* * * * * * * * *

"With prices from biometric systems coming down and concerns about online authentication on the rise, biometrics are popping up in several new applications.  Prices for biometric technology are falling, making it easier to justify the use of devices that measure each individuals characteristics as. fingerprint, retina, iris, hand geometry and facial image.  And, while government agencies remain the best customers for biometrics, there is a growing use of the technology in other areas, many related to identifying individuals seeking to do business via the Internet.

Several banks, health care organizations and government agencies are testing new ways of using biometrics.  The success of these pilots will help determine whether biometrics will enter the mainstream in 2001 and beyond. Until recently, government agencies have been the strongest supporters using biometrics for such operations as checking passports, accessing medical records, controlling border crossings and securing spy operations.

A study by San Jose, Calif.-based Frost & Sullivan found governments and related organizations spent $61.7 million in 1998 on biometric systems, nearly two-thirds of the biometric industry's worldwide revenue of $95.5 million for the year.  The other three segments financial, network
security, and physical access control and time and attendance, accounted for the rest.  The research and consulting firm predicted an annual growth of between 13.9% and 33.1%, with the majority coming from nongovernmental network security applications."

Kuykendall, Lavonne. `Biomeric ID: It's All About You." Card Technology. September 2000,  33-44.  http://www.cardtechnology.com/

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What advances in biometric research are important to include in curriculum standards?

What applications in biometric technology are essential in core curriculum standards?

What articulated career paths must be co-created in online and traditional formats?

What strategy can be used to raise consumer awareness about biometric technology?

What strategy can be used to browse and mine high quality information for learners?

How do we co-create an Entrepreneurial Development Institute for biometric applications?

The Unisys "Natural Language Speech Assistant (NLSA) product is based on natural language understanding (NLU) technology that lets computers recognize, understand, and respond to normal human conversation."  Lernout & Hauspie (L&H) and Unisys formed an alliance to help drive and respond to the demand for speech-enabled applications in telephone speech recognition and text-to-speech synthesis in several areas such as call centers, voice portals to the Internet, etc.  L&H’s products and services originate in four basic areas: automatic speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech (TTS), digital speech and music compression (SMC), and text-to-text (translation).  http://www.unisys.com/marketplace/nlu/
http://www.lhsl.com/

"From Fairbanks, Alaska, to Hattiesburg, Miss., students returning to classes this fall found that many of their campuses had been invisibly altered during the summer.  Dozens of colleges set up their first wireless networks, giving students and faculty members who had laptop computers the ability to connect to the college network and the Internet from anywhere on campus."

The October 13, 2000, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education contains four articles on the topic. The first article is a overview followed by articles with these titles: "SUNY's Morrisville Campus Sees Wireless Computing as a Way to Create a Niche," "Carnegie Melton Works to Make Computers Invisible and Pervasive," and "Universities Find Wireless Systems Bring Them Convenience and Savings."

An editorial team employed by INFOWORLD identified people who have had a significant impact on furthering the progress of the New Economy this year. A technology prediction is a highlight for each profile.  "Wireless technology will transform the way people live their lives" and "Wireless is it" (see p. 8) are mentioned along with other things to watch such as Web-based developments.  The article also identified "Ones to watch" as well as a "Hall of fame" group.

Bull, Katherine. "E-business innovators." INFOWORLD, October 9, 2000, 45-70. http://www.infoworld.com/

Activity by Global Crossing was reported in previous issues of STRATEGIC PLANNING.  Global Crossing has entered an agreement under which Exodus will acquire GlobalCenter, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GC.  The combined company would have 32 Internet Data Centers totaling almost 4,000 customers and with strategic partners that include Cisco, Compaq, Dell, Inkorni, Microsoft, Oracle, Soffbank and Sun Microsystems.  Exodus and Asia Global Crossing have agreed to form a joint venture to provide complex Web hosting and managed services in AP.  Global Crossing and Exodus are creating an unprecedented alliance to form the world's most
advanced broadband Internet protocol in markets around the world.
http://www.globalcrossing.com/   http://www.globaleenter.net/

In addition, Ariba, IBM, and Microsoft are going to create an online phone book that lists contact and product information for every company in the world.  http://www.smartpartnermag.com/

Goggin, Terence. Building Global B2B. Sm@rtPartner. 3(36), October 9, 2000, 48-50.

How can educators at various levels convert real world activities into appropriate learning units?

How can the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) "TELECOM ASIA 2000" program in Hong Kong in December be used in curriculum in developmentally appropriate ways?

http://www.itu.int/itutelecom   http://www.itu.int/asia2000

How can we use this information to envision global wireless communication curriculum units?

