LIFELONG
LEARNING: BRIDGING THE GAP
The disastrous effects of "falling behind" lead
us to be concerned of our own future growth, as global citizens,
in the world: How can we, an integral part of the new global
economy, enable ourselves to benefit from the many opportunities
around us? What can we do to make sure we don’t get left
behind? Considering the unbelievable fast rates of advance
and change in technologies, living and surviving in an "information
society" is an overwhelming and seemingly formidable
task for government, business, and society. In order to keep
up with such an ever-changing world, "the key to survival,"
according to Ross Shimmon of UNESCO, is "lifelong learning."
As explained at DDN,
"There’s no way to avoid it – we now live in
a world where it’s vital to be a lifelong learner. From
our earliest days in K-12 schools to our retirement years,
we must learn to adapt and apply technology appropriately."
WHAT’S
BEING DONE
Many government and non-governmental programs have been established
in order to help connect those communities lacking the technology
support they need for development and growth. Explore our
links to learn about the many education,
business
and economic
initiatives that are assisting the integration of technology
into the classroom and disadvantaged communities.
EDUCATION
INITIATIVES:
Clinton
Seeks Subsidies to Close Digital Divide
"President Clinton has decided to seek federal subsidies
to help the poor buy computers and connect to the Internet,
one of a number of initiatives to be included in his State
of the Union address to narrow what many call the digital
divide." – Marc Lacey, NYTimes
Federal E-Rate Program: Spreading
the benefits of technology to schools and libraries nationwide.
The E-Rate is a federal grant program that has helped to bridge
the digital divide by providing greater discounts for poorer
and rural schools. The E-rate thus helps insure that all children
including those who do not have computers or Internet access
at home will have the high-tech tools necessary for the new
digital economy. The E-Rate program has enabled "children
in over one million classrooms to access a whole new world
of knowledge. It is a critical investment in the next millennium
for our schools, our children, and our country." - William
E. Kennard, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Visit the Federal
Communications Commission Education Page!
Read a press release regarding E-Rate!
Another place for links to organizations and programs for
technology funding in schools.Yahoo!
The
Digital Divide Network:
This website offers a range of information, tools and resources
that help practitioners stay on top of digital divide developments.
It also serves as a forum where practitioners can share their
experiences with colleagues around the world.
Read about the most recent lifelong learning initiatives at
this comprehensive
educational resource!
Tech-Net
is a series of World Bank Group initiatives designed
to encourage understanding of, and promote the use of knowledge,
and in particular in education, Science and Technology for
development.
The mission
of Tech-Net is to
- improve
our understanding of the impact of new technologies on developing
countries and the factors that enhance or restrict their
ability to take advantage of them;
- raise
awareness of member governments, Bank staff and management,
and other potential donors/contributors to the opportunities
and challenges for developing countries created by rapid
technological progress;
- integrate
technological concerns into the development strategies of
member country governments, and
- accelerate
the transfer of new technologies to developing countries
and their adaptation to local conditions.
Check
out Tech-Net’s vast collection of resources about
Science and Technology from around the world!
The
World Economic Forum:
Learn more about and contribute to the Forum's initiative
to bridge the global digital divide.
Find links to all current programs fighting the digital divide!
Here are some impressive examples:
PowerUP
Launched in November, 1999, PowerUP is comprised of dozens
of non-profit organizations, major corporations and state
and federal government agencies that have joined together
to ensure that America_s underserved youth acquires the skills,
experiences and resources they need to succeed in the digital
age.
NetDay
NetDay helps educators "think beyond" the technical
connections of computers and the Internet to educational results,
and to connect people by creating environments where the magic
of learning for all participants is enhanced through the use
of appropriate technology resources.
ESSCare
The project aims to support education in rural China by providing
vital learning materials to students such as laboratory equipment
and computers.
E-Inclusion
World e-Inclusion is HP's initiative to broaden developing
countries' access to the social and economic opportunities
of the digital age.
Africa
ONE
An undersea fiber-optic cable system that will link the countries
of Africa to one another and to the world.
BUSINESS
INITIATIVES:
IT Consulting: Experienced professionals delivering the latest
in business technology solutions to help implement change
and development for their clients.
Accenture
Zuendel
Consulting, Inc
Boston
Consulting Group, Inc.
Booz Allen
& Hamilton
Arthur
Andersen & Co.
McKinsey
& Company
A.T.
Kearney
Deloitte
and Touche
Rubicon's
Digital Passport
Mitchell
Madison Group
Task Force
of High-Tech Executives Urge Action
A task force established at the Davos meeting of the World
Economic Forum hopes to incite a global initiative to
fight the digital divide. Executives from the Sony
Corporation, Toshiba
Corporation, Andersen
Consulting, Sun
Microsystems, Microsoft,
Yahoo,
3Com, Motorola,
Hewlett-Packard,
Novell
and Alcatel
are among those represented in the task force. The key focus
of the task force will be the creation of technology initiatives,
such as a volunteer group called Global Digital Opportunity
Corps and local technology community centers.
ECONOMIC
INITIATIVES:
THE APEC INITIATIVE
The APEC initiative is to strengthen the ability of its Member
Economies to grow together as an interdependant community,
harnessing the power of globalization and the global markets.
The Leaders of APEC are conscious of the problematic digital
divide, and acknowledge that not everyone in the APEC community
has been able to "gain the benefits of economic growth,
especially in rural and provincial communities."
Click here to see the
VTM About APEC page!
Click on the links to go to official APEC websites!
The vision of APEC
and the Leaders of the APEC CEO Summit 2000 is as follows:
"Our vision is to prepare each of our economies and all
of our people to use the technology revolution as a passport
to the fruits of globalization."
"We commit to develop and implement a policy framework,
which will enable the people of urban, provincial and rural
communities in every economy to have individual or community-based
access to information and services via the Internet by 2010.
"
"We aim to triple the number of people within the region
with individual and community-based access by 2005."
A wide-ranging Action Agenda for the new economy "will
outline programs that will help our economies use advances
in information technology to boost productivity and stimulate
growth and extend services to the whole community."
You
can view the Action Agenda and the entire Leaders’ Declaration
at http://www.apec2000.gov.bn/
One example of the projects APEC is working on to combat the
digital divide and promote economic growth in developing economies:
APEC
E-commerce Readiness Assessment Guide:
A private sector led initiative - a self-assessment tool that
can be used by economies, cities or communities to assess
their readiness to participate in the digital economy.
MORE AMAZING
INITIATIVES AND RESOURCES:
The
United Nations Sustainable Development Networking Programme
has been addressing the issues of the digital divide since
its inception, by operating at the country level, launching
and supporting local Internet sites, and building national
capacities and knowledge resources.
EdInvest
is a service of the World Bank Group (World
Bank Group, IFC,
MIGA)
and the private sector. EdInvest promotes private investment
in education in developing countries. It comprises both "on-"
and "off-line" components.
International
Telecommunication Union
The mission of the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
is to facilitate and enhance telecommunication development
worldwide by offering, organizing and coordinating technical
cooperation and assistance activities.
RESOURCES:
The World
Economic Forum
The
Digital Divide Network
Digitaldivide.gov
The
World Bank Science and Technology Education
Electronic
Commerce Policy
National
Telecommunications Information Administration
Tech-Net
Resource Page
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