Information Policy

IN: Microsoft, Hughes to set up broadband enabled kiosks

NEW DELHI: Microsoft India on Thursday entered into a partnership with Hughes to create a self sustaining IT infrastructure in rural areas by deploying broadband enabled ICT kiosks in about 200 towns and villages across the country.The company would roll out about 5,000 such kiosks, which would be operated on a franchisee model and enable new entrepreneurs across the rural landscape to use technology for e-commerce, education and e-governance, a Microsoft statement said here.

It would lead to better communication and access to information through all round connectivity and offer people a platform to acquire skills sets, undertake e-literacy programmes for ordinary citizens, the statement said.

Microsoft, as part of its rural computing initiative ‘Project Saksham’, would work with Hughes to set up the ICT kiosks across blocks, talluqas and villages, it said.

“This is a reiteration of our efforts to forge successful partnerships in creating a highly sustainable and scalable ecosystem. Together, we aim to drive technology access at the grassroots level to enable socio economic development of rural communities,” Microsoft Head - Rural Computing Tarun Malik said.

Hughes India CEO and President Pranav Roach said, “the ITC kiosks will not only provide a platform for exchange of information and knowledge but also serve as a platform to create over 15,000 jobs and self employment opportunities.”

http://www.egovnews.org/?p=1025

Welcome to Wikiversity: where teachers learn, and learners teach

The wikiversity is an ambitious project aiming to build a free online learning community more or less similar to "Open Universities" Projects and based on Wikimedia technology. Wikiversity described itself as "a community for the creation and use of free learning materials and activities. Wikiversity is a multidimensional social organization dedicated to learning, teaching, research and service." Its primary goals are to: Create and host free content, multimedia learning materials, resources, and curricula for all age groups in all languages Develop collaborative learning projects and communities around these materials Learners and teachers are invited to join the Wikiversity community as editors of this wiki website where anyone can edit the pages. The community portal lists information about many aspects of Wikiversity.

http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page

Pan-European survey: More than 2/3 of the EU’s schools benefit from high-speed internet

Surfing the web as well as virtual communication and training methods are becoming more and more a daily experience in Europe’s school. A European Commission survey out on 29 September shows that most European schools now have the high-speed "broadband" internet connections they need to access speedily high-quality content. However, there are still important variations from one Member State to another.

Europe is starting to reap the benefits of broadband at schools, where the foundations are laid for a knowledge-based society," said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. “I congratulate those EU countries which, on the basis of an efficient implementation of EU rules, have promoted competition in broadband services and infrastructures and thereby are now also generating encouraging results for their education systems. Broadband internet access can become one of the most efficient drivers for both economic and social competitiveness.

http://europa.eu.int/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=2888

Who supports Internet censorship?

Censorship is the moral or legislative process by which society ⌠agrees to limit what an individual can do, say, think, or see. In this study, the support for Internet censorship is empirically analyzed using survey data. Notwithstanding the potential limitations of survey data, the results indicate the characteristics of those who tend to favor and disfavor Internet censorship. Specifically, concerns over pornography and concerns over government regulation on the Internet are the two most polarizing elements of the relative support for censorship, which suggests that the debate over this issue will not be easily resolved.

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue11_9/depken/index.html

UNU joins Opencourseware Consortium

Making good on a commitment to promote an "information society open to all", UN University has joined the OpenCourseWare Consortium, an international partnership of higher education institutions and associated organisations creating a large body of open educational material using a shared digital model.

http://update.unu.edu/issue43_7.htm