Nice bit of spin
After reading this several times, and some of the report, i'm struggling to see how this makes the UK "tech-savvy"
All it says is that the UK has more connectivity.
Whether the country is "tech-savvy" is highly questionable.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has issued its annual Measuring the Information Society report and found that Denmark is the world's most technologically-developed nation. South Korea scored the win in the last version of the report, but is now in second. Results for other big Reg-reading nations include: …
One sure way to see the UK shoot down the rankings fast would be to add a question or two along the lines of "Percentage of politicians/civil servants who properly understand the technologies which they are passing legislation on/administering and their implications."
Granted no country would be likely to do well on that, but some of the near superstitious drivel ours spout seems hard to top.
they become useless once everyone has a mobile phone…
How do you figure that? Fixed line phones are more reliable, don't suffer from flat batteries or dropped calls due to congestion. They "just work", 99.9999% of the time, which you'll never be able to say for mobiles. Those fixed lines are also used to deliver most broadband services. We have active three mobile phones in the house, on two networks, and a VoIP service, but I still keep a fixed line. I know it will be the one that will be there when I really need it.
Fixed lines may be more reliable but they suffer from being fixed. Mobile phones are more handy since you can use them anywhere. A fixed line phone is useless to me and the OP. And many others I believe.
My LTE connection at home is several times faster than what the telephone lines could deliver and much cheaper too.
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Count people who have either a fixed line or a mobile phone subscription. Count people who have either a wired or wireless broadband subscription. Counting them separately unfairly punishes less affluent countries where people may be unwilling to pay for both.
For that matter counting "households with a computer" and not counting a smartphone as a computer hurts them too. There will never be the penetration of PCs in China there is in the US and UK, because for a lot of people who get a smartphone first, they'll find it fits their needs and even when they can later afford a computer have no interest in owning one.
I think what it's showing is the utilisation of IT as a tool for teaching, rather than saying teaching with IT makes you a better teacher. It's all about how people use technology, and the classroom is a good starting point as it's full of impressionable people who could be inspired to go out and use tech.
But that doesn't fit with the program does it? Governments want teachers to use computers to teach in ever increasing amounts because they think people will believe it results in better outcomes. Perhaps some that aren't too smart or computer literate think it will make their child the next Bill Gates. Whatever. When I was told how much teaching was done by computer at my child's school my retort was along the lines of "I'd much rather you concentrated on teaching the basics more comprehensively and perhaps a bit more of critical thinking". However my junior schooler does knock up a good powerpoint presentation so I guess there's a middle management career in the offing somewhere.
I fear Australia has been harmed by our use of cheap string for our broadband network. Unfortunately we used up all the more expensive stuff wrapping food parcels to send to our less fortunate relatives.
Soon, however, we hope to start using copper wire, but only as far as the nearest gum tree. Plans to lay twisted pair all the way to the home have been abandoned due to spiralling costs.