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Current
Projects Our work consists of numerous elements: core research that illustrates the impact that ICTs can have upon economic development; the creaion of tools that global leaders can use to help guide their decision-making; outreach in the form of seminars and teaching; policy advocacy and advice for high level policy makers internationally; participation in major international forums and policy discussions to catalyze appropriate action; dissemination of our findings and work through writing in leading academic and mainstream journals and presentations in conferences and symposia; and on-the-ground projects that explore the impact of ICTs on people's lives and the economic development process. Our
current projects include: Global Survey and Guide to ICT Planning in Education A schoolteacher in Guatemala wants to find out how other teachers are using computers in their history classes. A high school principal in Botswana is curious about how others have dealt with the administration issues that arisen around her school's computer lab. A staffer to the Education Minister in Thailand needs more data on the impact of computer investments on learning. All three want to know where they stand relative to others worldwide. We propose the creation of an online resource that will address these needs. With the support and collaboration of the World Bank Institute and the Educational Development Center, Inc. (EDC), ITG is developing a survey and subsequent Guide to ICT Planning in Education, an assessment tool that will benchmark the progress that communities in the developing world have made toward integrating information and communication technologies (ICT) into their education systems. It will also serve as a tool in the planning process for decisions related to ICTs and education. Through the development of an online survey-driven tool, we are creating a public resource for ICT and education practitioners and researchers alike. We are currently designing a survey that will be deployed to educators, policymakers and education administrators around the world. The survey will aim to capture experiences with and perceptions of the process of introducing and using ICTs in the classroom. The data generated by this survey will be used in subsequent analyses of the global situation vis-à-vis ICTs and education, helping to improve programmatic design. A public website will be built around the survey to provide an online self-assessment tool that interested parties can use to better understand how the issues they face relate to others in the world, and access knowledge and resources about ICT and education challenges. This online self-assessment will also feed the backend relational database and contribute to the data collection component of the project, making it increasingly valuable with time and use. ITG and WorLD are currently looking for further collaborators and sponsors of this ambitious project. Interested parties are encouraged to contact us. Networked Readiness in the Republic of Panama Working with the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Government of Panama, ITG is working together with local stakeholders to initiate policy change and implementation in support of more effective use of information and communication technologies. Panama's unique attributes, inlcuding its position at the crossroads of the America's, canal (including vast associated and undeveloped lands and a significant proportion of global trade passing through it), numerous undersea fiber optic cables, substantial banking industry and service economy, progress oriented population, vast tourism potential and urban-rural disparities, make it a challenging and exciting environment to work in. With the project only recently underway, our current focus is supplementing past research to identify the key action areas, foremost among them are a national ICT strategy and the Internet Para Tod@s program to integrate technology into the formal education system. SARI The Sustainable Access in Rural India project (SARI) seeks to show that viable markets exist for information and communication services in rural poor areas by inventing and deploying innovative technologies, assessments, and business models. The ultimate goal is to link these activities to sustainable human development objectives. SARI's founding partners include the edevelopment group at the MIT Media Lab, the TeNeT Group at IIT-Madras and the I-Gyan Foundation. There has been a great deal of enthusiasm about the value of information and communications technologies but precious few unqualified successes and little or no rigorous evaluation. The SARI project counts on a collaborative and interactive research agenda. The key research areas include: 1) technology, applications and content, 2) assessing social and economic impacts, 3) and business models for financially viable and self-sustaining access. Through the development and introduction of appropriate and enabling technologies and applications, SARI will foster economic development and improve health and learning. It will do so in a financially sustainable way, even as it reaches into the poorest and most disadvantaged communities. SARI's diverse partnership of universities, non-profits and the private sector has begun to implement a unique project that will begin by wiring approximately one thousand neighboring rural villages in each of two Indian districts. For pictures from the field click here. Why connect so many villages? SARI's magnitude is essential because it will allow us to benefit from the Network Effect, which will be far more empowering than a few connections placed only in more urban areas. The large number of users helps support financial viability by aggregating demand, develops richer content and community by integrating and aggregrating people, and provides a powerful environment for research.
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