could help themselves and other Vietnamese.” (U.S.A.), is another not-for-profit organization that provides
PAULINE TWEEDIE, NETCORPS CANADA INT’L INTERN information technology training and technical assistance to
http://www.netcorps-cyberjeunes.org/english/youth_e.htm grassroots groups. NetCorps trains college students to work
with community-based organizations in different projects,
such as designing and implementing websites, creating local
The potential of information and communication technolo- area network (LAN) systems, conducting technology as-
gies to expand volunteerism was an essential component of sessment, researching hardware and software upgrades, pro-
the MILLENNIUM EXPERIENCE in the United Kingdom. As viding technical assistance and training, and rebuilding com-
part of the Experience, the U.K. government launched a na- puter systems from donated and recycled components. 3
tionwide effort over the Internet to involve individuals in
community-based projects. Communities were encouraged As these examples show, information and communication
to nominate, and then vote on, their preferred businesses, that technologies (ICTs) have the potential to expand and im-
is, businesses that had provided high quality services for prove social action in different ways. They can help with
their communities. The voting process occurred over the recruiting volunteers, maintaining contact and support while
Internet or by using forms printed in local newspapers. Indi- they are in the field, organize databases and administrative
viduals used the Internet to donate the value of their earnings tasks in cost effective ways, research new funding sources,
in the final hours of the millennium to raise money for chil- disseminate ideas and accomplishments, and expand their
dren’s charities. More than £18 million were raised. Youth network.
games, music and storytelling were other projects that used
information technologies to mobilize communities in prepa- “All in all, I believe that computer technology is a powerful
ration for the new millennium.2 tool that will help provide easy, rapid and nationwide access
to information in developing countries."
In Canada, the government developed the VOLUNTARY STEVE BUJOLD, NETCORPS CANADA INT’L INTERN
SECTOR NETWORK SUPPORT PROGRAM (VOLNET) to help http://www.netcorps-cyberjeunes.org/english/youth_e.htm
voluntary organizations to access the latest Internet technol-
ogy. The initiative provides the organizations with afford-
able computers, one year of free Internet access, and tech- 1
nology training. The Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Moncton used See also, Peace Corps Moves into Information Technol-
the Internet access provided through VolNet to research new ogy, in TechKnowLogia, July/August 2000, p. 64, and Glob-
funding options. Toronto’s Street Helpline Hostel/Shelter alization, Information Technology, and the Peace Corps in
Bed Registry, staffed with homeless volunteers, received the 21st Century, Remarks by Mark Schneider, Director,
VolNet training to update the organization databases and use Peace Corps, Woodrow Wilson international Center for
the Internet to facilitate their communication with Toronto’s Scholars, June 7, 2000, at:
shelters (http://www.volnet.org). http://wwics.si.edu/NEWS/speeches/schneider.htm.
2
Technology and the Internet help UK’s biggest ever social
Not only large governmental organizations are using tech- action programme touch the lives of millions, NME779 is-
nology to promote volunteerism. TECH CORPS sues on August 9, 2000, at:
(http://www.ustc.org) is a not-for-profit organization in the http://www.dome2000.co.uk/dynamic/public/html/news/d86
U.S. sponsored by some of the computer industry giants, 0904.htm (note: the program closed with the end of the mil-
such as Compaq Computer Corporation, Intel Corporation lennium and the URLs cited in the article are no longer func-
and Cisco Systems, Inc. TECH CORPS recruits and trains tioning).
3
technology professionals who will advise and assist school On the topic of refurnishing old computers for new appli-
personnel in the integration of modern technologies in the cations, see Jurich, S., Recycling Computers: A Simple So-
educational system, provides new technology to schools, and lution for a Complex Problem. TechKnowLogia, May/June
2000.

Opportunities and Challenges for Indigenous Peoples
Bjorn-Soren Gigler, The World Bank
Introduction organizations—or is it a threat to their traditional cultures

and identities?
From March 28-31, 2001, indigenous leaders from South,
Central and North America gathered in Ottawa, Canada for This article will provide, based on several case studies, a
the First Indigenous Peoples Summit of the Americas brief overview of Internet use by indigenous peoples; high-
(http://www.afn.ca/Summit/indigenous_summit_of_the_ame light key challenges; and give several policy recommenda-
rica.htm). During the Summit it became apparent how in- tions on how to ensure that they can participate in and benefit
digenous leaders throughout the Hemisphere are using the from the new information economy, while maintaining their
Internet to successfully establish effective linkages to further cultural values and identities.
indigenous peoples development and promote indigenous
rights. 1. Case Studies of Effective Use of the
Internet to Promote Indigenous Peoples
While indigenous leaders addressed key issues, such as the
OAS Draft Declaration of Indigenous Rights, the challenge
Development
of "Connecting Indigenous Peoples to the World" and the
"Digital Divide" were items high on their agenda and were 1. 1. The Asháninka Community from Peru
discussed with passion, and great concern during several Throughout the world an increasing number of indigenous
panels, workshops and side-conversations in the corridors. peoples are effectively using the Internet to promote indige-
nous peoples development and indigenous rights. An exam-
At the same time, it was astonishing to see how many in- ple of this success has been illustrated by the Asháninka
digenous leaders are already making active use of the Inter- (http://www.rcp.net.pe/ashaninka/), one of the largest indige-
net for their own work, and are connected with their own nous groups of the Central Amazon Region of Peru. With the
communities and other partners from around the world. My support of the Red Cíentifica Peruana http://www.rcp.net.pe/
conversations with Eduardo—an indigenous lawyer from and IDRC-Canada, the Ashaninka have created a communi-
Argentina, for example were several times interrupted as he cations network among 43 indigenous communities, as well
politely apologized: "Please excuse me now, however I have as between several regional organizations and the Conferen-
to check my e-mails, in order to see what is happening in cia Permanente de los Pueblos Indígenas (COPPIP)
Jujuy!" (http://www.rcp.net.pe/ashaninka/coppip/)– a national in-
digenous organization representing the indigenous peoples of
Having participated in several international fora of indige- the Amazon region.
nous peoples, this phenomenon intrigued me and showed that
they are already using the Internet effectively to communi- Mino Eusebio Castro, the Asháninka leader spearheading
cate with each other and the rest of the world. However, at this project sees the Internet as "an unique opportunity to
the same time, this raises several key questions and concerns: share the richness of our cultural tradition, while strengthen-
ing our social, cultural and linguistic capacities."1 He stresses
Can the Internet really empower indigenous peoples to ef- that "if indigenous peoples themselves are learning how to
fectively influence international policy debates and promote make use of the Internet, this new medium can become a
their rights? Does the Internet provide indigenous communi- very important tool for strengthening indigenous communi-
ties with a medium to share information among one another? ties and cultures rather than undermining them." In an inter-
To what extent can this new medium strengthen indigenous view in Washington, he emphasized that "through the help of
the Internet for the first time, indigenous peoples, who have

been traditionally excluded from many services within their would send a guitar and mouth organ in the mail. The boy
nation-states, have the opportunities for improved access to received the present and continued the relationship with his
education, political participation and can directly contact new friend via the Internet.
international donor agencies, such as the World Bank or the
Inter-American Development Bank to present their opinions 1.3 UNUMA- Bilingual and Inter-Cultural Edu-
in policy debates and directly negotiate funding proposals cation Project from Venezuela
without any intermediation."2
In Venezuela, the indigenous peoples program of the World
Bank’s Latin American and Caribbean Region has supported
In the latest political discussions in Peru about the constitu-
a bilingual inter-cultural education project of indigenous
tional rights of indigenous peoples, the indigenous peoples of
teachers from the Wayuu, Kariña, Pemón and other commu-
the Amazon, led by the Asháninka had significant influence
nities. The program executed by UNUMA, a local non-
on the debates. On the other hand, the "pueblos originarios"
governmental organization, has focused on strengthening the
of the highlands did not succeed in making their voices
capacity of indigenous teachers in rural areas by providing
heard. Certainly, in addition to the much stronger organiza-
training in linguistics, production of books in indigenous
tional capacity of the Amazonian peoples, the effective use
languages (wood prints), mathematics and the use of Infor-
of e-mail campaigns has contributed to their success.
mation and Communication Technology (ICT). The key role
"If indigenous peoples themselves are learning how to make use of the Internet, this
new medium can become a very important tool for strengthening indigenous commu-
nities and cultures rather than undermining them."
the training in ICT played was to reinforce the other training

1. 2. The Mirror Art Group from Thailand modules, rather than focusing exclusively on the IT field.
The Mirror Art Group from Thailand is another illustrative This experience has demonstrated the high value of combin-
case on how powerful the Internet can be in raising aware- ing a bilingual and inter-cultural training program with com-
ness about the challenges these highland peoples face in their puter courses. While visiting the project, I had the chance to
daily lives and in promoting indigenous peoples develop- attend a computer-training workshop with the Kariña com-
ment. Since 1991, this small NGO composed of young peo- munity.
ple committed to social change has supported the Akbar hill
tribe in the Highlands of Thailand. The Group’s website The Kariña live in the surroundings of El-Tigre, a city that
http://www.bannok.com/ has had 300,000 hits a month, has been for the past 30 years a major area of oil exploration
making it one of the most popular sites in Thailand. At the in Venezuela. This resulted in serious tensions, played out
same time, it has successfully promoted indigenous peoples’ between the subsistence economy of indigenous peoples and
rights and carried out many campaigns to support the Akbar the market forces. For instance, many oil explorations take
people through the recruitment of volunteers and solicitation place on Kariña territory and a number of Kariña have been
of financial and in-kind donations. Furthermore, the Akbar forced to change their traditional life style by migrating to
peoples have begun trading their arts and crafts through this the city, where they work as wage-laborers in the oil indus-
site. try. Many Kariña communities are today facing a situation of
severe poverty, struggling to make ends meet and attempting
Sombat Boongamanong, the founder of the Mirror Art to preserve their cultural identity.
Group, underlines that "the Internet enabled them to build
and manage a global network of supporters and volunteers to In this context, this project is working to strengthen the ca-
support a remote tribe which previously was hardly known to pacity of indigenous teachers combining training in the pro-
outsiders." He stressed that he is convinced that the Internet duction of books in indigenous languages with computer
can be utilized for social change and can become a powerful courses. Most indigenous teachers had never used a com-
tool to improve the livelihoods of poor, marginalized peo- puter before the training and were enthusiastic about explor-
ples."3 A concrete example on how the Internet can be used ing an entirely new world. One of the most fascinating mo-
to support the lives of children can be told through the story ments took place when one indigenous leader showed me his
of a blind boy who complained that he had nothing to do all computer graphics—all of which were based on traditional
day long and expressed the wish of owning a musical in- Kariña cultural and spiritual motifs. The story did not end
strument. This request was posted at this groups’ website and here, as he then took his computer graphics and reproduced
two days later a Thai person from Japan responded that he them on T-shirts and other prints selling them for a profit.
This clearly demonstrates that computers and the Internet can

reinforce indigenous cultures and values, when these tech- (http://www.iadb.org/sds/ind/index_ind_e.htm) in facilitating
nologies are being managed by the indigenous, themselves, a dialogue between governments, indigenous peoples civil
without undermining their cultural survival. In addition, this society, and international donors. In order to accomplish this
example highlights that computers can be used by indigenous goal, the partnership is developing an Indigenous Peoples
artisans to generate income and in this way improve their Community Portal. One of the sections of this community
livelihoods. site is being dedicated to indigenous rights. This section is
being managed jointly by the Inter-American Institute for
1.4. Electronic Communication Network for In- Human Rights (http://www.iidh.ed.cr/) and the Central
digenous Communities in the Ecuadorian America Office of the International Labor Office.
Amazon (http://www.oit.or.cr/mdtsanjo/indig/)
The emphasis of this project is to improve the horizontal In order to better understand the information needs of in-
information exchanges among indigenous peoples in the Ec- digenous peoples, the Development Gateway carried out
uadorian Amazon. One important aspect of this project is that needs assessments in rural areas of Costa Rica, Venezuela
it is based on the existing organizational indigenous struc- and Guatemala. From these, we found that there is a high
tures and is using e-mail as the main communication tool. demand among indigenous communities to have access to
Most indigenous peoples do not have access to the World the Internet, specifically high interest was expressed in: (i)
Wide Web. However, they do have access to e-mail. With training on using the Internet and building their own web-
the support of International Development Research Center sites; (ii) increased access to information on best practices
(http://www.idrc.ca/pan/panamericas_e.htm) (IDRC Canada) from other community development projects; (iii) more in-
and The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) formation on funding opportunities and technical assistance
(http://www.apc.org/), the project established community from international organizations; and (iv) more knowledge
information centers equipped with several computers and on the available e-commerce tools for marketing their arts,
radio stations, providing access to isolated Shuar villages in crafts and products through the Internet.
northeastern Ecuador.
The main objective is for indigenous leaders themselves to
This project has shown that effective e-mail networking design and develop this community site—which is in itself
promotes communication and better coordination among the greatest challenge. Considering the lack of access to
indigenous peoples. CONAIE (http://conaie.nativeweb.org/), computers, telephone lines, Internet connectivity and re-
the major national indigenous organization in Ecuador has sources, many indigenous peoples are de-facto excluded.
effectively used e-mail to influence national policies such as Furthermore, developing content that is relevant to the local
land rights and structural adjustment programs. needs of communities is quite a challenge—beginning with
the language, for instance, Bolivia has 46 different indige-
1. 5. Development Gateway-Indigenous Peo- nous groups and the local information needs vary tremen-
ples Community Portal dously.
The Development Gateway—a World Bank initiated project
that aims to make use of the Internet to support sustainable Currently, the Gateway has partnered with the University of
development, is currently working together with indigenous the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicara-
organizations from Latin America to develop an Indigenous gua (URACCAN) in order to pilot a project which attempts
Peoples Community Page. to deal with some of these tough issues. URACCAN is a
(http://www.developmentgateway.org/topic/?page_id=3678) university located on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, one of
the poorest regions of one of the most impoverished coun-
The key objectives of this program are to support indigenous tries in Latin America—where it offers education opportuni-
peoples to participate in the digital revolution; to provide ties to primarily Miskito and Garifuna peoples. This pilot is
improved access to information, capacity-building tools and trying to address the issue of content development by sup-
resources; to offer new economic opportunities through E- porting indigenous professionals to develop the Gateway’s
commerce; and to support indigenous peoples participation section on indigenous health and by training indigenous
in international policy debates. leaders in using the Internet. The pilot is also providing
technical support and free technology packages for interac-
The Development Gateway is currently working in partner- tive web design (including such tools as a discussion forum,
ship with the Fondo-Indígena - an international indigenous calendar of events, directories, chat-rooms, etc.)
organization (http://www.fondoindigena.org/), the Universi-
dad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicara-
guense (URACCAN) (http://www.fondoindigena.org/) and
the Inter-American Development Bank

