TECHNOLOGY CENTERS LEFT TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES - A national
initiative designed to provide community-based technology centers to bridge the digital
divide will end this week, leaving the nearly 1,000 centers to arrange their own
financing. The PowerUP program was started in 1999 by Stephen Case, then chairman
of America Online. A group of financial backers provided roughly $100 million for
the project, but many of them have ended their support. According to a spokesperson
for PowerUP, the plan was always for the centers to become self-sustaining and that
this "seems like a natural transition time." The Boys and Girls Clubs of America,
which operates 434 of the centers, will keep many of them running. Others will be
forced to find financial support. Supporters of the centers say they are important
resources in many communities that otherwise would be unable to have such access.
At least one critic said the program's "top-down franchise" style of operation is a
poor model for community development. The complete article is at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/30/technology/30POWE.html (New York Times,
30 Oct 02)

AFFORDABLE LANGUAGE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES - Generation21
Learning Systems and Planeta Inteligente announced a partnership they say will
provide people throughout Latin America and parts of the United States with online
learning opportunities equal to those offered at mainstream universities in the US. The
companies say the partnership will provide affordable learning opportunities for people
who have been unable to benefit from cutting-edge learning technologies. The venture
also is expected to open up new markets for both companies. Planeta Inteligente
currently has 11 affiliated universities in Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, El
Salvador, and the US. Courses offered cover bachelor and master degree-oriented
curriculum, certificate degrees, and professional skill development courses. For more
information visit: http://www.gen21.com (e-Learning Newsline, vol. 3 no 31, 16 Oct
02)