httpPower Users of Technology Summit, 12-13 December, 2004, at the UN Headquarters, New York City

This Summit was organised by the Educational Development Center (httpEDC) and the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (httpUNFIP) I presented the paper Harnessing power users' skills to create culturally-relevant educational technology in the South Pacific at the United Nations Headquarters, 13 December, 2004.

My presentation

Related points in conference

Education Development Center, Inc.)

Follow up

httpGender, Diversities and Technology at EDC

George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF)

httpColumbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning

Macromedia

Knowledge-K

Conference Report

23 February, 2005, M10, 11-12. Present: Eileen Tuimalealiifano, John Bonato, Carol Hunter, Seona Smiles, Anita Nand, one student and the MBA lady. Apologies: Melanie Guiney, Sangeeta Singh

View an outline of the talk at: httphttp://www.grographics.com/fiji/edc-un/power-users.jpg , and see below for some of the points raised by attendees.

Hiding behind Tech/ Losing face skills

Eileen Tuimalealiifano raised the danger of using technology as a sort of crutch, to paraphrase. For instance, while the anonymity of email has benefits in terms of saving time, and making some awkward questioning situations easier to handle, if relied upon by students too much, they can fail to develop the face-to-face social skills that are so important in the workforce and life in general.

This concern echoes some of the aspects of the Power User initiative, in that it emphasizes the importance of considering new communication technologies as socially-constructed educational tools, or exploring how to use information (collected through technology) in the "real world." -CR

Carol Hunter spoke of the benefits of web-based learning for students for whom English is a second-language, as discussion baords, for example, give students more time to organize their thoughts in English than face to face. I spoke of the Kiribati students who prefer email to Video conferencing because it gives them that degree of anonymity from their teachers. Temper this with concerns of social skills raised earlier...

Also raised was the fact that "the use of technology often obscures the need for basic writing skills."

Generation gaps/ changing role of Faiako

Important to consider that the traditional mentor-like role of teacher and student in the South Pacific is adapting today not only due to the technology and formal institutions of education in the region, but also because of that continuing tension between generations. One aspect of the USP student experience is having that space to grow into your own person, and although the Power User ethic of a self-directed and self-sufficient student can be at odds with many traditional aspects of teaching and learning, this does not necessarily mean it has no place here.

Access to Tech is more than physical

Seona brought up the important points that merely training and making technology available does not solve the access problem in itself. There are many social pressures and intertias that prevent women from using technology, so any Gdner-based approaches to technology need to consider societal as well as physical access.

Engineering Power Users Club

John Bonato felt that an Engineering-department focused Power Users Club could help USP approach the initiative in similar ways to David Cavallo's Brazilian keyboard-hackers and Thai engine-tinkerers, helping the iniative stretch beyond a purely IT approach. I will follow up on this with the Engineering department.

Power Users Online Group

Last edited on March 22, 2005 2:25 pm.