2. Key Challenges 2.3 Education and the Internet
A large number of indigenous peoples only speak and write
While the case studies from above show that the Internet can their own indigenous language. In particular, indigenous
empower local communities and indigenous peoples to make women have frequently very limited access to formal educa-
their voices heard and get connected with each other, at the tion and thus are monolingual. Consequently, they have great
same time, indigenous communities and poor peoples in gen- difficulties interacting with the world outside of their own
eral are facing tremendous challenges making use of ICTs to communities. Low literacy levels represent a major chal-
improve their living conditions. Some of the key challenges lenge in increasing the use of ICTs in indigenous communi-
are the following: ties around the world. The high correlation between being
indigenous and poor is based to a large extent on the lack of
2.1 Generation of Local and Relevant Content equal access to education by indigenous communities.6
Local and indigenous communities all produce their own
information and knowledge. ICT can play a key role in pro- The above case study from Venezuela demonstrates how
moting local content and indigenous knowledge to be much effective it is to integrate ICT training into a general bilin-
more broadly disseminated. At the same time, the Internet gual and inter-cultural education program. This experience
can provide a "voice" to indigenous peoples making their has shown the high value of integrating an ICT component
views known in international policy debates. One of the key into an education project, considering that literacy is a key
challenges, however, is that the large majority of information requirement for using the Internet effectively. At the same
found on the Internet is about indigenous peoples and pro- time, experiences from India and Brazil have shown that
vided by outsiders, rather than generated by indigenous peo- even street children with very low literacy levels can benefit
ples themselves. An evaluation of 170 websites from Latin from ICTs. In India, the NIIT (http://www.niit.com) - a fast
America has shown that approximately 70 percent of the growing software and education company in cooperation
sites are being produced by people working with indigenous with the government of New Delhi and the World Bank is
peoples—mostly authored by international non- experimenting with the so-called "Hole in the Wall" project,7
governmental organizations or members of academia—rather where computer kiosks are being placed in the slums of New
than by indigenous peoples themselves.4 This trend reflects Delhi and street children with almost no education are
the lack of local content on the Internet in general where at teaching each other the use of computers.8 In Brazil, the
least three-fourths of all sites are in English. Comitê para Democratização da Informática
(http://www.cdi.org.br/), a non-governmental organization
that promotes educational and vocational training programs
2.2 Social Dimension of ICTs
through Schools of Information Technology and Citizenship
Another key challenge of using ICTs to support indigenous (EICs), is training Guarani indigenous peoples from the
peoples development is to base the technology on existing Amazon area in how to use computers. Many indigenous
social and organizational structures. One key issue is that peoples of the communities are monolingual and neither read
frequently in debates about the benefits of ICTs, too much nor write Portuguese or Spanish. Nevertheless, the large
emphasis is being put on issues related to the technology, majority of indigenous peoples is keen on exploring the new
connectivity and infrastructure itself, rather than on the use technologies and are "learning by doing." It seems that while
of ICTs and how they can strengthen existing social capital education is key for using the Internet as a tool for develop-
and contribute to the economic and social development of ment, illiteracy does not prevent people, particularly youth,
poor peoples. The emphasis of using new technologies has from being fascinated by the new technologies and using
to be based on using the technologies as a means of improv- them.
ing the living conditions of the communities, rather than be-
coming an end in themselves. Another key social dimension 2.4. Ownership and Trust
of ICTs is that their use can transform the local power struc-
tures within communities and disrupt the community life. Many indigenous leaders have expressed suspicion about the
For instance, in Guyana5 indigenous women were so success- use by outsiders of information from their communities. Par-
ful trading their hammocks on the web, that the power ticularly sensitive are the issues of indigenous knowledge
structures were transformed providing women economic and intellectual property rights, which need to be addressed.
independence from their husbands. The impact on the com- The benefits of ICTs for indigenous communities can only be
munity was so strong that the indigenous women were forced fully realized if indigenous peoples themselves are acquiring
by the male community members to end the trading of ham- the necessary skills to manage and "own" the technology, or
mocks through the web. This case demonstrates clearly that are working closely together with "community representa-
ICTs also can have negative impacts on communities, if their tives/intermediaries" whom they trust to manage the infor-
use is not being managed properly and the key stakeholders mation on their behalf.
are not supporting their use.

2.5. Use of ICTs to Improve the Livelihoods of ties. Anecdotal evidence and case studies exist making the
Communities case that the Internet is a powerful tool to improve their live-
lihoods and to provide new economic and social opportuni-
A key challenge of ICTs and the Internet is to apply the new
ties, particularly for young peoples, in poor communities
technologies as a tool to improve the daily lives of commu-
directly getting connected with the rest of the world and
nities. It is key to focus on the question on how ICTs can be
overcoming social exclusion providing a "digital bridge" out
successfully used in providing concrete services, such as e-
of poverty. While in developing countries most people suffer
government services to local communities or can be de-
of an "information overflow," in rural and isolated areas, the
ployed to generate income. Indigenous leaders have stressed
Internet can provide a powerful equalizing tool allowing
that while information and knowledge sharing among in-
people to receive direct access to key information and to di-
digenous communities and with international donors is ex-
rectly connect with each other, overcoming social and geo-
tremely valuable, the use of the Internet to improve the gov-
graphical boundaries.
ernments’ service deliveries, as well as to facilitate economic
transactions are key. For instance, the Art Mirror Group has
At the same time, the evidence shows that local and indige-
demonstrated that the Internet can be successfully used to
nous communities face tremendous challenges in overcoming
channel funds through online donations to indigenous com-
the "digital divide" and in using ICTs as a tool for economic
munities, directly improving their living conditions. The in-
and social development and improving their living condi-
creasing number of e-commerce sites trading indigenous arts
tions. There is a risk that ICTs are reinforcing existing social
and crafts show the potential of using the Internet for income
and economic inequalities and that people who are being left
generation. In India, for example, the Self-Employed
behind are being excluded even further. This highlights the
Women’s Association (SEWA) http://www.sewa.org - a
importance of integrating the use of ICTs into economic and
membership organization of 250,000 self-employed women,
social development projects of international donors, the gov-
with approximately 35,000 members from scheduled tribes,
ernment and social entrepreneurs. In particular, it will be
has successfully started trading their arts and crafts on the
important to integrate IT capacity-building programs into
web. SEWA is demonstrating that in cases where local
rural development, sustainable livelihoods and education
communities are being represented through an effective
projects. Furthermore, creative solutions are needed com-
community-based membership organization, and the tech-
bining traditional media such as printing and community
nology is being owned by the groups themselves, the Internet
radios with the Internet to broaden the reach of the new tech-
can make an important contribution in improving the liveli-
nologies. A collaborative effort between governments, donor
hoods of local communities.9
agencies, the private sector and civil society is needed to
ensure that poor communities, including indigenous peoples
3. Conclusions can take advantage of the benefits provided by the new tech-
nologies and are not further falling behind.
The analysis above has shown that ICTs have tremendous
potentials to benefit indigenous peoples and poor communi-
1
Shore, Keane. (2000) Asháninka@the Peruvian Amazon, Reports Science from the Developing World
http://www.idrc.ca/reports/read_article_english.cfm?article_num=837#top, IDRC, Ottawa.
2
Interview conducted by the author, May 2001 in Washington, DC.
3
Interview conducted by the author at the “Local-Global Connectivity for Voices of the Poor Workshop,”
http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/voices/globcoal/connectivity.htm, December 11-13 2000, Washington, DC.
4
Research done by the author in the context of the Indigenous Peoples community site of the Development Gateway.
5
New York Times Article
6
Psacharopoulos, G. and H. A. Patrinos (eds.) (September 1, 1994) Indigenous People and Poverty in Latin America: An Em-
pirical Analysis, The World Bank Group, Washington, DC.
7
Judge, P. (ed.) (March 2000) The Hole in the Wall Project, Businessweek Online Daily Briefing.
http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall
8
See also India: How NIIT Brings People and Computers Together…Successfully! in TechKnowLogia, May/June 2001.
9
Ghatate, V. (September 2000) Information Technology and Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), SEWA, Ahmed-
abad, Gujarat.

Civic Education in 28 Countries
An IEA Cross-National Study
Judith Torney-Purta
University of Maryland, USA
A report entitled "Citizenship and Education in Twenty-eight Countries: Civic Knowledge

and Engagement at Age Fourteen," by Judith Torney-Purta (Professor of Human Develop-
ment at the University of Maryland), Rainer Lehmann, Hans Oswald, and Wolfram Schulz (of
the Humboldt University of Berlin and Potsdam University) was released by IEA (the Inter-
national Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) at simultaneous press
conferences in Washington, D.C. and Berlin, Germany on March 15, 2001. The web site for
the study is http://www.wam.umd.edu/~iea/.
Two-Phase Study In the second phase, nationally representative samples of 14-

year-olds in 28 countries were tested on their civic knowl-
The IEA, headquartered in Amsterdam, is an independent
edge and skills, and were also surveyed on their attitudes,
cooperative consortium of research institutes and agencies in
concepts, and willingness to participate in civic activities.
more than 50 countries. Funding for international costs for
The results were just published in "Citizenship and Educa-
the Civic Education Study came from the German Science
tion in Twenty-eight Countries: Civic Knowledge and En-
Association, the William T. Grant Foundation, and IEA par-
gagement at Age Fourteen."
ticipating countries.
The countries participating in the test and survey of 14-year-
The 1999 IEA Civic Education Study was an ambitious one.
olds included Australia, Belgium (French), Bulgaria, Chile,
Nearly 90,000 14-year-old students in 28 countries as well as
Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Es-
thousands of their teachers and school principals were sur-
tonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, It-
veyed.
aly, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
the Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden,
In the first phase of this two-phase study, researchers con-
Switzerland, and the United States. Canada and the Nether-
ducted qualitative case studies that examined the contexts
lands participated only in the case study phase; Israel tested
and meaning of civic education, published in 1999 in “Civic
and surveyed an older population of students.
Education across Countries: Twenty-four National Case
Studies from the IEA Civic Education Project.” This first
phase demonstrated that there is a core set of expectations Results
across democratic societies about what 14-year-olds should
know about democratic institutions. This allowed the build- Democratic Ideals and Processes
ing of a meaningful, reliable, and valid international test and The test and survey data were collected in 1999 by research
survey. teams in each country. Students were assessed on their
knowledge of civic content, their skills in interpreting politi-
cal information, their understanding of the strengths and

