Power users of technology: who are they? Where are they going? Why does it matter?

UN Chronicle, June-August, 2004 by Joyce Malyn-Smith

"The Power Users Initiative deals with what people can learn about
children who have developed sophisticated technology skills. It is just
one example of changing patterns of learning, challenging schools. It
raises important questions on behalf of educators. The challenge of the
Power Users Initiative will be how to translate the long-term research
into a continuous flow of information to inform education ministries for
purposes of developing education policy."
--Dr. Ulf Lundin
Executive Director of European Schoolnet at WSIS, Geneva, 2003

Who are the "power users of technology"? We see them in the developing and developed world, among youth with access to technology, at home, in school, telecentres, community technology centres and cyber-net cafes. They play video games, use instant messaging, listen to music and do homework, all at the same time--multi-tasking, shifting focus from one task to another seamlessly, without effort. They seek information and learn what they want to know and when to satisfy their needs and interests, on a just-in-time basis. We call upon them at home to programme video recorders, troubleshoot software and hardware problems, and advise us on specifications for technology purchases. They are our technology advisors.

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After a decade of work focusing on building the capacity of youth and adults to use technology as a tool for living, learning and working, the Education, Employment and Community programmes at the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) launched a long-term research initiative to learn from and with children who are the power users of technology. This initiative asks the central questions: What happens to youth when their technology capacity is highly developed? How does this capacity shape thinking and reasoning, educational and career decisions, family and social interactions? How do youth translate their technology skills and interests into "currency" in a global information society?

"We are investing in this work because we know that 'power users' around the world offer humanity an entirely new source of talent and imagination for the future.

"But our goal is not simply to nurture these unusual and masterful young power users to create a new elite ... but to understand better what is at the heart of their thinking and to be far more intentional in bringing this knowledge together to give all children the opportunity to take advantage of what technology can offer ... and, most importantly, to create welcoming environments that encourage young people to be creators and inventors of new technologies that connect us and improve our world," stated Vivian Guilfoy, Senior Vice-President of EDC.

The Power Users of Technology Initiative has several short-term goals that set a foundation for long-term research. These goals include:

* Raising awareness among leaders in learning, workforce and human development that power users of technology is an emerging global phenomenon with important implications for policy and practice;

* Establishing an international research base that connects researchers in many disciplines into a global research network; and

* Engaging an international community of practice to learn from and with power users about living, learning and working with technology.

The Power Users Global Advisory Panel, formed to guide the design of the project, found broad-based interest in the Initiative and recommended holding the first International Power Users of Technology Symposium in 2005. Involving youth all over the world, the Symposium will highlight power users' interactions with adult experts from the fields of education, psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, learning and cognition, as together they use technology tools to solve complex, real global problems. New knowledge on technology capacities, habits of mind and ways of working will be gained from this experience and shape long-term research that informs policy makers and practitioners over the long term, through publications, web activities and active utilization of the international network of partners.

Aligned with the UN Millennium Development Goals and in keeping with Secretary-General Kofi Annan's challenge to Silicon Valley, the Power Users Initiative focuses on achieving its long-term research goals through an international network of public/private partnerships. Why is this initiative important to the United Nations community?

More and more, information and communications technology (ICT) is recognized as an important tool for development in our emerging global information society. ICT for development (ICT4D) was a focal point of discussion at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva in December 2003, where approximately 40,000 persons visited the expo and engaged in thoughtful discussion with international representatives, technology companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The role that ICT4D will play in our changing world will continue to be important as WSIS plans the 2005 programme agenda.