Shaping young minds to make the most of digital age

 
TK Park’s operation plan for 2017 is based on the concept of “learning in the digital age”, helping youth to think, analyse and create career development under the national scheme.
The Thailand Knowledge Park will expand its network at all levels, placing special importance on the southern border provinces and supporting outside classroom learning, said Rames Promyen, acting director of Thailand TK Park.
He said advanced information technology connects people, shapes development in various dimensions and helps distribute information, news, knowledge and innovation. Digital age changes are coming with new opportunities fuelling social and economic growth. 
However, on the other hand, population structure is shifting to an ageing society, which also must be considered. In 2030, this group’s numbers are expected to increase to 25 per cent of total population. Impact on the natural environment also continues to accelerate. 
Such situations will affect consumption and life conditions while inviting opportunities and challenges for Thai society to encounter and evolve accordingly, Rames said.
“In the digital age, technology plays a key role in the daily life of every stage. Almost every youngster, workforce member and senior own smart phones and smart devices. Government efforts look to developing a high-speed Internet network (Broadband) extending coverage to every village nationwide, helping to reduce the gap for knowledge access and provide more convenience,” Rames said. “The results in development will include access to learning sources such as local products distributed to Thai and international markets by e-commerce and agriculture knowledge shared for improved productivity. Information and knowledge can be accessed with fingertips at any time and place,” he said.
As part of the government’s ongoing policy to drive and focus, the 20-year national strategy is in accordance with the 12th national economic and social development plan, together with the Thailand 4.0 Policy. 
Major targets are to nourish and develop people with skills for the 21st century, creating and developing innovation from science and technology - as well as applying local knowledge - to enhance competency and new opportunities to upgrade a developed country with high income earning in the next 20 years.
TK Park in 2017 gears toward reading behavior, learning with skills of the 21st century. It encourages children and youths to develop thinking and analysing skills and creativeness to grow professionally through reading in a Learning Park prototype in a central area and network of regional branches. Digital age learning online is via a Digital TK website, TK Public Online Library and Social Media. These disseminate knowledge useful for children who are the nation’s future power to learn and develop themselves conveniently. 
TK Public Online Library offers 10,000 books and multimedia from Thailand and foreign countries as well as knowledge and entertainment, recording 23,000 registered members and 70,000 borrowings in one year of service. The library serves as the knowledge source for 16 million children for self learning and development,” Rames adds.
“In terms of intelligent infrastructure development, we cooperate with local network agencies to extend
opportunity and reduce gaps in knowledge access for young people nationwide. Today the agency network of TK Park opens in 19 locations.” 
For the fiscal year 2017, two new locations will be opened: 1) Pattani Knowledge Park, Thailand’s largest learning park in cooperation with Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPC) and Muang Pattani Municipal Office and, 2) TK Square Korat in cooperation with Nakhon Ratchasima Municipality. The operating knowledge park will link an auto library, book database and learning media with the park prototype for TK Park network users to search and study.
A discussion forum “Learning in the Digital Age and expectations of TK Park roles” was organised by the party network contributing to support and encouragement of learning relevant to the concept “Learning in the digital age.”
Nithipat Somsamarn, president of Thai Animation & Computer Graphics, a network party, disclosed: “Digital content is the industry of creativity, becoming today’s trend with substantial revenue potential for the country. 
“Therefore we need to develop quality personnel for the industry on a continual basis to support industry growth and income creation by the new generation. 
“The collaboration with TK Park in the past and from now on incorporates all integral parts under the cooperation plan from both upstream and downstream.
“It includes training by world-class experts, to use TK Park for information research - facilitated by activities to showcase works leading to meetings with professional studios for further employment or cooperation opportunities, known as TK Genesis.”
Dr Srida Tantaathipanit, board member of the Internet Foundation for the Development of Thailand, explained: “The Foundation cooperates with TK Park to support digital age learning by promoting critical access to online media through training and digital media contests, providing opportunity for students and academic personnel to learn and produce multimedia. 
The winning works will be awarded a Royal Trophy proposed by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to be used for Royal projects or any considered by the Princess. 
Dr Polapat Udomphol, business development director of Ookbee Co. which is co-developing a public online library with TK park, said: “Today the presence of media has totally changed, as evidenced by the statistics of conventional media consumption obviously dominated by online media, confirming that the world has entered the digital age at full course. 
“As a result, learning media in the digital age has been developed in e-book format and a broad array of platforms to reflect behaviour of consumers, especially Gen Y and Z, who have grown up with technology. 
“Knowledge banks from local and international media compiled by TK park, considered the most and largest, are available for everyone. The development of digital access will benefit every age due to unlimited learning in terms of time and place.”
Rames said: “TK park is committed and sets the operation target to develop a Thai population capable and ready to cultivate changes and challenges for emerging opportunity in the digital age. [It will] feature an ecosystem of learning ideal for children, youths and people having convenient access to knowledge sources at all times and places.” 
The organisation and personnel of TK park will redevelop work and the creative process and design activities for the civil service based on the concept of “Learning in the Digital Age”, following the policy of Thailand 4.0, Rames added.