weaknesses of democracy, and their concepts of the role of institutions, positive attitudes toward immigrants, and sup-
citizens and government. In addition, students also were port for women’s political rights. The United States is one of
asked about their attitudes toward democratic institutions, several countries in which students who experience an open
political rights for women, their attitudes toward immigrants, climate for classroom discussion have higher civic knowl-
and their intentions to become involved in civic activities, edge and engagement.
such as voting, when they become adults.
Also of interest is the fact that Poland, the Czech Republic,
Related to civic knowledge, the study found that 14-year-old and the Slovak Republic scored significantly higher than the
students in most of the 28 countries understand fundamental international mean in civic knowledge. Students in Poland,
democratic ideals and processes. For example, three-quarters and Romania showed relatively high levels of civic engage-
of the students in the international sample were able to iden- ment. As a group, the post-Communist countries showed
tify a reason for having more than one political party. Most low levels of trust in governmental institutions.
students also were able to answer questions dealing with
laws and political rights, and most recognized the importance
of basic democratic institutions such as free elections. Stu-
Use of Technology
The period during which the study was planned and con-
dents demonstrated moderate skill in interpreting political
ducted (beginning in 1993) was one of enormous growth in
materials. For example, 65 percent of the respondents were
the Web and interactive technologies. The survey itself in-
able to identify the position of a party that had issued an
cluded one technology-related question as an option chosen
election leaflet, but a substantial 35 percent could not do so.
by only a few countries, in part because IEA is conducting
another study of technology in education (SITES). However,
Civic Participation during the pilot phase the ICONS computer-assisted interna-
The survey also examined students’ plans for civic participa- tional simulation at the University of Maryland’s Department
tion. Fourteen-year-olds in these countries agreed that good of Government and Politics was used for two purposes.
citizenship includes not only the obligation to obey the law, First, secondary school students in five countries conducted
but also to vote. In fact, 80 percent of respondents across on-line discussions of topics such as what makes a good na-
countries indicated that they expect to vote as adults. Some tional leader, what role the media play in democracy, and
other types of civic participation, such as collecting money what role symbols play in national identity development (es-
for charities, were also relatively popular. pecially in post-Communist countries where many such
symbols have been discredited). The transcripts from these
Curricular priorities within schools seem to play an impor- on-line exchanges were used in developing questions sensi-
tant role in shaping expected civic behavior. When students tive to student interests and misconceptions for the IEA in-
perceive that their schools teach the importance of voting, strument. Second, ICONS on-line conferencing was used by
they are also more likely to say that they will vote. members of the IEA Steering Committee to debate the theo-
ries of democracy that were to be covered in the section of
Further, data from all participating countries show that the the instrument dealing with concepts of democracy, resulting
more students know about fundamental democratic processes in a quite innovative measure.
and institutions, the more likely they are to expect to vote
when they become adults. The development of civic knowl-
edge, skills, and attitudes is embedded in a complex system More Information
that includes parents, peers, civic organizations and the me- The findings reported here reflect a small part of this massive
dia, but schools do have an important role to play. study. More information on the study (including the Press
Release, a 16-page Executive Summary, some item texts, and
updates on national reports as they become available) may be
Comparative Country Performance found at http://www.wam.umd.edu/~iea/. The 2001 report,
Comparatively, respondents from the United States did well "Citizenship and Education in Twenty-eight Countries…"
on the IEA assessment. Students scored significantly higher (237 pages) may be obtained from IEA (Herengrach 487,
than the international mean in civic knowledge. They also 1017BT, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Fax 31 20 420 7136)
scored above the international mean with respect to measures for $55 plus $18 postage and handling (airmail delivery).
of civic engagement such as expected participation in politi- Negotiations are in progress for a North American distribu-
cal activities including voting. This raises an important tor; when finalized this will be reflected in the order blank on
question for future research regarding what happens between the Web.
age 14 and 18, since the actual voting rate for young adults is
much lower. In addition, students in the United States scored Further information about the process of instrument devel-
significantly higher than the international mean with regard opment may be obtained from jt22@umail.umd.edu.
to measures of civic attitudes such as trust in government

: A Collective EEn
ndeavor
In Search of the Social Impact of ICTs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Luis Barnola (lbarnola@idrc.ca)
Research Associate; PAN Global Networking, IDRC/CRDI (Canada)
Daniel Pimienta (pimienta@funredes.org)

Executive Director; FUNREDES (Dominican Republic)
What is the contribution and significance of virtual communities in the collective assessment of the social
impact of ICTs in Latin America and the Caribbean? This article briefly describes the scope and lessons
learned in MISTICA1, the Methodology and Social Impact of Information and Communication TechnoloTechnolo-
gies in the Americas. MISTICA’s innovative methodological tools and deep values built up a collaborative
framework based upon effective on-line communication and active transparency, key elements in the con con-
struction of social capital in virtual environments.
VIRTUAL UTOPIA NOT A MYSTICAL BUT A SOCIALLY

A networked environment is fertile ground for community RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
bonding and building up of social capital. Enough ethno-
graphic research suggests that social networks, more than Coordinated by FUNREDES3 (Dominican Republic) and
physical location, are key to understanding how communities supported by PAN Global Networking4 (International Devel-
organize around issues of common interest. At the same opment Research Centre,5 Canada) and Fondation Charles
time, Internet-related communication technologies make it Léopold Mayer pour le Progrés de l’Humanité6 (France),
relatively simple to communicate with each other at reason- MISTICA’s major goal was:
able costs. So one could expect the blossoming of interactive
networks that, acting synergistically, give voice to civil soci- To experiment with novel methodologies for virtual
ety organizations and individuals in the search for a more communities that fully integrate information and
equitable social agenda at global, regional, national and local communication tools in order to overcome linguistic
levels. barriers (offering simultaneous translation in 4
major languages: English, French, Portuguese, and
However, reality is quite different. The “black holes” of the Spanish) and reduce information overload while
information society described by Castells2 are quickly dis- accommodating on-line distance participation in
persing all around the world, regardless of the corresponding face-to face meetings.
North/South coordinates. While much emphasis is put on
connectivity to solve the “digital divide”, much more atten- The project has been officially concluded but far from be-
tion is required to address the issues of equitable access, coming extinct, a vibrant community of multiple voices is
meaningful use and social appropriation that would make now consolidated and is ready to articulate the project
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) useful OLISTICA,7 a regional observatory for the social impact of
tools for people to solve their concrete problems. This dis- ICT.8
cussion was common ground for more than 200 social activ-
ists and researchers who, since the end of 1998, have gath- The strengthening of a social group was implicit in the proj-
ered in MISTICA to interact in many different ways around ect’s vision and therefore it was articulated in the methodo-
the social impact of ICTs in Latin America and the Carib- logical objectives. As a consequence, the following set of
bean (LAC). values and ethical considerations were paramount to
MISTICA since they are fundamental for collaboration, soli-
darity, diversity and gender balance in virtual environments:

Mistica’s Virtual Community (VC) : the Means and
! Participation and active transparency. Basic to the the End of this Experience
emergent network culture, enthusiastic participation and
active retribution are considered key for a fully demo- Mistica’s VC is the most important component of the project
cratic and transparent communication environment. since it does not only justify the process but keeps continu-
ously reshaping it. This discussion list is open and moderated
! Proactive animation. Sustained and proactive anima- and by August 2000, 215 people9 had subscribed to it, in-
tion is fundamental to the process and richness of the creasing at a slow but steady pace since then. More than half
interaction. of the participants is male (65%), which follows the trend of
sex-aggregated data of Internet usage worldwide. The ma-
! Common platform of action and understanding. There jority of the participants are young people (more than 50%
are some principles and common understandings that below 38 years of age and more than 25% below 30 years)
hold the group together. Rather than a coercive meas- which is quite remarkable considering that many of the par-
ure, this common ground is necessary for synergistic ticipants are actually ICT experts. MISTICA is a moderately
work that takes advantage of complementary forces. active list. Since it started, the list receives on average about
2 messages a day with the characteristic peaks of activity
! Network culture. Aimed at promoting a network culture, (flames) followed by periods of relative calm. All messages
the following elements are considered key for an appro- are stored in MISTICA’s virtual memory10 that can be sorted
priate communication environment: (a) fast and fluent by author, date or subject.
use of e-mail, (b) respect for intellectual property and
confidentiality, (c) a friendly environment for construc- The Ingredients of MISTICA: Communication,
tive criticism and collective discussion, (d) strong em- Information and Action
phasis on solidarity, and (e) autonomy and self-
management. The COMMUNICATION component of MISTICA is charac-
teristically democratic, respectful, and focused on some is-
! Clear and democratic criteria for selecting people for sues of common interest for the group. A strong emphasis
face-to-face meetings. Since a couple of face-to-face was made at the beginning of the experience on the protocols
(f2f) meetings were part of MISTICA’s agenda, the or “netiquette” necessary to achieve this remarkable on-line
project relied on democratic criteria to secure an equita- communication environment that resulted in a very cohesive
ble representation in terms of plurality, regional & topic and disciplined VC. Also aware that virtual communities do
diversity, gender balance, and active participation. not replace but complement f2f communication, the coordi-
nation scheduled a couple of small meetings in Dominican
Republic that served as the opening and closing of the project
MISTICA FROM WITHIN and took place in 199911 and 200112, respectively. The first
of these meetings was of paramount importance to consoli-
date the e-discussion about the different topics of general
The figure below schematically illustrates the main compo-
nents of MISTICA. interest for the whole group. A very comprehensive docu-
ment (Doc-Sam13), written in a pedagogic style that resem-
bles a hypothetical letter sent to a friend, tells the story of
this rather complex process. The second of these meetings
aimed at creating a friendlier environment for the transition
between MISTICA and OLISTICA, the regional observa-
tory.
MISTICA is much more than just a virtual community.

Central to the project is the structuring of INFORMATION
relevant to the social impact of ICT in the region. So the
project’s website offers more than 70Mb of information in 4
languages available in more than 700 pages stored in
FUNREDES’ Internet public site. Statistics14 from this site
indicate that until August 2000, MISTICA had been hit more
than 1,000,000 times (currently, the site receives more than
8,000 hits a day). In addition to individual contributions and
collective documents, MISTICA has also designed a data-
[ base or clearinghouse (Metasitio15) with information about
the social impact of ICT that includes a list of researchers,

activists and organizations interested in this topic, related and directs it to the e-conference) and the PAD-in (the hu-
projects, a calendar of events, etc. man interface that receives the information from those in
remote locations and passes it to the f2f group). Focused
ACTION was the third and perhaps the most ambitious in- interaction, size of the interacting groups and clarity of the
gredient of MISTICA. The strengthening of a human net- outputs expected from the process are some of the issues that
work that has been since the very beginning in permanent should be taken into consideration when implementing the
dialogue is in fact a powerful form of action. In addition to PAD. Two pilot tests performed by MISTICA were not suf-
this, the personal bonding that has occurred during the im- ficient to achieve the desired level of interaction.
plementation of this project has also contributed to the crea-
tion of social capital outside the VC. Furthermore, Yana-
panako16 (also called pilot applications) was conceived as a MISTICA’S ON-GOING AND SELF-
novel small grant funding modality supportive of action-
research projects. The VC evaluated 9 projects and funded 7 EVALUATION
of them (about $10,000 each). Thus, pilot applications in
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua and Vene- Self-evaluation is a key aspect of MISTICA’s idiosyncrasy.
zuela had the opportunity to explore a very rich thematic A series of open-ended questionnaires19 were distributed
diversity related to the social impact of ICTs in the LAC re- electronically throughout the whole process in order to gather
gion: children’s rights, indigenous communities, public people’s opinions, who therefore had the opportunity to have
health, e-governance, development issues and telecenter ac- a direct influence on the coordination and directionality of
tivity. Yanapanako, which in Quechua means “helping each the project. In many cases the response level was not very
other,” was envisioned as a truly collaborative process. high so the coordination is seeking more direct evaluation
Communication among these applications was facilitated in mechanisms. MISTICA was thus categorized as an original,
order to encourage horizontal interchange, but without much creative and ethical process but rather theoretical, and a bit
success. Being a key aspect of the envisioned collaborative messy. In a first evaluation, both the decentralization of the
work platform, the project OLISTICA will focus more on coordination and a more pedagogic style were suggested in
this important component, proposing and testing more ap- order to increase the value added to the social interaction.
propriate mechanisms that invite collective virtual action. Respondents highlighted that the information component was
a major contribution of MISTICA while the action ingredient
…And the Meta-Ingredients: EMEC and PAD required further attention in order to (a) enhance a more ac-
tive participation of a large group of subscribers and (b) have
EMEC,17 or the methodology for Effective Management of a more effective incidence in concrete social processes. In
Multilingual Electronic Conferences, was first conceived by the closing evaluation, it also became clear that the impact of
FUNREDES and ENDA-CARIBE back in 1997 and fully this project extends beyond the dynamics of the VC, sug-
tested in MISTICA. It aims to reduce the information over- gesting that an ethnographic approach (based upon in-depth
load by providing subscribers with syntheses of their original interviews) would uncover the more subtle individual and
contributions translated into the 4 working languages of the organizational impact of MISTICA in both pro-active and
electronic conference. The original messages are automati- passive participants.
cally translated and posted on the web while the summaries
are translated manually for higher quality. The human com-
ponent is key to this methodology since the better the accu- THE ESSENCE OF MISTICA’S
racy of the synthesis the higher the resulting performance,
especially when these syntheses are translated into different DISCUSSIONS
languages. As a result, the cost is considerably high but the
automation of some mechanical processes related to the flow ICTs are not neutral. If left alone, they will not solve but
of information within EMEC resulted in about a 50% de- aggravate existing social problems. There is also clear con-
crease of the original costs. The lessons learned brought sensus in MISTICA about the importance and relationship
about an updated version of EMEC that can now be tailored between globalization forces and the social impact of ICTs in
to each user according to his/her personal needs and prefer- the region. Understood as an irreversible phenomenon, glob-
ences. alization not only poses serious threats to developing coun-
tries (where dominant political and cultural models can wipe
The Participation at a Distance (PAD18) is a methodology out local cultures and political systems) but also opens up
that uses e-mail to fully articulate a traditional f2f meeting many opportunities for less advanced societies -- if they de-
with an electronic conference, allowing those in a remote velop effective empowerment strategies to adopt these tech-
location to engage synchronously in the process. The main nologies and use them in a meaningful way.
components of this methodology are the PAD-out (the hu-
man interface that gathers the information in the f2f meeting

