Is the Divide Digital
Wadi D. Haddad, Editor

There is now a genuine concern about the `digital divide.` But narrowing the divide - publishing a newspaper in every village, placing a radio and TV in every household, putting a computer in every classroom, and wiring every building to the Internet - does not automatically solve the problem. The most serious divide is in the extent and quality of human knowledge and learning.

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Read what your colleagues have offered as feedback on the last three issues of TechKnowLogia.

Why be Wired? The Importance of Access to Information and Communication Technologies
Kerry Stephen McNamara, Senior Knowledge Management Officer, World Bank Institute

Access to information and communication technologies – and the ability to adapt those technologies to local needs – is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. This article outlines the scope of the problem, how to tackle it, how to ensure improvements in the lives of the poor and what the international community can do.

Measuring up Access
Prepared by Lesley Anne Simmons, Communications Officer, Global Knowledge Partnership Secretariat, World Bank Institute

This article presents data on the degree to which the people of most countries of the world have access to the tools and skills of the information age.

Rural Access: How Can Connectivity Contribute to Social and Agricultural Development?
Don Richardson, Ph.D.,TeleCommons Development Group

Telecommunication services are important “lubricants” for rural and agricultural development, and while they are not a development panacea, their contribution can be significant – where they are available.

TechKnowNews

Tony Blair Focuses on Learning as Key to Digital Economy � Asia's IT Revolution Exposes Serious Skills Shortage � Multipurpose Community Telecenter in Africa � Need Fuels Continued Growth of Corporate Universities � Internet Use in Asia to Explode by 2005 � New Internet Training Materials Available from ITrain � On-Line Debate on Global Poverty, Social Exclusion, Inequality � World Bank Group and SoftBank to Invest in Internet Enterprises for The Developing World �

FM Radio Stations: Broadcasting with the Sun
David Walker, Educational Specialist, The Commonwealth of Learning

This article describes community-based low powered FM radio stations, some powered by solar energy, and how they can be used successfully.

Information Technology for the Masses: Can It Be TV?
Claudio de Moura Castro, Chief Education Adviser, Inter-American Development Bank

Technology follows the tracks of wealth. Television may be an exception. This article focuses on two cases from Brazil: Globo Rural and Pequenas Empresas e Grandes Negócios (Small Enterprises and Great Deals).

School Connectivity: Wishful Thinking or Wise Action?
Sam Carlson, Robert Hawkins, World Links for Development Program

This article describes a pilot project in Uganda which links via the Internet secondary-level students and teachers around the world, in order to improve educational opportunities, develop youth employment skills for the 21st Century, and build global awareness and understanding.

A High-Tech Twist: ICT Access and the Gender Divide
Mary Fontaine, The LearnLink Project, Academy for Educational Development (AED)

This article discusses a subset of the digital divide - a snapshot of a phenomenon that is emerging as an issue of substance in its own right: the gender divide.

Grassroots Libraries: A Base for Lifelong Learning
Aya Aoki, Adult Outreach Education Thematic Group, The World Bank

Grassroots public library systems can serve as a powerful mean to promote literacy and a lifelong learning environment for both children and adults. Examples are provided.

The Full Story: Full-Text Publications on the Web
Gregg B. Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Coordinator, George Washington University

The Internet is now the largest library in the history of the world. This article steers you to Internet sources that provide the full text of books, reports, journals, and newsletters.

The Information Revolution and the Digital Divide: A Review of Literature
Sonia Jurich

The author reviews the literature in search of answers to the questions: Who benefits from the ICT revolution? Why is it so important to embrace the digital revolution? Is there no hope for those on the other side of the divide?

e-Lectronic Access to Information: A Research Review
Sonia Jurich

Four summaries of research on the use of electronic documents for information seeking and retrieval.

Korea: Can Edutopia Become a Reality?
Insung Jung, Ph.D., Korea National Open University

The author describes a national strategy of easy access to education by anyone at any time and place, and how Korea National Open University is implementing it.

Open-Source Software: Untapped Opportunities?
Rafael Chargel

Open-source is the term used for designated software that is publicly available in source code form, rather than as final product. This article presents best known examples and outlines rationale, limitations and potential for developing countries.

On the Move

Upcoming Events: Conference, Seminars, Exhibits, Training Courses, etc.

A Phone is a Phone is a Phone? …Well, Not Really!
Sandra Semaan

What are the types of wireless technologies and what can mobile phones do?

WorthWhileWebs

This article offers a selection of websites that make access to information and knowledge easy.

High Speed Internet Access: The Future for the World and the Implications for Developing Countries
Lawrence Wolff, Inter-American Development Bank

The author summarizes the five options for Internet access, their costs and notes what appears to be most feasible for developing countries.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee…Remotely? The Internet Home
Sandra Semaan

A fully Internet enabled home: controlled via the Internet and accessible from anywhere.

UNLP: Universal Networking Language Programme
Sandra Semaan

The article describes an electronic language for the Internet, which is being developed with the goal of enabling people from around the world to communicate in their native languages.

The Global Knowledge Partnership
Lesley Anne Simmons, Communications Officer, Global Knowledge Partnership Secretariat, World Bank Institute

GKP is an informal partnership committed to sharing information, experiences and resources, and to promoting broad access to, and effective use of, knowledge and information.

InfoChange
Jody Olsen, InfoChange Foundation

InfoChange is a non-profit organization that helps move forward the goal that everyone should have access to information through technology, and that, without this access, basic education will remain limited.