Awareness of demographic, economic, political, social, and technological variables for culturally diverse people must be raised to competencies in understanding in the emerging global economy.  A core liberal arts program in anthropology, economics, history, geography, languages, political science, sociology, etc., is critical for preparation for life and work in 21st Century globalization.  Excellent historical perspectives are presented in articles by Jerry H. Bentley and Karen Wigen:

Bentley, Jerry H. "Cross-Cultural Interaction and Periodization in World History." American Historical Review. 101(3), June 1996, 749-70.

Wigen, Karen. "Culture, Power, and Place: The New Landscape of East Asia Regionalization." American Historical Review. 104(4), October 1999, 1183-1201.

A historical perspective is absolutely essential for understanding context. How have economies in Asia Pacific become so dynamic in the past decades?  For example, what were the foundation ingredients that helped the "Taiwan Miracle" yield the following per capita income for its people? (PCI: $100 in 1951; $ 450 in 1965; $ 8,000 in 1990; and approximately $13,000 in 1999.  An excellent resource includes materials by the American Institute in Taiwan:

Brekke, W. A. "Taiwan's Drive to Internationalization. " Asia Pacific Business Outlook 1999  Conference Proceedings, University of Southern California, March 22-24, 1999.

http://www.stat-usa.gov/      American Institute in Taiwan

Also, see Groff, Warren. Strategic Planning (Thinking) for the Digital Era. Paper on evolution of E-Commerce and delivering EC units online in Taiwan.  (ERIC Document Service ED 432 932).

Awareness of demographic, economic, political, social, and technological variables for culturally diverse people must be raised to competencies in understanding in the emerging global economy.  Although historical perspective provides a basic foundation for awareness, current primary and secondary sources of data and information are critical for understanding. Thus, a core liberal arts program in economics, history, geography, languages, political science, sociology, etc. must also extend to analysis and critique of contemporary affairs.  Economic and technological variables are highlighted to help shape a "mind set" of competencies and skills needed for today's globalization.

A Global Smart Partnership (GSP) Program by the United Nations will conduct a conference on February 11-15, 2001, for ambassadors and economic development representatives from Asia Pacific (AP) countries who want to pursue partnerships with companies, educational institutions, and venture capitalists from the U. S.  AP extends nearly 14,000 miles East to West from French Polynesia to China and 7,000 miles North to South from Japan to New Zealand.  AP encompasses 43 nations acre island territories with more than 50% of the earth's population with about 15,000 major languages, dialects, and sub dialects.  Some countries have excellent economic development ministries based on global and regional analyses, an excellent vision of cyberglobalization, and action plan strategies like "Planning of intelligent industrial parks and buildings of Taiwan into a technology island" as well as education reforms needed to help achieve the goals and objectives. Other countries need help with (a) analysis, (b) visioning, and (c) action plan specifications.

What are some of the primary anal secondary sources of information that can be used to help plan? Centers of International Business Education and Research (CIBERs) were created for businesses primarily in the U. S. Chamber of Commerce offices are located in many countries as well as World Trade Centers. Publications such as World Trade provide invaluable information about a broad range of topics such as high tech leading exporters. High tech leading exporters engaged in B2B and B2C and advertise employment opportunities are wonderful sites to browse and to mine.

"RESOURCES" on page 2 mentioned how to access newsletters.  Clicking on "External Links" and then on "The Friendly Forum" takes a researcher to a Web page with a list of topics.  "Globalization and the Family of IT Careers" contains links to all the above?mentioned resources.  Entries on this list lead to a consortium of five companies that are developing an Internet based marketplace that will allow hospitals and other health care facilities to link directly to suppliers.  The companies are Abbott, Baxter, GE Medical Systems, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronics.

How are cyber-schools integrating science and technology into curriculum in developmentally appropriate learning units in early and middle childhood years in online and traditional formats?

How are career awareness models developing in online and traditional formats and then evolving into articulated 4+4+4 programs with concentrations (like B2B and B2C by sector of the economy such as graphic arts and printing or healthcare products and services) that lead to specializations such as international B2B and/or B2C healthcare products and services for a region of the world?

Farrington, Gregory C., and Yoshida, Roland K. "Darwin Goes To College." EDUCAUSE. 35(6), November/December 2000, 12-17. http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm.html

Databases are essential in analysis for decision making. Analysis of research indicates four major categories of data analysis techniques (a) needs assessment, (b) market analysis, (c) environmental scanning, and (d) trend analysis.  Needs assessment is a generic technique for gathering the needs and wants of people, the needs of a community or region, or the need for a program or service.  Market analysis, used most often in business research, is a focused critique of a phenomena of a market segment such as the needs of international students in higher education in the U. S. or the needs of culturally diverse people within a service area.  Environmental scanning is a one time snapshot of a phenomenon.  Trend analysis is the critique of comparable data elements over equal increments of time to determine direction and to anticipate alternative scenarios and visions.