Whose interests do ICTs serve? How can popular sectors in written languages. Respect for local communication
the LAC region effectively use ICTs to engage in more eq- rhythms was also a major issue.
uitable development? In order to answer these questions,
MISTICA debated20 and categorized the following topics In addition to these major themes, the following transversal
that served as a main axis for the discussion: discussion axes were managed in a fully integrated way: (a)
gender, (b) natural environment, and (c) socially marginal-
! Education. Basic to this discussion was to comprehend ized sectors. All this effort can be synthesized by the fol-
whether ICTs support new and alternative education lowing quote that points out to alternative development mod-
paradigms or just reinforce, and even worsen (“cut and els where ICTs can subscribe to “…improve people’s life
paste” syndrome) the repetitive and memory-based tra- conditions, encouraging alternative development models that
ditional models. Many more questions that require fur- respect diversity, promote equity, are in harmony with the
ther attention were as follows: Are teachers prepared to environment and support human sustainable development.”21
challenge their authoritative styles? Should virtual edu-
cation replace f2f interaction? How can rural populations
be reached? In virtual environments, how can students CONCLUDING REMARKS
be enthusiastically engaged in the education process?
How can the threat of treating culture or education as a In his elaborated vision of social networks, Melluci22 refers
commodity be avoided? to a meta-communication process that, embedded in the eth-
ics and politics of knowledge creation and distribution, is an
! Democracy, governance and public participation. The effective practice for freedom. The production and appro-
democratization of communication is fundamental for priation of non-manipulated knowledge (analytical skills,
political stability in the region. The democratization of self-reflectivity, and awareness) thus become the main oppo-
Internet access was also highlighted as a key element to sition tools for crucial social struggles played in the cultural
properly address the issue of public participation and arena. Rethinking objective truth and reconstructing reality
governance. New and creative forms of incidence in from multiple perspectives, on the other hand, also provide
public spaces (real and virtual) are paramount to an accountable and collective version of historical subjectiv-
achieving truly democratic and inclusive societies in the ity, as suggested by Haraway.23 In a networked society,
region. situated knowledges resist the imposition of global truths,
normalizing behaviors and a monolithic culture imposed by
! Economic development and productivity. It was sug- globalizing forces and an ethnocentric development mode.
gested that more competitive organizations would rely
on less hierarchical structures that develop very flexible What has this to do with MISTICA? These profound reflec-
learning abilities. More attention should also be given to tions underlie the collective hopes of MISTICA, OLISTICA,
alternatives that focus on small and middle businesses, and all networked utopias where people gather and engage in
as well as cooperatives that can effectively share ICT re- positive and transformative social action. However, we still
sources and learn together. need an answer to the following question: What are people
who do not say anything in a virtual discussion really say-
! Health. Using ICTs to create and strengthen networks ing? A large proportion of people who subscribed to
that focus on public health as a process, which includes MISTICA is passive participants. This draws the line be-
self-care, preventive health and traditional (and alterna- tween those who voluntarily contribute with their time and
tive) medicine, was a key aspect of the discussion. commitment to the process and those who simply profit from
“Just-in-time” training and tele-medicine in rural and the richness of the open discussion without giving anything
isolated areas was also considered an important issue in return. Who owns the ideas that emerge from such a col-
brought up during the discussion. lective process? What really motivates people to participate
in a virtual discussion? And how, in the absence of visual
! Language and culture. The gender aspect of language markers, are reciprocity norms built to consolidate social
usage was first tackled as a major issue for MISTICA. (virtual) capital?
Further discussion brought up the importance of devel-
oping ICT technologies (and mixed use of different me- In networks, how one interprets and transcends virtual reality
dia) that can integrate many different aboriginal non- brings up a better understanding of the power that one has to
transform the reality one experiences.
1
Methodology and Social Impacts of Information and Communication Technologies in the Americas
(http://www.funredes.org/mistica/english/project/).

2
The “black holes” are the systematic exclusion of large segments of economies and societies from information networks.
Those who are in a marginal position become structurally irrelevant for the dominant system from where, statistically speaking,
there is no escape from abrupt misery (Castells, Manuel. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Vol. I, The Rise
of the Network Society. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc., 1996).
3
http://funredes.org
4
http://www.idrc.ca/pan/
5
http://www.idrc.ca/
6
http://www.fph.ch/
7
http://funredes.org/olistica/
8
Also supported by PAN and coordinated by FUNREDES, OLISTICA will build upon an alternative vision for ICTs and so-
cial development to conceptualize and test different tools to systematically and collectively assess the social impact of ICT in
Latin American and the Caribbean. OLISTICA will target civil society organizations in order to strengthen their capacity to
effect policy environments conducive to more responsible uses of ICT for social development.
9
http://www.funredes.org/mistica/english/emec/members/
10
http://www.funredes.org/mistica/english/emec/production/
11
http://funredes.org/mistica/castellano/eventos/samana/
12
http://www.funredes.org/mistica/castellano/eventos/reunionmist/
13
http://funredes.org/mistica/castellano/ciberoteca/tematica/esp_doc_sam2_1.html
14
http://funredes.org/internet/stats/es/statistics.html
15
http://funredes.org/mistica/metasitio/
16
http://funredes.org/mistica/castellano/aplicaciones_pilotos/
17
http://funredes.org/funredes/emec.htm
18
http://funredes.org/mistica/english/cyberlibrary/methodology/eng_pad_01.html
19
http://funredes.org/mistica/english/evaluations/
20
http://funredes.org/mistica/castellano/ciberoteca/tematica/esp_doc_sam2_3.html
21
Comunidad Virtual MISTICA (prepared by Nora Galeano and Luis Rodríguez) “Documento de Síntesis de lo Tratado por la
Comunidad Virtual”, 1999; http://www.funredes.org/mistica/castellano/ciberoteca/tematica/esp_doc_cv.html
22
Melluci, Alberto. “Challenging Codes: Collective Action in the Information Age.” Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the Uni-
versity of Cambridge, 1996.
23
Haraway, Donna. “Situated Knowledges: the Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective.”
Feminist Studies, 14(3): 575-599, 1988.

FRANCISCO EL MATEMÁTICO
A TV Miniseries for Teaching Values in Bogotá
By Clemencia Chiappe1
We must change the old ways for conduct- processes. Let’s go back to the teaching of values, such as
ing learning processes in acquiring sets of prohibition and rejection of killing, polygamy, incest or
stealing. They have gained the status of solutions to prob-
values … lems related to the growth and well being of social groups,
but the degree of gain or loss depends on many specific cir-
Pedagogy teaches us that we must find adequate methodolo- cumstances. And here I am only talking about values that
gies and technology for the purpose of each particular learn- have a universal validity.
ing process. When we want the student to memorize, we use
methodology in order to help that process to occur. When The process of teaching values has always been a paramount
we want to develop a skill, we usually select a strategy in- concern in societies. Usually the teaching involves a simple
volving the student in practicing once and again until he/she strategy. In the first place, someone in the name of society,
performs adequately. When we want a student to learn to be it the family, the church or the state, preaches the good-
solve problems we present the problem and provide some ness of a particular set of norms and behaviors and builds a
tools and concepts, and encourage him/her to find the solu- set of sanctions to secure the right behavior. The method-
tion to the problem, as in the case of natural science and ologies and technologies, widely known and proved to con-
mathematics education. duct this process with children and young people, have been:
the recognition of national heroes and saints, stories, novels,
However, these types of problems already have answers. I parables, all of which present adequate behavior of someone
will call them "closed problems." When we teach students in daily life. But today, we have to follow a more complex
how to solve "closed problems," we want the them to recon- approach. We must stress the convenience, for the person
struct or rebuild the inquiry about the variables involved and and his/her immediate group, of certain behavior rather than
the ways they interact -- an inquiry already made by scien- to call for a general good. This is truer in societies where for
tists and academics, and by other students during their edu- many different reasons the state or the religious beliefs have
cation. If we succeed in teaching students how to go about lost credibility to act as ultimate depositories of a given truth
solving those "closed problems," we are helping them de- regarding what constitutes good behavior. In these particu-
velop in their minds a scientific approach and the basis for lar cases, we must present the child and the adolescent with a
research skills. This constitutes a difficult and fascinating strategy for him or her to build, by oneself, and validate the
task for the teachers. However, it is a small challenge when convenience of a certain belief, attitude and behavior.
compared with the one of teaching values.
When we talk about teaching values, although we are in the

And we must seek technologies that can
realm of teaching how to solve problems, we are not talking help this process to occur…
about "closed problems." When we talk about teaching val-
ues, or ethics or moral behavior, we are facing the chal- In terms of technology, we could stick to the old ways, that
lenging task of helping the student to learn how to solve what is, continuing with the written word, which value we cannot
I will call "open problems." In this case, the intervening deny. We can refer the student to the abstract codes in-
variables are difficult to tackle and define, their relationship scribed in our laws or to the sacred books of our different
is even more difficult to establish, and the outcome is usually religious beliefs. They have also done well to the functioning
unknown. Here, relativity is almost the only constant com- of social groups. But we can also add to that and even trans-
panion. It is worth mentioning here that obviously there are form the way to convey them. The visual language has been
also "open problems" in science, but we do not use them very with us for 100 years, and only recently are we opening the
frequently at the school level as ways to conduct the learning door of the school and the learning process to understand it

and use it. There is a difference between using the media to 20 episodes presented, through the stories of a few teachers
reach distant populations with educational messages, which and students of a public school situated in Bogotá, problem-
we have done with our education at-a-distance programs, atic situations related to violence inside the family, drugs,
and using the audio-visual language to conduct learning sexuality, discrimination and image and role of the teacher.
processes. The school, like any other institution, has stated The objective was not to present models of behavior but
the formal rational language as the only way to acquire edu- rather to present ways of dealing with those issues. It
cation, mostly because education has been mainly about ac- showed a down to earth image of the teachers and the inter-
quiring knowledge, again defined as rational knowledge play between their private and professional lives, aiming at
only. leading them to identify themselves by affinity or opposition
to the characters. It also showed the students and their issues
with the same approach.
The program was an immediate success in terms of rating

and had an audience of some 12 million. After being broad-
casted weekly for over one year, it became a daily program.
And we sent a selection of the Miniseries

episodes to schools through a "Kit of Tools
for Education in Values"…
A few months after the Miniseries were being broadcasted,
we developed a pedagogical handbook for the teacher on
how to use each one of the selected episodes to pose a moral
dilemma and encourage the discussion among a group of
students. We packed 10 videotapes of the selected episodes,
and the handbook, in a little bag called "Kit of tools for edu-
cation in values" and began offering a workshop to train
The teaching of sciences and professions has already em- teachers on how to use the handbook and the tapes. Teach-
braced the options and opportunities provided by the devel- ers of 1,000 schools have attended the workshops.
opments of the communication technologies, but the teaching
of values has not yet moved in that direction. But even the The first evaluation conducted is definitely
good examples of the use of TV or audiovisuals in general to
teach subjects in science or the professions have neglected a encouraging and challenging ….
deep reflection on the relation between pedagogy and media.
Pedagogy and media have evolved by separate roads, and A research team contracted by IDEP conducted a review of
have different languages. the reception of the "Kit of tools for education in values."
They began with a review of the training workshops for
teachers and moved afterwards to the schools to inquire
That is why we produced the Miniseries about the uses given to the Kits in the daily life of the desig-
"Francisco el Matemático"… nated schools (30 observations at schools and 17 reports
from schools without direct observation). They also inter-
With the Miniseries "Francisco el Matemático," we at IDEP2 viewed parents and children outside the schools and gathered
have developed a concrete example of how to modify the ideas from well-known academic authorities in the area of
strategy for conducting learning processes of values, pre- communication.
senting the adolescent with a strategy for him or her to build,
by oneself, and validate, the convenience of certain attitude There is a wide agreement among the people involved in the
and behavior. It uses the best tool available to present daily evaluation, whether teachers, principals or academic experts,
life events where moral dilemmas emerge, which is TV in that just the presence of such a powerful tool in the middle of
the form of a Miniseries. In addition, our purpose was not to the schools is producing a highly productive debate and
force the structure of the format to accommodate educational questioning how to use audiovisuals and openly broadcasted
purposes, but to be open to receive what the new format can TV as a tool for educational purposes, and especially for
add to the traditional pedagogical language. teaching values. Although the evaluation focuses on the Kit,
evaluators also gathered comments about the Miniseries. The
"Francisco el Matemático" was aired to the public through comments follow the same pattern, that is, that the Miniseries
the private channel RCN on May 22, 1999, at 8:00 p.m. made the audience think about what is going on in the
Based on previous research as a point of departure, its first

school, helped parents talk with of the way the Miniseries
their kids, and made the kids presents the realities of the
identify with characters in the school and the teachers.
show. “The process of teaching values has
The evaluation highlights the
always been a paramount concern It must also be said that
several principals and
process by which a Research in societies…. We must stress the teachers reacted against the
Center dares to move with such
an innovative proposal calling
convenience … of certain behavior Kit on the grounds that it
does not teach in a straight-
the attention of the universities, rather than call for a general good.” forward way a set of desir-
schools and policy makers to able values. They strongly
the need to build a bridge be- opposed the Miniseries on
tween the school and the me- the grounds that it presents
dia. It also praises IDEP for putting together a public insti- a violent reality and questionable teachers. Several teachers
tution and a private TV channel to develop a project and, by would simply say: "we are not like that."
that, giving all of us an opportunity to learn from experience.
The evaluation documented, by specific request from IDEP, There is also a wide distance between how students and
the conflicts that arose in the process. Indeed, although we teachers read the program. And in this case we are not talk-
wanted to give freedom to the scriptwriters and the director ing about pedagogical messages, but just about the ways they
in the developing of a general concept, we came to them with relate to the audiovisual material. Often, the students would
a strong request to present the educational message in a immediately engage with interest and enthusiasm with the
strong and explicit way. They on the other hand, were de- segments presented in the workshops at the school, but find it
fending the need for giving prevalence to drama and conflict. difficult to go back to analytical exercises conducted by the
I think those debates were healthy for the Miniseries and for teachers. But there were also success stories of this process
all of us in the learning process. being conducted in a smooth way.
Moving back to the Kit, there is also agreement about the Thus, if evaluators called IDEP's joint work with the private
enthusiasm that the Kit arouses in students. An interesting channel RCN "the encounter of two icebergs," I would use
observation frequently made is that the videos allow the stu- the same expression to name what is happening through the
dents and teachers to discuss problems existing in the school Miniseries "Francisco el Matemático" and the "Kit of tools
without forcing them to talk about the specific situations in for education in values." We are putting together the
their schools, since they talk about the characters and situa- narrative, the story telling, and the emotional unfolding of
tions of particular episodes in the Miniseries. events, to work hand in hand with logical argumentation and
analysis.
According to the teachers interviewed, the workshops allow
a climate of respect and freedom for exchanging opinions As a final word, the evaluation showed that 70% of the
and defending positions about the moral dilemma in a de- schools interviewed were using the Kit and that "Francisco el
bate. They also stated that the workshops and the tools al- Matemático" has been seen by 12 million Colombians and
lowed them to get to know better their students. Teachers won the award of best Miniseries by popular vote in a contest
noted how very little capacity they had to understand the sponsored by the first newspaper in the country.
world of adolescents and how very little they knew about
their capacity to state their positions. And they were in favor
1
General Director of IDEP.
2
IDEP -Instituto para la Investigación Educativa y el Desarrollo Pedagógico- is a public institution from the municipal ad-
ministration of Bogotá, Colombia, devoted to the develop of educational research and innovation, mostly dealing with peda-
gogical matters.

