Technology Standards are bringing People Together. In the Information Age, Technology Literacy is Viewed as the Key to Economic Prosperity and a Happier Life

UNESCO is promoting the concept of knowledge societies, in particular universal access to information and knowledge, providing guidance to Countries and Member States about measuring their own progress towards knowledge societies. What’s Cooking with UNESCO?

Background: The Alexandria Proclamation of 2005 recognizes information literacy as “a basic human right in the digital world”

Work Society Well- being Education Information Literacy Contexts (& why we need to know about all this)

Three indicators that contribute to ICT literacy: Supply Reception Skills

China (2003) Population: GPD per capita (US$): 1,121 Phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants: Internet hosts:160,421 Internet users:79,500,000 Internet subscribers: International bandwidth (Mbs):27,216 TV households:310,000,000 1,256,954,880 67,746496

ICT and Population data: Population:175,955,504 GPD per capita (US$):2,871 Phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants:48.65 Computers: Internet hosts:3,163,349 Internet users: Radio households:41,795,232 TV households:42,778,808 18,000,000 Brazil (2003)

USA ICT and Population data: Population:290,809,792 Phone subscribers/100 inhabitants: Computers:200,000,000 Internet hosts:162,208,992 TV households: 102,700,000

Ethiopia ICT and Population data: Population:69,363,000 Phone subscribers/100 inhabitants:0.77 Computers:150,000 Internet hosts:9 Internet users:75,000 Internet subscribers:11,418 Radio households:2,694,000 TV households: 310,000

Germany ICT and Population data: Population:82,531,672 GPD per capita (US$):28,987 Phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants: Computers:40,000,000 Internet hosts:2,603,007 Internet users:33,000,000 Internet subscribers:23,000,000 TV households:36,225,000

Reception – Degree of availability, supply reaches people. Availability does not necessarily translate directly into adoption or usage

Skills: In a digital world, people require new skills and training in order to participate. Without the skills to use the technologies an even greater divide emerges – the information literacy divide.

Information Literacy Computer Literacy Media Literacy

Computer Literacy Hardware Literacy Software Literacy

“Mass media” is used to refer to mediums intended to reach very large audiences, such as broadcast and cable television, radio,motion pictures, newspapers and magazines. “In multiple mediums and formats” is used to refer to communication and dissemination of information in many different mediums, and formats (e.g. text, graphics, photos, statistical tables Interactive media permit the user to interact directly with the computer or telecommunications device, such as the “touch screen” mode so common nowadays in restaurants, hotels, and other service establishments. Media Literacy

UNESCO Recommendations Develop programs for educators about the importance of Information Literacy Charge teachers to write student-learning outcomes involving Information Literacy, eg. incorporating an element into an assignment such as asking students to create a webpage Raise awareness of policy makers

UNESCO Recommendations (cont.) Train school administrators Require Information Literacy as a significant criterion in teacher assessment and institutional accreditation Consider establishing a new professional category, the Information Literacy Counselor

eLearning eCommerce eGovernment eHealth As educators we can’t afford to be rooted in the past and need to be aware of the new UNESCO’s standards.

Acknowledgement: Graphics from Funny-games.biz