ICT Literacy Community launched and endorsed by the Global Digital Literacy Council

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA (October 21, 2003)

KEMPSTER GROUP www.kempstergroup.com and Learning Times www.learningtimes.net announced today the launch of the Global ICT Literacy Community through the ICT Literacy portal www.ictliteracy.info, and invite business, education, and policymakers – all stakeholders interested in digital literacy and promoting international ICT literacy standards - to participate and contribute to the dialogue.

The launch of the global ICT Literacy Community is a result of discussions and recommendations held at the ICT Literacy Summit last January in Washington, D.C. Participants in the Summit included Bruce Melhman, Assistant U. S. Secretary of Commerce, Kathy Bushkin, President, AOL Time Warner Foundation, Safra Catz, Executive Vice President, ORACLE, Kurt Landgraf, CEO, Educational Testing Service (ETS), Dick Osborne, Vice President, Philips Consumer Electronics, John Super, Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, PLATO Learning, Don Knezek, CEO, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Marjorie Bynum, Vice President, Workforce Development, Information Tech Association of America (ITAA), Joe Simpson, Deputy for Leadership Services and Professional Development, Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) , Andrea Taylor, President, The Benton Foundation, John Bailey, Director, Technology, U.S. Dept of Education , Dr. Terry Crane, Chair of Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Janet Whitla, President, Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC)

Summit participants strongly recommended moving beyond the limitations of physical conference environments by leveraging the capability of the Internet to continue the international dialogue. The new virtual ICT Literacy Community promotes universal ICT literacy by using the tools of ICT literacy to build awareness and international support. Through the collaboration of this global partnership, the portal now serves as an international resource in closing the gap between the rhetoric and reality of what is required to efficiently and effectively take advantage of the tools of information and communication technology (ICT) literacy in the global economy. “We have moved beyond merely being able to discus these issues intermittently during physical conference environments, “ said Brenda Kempster, President of KEMPSTER GROUP, “to now being able to facilitate ongoing dialogue and participation worldwide through the e-communications capability of the ICT Literacy Community.”

Additionally, during it bi-annual summit in the U.K. last month, the Global Digital Literacy Council endorsed the ICT Literacy Community, and agreed to serve in an international advisory role. Delegates of the Council represent various countries in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Japan and Asia Pacific.

“An internationally recognized digital literacy standard delivers positive benefits for a range of groups, from children in education, to underserved populations, to employees and corporations, workforces and even nations seeking skills to increase their economic opportunities. The outcome is a pathway for all citizens to gain a qualification that opens up not just opportunity, but possibly survival in the Information Age,” says David Saedi, President & CEO of Certiport.

The Global Digital Literacy Council represents a global delegation - including corporate executives, government officials, academicians, and industry luminaries focused on the identification of issues, definition of best practices, and research and development of programs related to Global Digital Literacy.

“The launch of the ICT Literacy Community gives us the capability to leverage the collective interest and global resources to promote international best practices, share important research, and deliver meaningful content equitably in a global environment,” commented John Walber, CEO of Learning Times, “We are enthusiastic about building the virtual community with private sector, government sector, researchers, and worldwide collaborators and participants.”

The web site http://www.ictliteracy.info/ allows multimedia interaction by participants to have web casts, discussions with panels of experts and featured guests, polling, and a continuous expanding archive of research and resources.

About KEMPSTER GROUP

KEMPSTER GROUP is a consulting firm specializing in building strategic alliances for clients focused on technology, telecommunications, education, and international marketing. A number of nationally recognized authorities in communications technology, education and government are retained by KEMPSTER GROUP as an ongoing resource to its clients. The group specializes in strategic alliances, applications development, media relations, market research, and business planning in the area of ICT literacy.

About Learning Times

LearningTimes, LLC is a privately held organization that is actively engaged in designing and building learning programs, communities and events, as well as the platforms, environments, applications and marketing strategies that make them successful.