IT and Education for the Poorest of the Poor:
Constraints, Possibilities, and Principles
Daniel A. Wagner1
Hopeless? viduals (Wagner, et al. 1999; Wagner, 2000). Of these indi-

viduals, we might estimate that at least half are among the
Long before the term "Digital Divide" became a common
term to describe gaps between the rich and poor in the effec- 'poorest of the poor', as they will undoubtedly be over-
tive access and use of information technology (IT), most represented by ethno-linguistic groups for whom access in the
policy makers, researchers and practitioners could at least 'metropolitan' languages of the digital world (i.e. English,
agree on one thing: Reaching the poorest of the poor was French, Spanish) is quite limited.
going to be the most difficult of challenges.
This situation, when considered in its entirety, and over dec-
Even reaching the so-called 'ordinary' poor would entail ades of promises and goals unmet -- both within and across
challenges of electrical power, telecommunications connec- countries-- would lead the rational observer to have serious
tivity, human resources infrastructure, and the like. Reaching doubts that anything, and perhaps especially (relatively ex-
the 'poorest' would be even more difficult due to wider gaps pensive) IT would be a foolish enterprise. Indeed, over nearly
in those parameters just mentioned (DotForce, 2001). But, in a decade of discussion, the most usual response from both
addition, there would be the parameter of limitations in the international and national policy makers, as well as those
human skill competencies of this target population practitioners 'on the ground' has often been: "Are you crazy?"
(OECD/Statistics Canada, 1997). By human competencies,
we refer here to a broad range of skills that often fall into the
general catch-all term 'literacy,' but in fact include a wide
Possible?
variety of discrete skills ranging from reading and math, lin- Perhaps… But let us reconsider the situation in the year 2001.
guistic and multi-linguistic fluency, content knowledge in In many developing countries, the atmospherics concerning
specific domains, eye-hand coordination, typing (and 'mous- IT applications have undergone a dramatic change: from 'are
ing') skills, and so forth. This list is, in reality, relatively long you crazy?' to 'well, let's see what might work for us.' Even
when operationally specified. for the poorest population sectors, the benefits of IT seem
well suited for coping with the problems of basic literacy and
Limitations of human skill competencies -- some acquired in technological literacy, and enhancing the socio-economic
schools, others in other formal (work) or informal settings -- consequences for the lives of the users. Why is this so? First,
are a major barrier to the use of IT tools today. When added poor people in developing countries (and many in industrial-
to problems of power and connectivity, mentioned earlier, the ized countries as well) tend to live in dispersed geographical
challenge becomes: you can't have IT ubiquity without liter- contexts and are comprised of diverse populations of youth
acy, nor literacy ubiquity without IT. This seeming conun- and adult learners, where distance education can be an effec-
drum has been difficult to address in the reality of develop- tive tool. Second, there is limited and thinly distributed pro-
ment projects in poor countries (Perraton, 2000). fessional expertise in terms of teachers, which can be en-
hanced by IT-supplemented training. Third, because many in
There are issues, of course, concerning the overall scale of the target population are unable to sit in classrooms (and are
the target population. It is commonly said that there are over too old for the formal school system), the interactive and
100 million school-aged children out of school, and about one asynchronous nature of IT can provide useful solutions. Fi-
billion adult illiterates, the majority of whom reside in South nally, the diversity of the population of poor people (by eth-
Asia and Africa (Unicef, 2000). Even these large (and grow- nicity, language, gender, etc.) requires the kind of customer
ing per annum) numbers are likely to be a serious underesti- focus that, when properly employed, is potentially far more
mation of literacy needs in the digital age. Indeed, if the effective within the IT realm than by individual teachers. For
larger set of skill competencies mentioned above were em- example, even teachers that are quite skilled may lack the
ployed, along with the limited efficiency of adult literacy and language skills necessary to be effective with poor, minority-
second chance education programs, and the very low quality language learners.
of many poor rural schools in developing countries, it would
probably be more accurate to say that those in need of im- Another typical question when IT is mentioned as a 'solution'
proved basic skills today represent between 2-3 billion indi- among the very poor is: How can you give every poor person

a computer, or access to the Internet? Quite right, of course. effective for the poor than for the rich. It was often
These questions are difficult to answer for development thought that old IT (e.g. radio) was necessarily the best
among the very poor. But they are probably the wrong initial route to reaching poor people, while advanced ITs were
questions. A more pertinent question is simply: What IT so- only cost-effective for the rich. The example of the cel-
lutions should we consider in the near, medium and long-term lular phone has dispelled that thought. The Grameen
with respect to poor populations with very diverse demo- Bank effort in South Asia has shown that even the poor-
graphic characteristics? est people can find value and resources to support a sys-
tem of cellular communications. Paradoxically, in
One answer in education is to focus on the professional de- wealthier countries, one could easily argue that cell
velopment and training of teachers, since the quality of teach- phones have relatively less value than in poor countries
ers is known in virtually all countries (rich and poor) to be a precisely because wealthier people have ubiquitous ac-
key predictor of student learning. And, as almost any ob- cess to wired phones, while the cellular network is more
server will relate, in poor parts of poor countries, many if not of simple convenience than necessity.
most teachers usually lack adequate training for the job they
are doing. Thus, teacher training provides a relevant locus for 3. Learning technologies must have learning and con-
this kind of effort, assuming the cost constraints can be met. tent at their core (Wagner, 2000). Many of the most
This is so not only because training a teacher can leverage egregious mistakes in the digital divide era concern an
impact on many more beneficiaries, but also because it is not overly narrow focus on IT, without commensurate focus
so difficult, even in poor countries, to bring most or all teach- on learning and content. Projects within the digital divide
ers to IT, rather than having to take IT out to all the teachers. must first and foremost be about learning, and about
Furthermore, teachers can become “intermediaries” for culturally appropriate content. No amount of hardware
bridging the digital divide for the tens of millions of low- and access can be a substitute, and significant losses of
literate or illiterate youth and young adults who are in school costly infrastructure have been wasted when this princi-
or are in non-formal education programs in developing coun- ple has been ignored.
tries, but have had little prior access to IT.
4. IT tools must be consumer-oriented and con-
text/culture sensitive. Consumer sensitivity is a long-
Feasible? standing buzzword of marketing in the private sector, yet
Teacher training resources can be delivered through existing it seems to be sometimes forgotten in 'supply-side' proj-
training institutions, and would comprise CD-ROM based ects that try to marry IT and education. Especially when
materials, collaboration technology for sharing materials, focussed on the poor, it is critical to pay very close at-
pupil training resources, and culturally appropriate and multi- tention to consumer interests and values, which also
lingual content. Such a collaborative program has recently means ethnic, language, gender, and other cultural di-
been launched as the Bridges to the Future Initiative (BFI), -- mensions. The poorest people in most countries have an
see www.bridgestothefuture.org -- which will begin soon in over-representation of people from ethno-linguistic mi-
India, followed downstream by additional partner countries. norities. Thus, development of materials designed spe-
The main overarching goal of the BFI is to try to answer the cifically for these people is essential, even if the startup
basic question posed in this short article: namely, in what costs are greater on a per capita basis.
ways can IT-based learning and information resources be put
to service to assist the poorest sectors of populations in di- 5. Literacy and technology are becoming inter-
verse cultural settings? dependent. Literacy and technology are "tools" that have
much in common. Neither is an end to itself, but each
Core Principles can amplify human intelligence and human capability. In
While the BFI partnership has some ideas on a set of specific addition, both are rapidly becoming inter-dependent.
goals (see the website above), what is most important in such New literacy programs need to take advantage of the
initiatives is the set of core principles that will guide the proj- power of IT, but IT work will require an ever more
ect, and these we list as follows: skilled population of workers and consumers (OECD,
2000). Societies that do not work on both of these di-
1. Even in poorest sectors, IT is now too cheap to ignore. mensions together and with some degree of synergy will
While once it could be said that IT would take money fall further behind in the digital divide.
away from other lower technologies (such as chalk and
blackboards), new approaches can show cost-effective 6. In present day economics, the J.I.T. (just-in-time)
benefits when properly employed. concept has taken on great saliency, some of which has
direct merit to projects like the BFI, for poor people. In
addition, we must keep in mind an equivalent J.E.H.
2. Advanced IT tools may be relatively more cost-
(just-enough-help) concept, which will provide IT-based

resources when and where needed for those who do not recipients are those who are already in the middle or up-
already possess IT skills and basic skills needed for per classes of their respective societies -- this is espe-
ready access and use. cially true in developing countries where it is assumed
that only middle class communities can make appropriate
7. Collaboration is not just lip service in addressing use of IT. The challenge, of course, is to stay focused on
digital divide problems for the poorest sectors. There the poor -- otherwise the digital gap will simply increase
are many ways to begin projects, to pilot-test them, and further.
so forth, but programs with staying power are likely to
have to reinforce existing government structures (rather **********************
than replace them), and enhance as a priority mainly
those areas of public education that are most in need of In sum, working on IT to enhance the education and liveli-
assistance (e.g., teacher training). NGOs can and will be hood of poor people is a tremendously challenging area of
crucial in the organizational mix, but are unlikely, alone, development work today. To be effective in this complex and
to make a substantial difference in most countries today. ever-changing domain is more difficult than meets the eye.
Yet, with a set of good principles, and a reasonable level of
8. Furthermore, private sector involvement in Digital support, a great deal can be achieved -- indeed more than
Divide efforts is essential in order to take advantage of
has ever been thought possible before.
latest IT tools, and more so than in other educational
projects. The private sector can offer advanced knowl-
edge concerning IT tools which will be coming down the References
road, and which will be able to 'pass down' large num-
bers of newly-obsolete PCs which can be quite service- DOTForce (2001). Digital Opportunities for All: Meeting
able among the poor. Similarly, educators (including so- the Challenge Report of the Digital Opportunity Task Force.
cial scientists) may have access (or can gain access) to Washington: World Bank/UNDP.
knowledge about what is needed from the IT community
in order to achieve effective educational consequences. NTIA (1999). Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital
Again, collaboration is critical. Divide. Washington: U.S. Department of Commerce.
9. In development circles, broadly defined, and especially OECD/Statistics Canada (1997). Literacy skills for the
in the Digital Divide domain, there is much talk about knowledge society: Further results from the International
'sustainability,' which usually refers to how will recur- Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: OECD.
rent costs be covered (for example, by government, ex-
ternal agencies, user fees, etc.). In today's environment, OECD. (2000). Learning to Bridge the Digital Divide. Paris:
and especially when dealing with the very poor, the con- OECD. Based on 1999 roundtable held at University of
cern with sustainability can bias projects in directions Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
that are not necessarily most effective for the end users.
There is no single answer to this question, but there is Perraton, H. (2000). Applying new technologies and cost-
little doubt that the poorest of the poor are unlikely to be effective delivery systems in basic education. UNESCO,
Paris: World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal.
able to pay user fees in the same way that the Grameen
Bank model of cell phones was able to achieve over the
Unicef. (2000). The state of the world's children. New York:
past decade. Commercially viable IT-based projects --
Unicef.
such as fee-driven Internet kiosks -- will have some
benefits in very poor sectors, but it is unclear whether the Wagner, D. A. (2000). Global thematic study on literacy and
poorest people (without both literacy and IT) will derive adult education. UNESCO, Paris: World Education Forum,
much benefit in the near-term. This is an area ripe for Dakar, Senegal.
more research.
Wagner, D. A., Venezky, R. L., & Street, B. V. (Eds.)
10. Finally, to achieve impact using IT for the poorest (1999). Literacy: An International Handbook. Boulder, CO:
will require a real focus on the bottom half of the digi- Westview Press.
tal divide population (the top half will take care of it-
self!). As we enter the first decade of the twenty-first 1
Daniel A. Wagner is Professor and Director of the Interna-
century, it is not unusual to find digital divide initiatives tional Literacy Institute (ILI) at the University of Pennsylva-
that provide more access to universities, secondary nia – UNESCO, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3111. The ILI web-
school, and primary schools. However, in a great many site is http://www.literacy.org. Dr. Wagner can be reached at
(perhaps well more than the majority) of these cases, the wagner@literacy.upenn.edu.

