Digital Discourse / Archives for global

Ed Tech Opportunities in China

November 9, 2012 By

The large population and growing attention to education make China an enticing and interesting market for education technology expansion. SIIA’s recent webinar on China  outlined opportunities and challenges associated with entering this market.  Thought leaders Charles Callis(Vice President, Waterford) , Chris Livaccari(Associate Director of Education and Chinese Language Initiatives, The Asia Society) and Jim Teicher(President,  Cybersmart! Education Company) spoke in depth about their experiences with the Chinese market and country.

Five takeaways from the webinar:


  1. Do not think of China as one homogenous market. The country is geographically diverse, and each region is, in effect, its own market. In addition to geographical segmentation, there are differences between schools and grades, as well as between institutions and informal learning outside of school. Much of the purchasing is done on a local level, and large scale purchases by provinces is not common.


  2. English language learning is a huge market in China. There are approximately the same number of English speakers in China as there are in the US.  China and the United States are becoming more intertwined and shared language exchange is key in the view of many Chinese.


  3. Among the biggest drivers in the Chinese market are parents. With the one child policy and other cultural norms, it is common that parents will invest their own resources heavily in their child’s education.  These investments include private schooling (in the US and China) as well as heavy investment in after school study tools and programs.


  4. Tablets are increasingly popular in China because of their lower price point and enhanced capabilities, but infrastructure is the more challenging part of the equation.  Finding quality content to place on the tablets is increasingly important.


  5. In the near future, 70% of the population of China will be urban, causing stress on city schools and infrastructure and forcing options for distance and computer-based learning to become more common.

 

The SIIA Global Working group produces country specific webinars on a regular basis to expand SIIA members’ knowledge of global trends in education.  Any SIIA member interested in learning more about the China market or any prior spotlight country should visit our webinar archive.

 

 

Lindsay HarmanLindsay Harman is Market and Policy Analyst for the SIIA Education Division.

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SIIA Applauds Resolution to Promote Global Internet Free from Government Control

May 31, 2012 By

SIIA lauds the bi-partisan House Resolution (H. Con. Res. 127) introduced introduced by House Commerce Committee leadership yesterday, which reaffirmed “the consistent and unequivocal policy of the United States to promote a global Internet free from government control and preserve and advance the successful multi-stakeholder model that governs the Internet today.” This was followed by a hearing in the House Commerce Committee airing the problems in international regulation of the Internet.

The concern is that control over the Internet might move to international bodies that could be hostile to today’s reality of Internet freedom. Last year, for example, Russia, China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan proposed a code of conduct for information security on the Internet at the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The code said many sensible things including an injunction to “fully respect rights and freedom in information space, including rights and freedom to search for, acquire and disseminate information on the premise of complying with relevant national laws and regulations.”

It also said that “policy authority for Internet-related public issues is the sovereign right of States, which have rights and responsibilities for international Internet-related public policy issues.” Many government agencies, especially law enforcement and national security departments, but also consumer protection agencies, would readily agree that their jurisdiction extends to actions on the Internet.

The real worry is that in the application of these broad principles countries or international agencies acting on their behalf could effectively limit the ability of individuals and firms to exchange Internet traffic across borders and create what amount to digital trade barriers of the 21st century. All countries have benefited from the open, transparent character of the Internet, and will continue to do so under the current multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance.

SIIA applauds Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), along with Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), and Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA) for their sponsorship of this important resolution defending Internet freedom.

Mark MacCarthy, Vice President, Public Policy at SIIA, directs SIIA’s public policy initiatives in the areas of intellectual property enforcement, information privacy, cybersecurity, cloud computing and the promotion of educational technology.

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Filed Under: Policy Tagged With: ,