A new report from the Department of Commerce brings good news to most Americans and serves as a wake-up call for those who believe the digital divide is the civil liberties issue of the 21st century.
The digital divide refers to the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not. Back in the heady days of the dot-com boom everything was out of proportion, including political rhetoric. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, for example, called the digital divide "classic apartheid," the NAACP's Kweisi Mfume dubbed it "technological segregation," and President Clinton urged a "national crusade."
But a new report from the Department of Commerce (DOC), "A Nation online: How Americans are expanding their use of the Internet," helps to explain why the digital divide is not a crisis that places citizens in urgent need of more government help.
More than half the population of the United States is now online, an increase of 26 million people in 13 months, and the number continues to grow. The report also shows that Internet use is continuing to increase for everyone regardless of income, education, age, race, ethnicity or gender. Even groups not historically "early adopters" are growing their online presence. For instance, the DOC report shows that 39.8 percent of blacks and 31.6 percent of Hispanics are online.
What might be the most remarkable finding of the DOC report is that "between December 1998 and September 2001, Internet use by individuals in the lowest income households (those earning less than $15,000 per year) increased at a 25 percent annual growth rate." In 2001, 25 percent of lower income people were online, and if things continue at this rate, it won't be long before virtually everyone who wants to connect can.
Further, last week, Jupiter Media Metrix reported that the age of online shoppers is moving up while the income level drops. In other words, those on the Net are starting to look a lot more like the real world population. This is a good time to re-evaluate some of the assumptions that fed the digital divide hysteria.
This is a good time to re-evaluate some of the assumptions that fed the digital divide hysteria.
Not all individuals want to use computers or get online. Everyone knows someone, rich or poor, who chooses not to have voice mail, call waiting, or even a television. Many of the Internet's so-called "have-nots" are really "want-nots."
The DOC report proves that even lower income people can get wired if they see it as a priority. And that's no surprise given all the investment that local community groups and technology companies have spent on promoting access over the last couple of years. Those who cannot get online in this environment have other problems that a computer and Internet access won't fix.
Technology is not a silver bullet that will solve all social and economic problems. This will disappoint those who believed President Clinton when he said, "Technology can be the greatest equalizing force our society or any other has ever known." If digital divide crusaders really want to solve the world's inequities, they should direct their efforts toward key issues that mattered before the advent of high technology. Promoting economic growth would be a good place to start.
Education is probably the most important issue that affects the ability to benefit from technology. Unless people can read and understand what they find on the Internet, all the computers and networks in the world won't be of much use. Taxes are another important consideration.
The real issues are the sorry state of education and the push to raise the taxes that affect lower income families most.
Government regulators continue the push to tax the Net and other things digital. If they succeed, some lower income people could lose the access they've gained when faced with paying more for online access and products.
The digital divide is not a crisis, and it is certainly not the civil liberties issue of the 21st century. The real issues are the sorry state of education and the push to raise the taxes that affect lower income families most.
Education and tax reform move a lot slower than the speed of technology. If they want to help low-income Americans, that's the gap policy-makers should seek to close.
http://news.cnet.com/2010-1071-858537.html
Friday, August 20, 2010
Ferrets key to bridging the digital divide between cities and rural areas
The animals have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service, the company has disclosed.
The ferrets wear jackets fitted with a microchip which is able to analyse any breaks or damage in the underground network.
The development could help increase broadband in current Internet "dead zones", giving access to inaccessible places, and and helping bridge the 'digital divide'.
Currently most broadband technologies are limited to short distances from central switching offices so most companies focus on cities to keep costs down.
The government has set a target of universal broadband access of 2Mbps by 2012. Analysts estimate that the cost of running fibre optic cables to all parts of the country could cost anywhere between £10 billion and £25 billion. A 50p levy of every phone line in the country has been proposed to cover costs.
Currently around two million homes, one in 10 households, are without broadband.
Jon James, director of broadband for Virgin Media, said: "For hundreds of years, ferrets have helped humans in various jobs. Our decision to use them is due to their strong nesting instinct, their long, lean build and inquisitive nature, and for their ability to get down holes. We initially kept the trial low-key as we wanted to assess how well the ferrets fitted into our operations before revealing this enterprising scheme."
Ferrets have been used to run cables through hard-to-reach places in the past.
Events organisers in London used them to run television and sound cables outside Buckingham Palace for the wedding of the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
A similar system was used to lay the cables for televised coverage for the Party in the Park concert in Greenwich at the Millennium.
With their long lean build ferrets have historically been sent down holes to chase rodents and rabbits out of their burrows.
Caesar Augustus is thought to have sent ferrets to the Balearic Islands to control the rabbit plagues in 6BC.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7541455/Ferrets-key-to-bridging-the-digital-divide-between-cities-and-rural-areas.html
The ferrets wear jackets fitted with a microchip which is able to analyse any breaks or damage in the underground network.
The development could help increase broadband in current Internet "dead zones", giving access to inaccessible places, and and helping bridge the 'digital divide'.
Currently most broadband technologies are limited to short distances from central switching offices so most companies focus on cities to keep costs down.
The government has set a target of universal broadband access of 2Mbps by 2012. Analysts estimate that the cost of running fibre optic cables to all parts of the country could cost anywhere between £10 billion and £25 billion. A 50p levy of every phone line in the country has been proposed to cover costs.
Currently around two million homes, one in 10 households, are without broadband.
Jon James, director of broadband for Virgin Media, said: "For hundreds of years, ferrets have helped humans in various jobs. Our decision to use them is due to their strong nesting instinct, their long, lean build and inquisitive nature, and for their ability to get down holes. We initially kept the trial low-key as we wanted to assess how well the ferrets fitted into our operations before revealing this enterprising scheme."
Ferrets have been used to run cables through hard-to-reach places in the past.
Events organisers in London used them to run television and sound cables outside Buckingham Palace for the wedding of the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
A similar system was used to lay the cables for televised coverage for the Party in the Park concert in Greenwich at the Millennium.
With their long lean build ferrets have historically been sent down holes to chase rodents and rabbits out of their burrows.
Caesar Augustus is thought to have sent ferrets to the Balearic Islands to control the rabbit plagues in 6BC.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7541455/Ferrets-key-to-bridging-the-digital-divide-between-cities-and-rural-areas.html
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Apple Solidifies Its Lead Among U.S. Music Accounts, As Mobile Merchants Fade
Ed Christman
Apple's iTunes store, which emerged in 2008 as the top U.S. music account for the first time, widened its lead last year over former market leader Walmart.
According to my analysis of 2009 sales and market share, the top 20 U.S. music accounts accounted for 85% of the total account base. That's down from 88% in 2008 and runs counter to an almost decade-long consolidation trend under which the top 20 accounts continued to capture an ever larger share of the total market.
That was due to declining market share among the brick-and-mortar accounts in the top 20. The top 20 merchants selling CDs and other physical formats comprised 49.3% of the account base in 2009, plunging from 57.5% in 2008.
Meanwhile, digital accounts in the top 20 made up a combined 35.5% of the total account base, up from 31.6% in 2008. That gain of nearly four percentage points came despite a decline in the combined share of mobile service providers, once touted as the recording industry's next big thing. Collectively, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, AT&T and mobile content provider Zed accounted for 4.9% of the market, down from 6.6% in 2008. That was probably due to the declining number of ringtone downloads, as well as declining ringtone prices.
But iTunes more than offset the mobile decline, growing its share of the U.S. account base to 26.7%, up from 21.4% in 2008 and more than double the 12.7% share the company had in 2007. Last year's share gain was helped by Apple's embrace of variable pricing on digital tracks. But it remains to be seen if iTunes can continue to expand its market share this year, given that year-to-date digital track sales in the United States are down almost 1% from the same period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
No. 2 account Walmart saw its 2009 share sink to 12.5% in 2009 from 15% in the prior year, no doubt hurt by the retail giant's continued scaling back of floor space dedicated to CDs. More tellingly, Best Buy, which is also reducing the store space it devotes to music, had only 8.7% of the account base in 2009, down from its pre-Napster share of 10.7% in 2008. Broken out on its own, Napster had a 0.7% share in 2009, down from 1% in 2008.
Other accounts losing market share included Trans World, which was down nearly a percentage point to 2.9% due to a flurry of store closings, and Alliance Entertainment, whose share fell to 6.1% from 7.7% in 2008 due to business it lost through the liquidation of Circuit City.
As traditional music retailers close their doors and big-box merchants reduce shelf space for music, Amazon's piece of the account base keeps growing. The merchant's share stood at 7.1% in 2009, up from 4.9% in 2008. Its physical music sales alone accounted for a 5.8% share, up from 4.2% in 2008.
If broken out as a separate account, Amazon's MP3 store captured a 1.3% share in 2009, up from 0.8% in the prior year and good enough to have ranked as the 10th-largest account. But that's still well short of where major labels had hoped Amazon's download store would be by now, dimming earlier expectations that it will be able to significantly reduce the labels' heavy dependence on iTunes for digital sales.
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/magazine/upfront/e3i12fe2557a9382597671a522cc1cc901d
Ed Christman
Apple's iTunes store, which emerged in 2008 as the top U.S. music account for the first time, widened its lead last year over former market leader Walmart.
According to my analysis of 2009 sales and market share, the top 20 U.S. music accounts accounted for 85% of the total account base. That's down from 88% in 2008 and runs counter to an almost decade-long consolidation trend under which the top 20 accounts continued to capture an ever larger share of the total market.
That was due to declining market share among the brick-and-mortar accounts in the top 20. The top 20 merchants selling CDs and other physical formats comprised 49.3% of the account base in 2009, plunging from 57.5% in 2008.
Meanwhile, digital accounts in the top 20 made up a combined 35.5% of the total account base, up from 31.6% in 2008. That gain of nearly four percentage points came despite a decline in the combined share of mobile service providers, once touted as the recording industry's next big thing. Collectively, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, AT&T and mobile content provider Zed accounted for 4.9% of the market, down from 6.6% in 2008. That was probably due to the declining number of ringtone downloads, as well as declining ringtone prices.
But iTunes more than offset the mobile decline, growing its share of the U.S. account base to 26.7%, up from 21.4% in 2008 and more than double the 12.7% share the company had in 2007. Last year's share gain was helped by Apple's embrace of variable pricing on digital tracks. But it remains to be seen if iTunes can continue to expand its market share this year, given that year-to-date digital track sales in the United States are down almost 1% from the same period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
No. 2 account Walmart saw its 2009 share sink to 12.5% in 2009 from 15% in the prior year, no doubt hurt by the retail giant's continued scaling back of floor space dedicated to CDs. More tellingly, Best Buy, which is also reducing the store space it devotes to music, had only 8.7% of the account base in 2009, down from its pre-Napster share of 10.7% in 2008. Broken out on its own, Napster had a 0.7% share in 2009, down from 1% in 2008.
Other accounts losing market share included Trans World, which was down nearly a percentage point to 2.9% due to a flurry of store closings, and Alliance Entertainment, whose share fell to 6.1% from 7.7% in 2008 due to business it lost through the liquidation of Circuit City.
As traditional music retailers close their doors and big-box merchants reduce shelf space for music, Amazon's piece of the account base keeps growing. The merchant's share stood at 7.1% in 2009, up from 4.9% in 2008. Its physical music sales alone accounted for a 5.8% share, up from 4.2% in 2008.
If broken out as a separate account, Amazon's MP3 store captured a 1.3% share in 2009, up from 0.8% in the prior year and good enough to have ranked as the 10th-largest account. But that's still well short of where major labels had hoped Amazon's download store would be by now, dimming earlier expectations that it will be able to significantly reduce the labels' heavy dependence on iTunes for digital sales.
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/magazine/upfront/e3i12fe2557a9382597671a522cc1cc901d
Tiered data plans can help close digital divide
The familiar, one-size-fits-all flat monthly fee for Internet use is likely headed for the technology junk pile--and it's a good thing for most consumers.
One fee for unlimited broadband access--and the same fee for everybody signing up for a particular service--helped drive the extraordinarily rapid spread of broadband, especially as those fees declined over the last decade. But broadband has changed the Internet, particularly by enabling the spread of bandwidth-intensive video and voice applications.
New analysis shows that as Internet providers ramp up their investments to accommodate the surge in bandwidth demand, the old, one-price-for-everybody model would slow our progress toward universal adoption, especially by lower-income Americans.
The first reaction of many Internet users to this news may well be disbelief. How can it be that a pricing approach that has worked so well for so many years can suddenly become obsolete and even counterproductive? The answer is that technological advances have changed what many of us do online, which, in turn, has changed the economics.
A techno-ecosystem once dominated by e-mail and text now is increasingly characterized by high-definition video that claims up to 1,000 times as much network capacity and bandwidth as simple text. The way we currently pay for the infrastructure required to keep the network humming also will have to change.
Those who consume more bandwidth--or at least those who claim many times the bandwidth of the average Internet user--will have to pay a little more. Otherwise, the price for everyone else will increase so much that lower-income Americans will be priced out of broadband.
As with virtually every other good and service in our economy, those who consume more bandwidth--or at least those who claim many times the bandwidth of the average Internet user--will have to pay a little more. Otherwise, the price for everyone else will increase so much that lower-income Americans will be priced out of broadband.
To keep pace with the fast-growing appetite for advanced video and other data-hungry Internet services, Internet service providers expect to invest an additional $300 billion or more over the next 20 years to expand their infrastructure. The resources for this additional investment have to come from broadband users--subscribers, content providers, or both.
A new analysis by Kevin Hassett and me (PDF), supported by the Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy, has established that if these costs are recovered through the old, flat-fee pricing models that assess each household equally, prices will go so high that we will be unable to achieve universal access to broadband in the next decade.
With this flat-rate pricing approach, for example, almost one in five African Americans would still lack home broadband connectivity in 2020. A nearly comparable share of Hispanics and lower-income white Americans also would remain offline. In the face of rising bandwidth demand and the rising cost to accommodate it, the flat-fee pricing approach will perpetuate digital divides based on income, race, and ethnicity.
There is an alternative which, our analysis found, can achieve virtually universal broadband adoption by 2018. This alternative is a flexible-pricing approach that would enable ISPs to recover the bulk of their additional infrastructure investments from the providers of bandwidth-intensive content and the small share of consumers--online gamers, for example, and those who watch high-definition TV, movies, and videos online for hours every day--who claim a disproportionate amount of broadband capacity.
Two of the world's most wired societies, Korea and Norway, have adopted variations of this approach, and thereby managed to substantially expand their infrastructure commitments without raising prices for most broadband users.
Moreover, President Obama's goal of achieving universal broadband adoption, which such flexible pricing can promote, is quickly becoming an essential factor in advancing economic opportunity. Increasingly, job openings are posted only online, and the ability to work productively in offices and factories dense with Internet and information technologies, is virtually a necessity for those intent on improving their economic position.
