[Sigkm-l] UNESCO-supported international conference on knowledge networking concluded in India

[Puna Das]

UNESCO-supported international conference on knowledge networking concluded in India
09-02-2009 (New Delhi)

The Society for the Advancement of Library and Information Science (SALIS), in collaboration with UNESCO and B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College, organized the International Conference on Knowledge Networking in ICT Era. It took place from 22 to 24 January 2009 in Chennai, India.

The primary objective of the Conference was to provide a platform for sharing knowledge, expertise and professional solutions on the emerging domains of networking, intellectual collaboration and information practices. 

In his inaugural address, Padmashi Prof. M Anandakrishnan, Chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, highlighted the importance of knowledge networking in knowledge-based establishments in a country which is now considered worldwide as an emerging economy. In his speech, he appraised the National Knowledge Network initiative of Government of India. This initiative aims to interconnect all knowledge institutions in India through an electronic digital broadband network with adequate capabilities (high speed broadband connectivity), in order to encourage sharing of resources and collaborative research. 

Within the framework of the Conference, a tutorial on e-Learning: Creating Online Virtual Courses using Moodle took place, where participants received hands-on practical training on Moodle open source software. 

A special session on Information, Media and Digital Literacy, supported by UNESCO, was held on 23 January. It aimed at raising awareness on the information, media and digital literacy, which is essential for building inclusive knowledge societies. Speakers at this session highlighted major indicators, different international standards, including UNESCO standards, best practices and communities of practice existing in this field. Panelists suggested integrating information, media and digital literacy in the curricula of schools, undergraduate and postgraduate studies. They also felt that information literacy is essential for lifelong learning and should be, therefore, integrated in the vocational and professional training, as well as in teachers’ training courses. The presentations made at this session are compiled in the PDF document below. 

Over 100 papers were presented during the eight technical sessions of the Conference. They covered the following subjects: digital library systems, e-learning, electronic security systems, information and communication technologies (ICT) for information services, intellectual property rights, knowledge management, modern management techniques, social networks and web technologies. Over 250 delegates participated in the Conference, including researchers and knowledge workers from academic and research organizations, civil society, service industries and public libraries.

Download presentations: http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/28265/12341778449special_session_presentations.pdf/special_session_presentations.pdf

Source: http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28265&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

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Anup Kumar Das
New Delhi, India
http://anupkumardas.blogspot.com/
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