Coverage
Raising the Stakes for Digital Literacy
August 26, 2008
Technology & Learning Magazine
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Honored students and educators from around the globe came together on the big island of Hawaii in August to celebrate and promote international digital literacy at the 2008 Pathways Conference. Chawanat Nakasan, 16, and Penporn Koanantakool, 20, from Thailand (pictured above) were awarded this year's World Champions for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, respectively.
The pair beat out more than 56,000 students from 47 countries, who participated in local, national and regional competitions from October 2007 to May 2008. Competitors were scored on both their ability to perform tasks plus the speed in which they did it. Both students were recognized at a Gala ceremony and received a grand-prize technology package worth $6,500.
The event was hosted by Certiport, a company that offers technical training and credentials designed to build a competitive global workforce. Other honorees highlighted extraordinary initiatives to train and certify students from around the world via Certiport's Internet and Computing Core Certification program (IC3), which validates basic knowledge and ability to use computer hardware, software, and the Internet productively. These included José Carlos Carvajal, who helped create Lima, Peru's MuniNet program, which sends a fleet of 25 buses outfitted with Internet-enabled computers out into the city's poorer districts to train and test students on their technical prowess. Also recognized were Deiter Estrada Sandoval from Guatemala and Wail Omar from Iraq, who are introducing training and accreditation to their countries despite substantial obstacle.
Look for their stories in upcoming issue of Tech&Learning. For information about entering your students into next year's competition, go to www.officecompetition.com.