DIGITAL DIVIDE
Wanted: Web-Savvy Schooling
Cyberspace 'Plazas' Help Mexicans Stay Connected
Egypt Gets Into Gear on the IT Superhighway
OWNEESHIP
Local Static Hits Comcast Plan To Buy AT&T's Cable Division
INTERNET
Scholarly Reviews Through the Web
The Media Titans Still Don't Get It
DIGITAL DIVIDE
WANTED: WEB-SAVVY SCHOOLING
A study released yesterday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project
(PIP) found that students do not think their schools fully utilize the Web
as a teaching tool. The teenagers interviewed for the report identified
themselves as heavy Internet users. Even though they use the Internet for
education-related work, students say that little of this is sanctioned by
teachers. "Even though we spend all this money to wire the schools, we're
not all that well prepared to use it," said Lee Rainie, director of PIP.
"The kids really do know how to use the Internet and they want it to be
exploited in the ways they know it can be exploited. Outside the classroom
and outside of any formal instruction, the Internet is a key part of their
educational instruction." According to the study, students want policymakers
to address the digital divide, and for school administrators to provide
support and training to teachers.
The full report, "The Digital Disconnect: The Widening Gap Between
Internet-Savvy Students and Their Schools," may be found here:
http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=67
(Requires free Acrobat PDF reader)
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen McCarthy]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19910-2002Aug14.html)
CYBERSPACE 'PLAZAS' HELP MEXICANS STAY CONNECTED
There is an expanding grassroots effort among tech-savvy, Mexican immigrants
in the United States to build online communities for their hometowns.
Fernando Diaz, mayor of Jalpa, Mexico, uses Jalpazac.com to stay in touch
with former residents and keep them informed of government activities. There
are more than two dozen Web sites where Mexicans of all ages and income
levels swap stories, post family photos, share news and discuss local
government. These Web sites not only provide an invaluable way to stay in
touch, but many of the creators are working to increase computer literacy
among village residents. Mario Tejeda, creator of Sanmartinjalisco.com, is
in the process of raising money to buy computers for village schools, while
the creators of Tulcingo.net have plans to bring a $50,000 server to their
village of 5,154 people.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ana Campoy]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB102935483878600595,00.html?mod=technolog
y%5Ffeatured%5Fstories%5Fhs)
(Requires subscription)
EGYPT GETS INTO GEAR ON THE IT SUPERHIGHWAY
Large government subsidies and free Internet access are helping to build
Egypt's IT sector into a regional high-tech center. While the local IT
industry is currently among the Arab world's top ranks, Internet penetration
has remained low and few resident own computers. Jordan, Morocco and Dubai
are also working aggressively to grab the regional IT market. "As a business
center, Dubai for the time being is the undisputed leader," says Ali
Faramawy, Microsoft's regional general manager. "When it comes to raw
talent, resources and people, I think Egypt will be the number one player."
Egyptian Communication and Information Minister Ahmed Nazif described the
390 IT clubs backed by the government as "subsidized Internet access centers
where people can, without computers at home, actually access the network,
have training on computers and improve their own skills." Egypt has also
been successful in attracting new IT foreign investment.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Rachel Noeman]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20206-2002Aug15.html)
OWNERSHIP
LOCAL STATIC HITS COMCAST PLAN TO BUY AT&T'S CABLE DIVISION
Federal regulators are expected to approve the Comcast-AT&T merger, but
local regulators are making aggressive requests that could dramatically
change the terms of the agreement. Across the country local regulators are
asking for financial commitments, customer-service guarantees and promises
that the new entity will not discriminate against rival cable and satellite
television providers. AT&T and Comcast have stated they will fight most of
the requests, especially a demand that a cable company that owns cable
channels cannot refuse to license the channels to other cable systems. For
example, Comcast has refused to license a popular SportsNet channel to
competitors, and local regulators fear the newly formed AT&T-Comcast will
attempt to create similar proprietary channels. Despite the challenges, AT&T
spokeswoman Claudia Jones said, "We expect the merger to close by the end of
the year."
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Nicholas Kulish and Yochi J.
Dreazen]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1029353291102117795,00.html?mod=technolo
gy_main_whats_news)
(Requires subscription)
INTERNET
SCHOLARLY REVIEWS THROUGH THE WEB
Internationally, there are about 25,000 science, technical and medical
journals that are peer-reviewed. Traditionally, authors, reviewers and
editors have struggled with lengthy mail delays, postage costs and
administrative hurdles. But over the past few years, Web-based peer-review
programs have been developed to lighten the burden and reduce turnaround
time. Industry observers estimate that 30 percent of scholarly publications
have adopted online systems. Creators of peer-review software say that the
online review systems can help publishers gain an edge without changing the
nature of the peer-review system. While younger authors and publishers have
been quick to adopt online reviewing, industry representatives admit that
constituents in their 50's and 60's tend to resist using the system. Medical
journals, in particular, find that doctors are especially resistant to the
new process.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Sarah Milstein]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/12/technology/12NECO.html)
(Requires registration)
THE MEDIA TITANS STILL DON'T GET IT
(Commentary) "Corporate America lost billions on the Net," contends author
Scott Rosenberg. "That doesn't mean the medium has no value -- but the
moguls remain clueless about where it lies." Commercial media, entrenched in
the predictable cycle of innovation, seems to be done covering the Internet
saga. It has run its cycle, ready to move on to the next big thing. But the
Internet hasn't gone away. "As a generator of instant wealth, the Net may
now be a big bust," he continues. "As a generator of instant ideas, it keeps
thrumming along." The true value of the Internet is in the widely accessible
pool of information and entertainment available. "In this context,
statements like 'Web content is dead' or 'AOL Time Warner will dominate'
aren't so much wrong as irrelevant. Web content is everywhere. No one can
dominate the Internet. And the Web belongs to its users. That's not the end
of a story, it's the beginning."
[SOURCE: Salon, AUTHOR: Scott Rosenberg]
(http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/08/13/media_titans/index.html)
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