Beyond that, access to information on educational opportunities, political activities, health care, and even many government services increasingly depends on broadband access. As the Federal Communications Commission prepares its recommendations for meeting the president's goal, it is critical that it recognizes that future broadband access, especially for many minority and lower-income households, may well depend on the ability of ISPs to flexibly price access.
The process of change has already started. Several broadband providers recently initiated trials of usage-based pricing in selected areas, to help accelerate broadband adoption in a way that can finance the infrastructure build-out required to avoid online congestion.
Apart from all of these social and economic concerns, it also makes no sense to preserve a flat-fee pricing system that effectively forces the vast majority of Internet users to subsidize a small minority of high-bandwidth consumers and content providers. The burden on policymakers is not to mandate an end to flat-fee pricing but simply to preserve the ability of ISPs to adopt new pricing approaches that can maximize consumer benefits.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20008763-94.html
One fee for unlimited broadband access--and the same fee for everybody signing up for a particular service--helped drive the extraordinarily rapid spread of broadband, especially as those fees declined over the last decade. But broadband has changed the Internet, particularly by enabling the spread of bandwidth-intensive video and voice applications.
New analysis shows that as Internet providers ramp up their investments to accommodate the surge in bandwidth demand, the old, one-price-for-everybody model would slow our progress toward universal adoption, especially by lower-income Americans.
The first reaction of many Internet users to this news may well be disbelief. How can it be that a pricing approach that has worked so well for so many years can suddenly become obsolete and even counterproductive? The answer is that technological advances have changed what many of us do online, which, in turn, has changed the economics.
A techno-ecosystem once dominated by e-mail and text now is increasingly characterized by high-definition video that claims up to 1,000 times as much network capacity and bandwidth as simple text. The way we currently pay for the infrastructure required to keep the network humming also will have to change.
Those who consume more bandwidth--or at least those who claim many times the bandwidth of the average Internet user--will have to pay a little more. Otherwise, the price for everyone else will increase so much that lower-income Americans will be priced out of broadband.
As with virtually every other good and service in our economy, those who consume more bandwidth--or at least those who claim many times the bandwidth of the average Internet user--will have to pay a little more. Otherwise, the price for everyone else will increase so much that lower-income Americans will be priced out of broadband.
To keep pace with the fast-growing appetite for advanced video and other data-hungry Internet services, Internet service providers expect to invest an additional $300 billion or more over the next 20 years to expand their infrastructure. The resources for this additional investment have to come from broadband users--subscribers, content providers, or both.
A new analysis by Kevin Hassett and me (PDF), supported by the Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy, has established that if these costs are recovered through the old, flat-fee pricing models that assess each household equally, prices will go so high that we will be unable to achieve universal access to broadband in the next decade.
With this flat-rate pricing approach, for example, almost one in five African Americans would still lack home broadband connectivity in 2020. A nearly comparable share of Hispanics and lower-income white Americans also would remain offline. In the face of rising bandwidth demand and the rising cost to accommodate it, the flat-fee pricing approach will perpetuate digital divides based on income, race, and ethnicity.
There is an alternative which, our analysis found, can achieve virtually universal broadband adoption by 2018. This alternative is a flexible-pricing approach that would enable ISPs to recover the bulk of their additional infrastructure investments from the providers of bandwidth-intensive content and the small share of consumers--online gamers, for example, and those who watch high-definition TV, movies, and videos online for hours every day--who claim a disproportionate amount of broadband capacity.
Two of the world's most wired societies, Korea and Norway, have adopted variations of this approach, and thereby managed to substantially expand their infrastructure commitments without raising prices for most broadband users.
Moreover, President Obama's goal of achieving universal broadband adoption, which such flexible pricing can promote, is quickly becoming an essential factor in advancing economic opportunity. Increasingly, job openings are posted only online, and the ability to work productively in offices and factories dense with Internet and information technologies, is virtually a necessity for those intent on improving their economic position.
Beyond that, access to information on educational opportunities, political activities, health care, and even many government services increasingly depends on broadband access. As the Federal Communications Commission prepares its recommendations for meeting the president's goal, it is critical that it recognizes that future broadband access, especially for many minority and lower-income households, may well depend on the ability of ISPs to flexibly price access.
The process of change has already started. Several broadband providers recently initiated trials of usage-based pricing in selected areas, to help accelerate broadband adoption in a way that can finance the infrastructure build-out required to avoid online congestion.
Apart from all of these social and economic concerns, it also makes no sense to preserve a flat-fee pricing system that effectively forces the vast majority of Internet users to subsidize a small minority of high-bandwidth consumers and content providers. The burden on policymakers is not to mandate an end to flat-fee pricing but simply to preserve the ability of ISPs to adopt new pricing approaches that can maximize consumer benefits.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20008763-94.html
The Digital Divide: Where We Are
The digital divide is most commonly defined as the gap between those individuals and communities that have, and do not have, access to the information technologies that are transforming our lives. In February 2002, the U.S. Department of Commerce released "A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet," the latest study on computer and Internet use in America. Formerly a national benchmark for measuring disparities in access, the implied message of this latest release is that the digital divide is no longer a major concern. Many organizations feel differently, and as the debate intensifies, we are asking after ten years of national leadership to address the issue, "Where are we?"
"A Nation Online" pointed to U.S. Census data showing that 143 million Americans, or about 54 percent of the population, are using the Internet. It also reported that the rate of growth of Internet use in the United States is currently 2 million new Internet users per month, with Internet use continuing to increase across income, education, age, race, ethnicity, and gender lines.
This is all good news, and a testament, in part, to the effectiveness of several federally funded programs such as the E-Rate, or telecommunications discounts to schools and libraries, the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) and the Community Technology Centers Program (CTC). The CTC program provides matching grants that leverage state, local, and other resources to create and improve technology access and training facilities. The TOP program provides matching grants for projects that use technology in innovative ways to solve social problems and improve community access to modern telecommunications.
The Debate
Progress has been made, but a deeper look at the numbers in "A Nation Online" reveals that considerable work remains to bridge the digital divide. With 54 percent of Americans online, the current Administration sees "A Nation Online" as proof that a targeted national commitment to bridging the divide is no longer necessary. Along with a 17 percent decrease in educational technology funding from FY 2001, the TOP and CTC programs have been slated for termination in 2003. The rationale is that Americans are gaining access to computers at an acceptable pace and as a result the role of government can be curtailed.
Sonia Arrison, director of the Center for Technology Studies at the Pacific-Research Institute, is one of several conservative commentators who has argued recently that "the digital divide is not a crisis that places citizens in urgent need of more government help." Echoing past comments of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell that what we have is a "Mercedes divide," Arrison also argues "many of the Internet's so called 'have-nots' are really 'want-nots.'"
On the opposite end of the debate, numerous organizations have rallied in support of continued federal funding for the CTC and TOP programs by launching the Digital Empowerment advocacy campaign. They note that almost half of Americans do not have Internet access at home and only 25 percent of America's poorest households are online compared with approximately 80 percent of homes earning over $75,000. Only around 30 percent of youth in the lowest household income category use computers at home compared to over 90 percent of youth in the highest income category.
Even more striking is the fact that this gap has expanded in recent years. Similar disparities can be found among populations with limited formal education. Hispanics (31.8 percent) and African Americans (39.8 percent) lag behind whites (59.9 percent) in Internet access at home, suggesting serious ethnic and racial divides.
The Civil Rights Forum, Consumers Union, and the Consumer Federation of America released a report in May 2002 called "Does the Digital Divide Still Exist? Bush Administration Shrugs, But Evidence Says 'Yes.'" The report concludes that the true measure of the digital divide is in assessing home Internet access. It also states that an inability to access the enhanced content available via broadband is creating a second-generation divide.
In response to arguments that the Internet is unnecessary or something of a luxury, Mark Lloyd, Executive Director of the Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, said, "Being disconnected in the Information Age is not like being deprived of a Mercedes or some other luxury. Being disconnected means being disconnected from the economy and democratic debate."
Reaping the Rewards of National Investment
A new policy brief from the Benton Foundation, publisher of the Digital Divide Network, explores the likely impact of the federal budget cuts and how ending targeted efforts to bring technology to underserved communities could dampen economic and community development.
The brief focuses on how national programs such as the CTC and TOP have helped to wire schools and libraries and bring technology training into underserved communities. Objective research on the CTC program from SRI International, one of the nation's premier education technology research groups, shows technology being used in disadvantaged communities is improving pre-school, after-school, and adult learning. A recent report on telecommunications access in rural America shows that TOP has been instrumental in enabling rural communities to enhance local economies, better manage natural resources, and improve access to education and health services. Like the CTC program, its funding peaked in 2001 and elimination is in the works for 2003.
Continuing to Overcome the Digital Divide
Nobody believes that technology will be a quick-fix solution to poverty, but ensuring that underserved individuals and communities can access education and tools to improve the quality of their lives certainly appears to be a critical piece of the answer. The appropriations process will go on until September, when the 2003 budget will be finalized. Until that time, the debate will continue with one side saying "the invisible hand" of the free market is taking care of the problem and another pressing to save federal investments they feel are critical to connecting all Americans.
Norris Dickard is a senior associate at the Benton Foundation. His work focuses on public policies related to universal service, educational technology, and bridging the digital divide. Diana Schneider formerly served as the Assistant Director of Outreach at The George Lucas Educational Foundation. She currently works with the Benton Foundation Communication Policy program on projects related to educational technology and bridging the digital divide.
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today
"A Nation Online" pointed to U.S. Census data showing that 143 million Americans, or about 54 percent of the population, are using the Internet. It also reported that the rate of growth of Internet use in the United States is currently 2 million new Internet users per month, with Internet use continuing to increase across income, education, age, race, ethnicity, and gender lines.
This is all good news, and a testament, in part, to the effectiveness of several federally funded programs such as the E-Rate, or telecommunications discounts to schools and libraries, the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) and the Community Technology Centers Program (CTC). The CTC program provides matching grants that leverage state, local, and other resources to create and improve technology access and training facilities. The TOP program provides matching grants for projects that use technology in innovative ways to solve social problems and improve community access to modern telecommunications.
The Debate
Progress has been made, but a deeper look at the numbers in "A Nation Online" reveals that considerable work remains to bridge the digital divide. With 54 percent of Americans online, the current Administration sees "A Nation Online" as proof that a targeted national commitment to bridging the divide is no longer necessary. Along with a 17 percent decrease in educational technology funding from FY 2001, the TOP and CTC programs have been slated for termination in 2003. The rationale is that Americans are gaining access to computers at an acceptable pace and as a result the role of government can be curtailed.
Sonia Arrison, director of the Center for Technology Studies at the Pacific-Research Institute, is one of several conservative commentators who has argued recently that "the digital divide is not a crisis that places citizens in urgent need of more government help." Echoing past comments of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell that what we have is a "Mercedes divide," Arrison also argues "many of the Internet's so called 'have-nots' are really 'want-nots.'"
On the opposite end of the debate, numerous organizations have rallied in support of continued federal funding for the CTC and TOP programs by launching the Digital Empowerment advocacy campaign. They note that almost half of Americans do not have Internet access at home and only 25 percent of America's poorest households are online compared with approximately 80 percent of homes earning over $75,000. Only around 30 percent of youth in the lowest household income category use computers at home compared to over 90 percent of youth in the highest income category.
Even more striking is the fact that this gap has expanded in recent years. Similar disparities can be found among populations with limited formal education. Hispanics (31.8 percent) and African Americans (39.8 percent) lag behind whites (59.9 percent) in Internet access at home, suggesting serious ethnic and racial divides.
The Civil Rights Forum, Consumers Union, and the Consumer Federation of America released a report in May 2002 called "Does the Digital Divide Still Exist? Bush Administration Shrugs, But Evidence Says 'Yes.'" The report concludes that the true measure of the digital divide is in assessing home Internet access. It also states that an inability to access the enhanced content available via broadband is creating a second-generation divide.
In response to arguments that the Internet is unnecessary or something of a luxury, Mark Lloyd, Executive Director of the Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, said, "Being disconnected in the Information Age is not like being deprived of a Mercedes or some other luxury. Being disconnected means being disconnected from the economy and democratic debate."
Reaping the Rewards of National Investment
A new policy brief from the Benton Foundation, publisher of the Digital Divide Network, explores the likely impact of the federal budget cuts and how ending targeted efforts to bring technology to underserved communities could dampen economic and community development.
The brief focuses on how national programs such as the CTC and TOP have helped to wire schools and libraries and bring technology training into underserved communities. Objective research on the CTC program from SRI International, one of the nation's premier education technology research groups, shows technology being used in disadvantaged communities is improving pre-school, after-school, and adult learning. A recent report on telecommunications access in rural America shows that TOP has been instrumental in enabling rural communities to enhance local economies, better manage natural resources, and improve access to education and health services. Like the CTC program, its funding peaked in 2001 and elimination is in the works for 2003.
Continuing to Overcome the Digital Divide
Nobody believes that technology will be a quick-fix solution to poverty, but ensuring that underserved individuals and communities can access education and tools to improve the quality of their lives certainly appears to be a critical piece of the answer. The appropriations process will go on until September, when the 2003 budget will be finalized. Until that time, the debate will continue with one side saying "the invisible hand" of the free market is taking care of the problem and another pressing to save federal investments they feel are critical to connecting all Americans.
Norris Dickard is a senior associate at the Benton Foundation. His work focuses on public policies related to universal service, educational technology, and bridging the digital divide. Diana Schneider formerly served as the Assistant Director of Outreach at The George Lucas Educational Foundation. She currently works with the Benton Foundation Communication Policy program on projects related to educational technology and bridging the digital divide.
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today
Tackling the "digital divide" ...if we can find out what it is...
Current approaches to tackling the divide
New forms of enterprise, new types of skills, new sources of wealth and new forms of social interaction - these are among the benefits of the "Information Society". Businesses and governments alike promote the new technologies for the benefits they will bring.
But, if these developments are seen as being beneficial, then the lack of them is seen as a cause for concern. Many people, mostly those already poor or socially disadvantaged in some other way, cannot or do not have access to the new technologies and the opportunities they bring. These people - "socially excluded", in the current jargon - stand on the wrong side of the "digital divide".
Action to tackle the divide
Governments across the western world are beginning to take action to try to bridge the perceived divide. Apart from a sackload of strategy documents, practical measures are being taken in some places to increase access to computers and the Internet.
One approach is that of Arizona in the US. Here the TOPAZ project (Telecommunications Open Partnerships of Arizona) is aimed at providing broadband access rural communities. Over the next 5 years Arizona expects to spend $100 million supporting local public agencies in purchasing broadband telecoms services, via a statewide carrier service.
Arizona state has contracted with 9 leading telecoms providers to develop the service. In this way the network is being "pushed" out to the communities. The "pull" factor comes from the state encouraging, and financially supporting, local authorities, tribal governments, health and education providers and the not-for-profit sector to aggregate demand. In this way the business case is made for continued roll-out of the service.