Comparable data over equal increments of time are critical for determining trends.  CIBERs have extensive databases for historical perspective to which can be added contemporary information.  Electronic Newsletters (ENs) are growing in quality and quantity throughout developed countries. The September newsletter contained a list of numerous ENs in education and business in the U. S.  Asia Pacific ENs provide valuable information about needs and wants of businesses and people.

"Hewlett?Packard Co. will start programs to bring Internet access to the rural poor in developing countries and will provide $1 billion in products and services with partners next year for the effort. Only about 1 billion of the world's 6 billion people can connect to the Web, and the company says current sales tactics would only add another billion and never reach the poorest 4 billion people." Bloomberg News, October 13, 2000.  http://www.hp.com/

An Entrepreneurial Development Institute was created at Shelby State Community College, now Southwest Technical Community College, in Memphis, TN, in 1986-87.  The mission was to help disadvantaged individuals create a business plan and also help some become subcontractors with prime contractors, especially for highway construction. The Institute helped hundreds of people.  One part of the vision was to assist many individuals to become subcontractors so they could ultimately collaborate as a prime contractor for some of the highway construction and repair bids. The Institute, like many others throughout the U. S., was delivered in a campus-based format.

The "Digital Divide" applies to all aspects of life and work: business, community, and education.  A cyber model is needed to convert the digital divide into a "Digital Dividend."  Disadvantaged business entrepreneurs could be provided with basics such as (a) awareness of cultural diversity, (b) how to access information about needs of people in countries around the world, and (c) B2B.  Culturally diverse entrepreneurs could be grouped primarily by continent of origin for basics at a facility such as the 250 New Horizons Computer Learning Centers in 46 countries.  Continuing development could be done via email and ENs to Community Learning Centers (CLCs), homes, libraries, etc.  ENs from countries could be accessed by participants and interpreted in a variety of ways, possibly using groupware and language conversion software in "extended families."

The COPA Commission was mandated by the Child Online Protection Act approved by Congress In October 1998. Information can be obtained from
http://www.copacommission.org/

"The Internet is becoming an increasingly vital tool in our information society. More Americans are going online to conduct such day-to-day activities as business transactions, personal....”

Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of
Commerce, 2000 (4th in the "Falling Through the Net" series).
http://www.esa.doc.gov/fttn00.pdf
 

"Advancements in computer hardware and voice recognition algorithms have made effective voice communication with a personal computer a reality. This new technology will change the way that humans interact with their personal computers. I began developing my ideas for the use of this subject as a directed study (DS) project at the Summer Institute last July. I wanted to write a comprehensive review of three commercially available voice recognition software packages and include techniques for use in academic environments. After establishing my learning objectives, I began by conducting a literature search on the subject to develop background material for my paper. I secured copies of each of the software packages and then began using them, one at a time, as my primary interface for computers at home and at work. I spent about two weeks using each package, taking careful notes, in order to fully understand how the software interfaces with the user." The paper can be accessed at 

http://fairfax2.laser.net/~iespinal/vr1.htm

"Although I have not yet completed my first DS project, I have submitted a second DS proposal
that is part of a comprehensive plan. I wanted each of the DS projects to be fully integrated.
Development of a plan helped me to clarify MY ideas and allowed me to establish a set of realistic
goals. These goals will give me direction for my independent study and establish personal
deadlines for accomplishment. I have found that my self?imposed deadlines usually keep me
focused on my tasks. I am now well on my way to earning the four units of credit I need. The DS
option is an excellent way for a student to explore areas of great interest."  Jack L. Espinal
 

Directed Study (DS) holds great potential. It is an opportunity to select a topic of interest and collaborate with a facilitator to raise awareness and understanding. Analysis of the literature via DS could help with all three aspects of a proposal: (a) problem statement, (b) review of literature, and (c) methodology and procedures. After a DS project on a topic, a researcher can more clearly specify issues in a problem statement. A better understanding of the literature will result from the DS and lead to better ways to organize information into categories for a good practicum project. Better insight about detailed procedures should be another outcome of a DS investigation.
 

Warren H. Groff, 3408 N. 49th St., Milwaukee, WI 53216?3208, (414) 871-1127, mailto:%20groffw@,nova.edu