Proceedings of 8th European Assembly on telework (Telework2001)

139Look at World (in Estonian: Vaata Maailma http://www.vaatamaailma.ee/) is project initiated by 10leading private IT companies with cooperation with state institutions, aim is significantly increasenumber <strong>of</strong> Internet users while raising life standard <strong>of</strong> citizens <strong>of</strong> Estonia and state competitiveadvantages in Europe.Psychological aspectsEstonians are eager to try new technologies and make experiments. Wide penetration <strong>of</strong> Internetbanking and mobile phones are clear evidences <strong>of</strong> that. Number <strong>of</strong> users <strong>of</strong> online banking systemsis at the moment 350000, 90% transactions are made electronically, 25% <strong>of</strong> the population usingInternet banking. Due to the close proximity <strong>of</strong> the Nordic countries - the world leaders in many<strong>of</strong> the new wireless telecommunication technologies - Estonia has become a country where mobilephones are not only manufactured but are also very widely used. Today about 40 percent <strong>of</strong> thepopulation uses GSM services. Estonian mobile operators are among the first in the world tointroduce WAP services to their customers. Nearly the entire country has mobile phone coverage,with three operators providing GSM services.So people have experienced and do not afraid use modern Internet technologies and communicationmeans, there is sufficient critical mass <strong>of</strong> users for successful development new ways <strong>of</strong> work.Main examples and case studiese-LearningCentre <strong>of</strong> Strategic Competence (CSC) http://sylvia.ce.ut.ee/evaluation/ was established at theUniversity <strong>of</strong> Tartu in 1997. The task <strong>of</strong> CSC is to concentrate research and development activitiesand resources in key technological areas, including telework.CSC test implementations <strong>of</strong> Computer Supported Collaborative work and Computer SupportedCollaborative Learning environments such as Basic Support <strong>of</strong> Cooperative Work (BSCW) inlast years based in huge work <strong>of</strong> enthusiasts. It seems, that users enthusiasm is calming down.Objective difficulties are: not sufficient computer skills, habit to use different communicationchannels etc. Telework seems to be suitable for motivated academic dispersed groups, also forproject work. BSCW user interface is available also in Estonian language.Integrated Learning Environment Miksike http://www.miksike.com/ works for regular schoolsand homeschoolers. Miksike gives away more than 20 000 worksheets in HTML and <strong>of</strong>fers a set<strong>of</strong> collaborative learning services.e-WorkEstonian Government Cabinet <strong>of</strong> Ministers Sessions Infosystem www.gov.ee, since august 2000• Allows to prepare and carry out sessions electronically• Makes sessions’ data electronically available to all parts involved