Computer Mediated Communication and WWW:
Delivery Modes and Implementation Variables
The case of the University of South Africa
*
Japie Heydenrych
Bureau for University Teaching, University of South Africa
Faculty of Education, Deakin University
INTRODUCTION LEVEL 1: SINGLE MODE DELIVERY

(PRINT: POST)
Various institutions of higher education are facing the chal-
lenge and the choice of employing Computer Mediated The correspondence-based delivery mode is Unisa’s main
Communication and the World Wide Web to deliver distance delivery mode aiming at reaching all our students in every
education in a multitude of ways. The reasons may be to remote corner of the country where there may be little facili-
reach a wider audience, to improve current distance educa- ties. It is characterized by the independence of the learner in
tion practice, or simply to be seen working with these novel terms of time and place. It lends itself towards mass-
technologies – ‘whether justified or not, we cannot afford not education and economies of scale by aiming to present the
to use it as we will appear to lag behind.’ perfect Distance Education package with as little intervention
as possible. By its current nature it is not a very interactive
The resulting flurry of activity by academic, educational delivery mode and it concentrates on independence of learn-
technologists and educational developers can be character- ing stakeholders.
ized as a combination of laissez-faire institutional planning
and lone ranger activity. This translates into the institution Delivery system: Current print-/correspondence-based or-
allowing all efforts, no matter how multitudinous they are, by ganizational system with low product innovation, low proc-
lone rangers in their closed offices feeling proud of their ess variability and low labor responsibility. Materials are
technological achievements, while back at the ranch nobody carried by post only.
else is benefiting as part of a structured effort.
Primary delivery technology: Print (guides, tutorial letters
The problem is such that those educators who are waiting for and prescribed books) with occasional use of audiocassettes,
direction from central management will be ‘waiting for Go- videocassettes and videoconferencing. The usage of Internet
dot,’ as no coordinated planning effort is forthcoming to as- technologies is extremely limited and is mainly about pro-
sist needy innovators. In the long term, human resource viding calendar information and marketing on the WWW
needs for effective teaching with new technologies become a (merely information on the course content and what learners
threat and economies of scale are affected by a system that can expect). Course sites contain nothing that can really en-
does not allow the needed flexibility and variability through hance the learning experience or that could form part of as-
timely visionary planning. sessment.
The University of South Africa (Unisa), a mass-education Very little system resistance is expected regarding the im-
correspondence institution, is on the verge of justifying and plementation of CMC/WWW in this case.
regulating its efforts to use Computer Mediated Communi-
cation (CMC) and the World Wide Web (WWW) to assist Primary media: Mainly text and graphics, and in few cases
correspondence-based distance education efforts or to insti- it is supplemented by video and audio.
tute these technologies as a second mode of delivery. This
article aims at identifying four modes of delivery employing Labor/facilitation: A very low level of facilitation (teaching
CMC and the WWW to varying degrees, while highlighting and support) – mainly through tutorial letters and in a few
the abovementioned variables as important facets of corre- cases some short face-to-face contact sessions. The telephone
spondence mass-education existence in need of attention. In acts as emergency contact technology.
such attention may be conditional for success in the long run.

stakeholders in a print-based learning experience. The tele-
Cost implications: Economies of scale implying that thou- phone and e-mail act as emergency contact technology.
sands of students can be served by the prepackaged materials
with low levels of intervention. Cost implications: Economies of scale – thousands of stu-
dents are served by prepackaged materials. Central server
LEVEL 2: ADJUNCT MODE DELIVERY capacity and technical know-how is used to upload materials
and to create communication facilities on the Students Online
(PRINT: POST/INTERNET) system. In the long run, costs can be reduced if the technol-
ogy functions at its maximum, e.g., pre-structuring course
Adjunct mode use allows students to communicate with in- components, and uploading and creation of facilities with the
structors and other students outside the normal print-based click of a button.
‘course environment’ for purposes of extending opportunities
for discussion, increasing access to instructors, submitting
assignments, and extending the resource base by including
LEVEL 3: MIXED MODE DELIVERY
the vast resources of the WWW. (PRINT/CMC/WWW: POST AND INTERNET)
The use of Internet technologies in adjunct mode is typically In mixed mode delivery, elements of CMC and the WWW
an optional activity for students. Adjunct mode approaches are fully integrated into the curriculum, and constitute part of
can be a valuable enhancement to traditionally delivered the course grade. Asynchronous discussions enable students
courses and a good way for instructors to begin to explore to compose contributions, refer to resources and reflect on
the use of CMC (Harasim. 1995: 78). their work. The reason for integration is to introduce stu-
dents to the use of information communication technologies
Delivery system: Current print-/correspondence-based or- within the subject field of the course (e.g., Computer Sci-
ganizational system with some product innovation, some ence, Internet Law, and Research Information Skills). A me-
process variability and low labor responsibility. Materials are dium level of human resource input is required in the form of
carried by post and by the Internet technologies facilitation of those parts of the course that have to be medi-
(CMC/WWW). ated online. This kind of delivery demands some basic Inter-
net technology usage skills from both lecturer and students as
Primary delivery technology: Print (guides, tutorial letters a prerequisite unless training is provided in the course.
and prescribed books) with occasional use of audiocassettes,
videocassettes and videoconferencing. Internet technologies Delivery system: Current print-/correspondence-based or-
(CMC/WWW) are used to enhance communication and to ganizational system with medium product innovation, me-
store materials digitally for quick access to address the short- dium process variability and low labor responsibility. Mate-
comings of the mail system. The usage of Internet technolo- rials are carried by post and by the Internet alternatively.
gies for quick access is extensive: calendar and marketing
information, as well as all print-based course materials are Primary delivery technology: Same as in Level 2. In addi-
provided in pdf and html format in the WWW. CMC is used tion, the nature of the subject field demands Internet (CMC
to provide general opportunities for communication with and WWW usage) experience as an integral part of the
teaching and administrative staff. Course support sites (con- course. In such courses, learners will study normal print ma-
taining all printed study materials, links, resources, discus- terials from where they are directed to activities or units that
sion facilities and contact facilities), and full dumping online are presented online. These experiences are part of formal
using pdf or html formats, are created. Materials are down- assessment for the course – students will not be able to reg-
loadable instantly upon registration. ister for these courses without some Internet access and
won’t complete these courses successfully without the neces-
Not much system resistance is expected as the implementa- sary online experience.
tion of CMC/WWW is supporting the current system and
does not demand much change. Primary media: Mainly text and graphics, and in a few
cases it is supplemented by video and audio.
Primary media: Mainly text and graphics, and in a few
cases it is supplemented by video and audio. Facilitation: A medium level of facilitation (teaching and
support) – mainly through tutorial letters and in few cases
Facilitation: A very low level of facilitation (teaching and sessions of face-to-face contact. Discussion forums and e-
support) – mainly through tutorial letters and in a few cases mail is used to facilitate communication between
sessions of face-to-face contact. Discussion forums and e- stakeholders in a mixed mode learning experience. The tele-
mail is used to facilitate communication between phone and e-mail act as emergency contact technology. In

addition lecturers have to monitor and support online activi- Cost implications: No economies of scale – groups of stu-
ties related to the relevant parts of these courses. dents from 9 to a maximum of 25 are accepted as interna-
tional standard for such courses although there can be several
Cost implications: Economies of scale - thousands of stu- groups, each with a facilitator per delivery. Central server
dents can be served by the prepackaged materials - although capacity and technical know-how is used to upload materials
a higher level (medium) of human resource input is required and to create communication facilities, although this is not
for delivery and maintenance. Central server capacity and sufficient and demands dedicated hardware, software and
technical know-how is used to upload materials and to create technical support in the long run. Facilitation costs are there-
communication facilities on the Student Online system. Ad- fore very expensive as pointed out above (the labor input
ditional technical support is needed for the provision and during delivery is high).
maintenance of the online parts of these courses which in-
creases human resource costs. IMPORTANTORGANIZATIONAL VARIABLES
CHALLENGED BY CMC/WWW DELIVERY
LEVEL 4: ONLINE DELIVERY MODE
(INTERNET: CMC/WWW) Systems variability: The Unisa correspondence system was
designed and developed to handle its specific product in a
Online courses use CMC and the WWW as the primary envi- highly efficient way. This enabled the organization to bring
ronment for facilitation. Course activities like presentation of higher education to the masses. However, the implementa-
information, class interaction and discussion, and group work tion of CMC/WWW demands a different organizational sys-
are effectively undertaken online using a CMC system (e- tem. CMC by its very nature facilitates faster communication
mail and discussion forums/conferences). Opportunities at all levels, which demands faster responses from adminis-
should be provided for self-introduction, setting personal trative systems and staff. Introducing another mode of deliv-
goals and class learning objectives, and engaging in debates. ery also upsets the machine bureaucracy that churns out the
Students are exposed to multiple perspectives on a particular perfect package to masses of students. Staff will have to be
topic as well as to being challenged by a question or expan- multi-skilled to accommodate different products with their
sion of their own ideas – this is a valuable opportunity for demands within the same system. The need for such a flexi-
knowledge building and developing critical thinking skills ble and accommodating central delivery system increases as
(Harasim, 1995: 80). A maximum level of facilitation is de- CMC/WWW is implemented for the different modes:
manded from tutoring staff. Also, full Internet access is re-
quired, as well as prior knowledge of its use, and word proc- 4
essing capacity.
3
Delivery system: A new organizational system with high
2 System variability
product innovation, high process variability and high labor
responsibility is demanded. Materials and facilitation are 1
carried by the Internet only. Students have to be able to reg-
ister and pay online. 0
Print Adjunct Mixed Online
Primary delivery technology: CMC/WWW is used to fa- mode mode mode mode
cilitate tutor to learner communication, learner to learner
communication, and group communication, as well as to
expand the resource base for the course. All facilitation is Labor Input and Economies of Scale: As the level of
done through CMC (with the telephone as an emergency CMC/WWW employment increases with the different deliv-
technology) and constructivist pedagogy is supported with a ery modes, and specifically with online mode, the teacher-
high level of collaborative knowledge generation. student ratio has to decrease significantly. Currently there are
correspondence courses with a teacher-student ratio of 1:750.
Primary media: Mainly text and graphics, and in a few Internationally accepted standards put the facilitator-student
cases it is supplemented by video and audio. ratio at a maximum of 1:25 for full online delivery. This se-
riously challenges the human resource or labor input ac-
Facilitation: A high level of facilitation (teaching and sup- cepted in the correspondence environment, and implies that
port) is demanded on a daily basis as a sense of community major cost implications will have to be accepted with the
is to be established within each group in order to enhance the online mode. The "economies of scale" notion is therefore
learning experience to the maximum. The telephone acts as not an attractive characteristic of the online mode of delivery,
emergency contact technology. while it is the driving force behind traditional correspon-
dence delivery at Unisa.

The following diagram illustrates that the labor input needs Summary Diagram
(due to increased facilitation) and economies of scale are
inversely related as CMC/WWW technologies are imple- CMC/WWW implementation levels and variables
mented to establish more delivery options. Mode Print Adjunct Mixed Online
Level of Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
4 implementation
System vari- Low Low Medium High
3
ability need
Labour implications Labor need Low Low Medium High
2
Economies of scale Economies of High High Medium Low
1 scale
0
Print Adjunct Mixed Online
REFERENCES
mode mode mode mode
Evans, T. & Nation, D. (1989a). Dialogue in practice, re-
search and theory in distance education. Open Learning,
4(2): 37-42.
CONCLUSION
Evans, T. & Nation, D. (1989b). Critical reflections on dis-
It is clear from the suggested levels of CMC/WWW integra- tance education. In T. Evans and D. Nation (eds), Critical
tion for delivery that the system may reject some initiatives reflections on distance education (pp. 237-263). London:
at all levels, although it will be easy to introduce the first two Falmer.
levels without much resistance. Some trouble can be ex-
pected with the third level (mixed mode) where the print- Harasim, L.; Hiltz, S. R.; Teles, L. and Turoff, M. (1995.)
based and CMC/WWW delivery systems alternate in one Learning networks: A field guide to teaching and learning
course to create the desired learning experience. More tutor- online. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
ing input (medium level) is however the most troublesome
variable as lecturers will have to realize that this delivery Holmberg, B. (1995) Theory and practice of distance educa-
mode will demand more of their attention while the system tion. London: Routledge.
may not reward them sufficiently for their efforts.
Laurillard, D. (1993). Rethinking university teaching: A
The fourth level, online mode, demands the most time of all framework for the effective use of educational technology.
the modes. Delivered in conjunction with print as a choice, it London: Routledge.
reduces student-teacher ratios drastically. Eventually the
system will have to give this ‘new product’ full recognition, Simpson, O. (2000). Supporting students in open and dis-
reward these motivated staff members and address the vari- tance learning. London: Kogan Page.
able of economies of scale which will eventually resist the
long term and wider implementation of full online
CMC/WWW courses. This recognition will also support the
dual mode delivery of courses.
*
Japie Heydenrych is a teaching advisor at the Bureau for University Teaching at Unisa. He is currently pursuing a PhD at
Deakin University in Australia.