A similar principle of building the business case by aggregating demand is being tested in Scotland. In many areas the biggest users of telecommunications come from the public sector. Government agencies are being given more leeway than they are in England to work with the telecoms operators in bringing broadband into areas that would take forever for the market to reach.
Wired Communities
In England, a series of pilot projects are being developed by the DFEE (Department for Education and Employment). Some £10 million has been awarded to 7 communities seen to be potentially on the wrong side of the digital divide. These are a mix of urban and rural areas:
Kensington, Liverpool, one of England's most disadvantaged inner city communities. Over 400 households are being wired up, with a total of 2,000 PCs to be installed
The Carpenters Estate, Newham, East London: an inner city housing estate. All 750 households and the local primary school will be wired up;
Framlingham, Suffolk: a rural area, centred on a market town, involving the more deprived areas that exist alongside pockets of affluence. 1,500 homes and the local school will be wired up;
BeaconNet, East Manchester: an inner city housing estate where all 4,500 homes will be wired up along with local schools;
Whitebirk Estate, Blackburn: an area in a town with inner city features. Over 2,500 homes will be wired up and five local schools will benefit;
Alston, Cumbria: a rural area in which 1,200 homes across three small towns and isolated farms will be wired up. The project will involve two primary schools and a secondary school;
Brampton upon Dearne, S Yorkshire: a former coalfield community. All 1,500 households in the community will be wired up and all 265 children at the local primary school will be provided with laptops.
Across these pilot areas, the government will test a range of technologies, including broadband and narrowband access, satellite communications and digital television. Community-based portals will be developed, an a specially developed website will encourage people to use ICT to look for learning and employment opportunities and to support community activity.
Schoolchildren in the selected communities will be provided with laptops for use in schools and at home.
Other initiatives
Similar projects to the "Wired Up Communities" are also being developed in Nottingham and in Hull, where the local councils are able to take advantage of good levels of existing cable and telecoms infrastructure to set about connecting thousands of council-owned homes to the Internet and/or interactive TV.
Will all this technology make a difference?
Advocates of using new technologies to overcome social exclusion will always say that technology and connectivity are not in themselves the answer. But they do provide some routes in to opportunities - for both personal and community development.
The UK government certainly believes that deprived neighbourhoods will benefit from being wired up. A report from last year from the government's Policy Action Team 15 highlighted the anticipated benefits:
acquiring knowledge and developing skills
developing confidence and self-esteem which reinforce family and community cohesion
pursuing leisure interests and opportunities
publishing and broadcasting their opinions and ideas and relating that experience to that of others globally
supporting and developing small businesses
being empowered to campaign and participate in the democratic process.
The Wired Communities, approach, however, does not prejudge the answers. Rather it wishes to "assess how individual access to the Internet can transform opportunities for people living in the most disadvantaged communities by developing new ways of accessing learning, work and leisure services."
The lessons learned will then inform priorities for wiring up communities in the future.
http://www.flexibility.co.uk/issues/debates/divide.htm
New forms of enterprise, new types of skills, new sources of wealth and new forms of social interaction - these are among the benefits of the "Information Society". Businesses and governments alike promote the new technologies for the benefits they will bring.
But, if these developments are seen as being beneficial, then the lack of them is seen as a cause for concern. Many people, mostly those already poor or socially disadvantaged in some other way, cannot or do not have access to the new technologies and the opportunities they bring. These people - "socially excluded", in the current jargon - stand on the wrong side of the "digital divide".
Action to tackle the divide
Governments across the western world are beginning to take action to try to bridge the perceived divide. Apart from a sackload of strategy documents, practical measures are being taken in some places to increase access to computers and the Internet.
One approach is that of Arizona in the US. Here the TOPAZ project (Telecommunications Open Partnerships of Arizona) is aimed at providing broadband access rural communities. Over the next 5 years Arizona expects to spend $100 million supporting local public agencies in purchasing broadband telecoms services, via a statewide carrier service.
Arizona state has contracted with 9 leading telecoms providers to develop the service. In this way the network is being "pushed" out to the communities. The "pull" factor comes from the state encouraging, and financially supporting, local authorities, tribal governments, health and education providers and the not-for-profit sector to aggregate demand. In this way the business case is made for continued roll-out of the service.
A similar principle of building the business case by aggregating demand is being tested in Scotland. In many areas the biggest users of telecommunications come from the public sector. Government agencies are being given more leeway than they are in England to work with the telecoms operators in bringing broadband into areas that would take forever for the market to reach.
Wired Communities
In England, a series of pilot projects are being developed by the DFEE (Department for Education and Employment). Some £10 million has been awarded to 7 communities seen to be potentially on the wrong side of the digital divide. These are a mix of urban and rural areas:
Kensington, Liverpool, one of England's most disadvantaged inner city communities. Over 400 households are being wired up, with a total of 2,000 PCs to be installed
The Carpenters Estate, Newham, East London: an inner city housing estate. All 750 households and the local primary school will be wired up;
Framlingham, Suffolk: a rural area, centred on a market town, involving the more deprived areas that exist alongside pockets of affluence. 1,500 homes and the local school will be wired up;
BeaconNet, East Manchester: an inner city housing estate where all 4,500 homes will be wired up along with local schools;
Whitebirk Estate, Blackburn: an area in a town with inner city features. Over 2,500 homes will be wired up and five local schools will benefit;
Alston, Cumbria: a rural area in which 1,200 homes across three small towns and isolated farms will be wired up. The project will involve two primary schools and a secondary school;
Brampton upon Dearne, S Yorkshire: a former coalfield community. All 1,500 households in the community will be wired up and all 265 children at the local primary school will be provided with laptops.
Across these pilot areas, the government will test a range of technologies, including broadband and narrowband access, satellite communications and digital television. Community-based portals will be developed, an a specially developed website will encourage people to use ICT to look for learning and employment opportunities and to support community activity.
Schoolchildren in the selected communities will be provided with laptops for use in schools and at home.
Other initiatives
Similar projects to the "Wired Up Communities" are also being developed in Nottingham and in Hull, where the local councils are able to take advantage of good levels of existing cable and telecoms infrastructure to set about connecting thousands of council-owned homes to the Internet and/or interactive TV.
Will all this technology make a difference?
Advocates of using new technologies to overcome social exclusion will always say that technology and connectivity are not in themselves the answer. But they do provide some routes in to opportunities - for both personal and community development.
The UK government certainly believes that deprived neighbourhoods will benefit from being wired up. A report from last year from the government's Policy Action Team 15 highlighted the anticipated benefits:
acquiring knowledge and developing skills
developing confidence and self-esteem which reinforce family and community cohesion
pursuing leisure interests and opportunities
publishing and broadcasting their opinions and ideas and relating that experience to that of others globally
supporting and developing small businesses
being empowered to campaign and participate in the democratic process.
The Wired Communities, approach, however, does not prejudge the answers. Rather it wishes to "assess how individual access to the Internet can transform opportunities for people living in the most disadvantaged communities by developing new ways of accessing learning, work and leisure services."
The lessons learned will then inform priorities for wiring up communities in the future.
http://www.flexibility.co.uk/issues/debates/divide.htm
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Reduction in digital divide between Wales and rest of the UK
It has been reported that in the space of just twelve months there has been a significant reduction in the digital divide between Wales and the rest of the UK.
In the past the digital divide between Wales and the UK when it came to the take up and accessibility of broadband has been quite significant, sparking concerns over inadequate broadband facilities and access in many parts of Wales. However, according to a recent report the digital divide has dropped significantly in just twelve months, falling from ten percent to just seven.
Research carried out by the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has shown that the gap between Wales and the UK is closing in fast, and its report also showed that Wales now has the highest proportion of households using mobile broadband services in the whole of the UK.
However, despite these encouraging numbers and figures officials from Ofcom have said that there is still a long way to go and many challenges that needed to be overcome. The level of broadband take up in Wales now stands at sixty four percent, and in the UK at seventy one percent, reflecting a drop of more than three percent in total in the past twelve months.
The report also showed that the level of broadband take up in rural parts of Wales was higher than in urban parts, with rural take up standing at sixty nine percent and urban take up at sixty two percent. This is despite the fact that rural areas often struggle to get access and availability when it comes to broadband services
http://www.broadband-expert.co.uk/blog/broadband-news/reduction-in-digital-divide-between-wales-and-rest-of-the-uk/779532
In the past the digital divide between Wales and the UK when it came to the take up and accessibility of broadband has been quite significant, sparking concerns over inadequate broadband facilities and access in many parts of Wales. However, according to a recent report the digital divide has dropped significantly in just twelve months, falling from ten percent to just seven.
Research carried out by the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has shown that the gap between Wales and the UK is closing in fast, and its report also showed that Wales now has the highest proportion of households using mobile broadband services in the whole of the UK.
However, despite these encouraging numbers and figures officials from Ofcom have said that there is still a long way to go and many challenges that needed to be overcome. The level of broadband take up in Wales now stands at sixty four percent, and in the UK at seventy one percent, reflecting a drop of more than three percent in total in the past twelve months.
The report also showed that the level of broadband take up in rural parts of Wales was higher than in urban parts, with rural take up standing at sixty nine percent and urban take up at sixty two percent. This is despite the fact that rural areas often struggle to get access and availability when it comes to broadband services
http://www.broadband-expert.co.uk/blog/broadband-news/reduction-in-digital-divide-between-wales-and-rest-of-the-uk/779532
e-Inclusion In Europe: Bridging The Digital Divide | Gov Monitor
Want to gain insight into what future connected technologies could look like?
Check out two new policy reports on EU-funded technology research – one on helping more Europeans get connected to the internet, the other on the communications devices we may be using in the future.
The two reports are published as part of the ICT Results’ Policy Perspective series. ICT Results showcases the achievements and activities of ICT research projects funded by the European Union. The service, supported by the Directorate-General for Information Society and Media, offers analysis and insights into future technologies that will affect our lives over the coming years.
Bridging the digital divide
The first report, ‘ICT for all: Technology supporting an inclusive world’, explores Europe’s vision of a society where every individual can make a valuable contribution. As a policy, e-inclusion aims to leverage technology to make society more inclusive.
“Investments in pioneering and commercially focused research will produce information and communication technologies (ICTs) that should help everyone – including the elderly, disabled and marginalised – to fulfil their potential,” the report states.
The report provides numerous examples of EU-funded research projects that work to bridge this digital divide: almost one-third of the EU’s citizens, or about 150 million people, do not actively participate in this high-tech, connected world for various reasons.
For example, the UNIC project developed a cost-effective way to use satellite technology to connect those living in remote areas to fast internet services. Other research projects worked to develop assistive technologies to help specific disadvantaged groups make the most of existing ICTs. One of them, the ENABLED project, developed software applications with tactile, haptic and audio feedback devices to help visually impaired people feel and hear digital maps of where they want to go.
Meanwhile, the SOPRANO project is developing stand-alone assistive technologies to help older adults compensate for any motor, sensory and cognitive difficulties they may experience due to ageing.
Next-generation internet
The second new Policy Perspective report, ‘The future of media in a networked world’, examines a future where media channels – from mobile phones to cinema – are interconnected online.
The evolution of the internet is making it possible for all our media channels to connect to the internet. And there is a growing “network of things” – everyday objects embedded with chips to make them smart, networked and accessible over the internet. This diverse network of the future will provide us with new, powerful applications that deliver more interactive, personalised and “experiential” content than ever.
“European R&D is embracing the many benefits of networked media, which paves the way for the next generation internet,” the report states.
For example, Semantic Hi-Fi developed software to help music lovers visualise the structure of a piece through a graphic display which will enable them to navigate and even to modify elements of a musical composition. The 2020 3D Media project is developing high-quality presentations through stereoscopic or immersive images in the home and for public venues, such as cinemas. And the Mobile3DTV project is developing the core elements of the next generation of 3D TV television for mobile devices.
ICT Research for everyone
The two policy reports are part of the updates on EU-funded research published by the ICT Results service. In addition to regular Policy Perspective reports, ICT Results has published more than 150 features and some 60 fact sheets in 2009 alone.
You can keep up to date on European ICT research in 2010 through the free-of-charge ICT Results service.
More reports in Policy Perspective series are available on the newly revamped publications page. Stay tuned next year for our reports examining the links between ICT, education and culture; ICT, justice and security; and ICT and health.
http://www.thegovmonitor.com/world_news/europe/e-inclusion-in-europe-bridging-the-digital-divide-20111.html
Check out two new policy reports on EU-funded technology research – one on helping more Europeans get connected to the internet, the other on the communications devices we may be using in the future.
The two reports are published as part of the ICT Results’ Policy Perspective series. ICT Results showcases the achievements and activities of ICT research projects funded by the European Union. The service, supported by the Directorate-General for Information Society and Media, offers analysis and insights into future technologies that will affect our lives over the coming years.
Bridging the digital divide
The first report, ‘ICT for all: Technology supporting an inclusive world’, explores Europe’s vision of a society where every individual can make a valuable contribution. As a policy, e-inclusion aims to leverage technology to make society more inclusive.
“Investments in pioneering and commercially focused research will produce information and communication technologies (ICTs) that should help everyone – including the elderly, disabled and marginalised – to fulfil their potential,” the report states.
The report provides numerous examples of EU-funded research projects that work to bridge this digital divide: almost one-third of the EU’s citizens, or about 150 million people, do not actively participate in this high-tech, connected world for various reasons.
For example, the UNIC project developed a cost-effective way to use satellite technology to connect those living in remote areas to fast internet services. Other research projects worked to develop assistive technologies to help specific disadvantaged groups make the most of existing ICTs. One of them, the ENABLED project, developed software applications with tactile, haptic and audio feedback devices to help visually impaired people feel and hear digital maps of where they want to go.
Meanwhile, the SOPRANO project is developing stand-alone assistive technologies to help older adults compensate for any motor, sensory and cognitive difficulties they may experience due to ageing.
Next-generation internet
The second new Policy Perspective report, ‘The future of media in a networked world’, examines a future where media channels – from mobile phones to cinema – are interconnected online.
The evolution of the internet is making it possible for all our media channels to connect to the internet. And there is a growing “network of things” – everyday objects embedded with chips to make them smart, networked and accessible over the internet. This diverse network of the future will provide us with new, powerful applications that deliver more interactive, personalised and “experiential” content than ever.
“European R&D is embracing the many benefits of networked media, which paves the way for the next generation internet,” the report states.
For example, Semantic Hi-Fi developed software to help music lovers visualise the structure of a piece through a graphic display which will enable them to navigate and even to modify elements of a musical composition. The 2020 3D Media project is developing high-quality presentations through stereoscopic or immersive images in the home and for public venues, such as cinemas. And the Mobile3DTV project is developing the core elements of the next generation of 3D TV television for mobile devices.
ICT Research for everyone
The two policy reports are part of the updates on EU-funded research published by the ICT Results service. In addition to regular Policy Perspective reports, ICT Results has published more than 150 features and some 60 fact sheets in 2009 alone.
