[Telecentres] Basic Telecentre Items/ICT Definition

[David Leeming PFnet]

Eliz,

Maybe I am just making general points and not adhering to the task this group has. However, as we have largely concluded sustainability is a critical factor/requirement, I would say that in our experience, that can only be acheived if one includes capacity building further out from the community, working with the providers/knowldge centres/institutions/projects/etc. If we just provided connectivity in these remote island communities, the linkages required to achieve critical mass - or a dynamic growth - would not happen naturally. This is just our experience here. So these linkages are very much part of our "telecentre" model here.

I hope this concludes my point and focuses it a bit on what we should be discussing.

David
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Elizabeth Carll, PhD 
  To: David Leeming PFnet ; telecentres at wsis-cs.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 8:24 AM
  Subject: RE: [Telecentres] Basic Telecentre Items/ICT Definition


  David,

  Your points are well taken.  Not being a techie, my view of a telecenter is fairly simplistic.  I see it as a point/place in a community for interactive (two way flow) dissemination of information.  I view telecenters as interactive libraries.  Community libraries disseminate information, have community meetings/ seminars/discussions.  It is the interactive nature of the ongoing communication that distinguishes the telecenter from a library, which obviously is related to the medium of the communication.

  The importance of including necessary content areas in the language of any outcome document is similar to insuring that all the necessary sections for books are included in the library from the outset.   Once a plan (of action) is implemented, funding and space allocation become very competitive.  What is not in the initial agreement/plan may end up being excluded.

  Elizabeth

  Dr. Elizabeth Carll
  Focal Point
  International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies;
  Chair Media/ICT Working Group,
  NGO Committee on Mental Health, New York
  Tel: 1-631-754-2424
  Fax: 1-631-754-5032
  ecarll at optonline.net

   -----Original Message-----
  From: telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org [mailto:telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org]On Behalf Of David Leeming PFnet
  Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 12:39 AM
  To: telecentres at wsis-cs.org
  Subject: Re: [Telecentres] Basic Telecentre Items/ICT Definition



    Then perhaps a definition of a Telecentre needs to map out the functions these human resources perform. There are also functions that are required for useful information exchange to take place, that may not be strictly associated with the telecentre. These include awareness raising, training, mobilisation of the stakeholders all along the information "chain" including the "knowledge centres" (in a country like ours, CRM is not widely practiced....the central institutions are often the worst at communication). ICT strategy building is important, too. In fact it is difficult to see where to demarkate a telecentre, looking at it from the "information flow" point of view.

    As a simple example, to allow rural people to obtain legal advice by email, it was not as simple and notifying them of the (say) Public Solicitor's email address. We had to train (remotely) the rural ICT operators to publicise it and raise awareness, hold meetings with the Public Solicitor and other stakeholders and discuss the procedures required and other practicalities, and above all get everyone on board. (now it works marvellously). Information doesn't just flow - it needs to be driven by the knowledge owners as much as their "customers" or "clients". 

    I suppose we are getting into a defination of "content" as well as "function".

    David


     ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Elizabeth Carll, PhD 
      To: David Leeming PFnet ; telecentres at wsis-cs.org 
      Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 12:48 PM
      Subject: RE: [Telecentres] Basic Telecentre Items/ICT Definition


      David,

      Thanks for the clarification.  I always thought that such staff support would be available at all telecentres and considered that to be in the category of human resources.  It is always interesting to hear how others view and designate telecentre support activities.

      Elizabeth
        -----Original Message-----
        From: telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org [mailto:telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org]On Behalf Of David Leeming PFnet
        Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 8:36 PM
        To: telecentres at wsis-cs.org
        Subject: [Telecentres] Basic Telecentre Items/ICT Definition


        Elizabeth et al.

        Well, how about living ones - human intermediaries. Community intermediaries to help people understand their needs, to interpret and respond to incoming information, for consultative processes, to learn how to filter information appropriately. Technical intermediaries (commonly known as "assistants" or "operators") to help people use the ICTs, when there are no existing skills, and to train them as the demand and awareness grows. The community driven ethic is extremely important, these are facilitators only.

        David

        David,

        Excellent point, as ICTs are certainly only a means to the end product of learning and participating.  To what other appropriate tools are you referring, in addition to ICTs?

        Elizabeth
          -----Original Message-----
          From: telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org [mailto:telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org]On Behalf Of David Leeming PFnet
          Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 7:04 PM
          To: telecentres at wsis-cs.org
          Subject: Re: [Telecentres] Basic Telecentre Items/ICT Definition


          Hi,

          If we're talking about the Information Society then we should concentrate on the information activities and not the techology. A telecentre may be simply described as a place where people can participate (and learn to participate) in the wider emerging information society, using appropriate tools including ICTs. 

          David
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