THEN, NOW AND (POSSIBLY) TOMORROW
Editorial Staff
Remember Audrey? No, not the actress Hepburn. digital assistants (PDAs). Most notably, Internet appliances
Audrey was 3Com’s vanguard product that was are designed expressly to connect a user to the Internet, not
supposed to secure the role of Internet appliances to do word processing, crunch data or perform the high-end
(a.k.a. Internet devices, web appliances or con- functions of a PC. Although they are increasingly incorpo-
nected devices) in the rapidly expanding Internet rating Internet connectivity as standard features, devices like
connectivity market. With its uncomplicated de- PDAs are really fancy personal organizers and Internet-ready
sign, user-friendly interface and reasonable phones are, first and foremost, phones, and technically do not
sticker price, Audrey was prepped to revolution- qualify as Internet appliances.
ize home computing and multimedia entertain-
ment by bringing simplified, low-cost Internet Internet appliances are also
access to all. At the same time, many industry supposed to save time, space
analysts were hailing the arrival of a crop of sleek and money. Take Sony’s
TV-top appliances designed to synthesize televi- eVilla, for example. Retail-
sion and the Internet into one seamless multime- ing at about $500, Evilla has
dia experience. As recently as November 2000, a narrow, 14” viewable
top companies like Compaq, Gateway, AOL, Mi- screen, sleek design, a small
crosoft, Netpliance and Virgin all had introduced keyboard and mouse (some-
or had plans to introduce Internet appliances or times embedded) like a com-
companion services. There was so much buzz at puter, but no bulky CPU. It
the time, that Internet appliances had editors of allows a user to retrieve
PC World magazine asking: “Are PC’s toast?” email, surf the web, listen to
live radio broadcasts, download and play MP3s and store and
But that was then, this is now. share videos, pictures and text from compatible cameras,
camcorders, computers and handheld devices. It is small
Since April 2000, the world has witnessed a gen- enough to fit atop the kitchen counter or on a coffee table. It
eral economic slowdown that has tempered some is also equipped with instant boot-up time unlike a PC, which
of the excitement for the entire information tech- must load a complex series of programs before a user can
nology industry and products like Audrey. Sales access the Internet.
of many Internet appliances have been so slug-
gish, in fact, that companies like 3Com have been Another key element of Internet appliances is their simplic-
forced to do away with their Internet appliance ity. They are designed for use by people with little computer
divisions -- and Audrey -- entirely. But despite the experience. Compaq boasts its iPAQ product is so easy to
initial failure to create a lasting market, Internet use that no computer experience is necessary. The iPAQ,
appliances merit examination because they eVilla and others come with preset icons, links and step-by-
brought a new dimension to home computing by step instructions for nearly all functions available on the ap-
specifically availing the Internet to people who pliance. Many models, like Gateway’s Connected Touch
might not otherwise use it, either out of sheer Pad, also have the capacity to network to other computer
technophobia or due to the cost of a high-end PC systems in the home to share music files and email.
system with Internet service. Although products
like Audrey never translated into dollars, they TV-top Internet appliances strut similar features of low-cost,
have served as an important lesson for companies user-friendliness and compactness, but these devices are de-
and customers alike in the critical elements of signed to bring Internet use to the television only, usually
fast, cheap Internet connectivity. through a cable connection port. AOL TV is one example.
With AOL’s specially-designed box, a user can access an
EASY, QUICK AND CHEAP electronic program guide that facilitates channel surfing by
topic (sports, news, weather, etc.) through the use of icons
Internet appliances possess unique features that
and graphics. There is also access to email, chatrooms and
distinguish them from other small Internet-
instant messaging, which can be placed discreetly in the cor-
connected devices like cell phones and personal
ner so a viewer can continue watching TV. TV-top boxes

like AOL TV are equipped with a wireless keyboard/mouse management, word processing, advanced computer games,
unit that operates using infrared signals. etc.
Naturally, there are technical drawbacks to Internet appli- Third, companies may have overestimated the extent to
ances. Many people complain that there are “hidden” charges which people want to be “connected.” How often are people
because users must subscribe to certain services like AOL or hit with the undying urge to access email in kitchen or up-
Microsoft to get Internet access. These charges include stairs hallway? Does the average person watching the local
monthly access fees and Internet services on top of the basic news really need email and chatrooms in addition? For most
equipment. In addition, users of the TV-top models may ex- people, the answer is no. In the end, it appears the Internet
perience some difficulty scrolling or clicking remotely on a appliance craze was launched without much grounding in
large TV screen that, depending on the model, may be lim- practical customer needs.
ited by greater granularity found in TV screens that are not
equipped with sharper liquid crystal displays. Some users of WHAT COULD GO RIGHT
the Audrey-style Internet appliances have also experienced
Despite a shaky start, the market for Internet appliances is
modem timeouts and unexplained connection terminations.
not entirely defunct. These devices, particularly the TV-top
boxes, may take some time to become accepted in the home,
WHAT WENT WRONG businesses or schools, but are generally following the trend
Unfortunately, it seems as though highly coveted assets like of convergence of PCs, voice and television into a singular
cheap, user-friendly, compact and speedy weren’t enough to multimedia experience. Further refinement of this concept
salvage many companies from their own publicity of Internet could make Internet appliances a more convincing product,
appliances. A number of factors coalesced to make Internet especially if a wireless version were introduced to allow
appliances less successful than originally intended. First, greater mobility. However, companies should be wary that
with the economic slowdown, there was a general contrac- many people feel the trend will be towards assimilation of
tion in the personal computing market that prompted compa- computing and multimedia services into a single device (not
nies to trim their product range. Internet appliances were supplemental devices as many Internet appliance designers
some of the first to be cut. Simultaneously, companies like had thought), so Internet appliance designers may need to
Gateway were forced to reduce the price of PCs by hundreds rethink their approach.
of dollars in order to boost sagging sales and reduce inven-
tory. Reduced prices for PCs thus made the “cheap” argu- Most analysts agree that Internet appliances have served as
ment less compelling as a selling point for Internet appli- an important lesson for the Internet product market. Their
ances. generally poor sales have reinforced the notion that instant
and direct connectivity to the Internet is indeed the common
Second, from the start, Internet appliances failed to define a goal for most PCs and integrated multimedia products, but
convincing market niche. They look like miniature PCs, but that making a convincing and cohesive argument for that
their simplicity limits them in function. With an increasingly connectivity is critical, especially in countries like the U.S.
sophisticated public, this is often seen as a drawback, not as where Internet access and choice is growing. Even though
asset. For an equal or slightly higher price, a family could Internet appliances like Audrey may have fallen short, the
buy a fully loaded PC with Internet connection that performs notion of low-cost, simplified singular Internet connection
all of the functions of Internet appliances plus home office will be one that endures in the near future, but in other pack-
aging and under different circumstances.
Sources:
Mainelli, Tom. 12 April, 2001. “What happened to Internet appliances?” PCWorld.com
www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,47184,00.asp
Hill, Alice. 3 April, 2001. “Commentary: Why Internet appliances failed,” ZDNet News.
www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories.comment/0,5859,2703985,00.html
Arar, Yardena. 25 November, 2000. “It’s raining net appliances, but where?” PCWorld.com.
www.pcworld.com/news/article/o,aid,35524,00.asp
Olafson, Peter. 5 October, 2000. “Are PCs toast? Internet appliances arrive,” PCWorld.com.
www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,18598,00.asp
Company sites: www.evilla.com, www.gateway.com, www.compaq.com

Below is a selection of websites of
organizations that are in the business of social
action, but more importantly, use
ICTs as an integral part of doing
this business. The selection
includes organizations
involved in social advocacy,
or in providing support for others.
Selected by Anthony Lizardi*
United Nations Development Program

http://www.undp.org/
The UNDP is the UN's principal provider of development advice, advocacy and grant support. It currently focuses
on fostering democracy, pro-poor policies, energy and environment, peace building, disaster mitigation, HIV/AIDS, and infor-
mation and communication technologies.
Development Gateway
http://www.developmentgateway.org
The Development Gateway is designed to help communities, organizations, and individuals assess information,
build partnerships, share ideas, and work together to reduce poverty. There are also individual Country Gateways.
Norwegian Refugee Council

http://www.nrc.no/engindex.htm
The Norwegian Refugee Council is a voluntary organization involved in refugee questions and international
refugee work. The site’s “External Links” are to many other refugee aid organizations throughout the world.
International Labor Organization

http://www.ilo.org/
This UN agency promotes social justice and internationally recognized human and labor rights. It formulates
international standards of basic labor rights: freedom of association, right to organize, collective bargaining, abolition of forced
labor, and equality of opportunity and treatment.
Oneworld.net
http://www.oneworld.org/
Oneworld.net is a network of centers around the world that provide Internet journalism and services inspired by a
vision of a world where resources are shared fairly and sustainably, where human rights are nurtured and protected, and where
democratic governance structures enable people to shape their own lives.
Think Tank: Knowledge Sharing in Sustainable Development

http://www.oneworld.org/thinktank/id/
Think Tank focuses on the information dimensions of international development cooperation, illustrating how in-
vestments in ‘knowledge’ can strengthen the capacities of organizations.

The Benton Foundation’s Communications Capacity Building program
http://www.benton.org/Practice/Toolkit/
The Benton Foundation seeks to expand the frontiers of nonprofit and noncommercial use of new media. The pro-
gram in Communications Capacity Building (CCB) focuses on helping nonprofits enhance the impact of their work through
more effective use of communications technologies and digital media.
GreenNet
http://www.gn.apc.org/
GreenNet is a not-for-profit collective dedicated to supporting and promoting groups and individuals working for
peace, human rights and the environment, through the use of information and communication technology.
The Association for Progressive Communications

http://www.apc.org/english/ngos/strategy/index.htm
The Association for Progressive Communications provides NGOs with resources, tool kits, and train-
ing on how to use the Internet in their daily work.
iEARN
http://www.iearn.org/home.html
Founded in 1988, iEARN is a non-profit organization that empowers teachers and young people (K-
12) to work together on line, via a global telecommunications network. iEARN has pioneered online school linkages to enable
students to engage in meaningful educational projects--with peers around the corner and throughout the world.
World Links
http://www.worldbank.org/worldlinks/english/index.html
The World Links for Development (WorLD) program provides Internet connectivity and training for teachers,
teacher trainers and students in developing countries in the use of technology in education. WorLD then links students and
teachers in secondary schools in developing countries with schools in industrialized countries for collaborative learning via the
Internet.
World Resources Institute Education Center

www.wri.org/wri/enved
World Resources Institute provides information, ideas, and solutions to global environmental problems. This portal
contains many useful online resources to support environmental education in the classroom.
A Force More Powerful (non-violent protest)

http://www.pbs.org/weta/forcemorepowerful/?more+powerful+force
This PBS web site is inspired by the “A FORCE MORE POWERFUL” television series. This portal contains
information and links related to popular movements that successfully engaged in non-violent conflict against oppressive re-
gimes.
*
Anthory Lizardi is a graduate student in the International Education Program at The George Washington University

The Internet times a thousand
TRESSA STEFFEN GIPE
By now, most of us realize that the only stable thing about Internet2 speeds are measured in gbps, which stands for bil-
technology is its constant rate of change. People have come lions of bits (gigabits) per second. The current Internet is
to accept that this year’s Palm Pilot is next year’s old news, usually measured in mbps, millions of bits (megabits) per
and that the hippest cell phone will be usurped by something second, and kbps, thousands of bits (kilobits) per second.
flashier in a matter of months. But how often do you think Just how fast is a gigabit? The 2000 edition of Encyclopedia
about someone coming out with a better Internet? We’ve all Britannica is 4.5 gigabytes, which would take about eight
heard of DSL, ISDN, T-1 lines and other ways to make the days to download using a 56-kilobit connection. Using Inter-
Internet connection faster, but there is far less talk about net2’s 1000x web speeds, the entire Encyclopedia Britannica
making the Internet fundamentally and structurally better. collection could be downloaded in about 15 seconds!
Right now, a consortium of over 170 leading U.S. universi-
ties is working to do just that. The project, although largely REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS, VIRTUALLY
unknown to the average Internet user, is called Internet2, and Speed is not the only advantage to Internet2. It also has the
its goal is no less than transforming the current Internet into a capacity to expand research, education and business using
bigger, better and leaner incarnation of its former self. applications plucked directly from a science fiction novel.
Although many of the possibilities for Internet2 applications
MAXIMUM CAPACITY have yet to be conceived, the system is essentially designed
Started in 1996, Internet2’s developmental process is not to support the following core categories of use:
unlike that of the original Internet, which was designed to
facilitate data sharing among defense organizations, univer- • Collaborative technologies allow researchers, students
sities and laboratories. Similarly, Internet2 is being pioneered and businesspeople to multicast many types of data and
by research centers at U.S. universities and by a government- media at the same time for purposes of long-distance
led project called Next Generation Internet (NGI). Financing partnerships on projects. Internet2 is specifically de-
comes from private sector companies such as Cisco, World- signed to allow for “many-to-many” real-time use, ena-
Com and Qwest and through grants from governmental or- bling multiple interactions at one time between a group
ganizations such as the National Science Foundation. Inter- of users. For example, a person in Bangkok can simulta-
net2 was originally conceived as a new way to manage the neously interact with and send information in real-time
frenetic expansion of the current Internet, which like any to people in ten cities around the world, and they can re-
two-lane highway system sometimes becomes overloaded spond. In a way, the many-to-many capability creates a
with traffic, leading to inefficiencies and delays. Connected third dimension to virtual human interaction that current
by a unique backbone called Abilene (also known as very Internet is unable to support.
high-performance backbone network service, or vBNS),
Internet2 has now begun testing its middleware software that The most promising of these collaborative applications
will support a seamless transfer of large amounts of data is something called tele-immersion, which allows users
across lines. at geographically disparate locations to be in two places
at once, one virtual and the other real. Tele-immersion
Internet2 is all about capacity. It wants to dispense with the assimilates 3-D environment scanning, projective and
less efficient two-lane model and become a six-lane highway display technologies, tracking and audio technologies,
with room for expansion on either side. In fact, Internet2 is robotics and haptics (a field of engineering that designs
designed to make today’s Internet 100x – 1,000x faster. computers with a sense of touch and kinesthesia) into a
“Using Internet2’s 1000x web speeds, the entire Encyclopedia Britannica collection
could be downloaded in about 15 seconds!”