You can keep up to date on European ICT research in 2010 through the free-of-charge ICT Results service.
More reports in Policy Perspective series are available on the newly revamped publications page. Stay tuned next year for our reports examining the links between ICT, education and culture; ICT, justice and security; and ICT and health.
http://www.thegovmonitor.com/world_news/europe/e-inclusion-in-europe-bridging-the-digital-divide-20111.html
Digital divide remains glaring in Asia despite mobile phone growth
abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 11/20/2008 12:49 PM
BANGKOK - Despite significant progress Asia and the Pacific has made in utilizing information and communication technology (ICT), such as with the rapid growth of mobile phone subscriptions, a significant disparity still remains in access to the Internet between high-income and low-income countries.
How to overcome this “digital divide” is the focus of a meeting being held in Bangkok by the United Nations’ regional arm – the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The two-day meeting, which opened on Tuesday, has gathered ICT experts from governments, the academia, UN and other international agencies, and the private sector including from Microsoft.
A study by ESCAP shows that both phone and Internet use has increased over the last five years in the Asia-Pacific region since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was first held in 2003. For example, the number of mobile phone subscribers has increased by nearly 70 times in South Asia between 2000 and 2007, and by over 40 times in Central Asia. In Southeast Asia , which has a relatively more developed market, the number of subscribers still grew by about 10 times. Yet, the growth is the fastest in the poorest countries in the region. The least developed countries in the region as a group has seen their mobile phone users increased by close to 80 times.
By contrast, the gap between rich and poor nations in Internet access has widened over the same period of time. At the top end, the most connected five countries – New Zealand , Japan , Republic of Korea , Singapore and Malaysia – have between 55 per cent to 80 per cent of their populations with access to the Internet by 2007.
For the bottom five – Myanmar , Timor-Leste , Tajikistan , Bangladesh and Cambodia – less than one per cent of the population uses the Internet. The average for the Asia-Pacific region is 20 per cent.
The expert group meeting, WSIS+5 and Emerging Issues in Asia and the Pacific, is intended as a platform to discuss technical aspects of ICT development and solicit expert views on key issues - such as problems with infrastructure - which need to be addressed at the regional level. It covers four broad topics:
* The current status of ICT and the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action in the Asia-Pacific region, including the key challenges facing the region in developing an inclusive and development-oriented Information Society.
* Capacity building and sharing of successful experiences.
* The integration of ICT in effective disaster risk reduction programmes, for example, by providing technical solutions such as region-wide early warning systems, and better communications systems to assist with disaster recovery.
* Key emerging issues that are standing in the way ICT connectivity in developing nations, and building an understanding why the region has been slow in expanding access to the unconnected and under-serviced areas.
Among the speakers will be representatives from Sri Lanka, India, Laos, Malaysia, Japan, Russia, Nepal, and the Republic of Korea, as well as from ESCAP, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization, Asian Development Bank, Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, and Microsoft.
The recommendations of the meeting will be presented to the member states of ESCAP at its Committee on ICT which will hold its session from 19 to 21 November in Bangkok .
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/world/11/20/08/digital-divide-remains-glaring-asia-despite-mobile-phone-growth
Posted at 11/20/2008 12:49 PM
BANGKOK - Despite significant progress Asia and the Pacific has made in utilizing information and communication technology (ICT), such as with the rapid growth of mobile phone subscriptions, a significant disparity still remains in access to the Internet between high-income and low-income countries.
How to overcome this “digital divide” is the focus of a meeting being held in Bangkok by the United Nations’ regional arm – the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The two-day meeting, which opened on Tuesday, has gathered ICT experts from governments, the academia, UN and other international agencies, and the private sector including from Microsoft.
A study by ESCAP shows that both phone and Internet use has increased over the last five years in the Asia-Pacific region since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was first held in 2003. For example, the number of mobile phone subscribers has increased by nearly 70 times in South Asia between 2000 and 2007, and by over 40 times in Central Asia. In Southeast Asia , which has a relatively more developed market, the number of subscribers still grew by about 10 times. Yet, the growth is the fastest in the poorest countries in the region. The least developed countries in the region as a group has seen their mobile phone users increased by close to 80 times.
By contrast, the gap between rich and poor nations in Internet access has widened over the same period of time. At the top end, the most connected five countries – New Zealand , Japan , Republic of Korea , Singapore and Malaysia – have between 55 per cent to 80 per cent of their populations with access to the Internet by 2007.
For the bottom five – Myanmar , Timor-Leste , Tajikistan , Bangladesh and Cambodia – less than one per cent of the population uses the Internet. The average for the Asia-Pacific region is 20 per cent.
The expert group meeting, WSIS+5 and Emerging Issues in Asia and the Pacific, is intended as a platform to discuss technical aspects of ICT development and solicit expert views on key issues - such as problems with infrastructure - which need to be addressed at the regional level. It covers four broad topics:
* The current status of ICT and the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action in the Asia-Pacific region, including the key challenges facing the region in developing an inclusive and development-oriented Information Society.
* Capacity building and sharing of successful experiences.
* The integration of ICT in effective disaster risk reduction programmes, for example, by providing technical solutions such as region-wide early warning systems, and better communications systems to assist with disaster recovery.
* Key emerging issues that are standing in the way ICT connectivity in developing nations, and building an understanding why the region has been slow in expanding access to the unconnected and under-serviced areas.
Among the speakers will be representatives from Sri Lanka, India, Laos, Malaysia, Japan, Russia, Nepal, and the Republic of Korea, as well as from ESCAP, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization, Asian Development Bank, Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, and Microsoft.
The recommendations of the meeting will be presented to the member states of ESCAP at its Committee on ICT which will hold its session from 19 to 21 November in Bangkok .
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/world/11/20/08/digital-divide-remains-glaring-asia-despite-mobile-phone-growth
Local govts focus on digital inclusion
By Serene Leow | 11 August 2010
Since January 2004, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China has been carrying out the Cun Cun Tong, or Village Connected Project. As the venture draws to a close, Wang Zhen Jian, Director of the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Informatisation, spoke to FutureGov about what’s been achieved so far.
More than three million farmers have benefited from the RMB 200 billion (US$30 million) project and village connectedness has been achieved, said Wang. There is a 29 per cent discrepancy between the internet penetration rates in urban and rural China, and the objective of Cun Cun Tong is to reach out and care for the rural community via internet services.
This has been done through a number of ways.
“By introducing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the rural community in China, farmers are able to use the internet as a platform to sell their produce. They can advertise their products online and attract buyers in this manner,” he said. The internet has also opened doors to a multitude of information on weather forecasts, market trends and up-to-date pricing data for agricultural products and services.
Through partnerships with companies like China Mobile, which adopted the Village Connected Project as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, three types of networks have been set up – the Basic Infrastructure Network, Rural Information Network and Network of Rural Sales Channels.
By establishing Rural Information terminals across the provinces, messages pertaining to crop distribution in Winter, pest control and disaster prevention have also been sent to farmers. The government hopes to build a “New Countryside” with the expansion of network coverage and introduction of modern telecommunications and information services to remote areas.
This goal is being achieved step by step, said Wang. China Mobile’s efforts alone, for example, has improved telecommunications coverage in 99.8 per cent of China’s administrative villages and 93 per cent of natural villages across 27 provinces. In 2009, there was an average of 33,000 calls per day on the Rural Information hotline service and approximately 700,000 hits on the Rural Information Network website set up by China Mobile across the nation.
The next step, said Wang, is to implement the Nong Xing 121 Project, which seeks to build upon the foundation of the Village Connected Project and improve on it. This initiative will focus on two areas, namely communications related to farming and the management of information in villages, he said.
http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2010/aug/11/china-connects-villages-through-ict/
Since January 2004, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China has been carrying out the Cun Cun Tong, or Village Connected Project. As the venture draws to a close, Wang Zhen Jian, Director of the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Informatisation, spoke to FutureGov about what’s been achieved so far.
More than three million farmers have benefited from the RMB 200 billion (US$30 million) project and village connectedness has been achieved, said Wang. There is a 29 per cent discrepancy between the internet penetration rates in urban and rural China, and the objective of Cun Cun Tong is to reach out and care for the rural community via internet services.
This has been done through a number of ways.
“By introducing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the rural community in China, farmers are able to use the internet as a platform to sell their produce. They can advertise their products online and attract buyers in this manner,” he said. The internet has also opened doors to a multitude of information on weather forecasts, market trends and up-to-date pricing data for agricultural products and services.
Through partnerships with companies like China Mobile, which adopted the Village Connected Project as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, three types of networks have been set up – the Basic Infrastructure Network, Rural Information Network and Network of Rural Sales Channels.
By establishing Rural Information terminals across the provinces, messages pertaining to crop distribution in Winter, pest control and disaster prevention have also been sent to farmers. The government hopes to build a “New Countryside” with the expansion of network coverage and introduction of modern telecommunications and information services to remote areas.
This goal is being achieved step by step, said Wang. China Mobile’s efforts alone, for example, has improved telecommunications coverage in 99.8 per cent of China’s administrative villages and 93 per cent of natural villages across 27 provinces. In 2009, there was an average of 33,000 calls per day on the Rural Information hotline service and approximately 700,000 hits on the Rural Information Network website set up by China Mobile across the nation.
The next step, said Wang, is to implement the Nong Xing 121 Project, which seeks to build upon the foundation of the Village Connected Project and improve on it. This initiative will focus on two areas, namely communications related to farming and the management of information in villages, he said.
http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2010/aug/11/china-connects-villages-through-ict/
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
PM bids to bridge digital divide - Jul 17, 2010
By USANEE MONGKOLPORN
THE NATION
Published on July 17, 2010
Internet surfing will become more affordable for all Thais, thanks to the government's new project to establish a nationwide broadband network that could entail an investment of over Bt10 billion.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will oversee this development himself, Information and Communications Technology Minister Chuti Krairiksh said yesterday.
"The prime minister has given importance to the project, as it will help improve the country's competitiveness and bridge the digital divide and reduce the gap in the information access of Thais," Chuti said.
Abhisit will utilise his power as chairman of the National Information Technology Committee to follow through on the project. Established by the ICT Ministry and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) before Abhisit became prime minister, the committee will hold its first board meeting next month.
Chuti said his ministry would soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the NTC to partially finance the broadband project with the NTC's telecommunication development fund.
The committee is part of the ministry's initiative on a "wireless-road" project, aiming to provide broadband wireless service at an affordable price across the country.
Broadband Internet is now concentrated in Bangkok and big cities. Bangkok surfers pay about Bt400 monthly for a connection speed of 1 megabits per second (Mbps). But according to Chuti, once the project is completed in the next few years, surfers nationwide will pay only an initial monthly service fee of Bt150 for a connection speed of 2Mbps.
Two state agencies, TOT and CAT Telecom, will take the lead in developing the project, Chuti said.
"I want to make it happen within two years. The faster it can take place, the better for the country," he said.
TOT has proposed a budget of Bt14 billion to develop the nationwide broadband project within five years but Chuti said he would adjust the plan to two years.
Meanwhile, CAT Telecom plans to invest an additional Bt3.8 billion through the CDMA project.
Information technology human resources are necessary to smooth the project. To deal with this issue, the ICT Ministry will soon sign memoranda of understanding with universities in Bangkok, the North and the Northeast. Under the memoranda, the universities will introduce special courses to create the needed expertise.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
The ministry will also sign agreements with Rajabhat universities nationwide to produce IT instructors, in cooperation with the Department of Vocational Education and the Department of Skills Development.
It has also set its sights on nurturing 20,000 "cyber scouts" within a year to help improve the digital literacy of people in the provinces. The first group of 200 cyber scouts - all teenagers - completed their training recently.
"We hope that with this project, Thailand's ranking in terms of IT competitiveness will improve," the minister said.
In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, Thailand fell to 36th place, dropping for the second year in a row. Highlighted as weak points are insufficient protection of property rights (75th) and security (85th). Meanwhile, Thailand's technological readiness (63rd) is also lagging.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
THE NATION
Published on July 17, 2010
Internet surfing will become more affordable for all Thais, thanks to the government's new project to establish a nationwide broadband network that could entail an investment of over Bt10 billion.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will oversee this development himself, Information and Communications Technology Minister Chuti Krairiksh said yesterday.
"The prime minister has given importance to the project, as it will help improve the country's competitiveness and bridge the digital divide and reduce the gap in the information access of Thais," Chuti said.
Abhisit will utilise his power as chairman of the National Information Technology Committee to follow through on the project. Established by the ICT Ministry and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) before Abhisit became prime minister, the committee will hold its first board meeting next month.
Chuti said his ministry would soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the NTC to partially finance the broadband project with the NTC's telecommunication development fund.
The committee is part of the ministry's initiative on a "wireless-road" project, aiming to provide broadband wireless service at an affordable price across the country.
Broadband Internet is now concentrated in Bangkok and big cities. Bangkok surfers pay about Bt400 monthly for a connection speed of 1 megabits per second (Mbps). But according to Chuti, once the project is completed in the next few years, surfers nationwide will pay only an initial monthly service fee of Bt150 for a connection speed of 2Mbps.
Two state agencies, TOT and CAT Telecom, will take the lead in developing the project, Chuti said.
"I want to make it happen within two years. The faster it can take place, the better for the country," he said.
TOT has proposed a budget of Bt14 billion to develop the nationwide broadband project within five years but Chuti said he would adjust the plan to two years.
Meanwhile, CAT Telecom plans to invest an additional Bt3.8 billion through the CDMA project.
Information technology human resources are necessary to smooth the project. To deal with this issue, the ICT Ministry will soon sign memoranda of understanding with universities in Bangkok, the North and the Northeast. Under the memoranda, the universities will introduce special courses to create the needed expertise.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
The ministry will also sign agreements with Rajabhat universities nationwide to produce IT instructors, in cooperation with the Department of Vocational Education and the Department of Skills Development.
It has also set its sights on nurturing 20,000 "cyber scouts" within a year to help improve the digital literacy of people in the provinces. The first group of 200 cyber scouts - all teenagers - completed their training recently.
"We hope that with this project, Thailand's ranking in terms of IT competitiveness will improve," the minister said.
In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, Thailand fell to 36th place, dropping for the second year in a row. Highlighted as weak points are insufficient protection of property rights (75th) and security (85th). Meanwhile, Thailand's technological readiness (63rd) is also lagging.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
Monday, August 16, 2010
Why jobs and health are vital for seniors - StraitsTimes - 11 Aug 2010
TWO topics on the elderly have been in the news lately. One was the point made by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew about remaining actively engaged as senior citizens ('Never retire'; July 29), and the other is health.
Mr Lee was spot on when he said elderly Singaporeans must be productive and there should not be a retirement age, that one should 'work as long as you can work and you will be healthier and happier for it'.
By 2030, one in five Singaporeans will be more than 65 years old. Therefore, the employment rate for older workers must be greatly increased.
