Category: Education

It was refreshing to listen to the former Indian President, Abdul Kalam speak Monday at Google’s Be the Change Summit in Hyderabad India. Outlined in his remarks Dynamics of Information Flow is the need for India to utilize Internet2.

He began his address by noting three key projects born out of the creative mind: Google, Fiber optics and Internet2. In order to hit the next “homerun” in our knowledge economy Kalam sees creative leadership as a vital component to success. He shared six personal experiences to achieve this necessary skill:

1. Every action of the leader should be transparent. (Mahatma Gandhi)
2. Leader must have courage to take decisions. (Sardar Patel)
3. Leader must be able to travel into an unexplored path. (Sir C.V. Raman)
4. Leader must have the vision for the organisation. (Prof Vikram Sarabhai)
5. Leader must know how to manage a success and failure. (Prof Satish Dhawan)
6. Leader should have Nobility in management. (Prof Brahm Prakash)

Acknowledging the world is already using Internet2 applications, Kalam implied for India the key will be to facilitate, develop and serve the needs of the India’s population. Many applications will be delivered via Internet2 in the form of Web2.0 technologies.  And it will not be easy.  One of three challenges he addressed:

1. How to build the capacity among the people, government, institutions to accept the new internet2 paradigm and its relevance in the new paradigm of the way of living, the way of learning, the way of trading and business, the way of socializing and the way of governance.

Very pleasing to hear him acknowledge Internet2 has already changed many practices, and to survive the country must accept the Internet2 paradigm.  I’m sure many in the audience understood the impact of his remarks.

Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program is underway with another order from Peru! I was pleased to read this in Saturday’s Boston Globe. Despite criticism from the media and computer manufactures, OLPC has made a significant milestone (and impact) in signing its first country Uruguay and now Peru’s order is just over 250,000 units. This is all about making a difference in the lives of poor children in poor schools in very poor countries. But I must ask: Have you ever watched as much press about the launch of a laptop before?
I’m amazed at those who continue to write that WinTel (Intel and Microsoft) should be in this “market.” Actually when someone writes how a ‘market’ is a collection of the poorest countries in the world – being pitched by the two richest companies in the world – something just doesn’t sit right. Actually it should stand out like a sore thumb.

I was pissed Intel would “create” a PC for this market. For one of the richest, most successful companies today to whore themselves to the poorest school children on the planet is disgusting. Additional companies in Taiwan, India and Israel trying to profit should be ashamed as well. Intel has never manufactured a laptop in their history for the low end education market – yet jumped at the chance to profit off the poorest kids in third world countries?

Since Intel and Microsoft have been around since the beginning of the PC revolution, why did it take MIT’s Media Center Director to develop this movement while Intel and Microsoft are just trying to profit from it? What does this really say about Paul Otellini Intel’s CEO? Clearly Intel and Microsoft are not leaders but followers.