single virtual experience. The tele-immersion environ- there is slower progress in fighting inequity, poverty, geo-
ment is created to recognize movements of people in graphic isolation and illiteracy.
both the real and physical world and project them into
simulated computer environments. The idea is not unlike Naturally, cost is also a principal concern. Hookup fees for
the hologrammatic 3-D images used in Star Wars films. Internet2 can run well over $1 million a year for major U.S.
For example, a doctor could perform emergency medical universities that have special endowments for experimental
diagnostics on the 3-D image of a patient located on a work. Such fees would be prohibitively expensive for many
research lab in Antarctica without ever having to see that schools, municipalities, small businesses and local govern-
person in the flesh. ments who stand to profit most from Internet2 capabilities.
But like the trend towards low-cost access with the current
• Remote access to instruments has long been a goal of Internet, fees for Internet2 are expected to dwindle as more
scientists and technicians, but Internet2 now has the ca- universities, schools, businesses and governments begin to
pacity to allow for precise real-time movements from a connect to its network. Over the next two years, the Inter-
remote control center. For example, not only could stu- net2 consortium plans to expand connections to thousands of
dents in Switzerland have access to the scientific instru- K-12 schools and to parts of Central and South America and
ments at an observatory in Hawaii or an electron micro- the Caribbean to encourage lower fees and greater intercon-
scope in New Mexico, they could also perform experi- nectivity.
ments, manipulate equipment and process data without
ever leaving their university. A doctor in a rural area of Although Internet2 can perform amazing feats of high-speed
Canada could also send and compare data with a mam- data processing, there are still a few technical obstacles that
mogram database to maximize diagnostic and treatment need to be solved. For instance, consortium members are
options for her patients. currently working to reduce inconsistencies in cross-network
transfers that can prevent priority transmissions, such as deli-
• Data mining, which is the collection and analysis of cate medical procedures, from achieving errorless delivery of
vast amounts of complex data, can reach new levels with information packets. Access to Internet2 also requires a user
Internet2’s enhanced capacity. For example, an Internet2 to have high-grade computer equipment and the ability to log
connection could allow supercomputers to “partner” in into the Internet2 network, which is distinct from the current
ways that facilitate unprecedented data sharing and co- Internet system.
processing that would take days or even weeks using to-
day’s Internet parameters. THE FUTURE OF THE FUTURE
Despite the problems associated with the development of any
Although largely confined to the U.S., international applica- network, Internet2 is being hailed as the next generation of
tions of the core Internet2 categories are already underway. super-Internet computing, yielding crystal-clear convergence
The United States and Mexico recently established a high- of voice, video, audio and 3-D media and assimilating in-
speed, high-bandwidth network (separate from the traditional credible amounts of data in a matter of seconds. It was not
Internet) that connects Mexico’s educational/research net- that long ago that the Internet as we know it was just a philo-
work with Internet2 at universities in California. In March, sophical concept. Today, it has fundamentally changed the
California Governor Gray Davis and Mexican President Vin- way many people live their lives, do business and access
cente Fox attended an inaugural ceremony for the new con- information. Internet2 promises to enhance all those remark-
nection, which allows for researchers in both countries to able advancements to create the next best thing in Internet
share large amounts of information on everything from water capabilities – times a thousand.
management techniques to polymer experiments.
Sources:
REALITY BYTES Dean, Katie. 21 March, 2001. “Internet2 crosses the border,”
Even with promising collaborations like the Mexico- Wirednews.
California project, some analysts are concerned that such http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,42507,00.html
bilateral ventures are one-sided because many developing Stapleton, Richard M. 31 August, 2000. “Bigger better
countries have significantly less computational power than faster: Here comes Internet2,” ZDNet, Interactive Week
the U.S. and, consequently, will be unable to take full ad- section.
vantage of the resources afforded by Internet2. This is a le- http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,26201
gitimate concern because achieving distributed connectivity 19,00.html
in developing countries is still one of the central problems of Wendland, Mike. 10 May, 2001. “Speedy Internet2 makes
the current Internet. It is likely that similar issues will plague wildest dreams tame,” The Detroit Free Press, Freep sec-
Internet2 because despite stellar technological advances, tion. www.freep.com/money/tech/net10_20010510.htm
Internet2 Website www.internet2.edu

TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
Kurt D. Moses, Vice President
Academy for Educational Development
AED’S USE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIAL CHANGE HAS RUN THE GAMUT FROM THE EFFECTIVE USE OF RADIO FOR
PRIMARY GRADE M ATHEMATICS AND SPANISH IN CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE 1970S, THROUGH THE USE OF ADVANCED
INTERNET TECHNIQUES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND “JUST IN TIME” ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES. SOME
ILLUSTRATIVE, RECENT EXAMPLES OF TECHNOLOGY NOW FALL OVER A WIDE SPECTRUM FROM RE-PURPOSING OLDER
TECHNOLOGIES (SUCH AS RADIO), TO ACCELERATING INFORMATION ACCESS THROUGH COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES/NEW
SOFTWARE, TO WIDE-SPREAD USE OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB (INCLUDING IN ITS WIRELESS FORM) - - ALL TO INFORM,
ENTERTAIN, AND STIMULATE CHANGE.
Examples include:
⇒ Community Youth Mapping (see

and San Francisco, California. Willie Brown, mayor of San
Francisco, said…”community youth mapping showed me
www.communityyouthmapping.org) uses teams of youth
where the gap is between the city’s needs, and its services.”
who survey selected parts of a neighborhood or city to de-
termine what facilities and services are available for them.
Using pencil and paper, computers, and Maptitude (a Geo- ⇒ Reality Check. AED created, with extensive
graphic Information Software), communities can create maps community involvement, a radio soap opera called Reality
of services and facilities for youth. These then become ac- Check, for The Centers for Disease Control funded Preven-
cessible via the Web, in public kiosks, through brochures, tion Marketing Initiative, (see www.healthstrategies.org), for
and other means to both youth and city planners. The pro- use in five cities. Cited as a “model for reaching the target
gram, conducted in 34 urban sites in the U.S., has helped city audience and changing risk behavior,” this approach used
officials to better match needs for youth services and sup- existing, proven, accessible technology (radio) to reach teens
plies of such services. In Indianapolis, the city identified in order to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. In this case,
areas with high incidence of juvenile crime and pregnancy radio (rather than TV) was an ideal vehicle, reaching teens in
and focussed community leaders (United Way, Community places and times when they were receptive to the prevention
Foundation, City government and other NGOs) on making message.
services available. The program, using its geographic loca-
tion codes, helped change transit routes to allow access to
sites where youth could participate. It has been used with
⇒ Recently, AED introduced one of the first major uses in
the non-profit world of on-line data capture in
similar effect in cities like Denver, Colorado; St. Louis, Mis-
souri; Syracuse and Albany, New York; and Los Angeles connection with the Grammy Foun-

dation. In order to make more available and easier the based exchange of software, and other techniques, education
application for Grammy Signature Schools, AED hosts a data is now making it easier to reassign teachers, identify
Web site, which, automatically, accepts a 15-20 minute textbook shortages, arrange to deliver furniture to schools,
qualification form, provides proof of receipt, and then pro- and monitor the performance of every school in a country
vides a readily accessible database of information on recipi- through its test results. Linked to Geographic Information
ent schools within hours after processing. The process, now Systems, countries such as Nicaragua, Zambia, Lesotho, and
being more broadly studied, dramatically reduces the time Uganda now have information for budget, construction, and
required for schools to know if they qualify. It has dramati- operating decisions within months instead of years. Those
cally improved speed, saved on communication costs, and responsible for education, including parent committees
reduced the multiple points of handling. More schools, as a within communities, now know how their schools are doing
result, have entered this program. compared to others, have often developed new political con-
stituencies to effect change, and keep children in school. In
⇒ Through the USAID funded LearnLink project, the next two years, several countries will begin using wire-
less devices (linked to existing cell phone systems in their
AED has brought new technology applications to a variety of countries) to exchange raw data and compiled reports
international users. Built around inexpensive features al-
throughout the country. (see www.aed.org/edassist)
ready available through the Web, LTNet (see www.ltnet.org)
is providing links between Brazilian primary school teachers
and schools and U.S. teachers and schools. In part using ⇒ Increasing applications and content material are now
Live Chat Rooms, schools such as the Oakton Elementary being tested by AED in conjunction with Satellite
School in Virginia (USA) has been linked to primary schools for delivery of health messages to remote
in Rio de Janeiro. Since the children do not speak English or African countries via the WorldSpace digital satellite service.
Portuguese in common, the sessions use “Lernout & Haus- At present only a one way medium, both text and voice con-
pie” online translation software to allow these groups to tent can be provided to even the most remote villages with
communicate. For those with a common language, such as only minimal investment in radios that can be solar or hand-
Morocco or Egypt, Hear ME (IP Telephone) provides inex- powered, and can accept material in multiple languages over
pensive connections over great distances. Low connectivity multiple channels. Of considerable advantage is the fact that
locations such as Morocco, Egypt, Uganda or Guatemala (see radios are accepted and known the world over—no special
www.ibtikar.ac.ma) and their teachers are being provided training is needed to access what they provide.
teacher training and upgrading through a combination of
limited Web Access and CD-ROM based interactive instruc- The many years of adapting and using technologies have
tion. Teacher commitment and enthusiasm runs extremely taught us three lessons:
high whenever openings for these sessions are available.
• HOW technology is used is more important than WHAT
⇒ Telecenters that provide the basic part of E- is used. Technologies do not make change, people do.
Government are now available in countries such as
Peru and Guatemala. Many just provide information from • Technology need not be prohibitively expensive if crea-
the government that is not easily available and a range of tive use is made of commercially developed and sustain-
services, like copies, fax machines and computers, but others able products, then adapted for use. A classic example
offer the chance to conduct government related business all is all the new conceivable uses that will be found for cell
at once, right at the center. phone services and infrastructure, that have become so
ubiquitous and comparatively inexpensive around the
world.
⇒ In various forms, AED is using newer technologies for
its ED*ASSIST education software to provide • When people get connected, change occurs.
education information more quickly and easily accessible to
students, parents, officials, and other stakeholders. Using
commercial database software, extensive training, Web-

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Volume 3, Issue 4 July/August 2001

This issue is co-sponsored by:

Thematic Focus: Technology for Social Action

5 Social Action: The Road to Where?

7 Information and Communication Technologies and Poverty

12 E-Dialogue, Social Policy, and the United Nations

! 1 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

22 Nashe Maalo: Kids’ TV in Macedonia for Violence Prevention

24 Big Blue’s Coming to Town: Zimbabwe’s Mobile Computer Lab

27 Internet Learning in Unlikely Places: Supporting Education in Nations with Crisis

31 E-Volunteerism: Technology in Action

! 2 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

45 Francisco el Matemático: A TV Miniseries for Teaching Values in Bogotá

51 Computer Mediated Communication and WWW: Delivery Modes and Implementation

55 Internet Appliances: Then, Now, and (Possibly) Tomorrow

! 3 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

59 Internet2: The Internet Times a Thousand

61 AED: Technology for Social Change

EDITORIAL CALENDAR YEAR 2001

! 4 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

Likewise, development goals are no more restricted to Quality of Life

! 5 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING

This Issue is Co-Sponsored By:

! 6 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 7 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

• Threshold effects are at work. Two linked economic

! 8 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

Policies to Ensure Access

In license-tendering processes, build-out targets are increas-

! 9 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 10 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 11 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

By John E.S. Lawrence

! 12 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 13 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

The Beijing Conference took place in September 1995, only

! 14 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 15 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 16 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

In a similar situation, Telesat Canada and the Assembly of

! 17 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 18 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

Ann Klofkorn Bloome,

Can you catch AIDS from kissing?

Why doesn’t saliva transmit HIV?

Why do we care about HIV/AIDS anyway?

WORLD LINKS WORLD LINKS AND HIV/AIDS

! 19 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

A SOUTH AFRICAN EXAMPLE SOCIAL ACTION

COLLABORATIVE PROJECT ACTIVITIES 13TH INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE

! 20 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 21 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

"Our Neighborhood" The Show – Grounded in Research

Conflicts such as the recent war over Kosovo have dealt a

! 22 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 23 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 24 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

The project’s rapid expansion also highlights the

! 25 ! TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

In the first instance, the Tonga project, an Austrian-supported

…“plowing the land with resources … by offering