Intel Targeting Houston Hispanics.

Intel Corporation is launching a new program titled “Intel Winning Technology” for Houston Latinos that responds to concerns about the role of technology in their lives. Organized focus groups held among Houston Latinos on the subject of technology found that while Latinos recognize technology’s many advantages, they are concerned about it interfering with family life, suppressing creativity in children, and providing easy access to negative or unsolicited information. In response, the “Intel Winning Technology” program aims to address those concerns by educating Latino consumers about the many advantages of technology through public demonstrations, workshops, and a Spanish language web site.

Insights gained through Intel’s organized focused groups also correspond with a recent study on positive Latino attitudes towards technology. An AOL/RoperASW U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy 2004* report shows that 76 percent of online and 91 percent of offline Latinos consider helping children with their school work as a major reason for going online. The study also found that 86 percent of online Latinos believe being able to e-mail friends and family was another major reason for getting an Internet connection at home. With 75 percent of online Latinos having relatives living outside the U.S. and other studies indicating that using a PC can help improve a student’s academic performance and critical thinking skills, a computer in the home has become a necessity.

“For 36 years, Intel Corporation has developed the technology that’s enabled the computer and Internet revolution that has changed the world. In addition to innovation, our company values education and has implemented collaborative programs that promote science, math, engineering and technology across the world and in states like Texas,” said Tracy Koon, director of corporate affairs at Intel Corporation. “We are now going a step further and focusing on the technology needs and concerns of Latino residents in Houston and how technology impacts the lives of their families today.”

As part of the “Intel Winning Technology” program, the company will have available through its website (http://www.intel.com/go/houston) information that educates families about how technology can enrich their daily lives. Responding to the concern by Houston Latinos about how technology can compromise important values, such as spending time with family and reduced creativity for children, the website contains ideas on how technology has the power to bring families together with a number of PC/Internet home projects parents can do with their children.

“One of the most remarkable things about the Internet is the wealth of information it puts at your fingertips. You can find everything from information on the latest cancer research to strategies for beating the latest computer game,” said Jose Solera, Director of Leadership Development at Intel Corporation. “It’s an incredible fountain of knowledge, and Intel wants to share this treasure with the growing Latino audience, which is projected to gain online access at a rate of over 62 percent over the next six years.”

Intel Helps Students Succeed In School and Families Stay In Touch

Research shows that integrating technology into the curriculum and teacher training increases student achievement. Teachers around the world are using technology in their classrooms to support student learning. Intel’s An Innovation Odyssey site features education-meets-technology success stories like the one in Sundown Elementary School in Katy, TX where a fifth-grade class tapped into their cultural identity when researching Hispanic Heroes on the Internet. Additionally, the online Intel Museum program has Spanish-language interactive lessons for ages seven through 14 that teachers can download from any computer through the Intel website.

The “Intel Winning Technology” program furthers Intel’s commitment to improving education for youth through seminars and demonstrations taking place in Houston from October through December. Following the theme of promoting education within the Latino community, Intel will have an active presence at the Latino Book & Family Festival held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on October 16-17, 2004. At the festival, Intel will demonstrate several PC/Internet home projects that parents can do with their children in addition to raffling a high-performance Intel Pentium(R) 4 Processor with HT Technology-based laptop.