What Singapore needs is a paradigm shift. Social capital is a strategic factor. The Government must lead the discussion involving labour, business and active interest groups like the Retired & Senior Volunteer Programme, the Tsao Foundation and other voluntary welfare organisations.
The essential changes to enable seniors to work as long as they wish include active ageing health measures, job restructuring, mindset change, and motivation and willingness among seniors to learn new skills.
Employers must also change their mindsets. Understanding the facts of ageing and its impact on physical and mental ability is crucial to enable all parties to bring about sustainable change.
Professor Feng Pao Hsii's letter ('Good health not just about weight, says a 'lighter' doctor'; July 30) struck a chord. His argument that good health is not indicated by a statistic like body mass index is spot on; it should also not be about a single number - age.
The development of employability is complex. It will involve the interaction of the individual, the type of work, the support given and everyone, including the Government, the young and the old, employers, employees and volunteers, having a part to play.
By meeting this challenge of promoting health, productivity and employability for all ages, we will create a home for all Singaporeans.
Dr Philbert Chin
President
RSVP Singapore
The Organisation of Senior Volunteers
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_564548.html
Mr Lee was spot on when he said elderly Singaporeans must be productive and there should not be a retirement age, that one should 'work as long as you can work and you will be healthier and happier for it'.
By 2030, one in five Singaporeans will be more than 65 years old. Therefore, the employment rate for older workers must be greatly increased.
What Singapore needs is a paradigm shift. Social capital is a strategic factor. The Government must lead the discussion involving labour, business and active interest groups like the Retired & Senior Volunteer Programme, the Tsao Foundation and other voluntary welfare organisations.
The essential changes to enable seniors to work as long as they wish include active ageing health measures, job restructuring, mindset change, and motivation and willingness among seniors to learn new skills.
Employers must also change their mindsets. Understanding the facts of ageing and its impact on physical and mental ability is crucial to enable all parties to bring about sustainable change.
Professor Feng Pao Hsii's letter ('Good health not just about weight, says a 'lighter' doctor'; July 30) struck a chord. His argument that good health is not indicated by a statistic like body mass index is spot on; it should also not be about a single number - age.
The development of employability is complex. It will involve the interaction of the individual, the type of work, the support given and everyone, including the Government, the young and the old, employers, employees and volunteers, having a part to play.
By meeting this challenge of promoting health, productivity and employability for all ages, we will create a home for all Singaporeans.
Dr Philbert Chin
President
RSVP Singapore
The Organisation of Senior Volunteers
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_564548.html
Phone just for the elderly - StraitsTimes - 11 Aug 2010
THE elderly can now get a mobile phone designed to cater to their needs at a discounted price.
The Singapore-made iNO Mobile SOS F12 features extra-large buttons for easy dialling, and an emergency button.
When this SOS button is pressed, the phone will send out text alerts with information on where its user is to up to five pre-programmed mobile numbers, and emit a siren that can be heard up to 20m away to alert those nearby.
The phone, which has a basic 2-megapixel camera and can double as an FM radio and torch, will be sold at $138 without contract, phone-maker Foresight Technologies said yesterday.
The handset will be available exclusively at StarHub outlets from Saturday, with the operator throwing in a free $15 pre-paid card.
The phone will also be available for free with all but its cheapest one-year post-paid plan.
If the mobile plan has overseas roaming, it will be able to send SMS alerts with the user's location when the user is in Malaysia, Thailand, and four major Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
StarHub's head of sales and marketing Ng Long Shyang said that the companies wanted to help older users who might have trouble with the smaller keys and displays of regular mobile phones, benefit from mobile technology.
While not a wholly charity project, Foresight's managing director Kenneth Lau said any profits generated would be 'minimal'.
He expects to sell 30,000 handsets.
Ms Cai Ping Kai, a volunteer at the Kreta Ayer Seniors Activity Centre (Kasac), said the handset is a good way to help older users who may be fearful of technology.
As part of the phone launch, the companies have donated 100 handsets to the centre.
Jalan Besar MP Lily Neo will be giving handsets away at a National Day dinner organised by the Kasac tonight.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_564598.html
The Singapore-made iNO Mobile SOS F12 features extra-large buttons for easy dialling, and an emergency button.
When this SOS button is pressed, the phone will send out text alerts with information on where its user is to up to five pre-programmed mobile numbers, and emit a siren that can be heard up to 20m away to alert those nearby.
The phone, which has a basic 2-megapixel camera and can double as an FM radio and torch, will be sold at $138 without contract, phone-maker Foresight Technologies said yesterday.
The handset will be available exclusively at StarHub outlets from Saturday, with the operator throwing in a free $15 pre-paid card.
The phone will also be available for free with all but its cheapest one-year post-paid plan.
If the mobile plan has overseas roaming, it will be able to send SMS alerts with the user's location when the user is in Malaysia, Thailand, and four major Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
StarHub's head of sales and marketing Ng Long Shyang said that the companies wanted to help older users who might have trouble with the smaller keys and displays of regular mobile phones, benefit from mobile technology.
While not a wholly charity project, Foresight's managing director Kenneth Lau said any profits generated would be 'minimal'.
He expects to sell 30,000 handsets.
Ms Cai Ping Kai, a volunteer at the Kreta Ayer Seniors Activity Centre (Kasac), said the handset is a good way to help older users who may be fearful of technology.
As part of the phone launch, the companies have donated 100 handsets to the centre.
Jalan Besar MP Lily Neo will be giving handsets away at a National Day dinner organised by the Kasac tonight.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_564598.html
Individuals gave more to charity - StraitsTimes - 11 Aug 2010
Recession, tax break may have encouraged people to donate more
By Melissa Sim
EVEN with the worst recession since independence, Singaporeans did not shrink from giving to the less fortunate, and if anything, dug even deeper to help.
The Commissioner of Charities' (COC) latest annual report showed that tax-deductible individual donations last year reached $240 million, a 13.7 per cent increase over $211 million in 2008.
Charity sector players said donors may have been moved to give more because they felt others were more badly off, given last year's layoffs and pay cuts.
An increase in tax exemptions on donations, from 200 to 250 per cent, could have made giving more attractive too.
In contrast, corporate tax-deductible donations dropped from $476 million in 2008 to $447 million last year. The COC report said this was likely due to 'the financial turmoil in the past year'.
Ms Debbie Seah, chief executive of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, said donations to the charity, which helps fulfil the wishes of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses, hit a record $2 million last year.
'The public seemed more sympathetic, and those who still had their jobs knew that charities and other people needed more support,' she said.
The tax deduction meant that for every $10 donated to an Institution of a Public Character (IPC), $25 of a donor's taxable income would not be taxed. It was up from $20 previously.
It is an incentive for more people to donate, said Ms Ang Bee Lian, chief executive of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), noting: 'The donors are taxed less, so they have the capacity to give more if they wish to.'
The IPC status is given to groups whose activities benefit the Singapore community as a whole, and they must post their key financial and non-financial information online.
There were 532 IPCs as of December last year, compared with 504 the year before, mainly in the social services sector.
Tax-deductible donations remained around the same at about $687 million, below the record $820 million collected in 2007, during an economic boom. The money went to three main sectors: Education (32.1 per cent), Social Services (29.3 per cent) and Health (18.9 per cent).
Public generosity also extended to foreign causes, said the report. The amount raised last year is expected to be $25.6 million, up from the expected $17.6 million in 2008.
Singapore Red Cross secretary-general Christopher Chua said media reports helped to encourage donations.
Those in the sector said the public seemed to have shaken off past scandals involving mismanagement at high-profile charities such as the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and Ren Ci.
'People are coming forward again, and eager to donate. This is a good thing,' said NKF chairman Gerard Ee.
Charities seem to be complying with the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs, launched in 2007.
NCSS said that most eligible IPCs and charities had submitted their governance evaluation checklists for the financial year 2009 and they showed that nearly all IPCs and three-quarters of charities had met governance standards.
'This is a boost in confidence for the sector,' said NCSS' Ms Ang.
The COC has also started a pilot SMS service to help the public verify the authenticity of fund-raising activities.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_564641.html
By Melissa Sim
EVEN with the worst recession since independence, Singaporeans did not shrink from giving to the less fortunate, and if anything, dug even deeper to help.
The Commissioner of Charities' (COC) latest annual report showed that tax-deductible individual donations last year reached $240 million, a 13.7 per cent increase over $211 million in 2008.
Charity sector players said donors may have been moved to give more because they felt others were more badly off, given last year's layoffs and pay cuts.
An increase in tax exemptions on donations, from 200 to 250 per cent, could have made giving more attractive too.
In contrast, corporate tax-deductible donations dropped from $476 million in 2008 to $447 million last year. The COC report said this was likely due to 'the financial turmoil in the past year'.
Ms Debbie Seah, chief executive of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, said donations to the charity, which helps fulfil the wishes of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses, hit a record $2 million last year.
'The public seemed more sympathetic, and those who still had their jobs knew that charities and other people needed more support,' she said.
The tax deduction meant that for every $10 donated to an Institution of a Public Character (IPC), $25 of a donor's taxable income would not be taxed. It was up from $20 previously.
It is an incentive for more people to donate, said Ms Ang Bee Lian, chief executive of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), noting: 'The donors are taxed less, so they have the capacity to give more if they wish to.'
The IPC status is given to groups whose activities benefit the Singapore community as a whole, and they must post their key financial and non-financial information online.
There were 532 IPCs as of December last year, compared with 504 the year before, mainly in the social services sector.
Tax-deductible donations remained around the same at about $687 million, below the record $820 million collected in 2007, during an economic boom. The money went to three main sectors: Education (32.1 per cent), Social Services (29.3 per cent) and Health (18.9 per cent).
Public generosity also extended to foreign causes, said the report. The amount raised last year is expected to be $25.6 million, up from the expected $17.6 million in 2008.
Singapore Red Cross secretary-general Christopher Chua said media reports helped to encourage donations.
Those in the sector said the public seemed to have shaken off past scandals involving mismanagement at high-profile charities such as the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and Ren Ci.
'People are coming forward again, and eager to donate. This is a good thing,' said NKF chairman Gerard Ee.
Charities seem to be complying with the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs, launched in 2007.
NCSS said that most eligible IPCs and charities had submitted their governance evaluation checklists for the financial year 2009 and they showed that nearly all IPCs and three-quarters of charities had met governance standards.
'This is a boost in confidence for the sector,' said NCSS' Ms Ang.
The COC has also started a pilot SMS service to help the public verify the authenticity of fund-raising activities.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_564641.html
Two boys charged with breaking into flat - StraitsTimes - 10 Aug 2010
By Teh Joo Lin
TWO teenagers were brought before a district court yesterday morning for allegedly breaking into a flat and making off with $840 in valuables.
The boys, both 15, could not be named as they are juveniles.
They were said to have broken into a unit on the 13th floor of a housing block in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 5 on July 17.
Between 3am and 5.30am, the boys are said to have forced open an aluminium window grille and climbed through the window.
The loot, which was worth $840, included a wallet containing $140, two mobile phones and an iPod music player.
The court ordered the teens to be remanded at the boys' home for a week.
The police singled out youth crime as a key concern last week, when they released an assessment of the crime situation for the first half of this year.
One in four of the 8,653 people caught during this period were youth, who landed in trouble for crimes such as rioting and theft.
Those convicted of breaking into a home at night for theft can be jailed between two and 14 years.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_564064.html
TWO teenagers were brought before a district court yesterday morning for allegedly breaking into a flat and making off with $840 in valuables.
The boys, both 15, could not be named as they are juveniles.
They were said to have broken into a unit on the 13th floor of a housing block in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 5 on July 17.
Between 3am and 5.30am, the boys are said to have forced open an aluminium window grille and climbed through the window.
The loot, which was worth $840, included a wallet containing $140, two mobile phones and an iPod music player.
The court ordered the teens to be remanded at the boys' home for a week.
The police singled out youth crime as a key concern last week, when they released an assessment of the crime situation for the first half of this year.
One in four of the 8,653 people caught during this period were youth, who landed in trouble for crimes such as rioting and theft.
Those convicted of breaking into a home at night for theft can be jailed between two and 14 years.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_564064.html
Older MRT stations retrofitted with barrier-free facilities - StraitsTimes - 10 Aug 2010
WE THANK Mr Kevin Leong for his feedback on Tanjong Pagar station ('One of the most user-unfriendly stations'; July 31).
The chairlift was a temporary measure by SMRT to allow wheelchair-bound passengers access to Basement1, where the retail outlets are located, while a lift was being built. It has since been decommissioned as the lift has been completed.
We recognise the need to ensure that our MRT train stations cater to the elderly as well as less mobile commuters. As such, we have retrofitted the older stations along the North- South and East-West lines to accommodate barrier-free facilities, such as ramps and railings, wheelchair-accessible toilets and at least one barrier-free entrance inclusive of a lift.
For example, at the Tanjong Pagar station, a new entrance was constructed in June 2006 to provide barrier-free access directly to the station platform. With new developments coming up around Tanjong Pagar station, we will also work with the relevant authorities to integrate barrier-free access to the station.
We will continue to upgrade the stations and by next year, more than 70 per cent of our MRT stations will have at least two barrier-free access routes. For the newer stations along the Circle Line and the future Downtown Line, escalators will be provided on both sides of the passageways to cater to commuters entering and exiting the station.
Helen Lim (Ms)
Deputy Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority
Ms Bernadette Low
Manager, Corporate Marketing and Communications
SMRT Corporation
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_564052.html
The chairlift was a temporary measure by SMRT to allow wheelchair-bound passengers access to Basement1, where the retail outlets are located, while a lift was being built. It has since been decommissioned as the lift has been completed.
We recognise the need to ensure that our MRT train stations cater to the elderly as well as less mobile commuters. As such, we have retrofitted the older stations along the North- South and East-West lines to accommodate barrier-free facilities, such as ramps and railings, wheelchair-accessible toilets and at least one barrier-free entrance inclusive of a lift.
For example, at the Tanjong Pagar station, a new entrance was constructed in June 2006 to provide barrier-free access directly to the station platform. With new developments coming up around Tanjong Pagar station, we will also work with the relevant authorities to integrate barrier-free access to the station.
We will continue to upgrade the stations and by next year, more than 70 per cent of our MRT stations will have at least two barrier-free access routes. For the newer stations along the Circle Line and the future Downtown Line, escalators will be provided on both sides of the passageways to cater to commuters entering and exiting the station.
Helen Lim (Ms)
Deputy Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority
Ms Bernadette Low
Manager, Corporate Marketing and Communications
SMRT Corporation
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_564052.html
Hokkien Huay Kuan - an influential clan body - StraitsTimes - 7 Aug 2010
THE Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan shares the same origins as the 170-year-old Thian Hock Keng Temple in Telok Ayer Street, where early settlers from Fujian province paid homage and gave thanks to Mazu, the goddess of the seas, after their journey from China.
Preserved as a national monument since 1973, the temple was the meeting place for new Hokkien immigrants or xinke, as they were known in the old days.
