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\widctlpar\adjustright \lang1033\loch\af4\hich\af4\dbch\f4\cgrid {\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Background Paper WSIS 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Education, Livelihoods and Community Development 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 The information society has become the new learning reality for young 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 people. It is the younger generations who feel more comfortable using 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Information and Communication technologies to further expand their 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 knowledge. The reasoning behind this new method is the idea that young 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 people can and will take charge of the their learning processes, meaning 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 that they will seek to learn in the ways t\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 hat best suit their individual 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 styles, needs and interests. This new wave of ICT savy young people is 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 leveraging different technologies, both separately and in conjunction with 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 one another, to harness their own skills and enhance their learning by 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 teac\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 hing themselves. The information society has provided young people with 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 the tools to explore worlds otherwise unknown to them for personal, academic
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 and vocational purposes. 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 In a brief interview with 3 high school youth about ICT, one poignantly 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 said,\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4  "using information technology is great; everything is just a click 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 away". The sense of proximity and wholeness that is granted to people who 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 can use information technology effectively is wondrous. For the purposes of 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 education, never before has the wor\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ld been so accessible. Students with ICT 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 access have the ability to see, hear, read and virtually live in classrooms 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 around the globe. The experience of seeing, hearing, reading what actually 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 occurs in places far away can be truly remarkable and may in \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 fact feed 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 students curiosity to investigate further into a region, country, and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 culture or politic. 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Fi}{\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 rstly, it is important to analyz}{\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 e how the information society is changing 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 young people's education and employment prospects and how they are using the
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 tools of the information society to become active partners in education, 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 livelihood creation and community development. With respect to education, 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 young people are taking charg\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 e of their learning processes by introducing 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ICT in their educational pursuits. Due to the fact the young people are 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 using various methods of ICT they are learning on many levels. For example, 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 word processing and email promote communication skills, data\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 base, spread 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 sheets, power point presentation and web page design promote organizational 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 skills, math and science skills. In addition to learning by using ICT young 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 people are in fact teaching ICT to their teachers in order to encourage 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 these to incorp\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 orate ICT into the classroom. A Canadian born initiative, 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ePals.com founded in 1996, provides an innovative way of learners and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 teachers to connect globally by using the internet. The idea was to create a
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 way in which teachers and students could connect\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4  to other classrooms 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 worldwide and began by connecting 4 schools in the same city emailing to and
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 fro. Today ePals has grown to become the largest online community with over 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 4.4 million learners. Not only does the site provide web mail and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 translation \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 services for email, it also provides discussion forums, project 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ideas for classroom usage, chat rooms, and international projects. This 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 particular project has been utilized by many teachers and students across 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Canada and globally to enrich the learner's\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4  experience y broadening their 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 understanding of the classroom and taking their own learning experience to a
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 global level. 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Another example of how technology is being used effectively is the case of 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 the Generation www.Y which is a project that pairs young technologically 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 adept people with their teachers to instruct them on how to use ICT in their
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 classrooms. Dennis Harper, former Olympia School District technology 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 coordinator in Washington State an\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 d creator of Gen www.Y, says that the 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 program has not necessarily worked to require that teachers take the time to
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 learn ICT skills themselves such as HTML, power point, and the like. It has 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 however been effective in encouraging students "to follow thei\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 r natural 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 interest in technology and then to bring them together with teachers whose 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 subject matter provides content for projects involving [the use of] 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 technology" ( Armstrong, Sara http://www.iste.org/geny.ttstt.cfm). 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Therefore, although teachers may\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4  in fact be enlightened to use and discover 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 these technologies for their own purposes it is just as rewarding to 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 acknowledge that students may in fact be gaining valuable lessons from 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 teaching their teachers how to use technology which to them is quite \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 natural
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 and facilitates their learning. The overwhelming sense of independence and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ownership over their education that is gained by this experience is 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 insurmountable. 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Another scenario where ICT has been effective and encouraging of the 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 learning proce\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ss is in Rosemary Shaw's classroom. This teacher was asked by 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 her students to start a community service project involving the creation of 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 a website as part of their school requirements. The class chose to create a 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 web page and host a contest to collect \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 socks for the Watershed Action 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Volunteer group. In addition, they created online survey and quiz and online
