Interview with Juan Enrique Hinostroza, Universidad de La Frontera, Chile

[Bimal Shah]

Dear Member

 

Hope all is well with you. It has been almost two months and New Digital South has not been able bring new interviews. Seriously, we were trying to get hold of people who have had significant amount of contribution to the field of ICT in a true sense. For October 2008  we are going to bring you

Interview with

Juan Enrique Hinostroza

Director

Instituto de Informática Educativa (IIE - Institute for ICT in Education),

Universidad de La Frontera

Chile

 

Sneak Peak

 

There is a fear that ICT has caused more divide rather than bridging it. What is your take on the issue?

 

The tendency is similar to other technology related gaps, such as access to fixed telephone lines, cable TV, etc. In this sense, ICT access itself is not necessarily responsible for this.  What worries me more is that due to the development of the information society and the emergence of a "digital generation" or a "new millennium learners", the educational gap is increasing. This is, what youngsters are expected to know at age 18 today is significantly different from what it was 5 years ago, and educational systems in developed countries are starting to provide the opportunities to learn these new skills and abilities, while developing countries are far behind. In this sense, the "digital gap" as commonly understood is only one part of the divide that now includes not only access, but also the skills and abilities to effectively participate in the information society. 

 

STAY TUNED

Best Wishes

 

 

Bimal Pratap Shah

New Digital South

http://www.newdigitalsouth.org