Right from the start, the temple elders operated a clan association of sorts, providing much welcome help to the community and giving medical help, food and shelter to the homeless. They were the de facto leaders of the Chinese community, serving beyond the needs of their clansmen and helping to settle disputes among the different dialect groups.
In fact, the commemorative stele on the walls of the temple marking its establishment in 1840 uses the term tang ren (Chinese people) instead of min ren (Hokkien people) and calls it a 'meeting place of Chinese clan associations'.
The clan association was formally named Thian Hock Keng Hokkien Huay Kuan in 1916.
In the early 20th century, it tracked events in China closely and actively supported the 1911 Revolution that overthrew 267 years of Manchu rule and led to the formation of the Chinese Republic.
The association was registered as Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, a non-profit organisation under the Companies Act, only in 1937 after community leader and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee became its president.
It took over all properties belonging to the temple, which included five primary schools, a secondary school and a vast expanse of cemetery land. Today, it has assets worth more than $300 million.
When the Japanese invaded China in 1937, the clan leaders, notably Mr Tan Kah Kee, helped to raise funds to fight against the aggressors together with other Chinese community organisations here.
The Hokkien Huay Kuan made its mark in local history when its leader, Mr Tan Lark Sye, rallied the Chinese community here and elsewhere behind the building of Nanyang University.
Founded in 1953, it became the first and only Chinese-language university in South-east Asia. This allowed Chinese-medium students to pursue higher education after the communist takeover of China in 1949.
Under Mr Tan Lark Sye's leadership, the clan association donated 212ha of land in Jurong for the construction of the university. People from all walks of life - trishaw riders and dance hostesses to tycoons and shopkeepers - filled the coffers.
In later years, Nantah, as it is known, suffered falling enrolment as a result of changes in government education policies, which did away with Chinese-medium schools and made English the main language of instruction.
In 1980, the university merged with the then-University of Singapore to become the National University of Singapore.
'Mr Tan Lark Sye was one of our most dedicated leaders who gave himself for the cause of the Chinese community,' says Mr Chua Thian Poh, the new Hokkien Huay Kuan's president.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Insight/Story/STIStory_563104.html
Preserved as a national monument since 1973, the temple was the meeting place for new Hokkien immigrants or xinke, as they were known in the old days.
Right from the start, the temple elders operated a clan association of sorts, providing much welcome help to the community and giving medical help, food and shelter to the homeless. They were the de facto leaders of the Chinese community, serving beyond the needs of their clansmen and helping to settle disputes among the different dialect groups.
In fact, the commemorative stele on the walls of the temple marking its establishment in 1840 uses the term tang ren (Chinese people) instead of min ren (Hokkien people) and calls it a 'meeting place of Chinese clan associations'.
The clan association was formally named Thian Hock Keng Hokkien Huay Kuan in 1916.
In the early 20th century, it tracked events in China closely and actively supported the 1911 Revolution that overthrew 267 years of Manchu rule and led to the formation of the Chinese Republic.
The association was registered as Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, a non-profit organisation under the Companies Act, only in 1937 after community leader and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee became its president.
It took over all properties belonging to the temple, which included five primary schools, a secondary school and a vast expanse of cemetery land. Today, it has assets worth more than $300 million.
When the Japanese invaded China in 1937, the clan leaders, notably Mr Tan Kah Kee, helped to raise funds to fight against the aggressors together with other Chinese community organisations here.
The Hokkien Huay Kuan made its mark in local history when its leader, Mr Tan Lark Sye, rallied the Chinese community here and elsewhere behind the building of Nanyang University.
Founded in 1953, it became the first and only Chinese-language university in South-east Asia. This allowed Chinese-medium students to pursue higher education after the communist takeover of China in 1949.
Under Mr Tan Lark Sye's leadership, the clan association donated 212ha of land in Jurong for the construction of the university. People from all walks of life - trishaw riders and dance hostesses to tycoons and shopkeepers - filled the coffers.
In later years, Nantah, as it is known, suffered falling enrolment as a result of changes in government education policies, which did away with Chinese-medium schools and made English the main language of instruction.
In 1980, the university merged with the then-University of Singapore to become the National University of Singapore.
'Mr Tan Lark Sye was one of our most dedicated leaders who gave himself for the cause of the Chinese community,' says Mr Chua Thian Poh, the new Hokkien Huay Kuan's president.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Insight/Story/STIStory_563104.html
Unusual programme for special needs children - StraitsTimes - 16 Aug 2010
Some parents here turn to controversial method by US institute for help
By Liew Hanqing
SOME parents of children with special needs here are looking to a controversial American programme to help aid their childrens' development.
The programme, developed by the Philadelphia-based Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP), was introduced in Singapore in 2004.
Since then, about 300 Singaporean parents have attended courses run by the institute on how to help what the IAHP refers to as 'brain-injured' children, with conditions including cerebral palsy, autism, Down's syndrome and mental retardation.
The IAHP's methods, however, have been widely criticised by organisations including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and the Canadian Association for Retarded Children, all of which have issued cautionary statements about the institute's therapies.
Among other things, the statements questioned the efficacy of 'patterning' - one of the therapies for brain-injured children used by IAHP - which involves the repeated manipulation of a child's limbs and head in a rhythmic fashion.
In its statement, the AAP said patterning was based on an 'outmoded and oversimplified' theory of brain development.
'Current information does not support the claims of proponents that this treatment is efficacious, and its use continues to be unwarranted,' it added.
Currently, 30 Singaporean families are participating in the institute's Intensive Treatment Programme, which aims to treat children with these conditions.
One of them, Mrs Katy Tan, 39, whose four-year-old daughter Chang was diagnosed in-utero with Dandy-Walker syndrome, a congenital brain malformation that involves the absence of part of the brain, said she has seen marked improvements in her daughter's development since she started on the programme in 2006.
'When my daughter was born, she couldn't see, hear or feel,' Mrs Tan recalled, adding that Chang would not flinch or cry even when she was pricked by needles in hospital.
She started her daughter on the IAHP programme at the age of six months, which involved intense sensory stimulation. 'One day, when pricked by a needle, she just cried,' Mrs Tan said, adding that she was amazed by her daughter's progress.
Now four, Chang can read and is just learning to crawl, but cannot speak or walk yet, Mrs Tan said.
She estimates the family has spent almost $50,000 on the programme, including three trips to the IAHP's US headquarters, where they met with experts who customised a programme for her daughter.
'Each time we go back there, we learn something new we can apply,' Mrs Tan said.
Another parent, Mrs Tung Soo Sian, 37, who started her four-year-old son Wei Xuan on the programme last year, said it has worked like a charm.
Her son, who has Corpus Callosum Hypogenesis and Oropharyngeal Dysphagia, was immobile and could be fed only through a tube, but can now crawl and eat some food orally, six months after he started the programme.
She added, however, that the programme can get taxing for caregivers. 'It's very intensive, and lasts from morning till night, seven days a week. It can get stressful, but we've seen results - which is what matters,' she said.
Other parents opt simply to attend IAHP seminars conducted here every year. The five-day seminar costs $2,430 for a single parent or $4,400 for both. It teaches parents the programme's basic techniques.
Dr Chong Shang Chee, head of the child development unit of the University Children's Medical Institute at the National University Hospital, acknowledged that physical manipulation of the limbs could benefit children with motor impairments by improving strength or reducing spasticity.
She said, however, that parents who are anxious for a cure for their children's conditions may be misled by the programme's claims, and could be disappointed if targeted outcomes are not achieved.
'There are also other parts of the programme which are used adjunctively with patterning which may even be harmful - for example, masking, dietary manipulations in epilepsy treatment and withdrawing anti-epileptics for epileptic children.'
Responding to the AAP's criticism, Ms Janet Doman, director of the IAHP, said the institute had repeatedly invited AAP representatives to observe their treatment methods for themselves, but that the offer has not been taken up 'for more than 40 years'.
'Parents are quick to realise which organisations really care about their children and want to help them and those that do not,' she said.
Ms Katherine Wee, director of GD Baby's Programs, the company that brought the IAHP's programmes here, said she felt Singaporeans would benefit from it.
'We started running the programmes at a time when parents didn't really know where to look for alternative treatments for their children,' she said. 'It had worked very well for one particular family, so we decided to bring the programmes here.'
Dr Chong advised parents, however, to first discuss treatment and therapy options with an experienced doctor who can advise on what has been shown to work based on best evidence and practices.
'It is not a 'one-size fits all' approach and the underlying neurological deficits in each are distinct, and vary from child to child,' she said.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_566764.html
By Liew Hanqing
SOME parents of children with special needs here are looking to a controversial American programme to help aid their childrens' development.
The programme, developed by the Philadelphia-based Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP), was introduced in Singapore in 2004.
Since then, about 300 Singaporean parents have attended courses run by the institute on how to help what the IAHP refers to as 'brain-injured' children, with conditions including cerebral palsy, autism, Down's syndrome and mental retardation.
The IAHP's methods, however, have been widely criticised by organisations including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and the Canadian Association for Retarded Children, all of which have issued cautionary statements about the institute's therapies.
Among other things, the statements questioned the efficacy of 'patterning' - one of the therapies for brain-injured children used by IAHP - which involves the repeated manipulation of a child's limbs and head in a rhythmic fashion.
In its statement, the AAP said patterning was based on an 'outmoded and oversimplified' theory of brain development.
'Current information does not support the claims of proponents that this treatment is efficacious, and its use continues to be unwarranted,' it added.
Currently, 30 Singaporean families are participating in the institute's Intensive Treatment Programme, which aims to treat children with these conditions.
One of them, Mrs Katy Tan, 39, whose four-year-old daughter Chang was diagnosed in-utero with Dandy-Walker syndrome, a congenital brain malformation that involves the absence of part of the brain, said she has seen marked improvements in her daughter's development since she started on the programme in 2006.
'When my daughter was born, she couldn't see, hear or feel,' Mrs Tan recalled, adding that Chang would not flinch or cry even when she was pricked by needles in hospital.
She started her daughter on the IAHP programme at the age of six months, which involved intense sensory stimulation. 'One day, when pricked by a needle, she just cried,' Mrs Tan said, adding that she was amazed by her daughter's progress.
Now four, Chang can read and is just learning to crawl, but cannot speak or walk yet, Mrs Tan said.
She estimates the family has spent almost $50,000 on the programme, including three trips to the IAHP's US headquarters, where they met with experts who customised a programme for her daughter.
'Each time we go back there, we learn something new we can apply,' Mrs Tan said.
Another parent, Mrs Tung Soo Sian, 37, who started her four-year-old son Wei Xuan on the programme last year, said it has worked like a charm.
Her son, who has Corpus Callosum Hypogenesis and Oropharyngeal Dysphagia, was immobile and could be fed only through a tube, but can now crawl and eat some food orally, six months after he started the programme.
She added, however, that the programme can get taxing for caregivers. 'It's very intensive, and lasts from morning till night, seven days a week. It can get stressful, but we've seen results - which is what matters,' she said.
Other parents opt simply to attend IAHP seminars conducted here every year. The five-day seminar costs $2,430 for a single parent or $4,400 for both. It teaches parents the programme's basic techniques.
Dr Chong Shang Chee, head of the child development unit of the University Children's Medical Institute at the National University Hospital, acknowledged that physical manipulation of the limbs could benefit children with motor impairments by improving strength or reducing spasticity.
She said, however, that parents who are anxious for a cure for their children's conditions may be misled by the programme's claims, and could be disappointed if targeted outcomes are not achieved.
'There are also other parts of the programme which are used adjunctively with patterning which may even be harmful - for example, masking, dietary manipulations in epilepsy treatment and withdrawing anti-epileptics for epileptic children.'
Responding to the AAP's criticism, Ms Janet Doman, director of the IAHP, said the institute had repeatedly invited AAP representatives to observe their treatment methods for themselves, but that the offer has not been taken up 'for more than 40 years'.
'Parents are quick to realise which organisations really care about their children and want to help them and those that do not,' she said.
Ms Katherine Wee, director of GD Baby's Programs, the company that brought the IAHP's programmes here, said she felt Singaporeans would benefit from it.
'We started running the programmes at a time when parents didn't really know where to look for alternative treatments for their children,' she said. 'It had worked very well for one particular family, so we decided to bring the programmes here.'
Dr Chong advised parents, however, to first discuss treatment and therapy options with an experienced doctor who can advise on what has been shown to work based on best evidence and practices.
'It is not a 'one-size fits all' approach and the underlying neurological deficits in each are distinct, and vary from child to child,' she said.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_566764.html
Why youth crime is down - and how to keep it down - StraitsTimes - 16 Aug 2010
Fewer young people had brushes with the law in the first six months of this year than in the same period last year - 2,086 cases this year, down from 2,289. YouthInk writers give their take on why this is so, and how this trend can be sustained
Thanks to economic recovery
THE fall in youth crime could be attributed to the economy's recovery from last year's recession.
Young people are benefiting from more part-time and full-time jobs being created. They are more likely to secure proper part-time jobs for additional income, instead of trying to earn money as runners for loan sharks.
Their parents, too, do not have to spend as much time working overtime, and thus are not as stressed or worried about their jobs. They are able to spend more quality time with their children, meeting their emotional needs and imparting the correct moral values to them.
To help keep the lure of a quick buck at bay, the Government should make sure that financial aid to poor and needy families is not cut, and perhaps roll out more tax rebates for them. After all, in a recession, they are hit harder than anyone else, and so may be more susceptible to temptation.
Law Che Kun, 19, has a place to study chemical and biomolecular engineering at Nanyang Technological University
Awareness, awareness, awareness
MUCH has been said about how young people are easily influenced by negative values such as the need for quick cash in a materialistic society.
I guess it is time young people themselves took the initiative to be more aware of the consequences of crime. They can do so at school, perhaps by putting on skits about youth crime, or engaging former offenders to share their experiences. Meting out punishment publicly in schools works too.
In my secondary school, one student who stole from a stationery shop was made to apologise in front of the whole assembly. Such measures make young people realise the importance of being responsible, law-abiding citizens - and that they must pay a price for breaking the law.
Youth volunteers can also be engaged as leaders of neighbourhood watch groups, and they can be tasked with spreading awareness about security among their peers. Spending their time around good influences will ensure they are not led astray.
Jonathan Liautrakul, 20, has a place to read arts and social sciences at the National University of Singapore
Don't forget to teach the parents
THERE should be more programmes that reach out not only to young people, but also to their families.
Because parents and guardians play such an important role in managing and influencing young people, they should also be empowered to impart the right values to them, and taught how to deal with youth-related problems the moment they arise.
The perils of not creating better parents are many.
I have two friends who were once juvenile delinquents. One used to commit petty crimes such as stealing, while the other used to participate in loan shark-related activities.
The main reason they resorted to such crimes was the lack of care and concern shown by their parents, as they were too busy with their work and did not take the time to educate their children.
Parents should play their part by educating their children on the dangers of youth crimes, and by showing their utmost care and concern for them.