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 activities that other classes could use to learn more about watersheds, 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 water management and water conservation. Lesson plans were included on the 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 web page to facilitate actual ICT use in the classroom for teachers. This 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 particular project won a Teach Net Award for Innovation, as well as other 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 nominations that have proven t\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 he efficacy and value attached to this type of
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 endeavour. 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 According to Theodore Frick, Department of Instructional Systems Technology 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 of the School of Education Indiana University, technology is a means not an 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 end in education and it is best used in e\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ducation for teaching and learning 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 activities that are not possible without it (Frick, 1996, Keynote Address to
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 the International Symposium in New Technologies of Instruction, Taipei, 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Taiwan). The students I interviewed in Toronto concurred that they se\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 e ICT 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 as being a tool that only enriches their lessons and expands the horizons of
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 what is available to them in their traditional classroom settings This is 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ery much on par with the mission of iEARN.org. This Canadian organization 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 created a website tha\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 t also empowers teachers and students to work online 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 suing ICT's to uild global classrooms. There are over 120 projects in their 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 data base of which the students and teachers may choose one or more to use 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 as their classroom project. Based on the project \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 selected they can then 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 engage with other classrooms worldwide that are also working on the same 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 project. This type of global collaboration initiative stimulates learners 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 and enhances their research and critical thinking skills as well as exposing
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 them \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 to new cultures, ways of doing things and new technologies. 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Another interesting prospect created by ICT usage is that of employment 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 opportunities. Not only does ICT provide a wide spectrum of employment 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 opportunities but also it allows for young people to explore non traditional
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 avenues of employment. Examples of these opportunities include such diverse 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 activities as selling telephone based services, internet facilitating the 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 use of community based rad\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 io in indigenous languages, e-commerce 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 opportunities and website designs. Young people around the world are 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 empowering themselves by creating lucrative opportunities such as the 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 aforementioned to further their suitability in the changing ICT led economy\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 .
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Young people use the internet to research potential employers, check job 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 boards, post their resumes online, investigate opportunities abroad and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 search for technical and vocational training and career resource centres. 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 There are countless examples of\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4  young people taking the initiative to change
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 their futures by using ICT everywhere. One of the most creative examples is 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 the case of Ecosandals.com. This project had begun as a sandal company in a 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 poor area outside Nairobi, Kenya in 1995. It was not un\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 til 2001 that 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Ecosandals took its project online the orders received online doubled the 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 orders they had received in the previous 6 months! (Curtain, 2002. 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Generating youth employment through information and communication 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 technologies: best practice exa\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 mples and strategies. Youth Employment 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Summit).The project has grown exponentially employing more young people and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 creating a community development project that uses ICT and traditional 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 methods to develop goods and distribute them globally in an area wh\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ere 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 violence and destitution are rampant. }{
\par }{
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 According to a recent survey conducted by TakingITGlobal.org to their 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 members, Canadian members seemed to agree that they felt empowered by their 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ability and access to technology and that it enabled them to vie\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 w their 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 roles as being more significant and impacting on society. This was not 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 however the case for some of the developing nations whose access is far less
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 evident and for whom ICT's are still out of reach due to finances and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 infrastructure. TakingITGlobal's objective for this survey was to discover 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 the way their members use ICT's and how their usage affects their lives and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 the way they participate in their communities and globally. 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 Online volunteering is also a new phenomen\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 on that has driven young people to
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 hone their strengths and abilities by participating in online communities 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 which work for causes ranging from the extermination of world hunger to the 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 building of micro-credit lending institutions in rural areas. This c\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 reation 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 of opportunities for young people has made the generation of emerging youth 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 more powerful and dynamic as they see their skills as being limitless and 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ever-changing with new emerging technologies. 
\par 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 On behalf of TakingITGlobal and WSIS I would li\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 ke to take this opportunity 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 to invite all young people to discuss these very important issues and let 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 their voices and opinions be heard. These opinions will serve to further our
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 understanding of how the information society is changing the reality of 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 y\hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 oung people nationally and internationally and how this reality is in fact 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 providing promising alternatives in education, livelihood and community 
\par \hich\af4\dbch\af4\loch\f4 development and employment opportunities.}{
\par }}