Julian Abraham Chua, 20, is a final-year business management student at Nanyang Polytechnic
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_566721.html
Thanks to economic recovery
THE fall in youth crime could be attributed to the economy's recovery from last year's recession.
Young people are benefiting from more part-time and full-time jobs being created. They are more likely to secure proper part-time jobs for additional income, instead of trying to earn money as runners for loan sharks.
Their parents, too, do not have to spend as much time working overtime, and thus are not as stressed or worried about their jobs. They are able to spend more quality time with their children, meeting their emotional needs and imparting the correct moral values to them.
To help keep the lure of a quick buck at bay, the Government should make sure that financial aid to poor and needy families is not cut, and perhaps roll out more tax rebates for them. After all, in a recession, they are hit harder than anyone else, and so may be more susceptible to temptation.
Law Che Kun, 19, has a place to study chemical and biomolecular engineering at Nanyang Technological University
Awareness, awareness, awareness
MUCH has been said about how young people are easily influenced by negative values such as the need for quick cash in a materialistic society.
I guess it is time young people themselves took the initiative to be more aware of the consequences of crime. They can do so at school, perhaps by putting on skits about youth crime, or engaging former offenders to share their experiences. Meting out punishment publicly in schools works too.
In my secondary school, one student who stole from a stationery shop was made to apologise in front of the whole assembly. Such measures make young people realise the importance of being responsible, law-abiding citizens - and that they must pay a price for breaking the law.
Youth volunteers can also be engaged as leaders of neighbourhood watch groups, and they can be tasked with spreading awareness about security among their peers. Spending their time around good influences will ensure they are not led astray.
Jonathan Liautrakul, 20, has a place to read arts and social sciences at the National University of Singapore
Don't forget to teach the parents
THERE should be more programmes that reach out not only to young people, but also to their families.
Because parents and guardians play such an important role in managing and influencing young people, they should also be empowered to impart the right values to them, and taught how to deal with youth-related problems the moment they arise.
The perils of not creating better parents are many.
I have two friends who were once juvenile delinquents. One used to commit petty crimes such as stealing, while the other used to participate in loan shark-related activities.
The main reason they resorted to such crimes was the lack of care and concern shown by their parents, as they were too busy with their work and did not take the time to educate their children.
Parents should play their part by educating their children on the dangers of youth crimes, and by showing their utmost care and concern for them.
Julian Abraham Chua, 20, is a final-year business management student at Nanyang Polytechnic
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_566721.html
Mendaki starts drive to improve outreach - StraitsTimes - 16 Aug 2010
By Amelia Tan
MALAY self-help group Mendaki wants to reach out to more members of the community and change the perception that it serves only the lower-income group.
It hopes to do this with a new campaign - Bersama Mendaki, or Together with Mendaki - that will use a mix of traditional and new media platforms to raise awareness, engage and garner feedback on its programmes from the community and other stakeholders, such as employers and government agencies.
The campaign, which will run from now till August next year, features television commercials, YouTube videos and Facebook pages. Mendaki may extend its duration based on public response.
Launching the campaign yesterday at Geylang Serai, Mendaki chairman Yaacob Ibrahim said in his speech in Malay that it seeks to understand and meet the changing needs of the community through the campaign.
Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, added that Mendaki has already been gathering feedback on its programmes and services from various segments of the community and stakeholders, through focus group sessions held late last year.
Mendaki chief executive Moliah Hashim told reporters yesterday that the group used the feedback to set the objectives of the campaign.
'We found out that many think we are here only for the lower-income group...
'Our programmes are focused on helping the lower-income, but we want those from the middle- and upper-income to be involved too. They can serve as volunteers in our mentoring programmes, for example,' she said.
'We also want to tell the community that we are not begging for people to help us. Rather, we are offering them a way to be part of our efforts to help the community to move forward. So there needs to be a twist in the perception.'
When asked what type of feedback she hopes to get from the new campaign, she said: 'We are looking for people who will want to challenge us, who will want to question us, people who will want to stretch our imagination on what Bersama Mendaki means.'
Dr Yaacob, Madam Moliah, volunteers and staff of Mendaki also distributed gift packs containing items such as Hari Raya money envelopes and fridge magnets to the public at the Geylang Serai bazaar yesterday.
The gift packs will also be distributed over the next two Saturdays at Hari Raya bazaars in Woodlands and Jurong West.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROLE FOR ALL
'Our programmes are focused on helping the lower-income, but we want those from the middle- and upper-income to be involved too. They can serve as volunteers in our mentoring programmes, for example.'
- Mendaki chief executive Moliah Hashim
MALAY self-help group Mendaki wants to reach out to more members of the community and change the perception that it serves only the lower-income group.
It hopes to do this with a new campaign - Bersama Mendaki, or Together with Mendaki - that will use a mix of traditional and new media platforms to raise awareness, engage and garner feedback on its programmes from the community and other stakeholders, such as employers and government agencies.
The campaign, which will run from now till August next year, features television commercials, YouTube videos and Facebook pages. Mendaki may extend its duration based on public response.
Launching the campaign yesterday at Geylang Serai, Mendaki chairman Yaacob Ibrahim said in his speech in Malay that it seeks to understand and meet the changing needs of the community through the campaign.
Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, added that Mendaki has already been gathering feedback on its programmes and services from various segments of the community and stakeholders, through focus group sessions held late last year.
Mendaki chief executive Moliah Hashim told reporters yesterday that the group used the feedback to set the objectives of the campaign.
'We found out that many think we are here only for the lower-income group...
'Our programmes are focused on helping the lower-income, but we want those from the middle- and upper-income to be involved too. They can serve as volunteers in our mentoring programmes, for example,' she said.
'We also want to tell the community that we are not begging for people to help us. Rather, we are offering them a way to be part of our efforts to help the community to move forward. So there needs to be a twist in the perception.'
When asked what type of feedback she hopes to get from the new campaign, she said: 'We are looking for people who will want to challenge us, who will want to question us, people who will want to stretch our imagination on what Bersama Mendaki means.'
Dr Yaacob, Madam Moliah, volunteers and staff of Mendaki also distributed gift packs containing items such as Hari Raya money envelopes and fridge magnets to the public at the Geylang Serai bazaar yesterday.
The gift packs will also be distributed over the next two Saturdays at Hari Raya bazaars in Woodlands and Jurong West.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROLE FOR ALL
'Our programmes are focused on helping the lower-income, but we want those from the middle- and upper-income to be involved too. They can serve as volunteers in our mentoring programmes, for example.'
- Mendaki chief executive Moliah Hashim
SOUTH ASIA: Digital Divide Sharpens Rich-Poor Gap - Jul 21st, 2010
NEW DELHI -- South Asia has emerged as the most promising region for sourcing information technology (IT) expertise, but this is an achievement that is of use only to the rich nations, say critics.
The so-called digital divide between industrialised and developing nations is being replicated within the region, widening the already big gulf between the majority poor and an English language-speaking, Internet-savvy elite, they point out.
On average, less than one out of every 10 of the 1.3 billion people in the subcontinent have access to computers and only a small fraction of these use the Internet.
The region's emerging prominence as an IT 'superpower', best seen in the case of India, is said to be accentuating the sharp contrast between an educated white-collar 'elite' and the rest.
Increasingly, the new sub-continental Internet-using elite identifies less with their digitally-deprived compatriots than with what Kenneth Keniston, expert on South Asian software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), calls the global 'digirati.'
In the past half century, South Asian nations have done little to raise living standards of the majority poor who are a world apart from a microscopic, English language-speaking elite that is close to the centres of political and economic decision making.
The big Indian names in the global IT industry such as Sabeer Bhatia, creator of Hotmail and Azim Premji, rated by Forbes magazine among the world's five richest people, belong to this class.
Says New Delhi-based education expert, Kirti Jayaraman: ''The Internet is very much a big-city phenomenon and confined to the elite classes who may as well be living on a different planet with access to the Internet from their homes, offices and schools.''
According to Jayaraman, the digital divide can be seen quite clearly in schools in India's big cities. Here, the children of rich and middle class families go to English language-medium schools stacked with computers linked to the Internet.
On the other hand, the urban poor send their children to government schools that instruct in the vernacular language and lack tables, chairs and even roofs.
The situation is worse in India's vast rural hinterland. Barely 25 km from New Delhi is India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh which according to U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) estimates will take all of this century to make all its 170 million people literate......view more
The so-called digital divide between industrialised and developing nations is being replicated within the region, widening the already big gulf between the majority poor and an English language-speaking, Internet-savvy elite, they point out.
On average, less than one out of every 10 of the 1.3 billion people in the subcontinent have access to computers and only a small fraction of these use the Internet.
The region's emerging prominence as an IT 'superpower', best seen in the case of India, is said to be accentuating the sharp contrast between an educated white-collar 'elite' and the rest.
Increasingly, the new sub-continental Internet-using elite identifies less with their digitally-deprived compatriots than with what Kenneth Keniston, expert on South Asian software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), calls the global 'digirati.'
In the past half century, South Asian nations have done little to raise living standards of the majority poor who are a world apart from a microscopic, English language-speaking elite that is close to the centres of political and economic decision making.
The big Indian names in the global IT industry such as Sabeer Bhatia, creator of Hotmail and Azim Premji, rated by Forbes magazine among the world's five richest people, belong to this class.
Says New Delhi-based education expert, Kirti Jayaraman: ''The Internet is very much a big-city phenomenon and confined to the elite classes who may as well be living on a different planet with access to the Internet from their homes, offices and schools.''
According to Jayaraman, the digital divide can be seen quite clearly in schools in India's big cities. Here, the children of rich and middle class families go to English language-medium schools stacked with computers linked to the Internet.
On the other hand, the urban poor send their children to government schools that instruct in the vernacular language and lack tables, chairs and even roofs.
The situation is worse in India's vast rural hinterland. Barely 25 km from New Delhi is India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh which according to U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) estimates will take all of this century to make all its 170 million people literate......view more
'Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality - July 7, 2010
With a lingering recession sending Americans (back) to college in record numbers, and an administration determined to improve the country's record on degree attainment, higher education, more than ever, has plenty of public attention. But a new book argues that higher education in the United States is falling ever more short on a variety of fronts -- particularly when it comes to those students who, theoretically, should stand to gain the most from it.
In Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in America (Ashgate), author Gary Berg uses both quantitative data and information gleaned from personal interviews with students and professors to show how students from poor families are shortchanged at every stage of their postsecondary education, from admissions practices that discriminate against them, to the numerous obstacles they face getting through college, to the lesser benefits they reap after graduation. There is a great deal to be done on each of these fronts, Berg argues, if higher education is ever to live up to its promise -- to disadvantaged students, and to society at large.
Click here for more.......
In Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in America (Ashgate), author Gary Berg uses both quantitative data and information gleaned from personal interviews with students and professors to show how students from poor families are shortchanged at every stage of their postsecondary education, from admissions practices that discriminate against them, to the numerous obstacles they face getting through college, to the lesser benefits they reap after graduation. There is a great deal to be done on each of these fronts, Berg argues, if higher education is ever to live up to its promise -- to disadvantaged students, and to society at large.
Click here for more.......
New Youth Guidance Office set up to reduce trend of youth offences - CNA - 3 Aug 2010
SINGAPORE: A new central Youth Guidance Office has been set up to address the issue of youth offenders.
Announcing this at the Home Affairs Ministry's National Day Observance Ceremony on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the office will coordinate different programmes run by the government and community partners.
Mr Wong said this was a key recommendation of an Inter-Ministry Committee set up last year to address the challenge of preventing youths from offending and re-offending.
The Home Affairs Ministry said Singapore has one of the lowest re-offending rates in the world, and there has been good progress to lower school attrition rates and reduce the spate of re-offending.
However, there is still the need to intervene early before students drop out of school, become youth offenders and subsequently develop a criminal lifestyle.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that enforcement is only one part of the long term solution to bring down Singapore's crime rates to a low level. He said the enforcement agencies must also ensure that the trend of re-offending is closely monitored.
So the new Central Youth Guidance Office, under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, will look into early intervention strategies to prevent youth-at-risk from committing crimes.
Mr Wong said: "Breaking the cycle of offending and re-offending early can help to prevent the situation of a growing social underclass and increasing numbers trapped at the margins of society over time.
"If left unaddressed, the social costs can be high. The repeated imprisonment not only alienates the offender from society, it also puts his family and children in a crisis and raises the risk of inter-generational crime."
Mr Wong said the Education Ministry has several initiatives to keep children in school engaged in their studies and it will continue refining the system.
In the pipeline is a befriender service for inmates, where volunteers take part in a mentoring relationship that begins in prison and continues after their release.
Mr Wong said: "We recognise that for offenders, the real life challenges and temptations to re-offend happen when they are released from the controlled prison environment.
"Hence, community support networks for offenders, such as peer support, family and professional aftercare support will need to be strengthened to prevent re-offending."
The Singapore Aftercare Association will be co-ordinating this programme and will provide training for the volunteer be-frienders.
Grassroots organisations will also be encouraged to provide support for families of offenders in their neighbourhood.
One such programme already available is the We Care @ Admiralty pioneered by MP for the area, Maliki Osman. Several more will be modelled along the lines of the Admiralty division's programme.
The Home Affairs Ministry's National Day celebrations also saw several awards being given out.
Among them was a special award to the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) for its efforts to help counter the threat of extremist ideology.
Co-chairman of RRG, Ustaz Ali, said: "Our belief is - we are doing the right way to protect our religion and also our country. So this is a small role that we are playing to safeguard our country and people of Singapore, and to meet with all those who are radicals.
"Radicalisation should be cured and remedied. So the rehabilitation we are doing is (to) try to remedy them and bring them to the right path and bring them to be as Singaporean."
The Inter Agency Aftercare Group, which represented the Association of Muslim Professionals, Khadijah Mosque Management Board, Taman Bacaan and Mendaki, were also commended for their efforts to provide holistic aftercare programmes to help counter the threat of extremist terrorism.
Singapore's Casino Regulatory Authority was also awarded the "Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award" for leadership and excellence in developing and operationalising a comprehensive regime for regulating the casino industry in Singapore.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1073003/1/.html
Announcing this at the Home Affairs Ministry's National Day Observance Ceremony on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the office will coordinate different programmes run by the government and community partners.
Mr Wong said this was a key recommendation of an Inter-Ministry Committee set up last year to address the challenge of preventing youths from offending and re-offending.
The Home Affairs Ministry said Singapore has one of the lowest re-offending rates in the world, and there has been good progress to lower school attrition rates and reduce the spate of re-offending.
However, there is still the need to intervene early before students drop out of school, become youth offenders and subsequently develop a criminal lifestyle.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that enforcement is only one part of the long term solution to bring down Singapore's crime rates to a low level. He said the enforcement agencies must also ensure that the trend of re-offending is closely monitored.
So the new Central Youth Guidance Office, under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, will look into early intervention strategies to prevent youth-at-risk from committing crimes.
Mr Wong said: "Breaking the cycle of offending and re-offending early can help to prevent the situation of a growing social underclass and increasing numbers trapped at the margins of society over time.
"If left unaddressed, the social costs can be high. The repeated imprisonment not only alienates the offender from society, it also puts his family and children in a crisis and raises the risk of inter-generational crime."
Mr Wong said the Education Ministry has several initiatives to keep children in school engaged in their studies and it will continue refining the system.
In the pipeline is a befriender service for inmates, where volunteers take part in a mentoring relationship that begins in prison and continues after their release.
Mr Wong said: "We recognise that for offenders, the real life challenges and temptations to re-offend happen when they are released from the controlled prison environment.
"Hence, community support networks for offenders, such as peer support, family and professional aftercare support will need to be strengthened to prevent re-offending."
The Singapore Aftercare Association will be co-ordinating this programme and will provide training for the volunteer be-frienders.
Grassroots organisations will also be encouraged to provide support for families of offenders in their neighbourhood.
One such programme already available is the We Care @ Admiralty pioneered by MP for the area, Maliki Osman. Several more will be modelled along the lines of the Admiralty division's programme.
The Home Affairs Ministry's National Day celebrations also saw several awards being given out.
Among them was a special award to the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) for its efforts to help counter the threat of extremist ideology.
Co-chairman of RRG, Ustaz Ali, said: "Our belief is - we are doing the right way to protect our religion and also our country. So this is a small role that we are playing to safeguard our country and people of Singapore, and to meet with all those who are radicals.
"Radicalisation should be cured and remedied. So the rehabilitation we are doing is (to) try to remedy them and bring them to the right path and bring them to be as Singaporean."
The Inter Agency Aftercare Group, which represented the Association of Muslim Professionals, Khadijah Mosque Management Board, Taman Bacaan and Mendaki, were also commended for their efforts to provide holistic aftercare programmes to help counter the threat of extremist terrorism.
Singapore's Casino Regulatory Authority was also awarded the "Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award" for leadership and excellence in developing and operationalising a comprehensive regime for regulating the casino industry in Singapore.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1073003/1/.html
Sunday, August 15, 2010
U.S. Department of Commerce, White House and FCC Highlight Groundbreaking, Empowering Technologies to Recognize 20th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 19, 2010
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883
U.S. Department of Commerce, White House and FCC Highlight Groundbreaking, Empowering Technologies to Recognize 20th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act
Department of Commerce awards nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant to improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide
The U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the White House and the Federal Communications Commission, hosted an event today celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The program highlighted innovative technologies that have been developed to empower the daily lives of Americans with disabilities.
“On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we are reminded of legislation that wasn't just a great civil rights achievement, but also a catalyst for innovation and opportunity throughout our country,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Because of this Act, millions of talented Americans who had previously been denied full career opportunities, flowed into the U.S. workforce and made immeasurable contributions to businesses nationwide. Meanwhile, the Act helped catalyze the development of technologies so people with disabilities would have a fair and equal opportunity to excel in their jobs. The Americans with Disabilities Act is an achievement that remains just as relevant and just as important today as it was when it was signed into law 20 years ago.”
Announced at the event was a nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, and improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide. The grant to Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. (CSD) intends to expand broadband adoption among people who are deaf and hard of hearing and provide them with tools to more fully participate in the digital economy.
The event provided an opportunity to demonstrate various technologies designed to level the playing field for people with disabilities, and affirmed the Obama administration’s commitment to getting all Americans back to work. New and innovative technology helps create opportunities for people with disabilities, and critically increases options for employment. Nearly 60 percent of individuals with visual impairments are unable to find work, and 40 percent of individuals with hearing loss remain unemployed.
The ADA celebration included a technology fair where various corporations demonstrated their products, encompassing both assistive technologies and mainstream accessibility technologies. It also included speakers from the White House, the Commerce Department, and the FCC, as well as performances by students from Gallaudet University.
Source: http://www.commerce.gov/print/news/press-releases/2010/07/19/us-department-commerce-white-house-and-fcc-highlight-groundbreaking-e
Monday, July 19, 2010
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883
U.S. Department of Commerce, White House and FCC Highlight Groundbreaking, Empowering Technologies to Recognize 20th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act
Department of Commerce awards nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant to improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide
The U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the White House and the Federal Communications Commission, hosted an event today celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The program highlighted innovative technologies that have been developed to empower the daily lives of Americans with disabilities.
“On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we are reminded of legislation that wasn't just a great civil rights achievement, but also a catalyst for innovation and opportunity throughout our country,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Because of this Act, millions of talented Americans who had previously been denied full career opportunities, flowed into the U.S. workforce and made immeasurable contributions to businesses nationwide. Meanwhile, the Act helped catalyze the development of technologies so people with disabilities would have a fair and equal opportunity to excel in their jobs. The Americans with Disabilities Act is an achievement that remains just as relevant and just as important today as it was when it was signed into law 20 years ago.”
Announced at the event was a nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, and improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide. The grant to Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. (CSD) intends to expand broadband adoption among people who are deaf and hard of hearing and provide them with tools to more fully participate in the digital economy.
The event provided an opportunity to demonstrate various technologies designed to level the playing field for people with disabilities, and affirmed the Obama administration’s commitment to getting all Americans back to work. New and innovative technology helps create opportunities for people with disabilities, and critically increases options for employment. Nearly 60 percent of individuals with visual impairments are unable to find work, and 40 percent of individuals with hearing loss remain unemployed.
The ADA celebration included a technology fair where various corporations demonstrated their products, encompassing both assistive technologies and mainstream accessibility technologies. It also included speakers from the White House, the Commerce Department, and the FCC, as well as performances by students from Gallaudet University.
Source: http://www.commerce.gov/print/news/press-releases/2010/07/19/us-department-commerce-white-house-and-fcc-highlight-groundbreaking-e
US agency announces $1.2 billion in broadband subsidies - Networkworld - 4 Aug 2010
The new awards will fund 126 projects across the U.S., the USDA says
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has announced US$1.2 billion in grants and loans for 126 broadband deployment projects in 38 states and tribal areas.
The new awards, announced Wednesday, include grants for WiMax deployments, for fiber deployments and for DSL deployments. The RUS has now distributed more than $2.6 billion in broadband grants and loans through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a huge economic stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress in early 2009.
The grants and loans will enable telemedicine and distance learning and allow farmers and ranchers to get up-to-the-minute information on weather and commodity prices, said Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture. About 5 percent of all U.S. schools will benefit from broadband projects funded by his agency, he said.
"This investment will allow the United States ... to become more competitive in the global economy," Vilsack said during a press conference.
Windstream, a broadband provider based in Little Rock, Arkansas, was among the companies receiving awards. Windstream received about $66.4 million, mostly grants, for high-speed DSL, fixed wireless and other broadband projects in seven states, including Georgia, Texas and Missouri. Windstream will match the grants with $21.7 million in private funding.
The largest Windstream project is in Florida, where the company will get a $38.3 million grant from RUS, with an additional $12.7 million in private investment, to bring fixed wireless service to areas of the state. The project will bring service to about 120,000 people and 4,750 businesses, the USDA said.
The West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative will receive $123.8 million, half of it a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber network in parts of western Kentucky and Tennessee.
Another recipient is Montana Opticom, which received $64.1 million, with half being a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber-to-the-premises network in rural communities in Gallatin County, Montana. The company estimates that the project will immediately support 650 jobs, the USDA said.
The new grants and loans also support several WiMax projects. Utopian Wireless, based in Bethesda, Maryland, received about $7.9 million for 10 WiMax projects in seven states, including Alabama, Ohio and Illinois.
Crystal Automation Systems received a $26.5 million award, with $7.9 million of it in loans, to build a hybrid fiber and WiMax network in rural Michigan. The project is expected to bring broadband to more than 140,000 people and 5,000 business, the USDA said.
The RUS and the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration received $7.2 billion for broadband projects in the ARRA. The two agencies have until the end of September to distribute the funds.
More info: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/04/usda-and-commerce-department-supporting-broadband-access-and-economic-opportunity-ac
Source: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/080410-us-agency-announces-12-billion.html?hpg1=bn
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has announced US$1.2 billion in grants and loans for 126 broadband deployment projects in 38 states and tribal areas.
The new awards, announced Wednesday, include grants for WiMax deployments, for fiber deployments and for DSL deployments. The RUS has now distributed more than $2.6 billion in broadband grants and loans through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a huge economic stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress in early 2009.
The grants and loans will enable telemedicine and distance learning and allow farmers and ranchers to get up-to-the-minute information on weather and commodity prices, said Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture. About 5 percent of all U.S. schools will benefit from broadband projects funded by his agency, he said.
"This investment will allow the United States ... to become more competitive in the global economy," Vilsack said during a press conference.
Windstream, a broadband provider based in Little Rock, Arkansas, was among the companies receiving awards. Windstream received about $66.4 million, mostly grants, for high-speed DSL, fixed wireless and other broadband projects in seven states, including Georgia, Texas and Missouri. Windstream will match the grants with $21.7 million in private funding.
The largest Windstream project is in Florida, where the company will get a $38.3 million grant from RUS, with an additional $12.7 million in private investment, to bring fixed wireless service to areas of the state. The project will bring service to about 120,000 people and 4,750 businesses, the USDA said.
The West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative will receive $123.8 million, half of it a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber network in parts of western Kentucky and Tennessee.
Another recipient is Montana Opticom, which received $64.1 million, with half being a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber-to-the-premises network in rural communities in Gallatin County, Montana. The company estimates that the project will immediately support 650 jobs, the USDA said.
The new grants and loans also support several WiMax projects. Utopian Wireless, based in Bethesda, Maryland, received about $7.9 million for 10 WiMax projects in seven states, including Alabama, Ohio and Illinois.
Crystal Automation Systems received a $26.5 million award, with $7.9 million of it in loans, to build a hybrid fiber and WiMax network in rural Michigan. The project is expected to bring broadband to more than 140,000 people and 5,000 business, the USDA said.
The RUS and the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration received $7.2 billion for broadband projects in the ARRA. The two agencies have until the end of September to distribute the funds.
More info: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/04/usda-and-commerce-department-supporting-broadband-access-and-economic-opportunity-ac
Source: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/080410-us-agency-announces-12-billion.html?hpg1=bn
Robots to Help Children With Autism - TMCnet - 12 Aug 2010
PITTSBURGH, Aug 12, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Interbots, Inc., a high-tech spin-off company associated with the Carnegie Mellon University Entertainment Technology Center has teamed up with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh to provide innovative robot-based therapy for children with autism.The program, "Character Therapy," through the use of the Interbot robot "Popchilla" will test the ability of children with autism with limited or no verbal skills.
According to Seema Patel, CEO and co-founder of Interbots, "We've had numerous individuals tell us our robots could be tremendous tools for Autism therapy. We're excited to be working with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh and the Sprout Foundation to take this first step. We're going to learn a lot from the next few months." "The premise behind the program is that children with autism are sometimes more likely to communicate with a non-human entity," said Cindy Waeltermann, Founder and Director of the Autism Centers of Pittsburgh. "When you have a child with autism, you use whatever interests them to gain access into their world. The idea is to bridge the gap between their word and ours.
Popchilla will be used in the first phase of the program with a trained therapist. Programmers and developers at Interbots have created an iPad application that will allow the therapist to direct sessions, which will eventually be transitioned to allow the child to control the robot through an iPad application to identify emotions.
According to Waeltermann, "By using Popchilla as an intermediary, we hope to increase the understanding of the child's internal feelings, thus reducing behavioral frustrations. If they are able to identify that they are 'angry' and what 'angry' means, it can significantly help them understand what they are feeling, reducing behavioral ramifications." The program is funded by Spark. Spark is an initiative of The Sprout Fund catalyzing projects and programs that engage children ages birth to eight through the creative use of technology and media. Spark challenges individuals, organizations, and communities to generate inventive technology-based solutions to the issues and opportunities facing today's young child. Through its funding opportunities and extensive network of support, Spark is unleashing the innovative potential of Southwestern Pennsylvania and transforming our region into one of the best places on earth to be a kid.
"Our emphasis has always been making the use and control of our robots as simple and flexible as possible. You don't need to have a technical background to control our characters. You can control them with a variety of other familiar devices. So that opens a lot of interesting applications - like having a therapist or a parent use our robots as a tool to interact with children - even the possibility of kids using the robot to express themselves and explore emotions on their own," according to Sabrina Haskell, Interbots, Designer & Co-Founder.
The iPad application is currently in production and the program is slated to begin this fall.
"Nobody is more excited than the parents of the children with autism who have the potential to gain great strides from this program," said Cindy Waeltermann. "That's what this is all about -- thinking outside the box to reach these kids." SOURCE Autism Centers of Pittsburgh
According to Seema Patel, CEO and co-founder of Interbots, "We've had numerous individuals tell us our robots could be tremendous tools for Autism therapy. We're excited to be working with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh and the Sprout Foundation to take this first step. We're going to learn a lot from the next few months." "The premise behind the program is that children with autism are sometimes more likely to communicate with a non-human entity," said Cindy Waeltermann, Founder and Director of the Autism Centers of Pittsburgh. "When you have a child with autism, you use whatever interests them to gain access into their world. The idea is to bridge the gap between their word and ours.
Popchilla will be used in the first phase of the program with a trained therapist. Programmers and developers at Interbots have created an iPad application that will allow the therapist to direct sessions, which will eventually be transitioned to allow the child to control the robot through an iPad application to identify emotions.
According to Waeltermann, "By using Popchilla as an intermediary, we hope to increase the understanding of the child's internal feelings, thus reducing behavioral frustrations. If they are able to identify that they are 'angry' and what 'angry' means, it can significantly help them understand what they are feeling, reducing behavioral ramifications." The program is funded by Spark. Spark is an initiative of The Sprout Fund catalyzing projects and programs that engage children ages birth to eight through the creative use of technology and media. Spark challenges individuals, organizations, and communities to generate inventive technology-based solutions to the issues and opportunities facing today's young child. Through its funding opportunities and extensive network of support, Spark is unleashing the innovative potential of Southwestern Pennsylvania and transforming our region into one of the best places on earth to be a kid.
"Our emphasis has always been making the use and control of our robots as simple and flexible as possible. You don't need to have a technical background to control our characters. You can control them with a variety of other familiar devices. So that opens a lot of interesting applications - like having a therapist or a parent use our robots as a tool to interact with children - even the possibility of kids using the robot to express themselves and explore emotions on their own," according to Sabrina Haskell, Interbots, Designer & Co-Founder.
The iPad application is currently in production and the program is slated to begin this fall.
"Nobody is more excited than the parents of the children with autism who have the potential to gain great strides from this program," said Cindy Waeltermann. "That's what this is all about -- thinking outside the box to reach these kids." SOURCE Autism Centers of Pittsburgh
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