Global Information Technology Report 2012: Living in a Hyperconnected World

Posted by Celia Walter | 10 Apr, 2012

Sources: World Economic Forum, INSEAD

From the publication web page:

Over the past decade, The Global Information Technology Report series has become the most comprehensive and respected international assessment of the preparedness of economies to leverage the networked economy. This research provides a unique platform for public-private dialogue on best policies and for determining what actions will further national ICT readiness and innovation potential. ...

Under the theme Living in a Hyperconnected World, the report features expert contributions that explore the causes and consequences of living in an environment where the Internet is accessible and immediate, where people and businesses can communicate instantly, and where machines are interconnected.

+ Link to full report (PDF; 11 MB)

+ Link to online, interactive version

 From Docubase By Peggy Garvin

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How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 2-8

Posted by Celia Walter | 15 Mar, 2012

How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 2

How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 3

How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 4

How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 5

How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 6

How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 7

How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 8

 From Celia: Two more installments to come

From:  http://wheel.ucdavis.edu/category/socialmedia/

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How Twitter Saved my Literature Class, 1

Posted by Celia Walter | 15 Mar, 2012

Welcome to the first installment of “How Twitter Saved my Literature Class: A Case Study with Discussion.” For more on teaching with twitter, please visit the Wheel’s social media section.[by aojones on January 25, 2012]

More than anything else, what distinguishes a great class from an adequate class is the attitude of the participants...When an instructor’s course objectives are clear, when a professor brings enthusiasm to lectures and to class discussions, and when he or she sets high expectations for all of the class’s participants, then learning can take place. But primarily it is the participants’ reaction to these necessary elements of a class that can make that class truly successful... [More]

From :  The Wheel is a blog designed to provide information about educational technology to faculty members at University of California, Davis.

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How Do Researchers in the Humanities Use Information Resources?

Posted by Celia Walter | 13 Feb, 2012

Authors

Ellen Collins, Research Information Network, UK
Michael Jubb, Research Information Network, UK

Source

LIBER Quarterly (Journal of European Research Libraries)
Volume 21 (2012), No. 2

Abstract

Information is at the heart of research. Every stage of the research cycle involves discovering, accessing, generating, manipulating, interpreting or presenting information, in order to advance knowledge. Researchers operate within a complex information environment, with needs that they themselves perhaps do not always fully understand, and are dependent upon services which are fast-changing and affected by much wider social trends. This paper examines how researchers in the humanities currently access, use and share information, paying particular attention to the influence of new technologies in changing information — and consequently wider research — practices. It finds that researchers are adopting new technologies where this helps them to work more effectively, but that traditional practices still dominate in some areas. There is mixed evidence of new research questions emerging as a result of engagement with new technologies.

Direct to Complete Article

From INFOdocket

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The Gutenberg Parenthesis: Oral Tradition and Digital Technologies. MIT World video

Posted by Celia Walter | 17 Jan, 2012

...Thomas Pettitt makes the deliberately provocative case for a Gutenberg “Parenthesis” -- a period marked by the reign of the printing press and isolated from the largely oral culture that came before, and the digitally shaped culture emerging today. Pettitt, who finds an upside in society’s return to “something that resembles the past...

He finds “fundamental similarities between human kind’s oldest and pervasive media condition” (that of oral tradition), and the post-Gutenberg phenomenon of digital texts (not to mention sound and image). The entire history of media, Pettitt suggests, has been merely “interrupted by the age of print.”...

Responses from: Peter Donaldson and James Paradis

Link to video:  http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/775  Run time: 1 hour 55 minutes and 10 seconds

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The Information Economy Report 2011... UNCTAD

Posted by Celia Walter | 23 Oct, 2011
ICTs as an Enabler for Private Sector Development (PSD)  is the sixth in the flagship series published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The Report shows that the potential of leveraging information and communication technologies (ICTs) to develop the private sector is far from fully exploited.It finds that many national and donor strategies related to PSD currently fail to take adequate account of the ICT potential, which has greatly expanded thanks to changes in the global ICT landscape. The Report then makes policy recommendations on how to remedy this situation.

The Information Economy Report 2011 identifies four facets of the ICT-PSD interface and argues that policy interventions should take into account this holistic approach.

  1. ICT infrastructure as a factor in the investment climate.
  2. ICT use as a factor to improve the performance of the private sector.
  3. The ICT producing sector as a strategic component of the private sector.
  4. ICT use as a component of interventions aimed at facilitating PSD.

Executive Summary:
  English.

 From UN Pulse: Permanent Link: Information Economy Report 2011

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Global Information Technology 2010-2011...the coming transformations powered by ICT... on individuals, businesses and governments

Posted by Celia Walter | 21 Apr, 2011

Sweden and Singapore continue to top the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, released by the World Economic Forum, confirming the leadership of the Nordic countries and the Asian Tiger economies in adopting and implementing ICT advances for increased growth and development. Finland jumps to third place, while Switzerland and the United States are steady in fourth and fifth place respectively. The 10th anniversary edition of the report focuses on ICT’s power to transform society in the next decade through modernization and innovation. [South Africa ranks 61. Celia ]

The Nordic countries lead the way in leveraging ICT. With Denmark in 7th and Norway in 9th place, all are in the top 10, except for Iceland, which is ranked in 16th position. Led by Singapore in second place, the other Asian Tiger economies continue to make progress in the ranking, with both Taiwan, China and Korea improving five places to 6th and 10th respectively, and Hong Kong SAR following closely at 12th.

With a record coverage of 138 economies worldwide, the report remains the world’s most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations. The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) featured in the report examines how prepared countries are to use ICT effectively on three dimensions: the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; the readiness of the three key societal actors  individuals, businesses and governments  to use and benefit from ICT; and their actual usage of available ICT.

Under the theme Transformations 2.0, this 10th anniversary edition explores the coming transformations powered by ICT, with a focus on the impact they will have over the next few years.

The Networked Readiness Index uses a combination of data from publicly available sources, as well as the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum with its network of partner institutes (leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries included in the report. This survey of over 15,000 executives provides unique data on many qualitative dimensions important to assess national networked readiness. [This is a must see. Celia]

http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-information-technology

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The World in 2010: ICT Facts and Figures. ITU

Posted by Celia Walter | 21 Oct, 2010

These statistics from the International Telecommunication Union reveal that the number of Internet users worldwide doubled in the past five years and will surpass the two-billion mark in 2010, with...
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/material/FactsFigures2010.pdf


via Polity.org.za

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ICTs, Enterprises and Poverty Alleviation : Information Economy Report 2010

Posted by Celia Walter | 19 Oct, 2010

 

The Information Economy Report 2010: ICTs, Enterprises and Poverty Alleviation is the fifth in the flagship series published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,(UNCTAD).

This report is a valuable reference source for policymakers in developing countries since it monitors global trends related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) from a development perspective.The 2010 edition pays special attention to the potential impact of ICTs in enterprises for reducing poverty and improving livelihoods. The evidence presented in this Report suggests that more attention should be given by policymakers and other stakeholders to opportunities in this area.

The report is also available in French and Spanish.

UN Pulse: 

Permanent Link: Information Economy Report 2010

 

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The Information Dividend: Can IT make you ‘happier’?. BCS

Posted by Celia Walter | 28 May, 2010

A global study from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, shows that access to information technology has a ‘statistically significant, positive impact on life satisfaction’.

'Put simply, people with IT access are more satisfied with life even when taking account of income,’ said the study’s author, social scientist Michael Willmott.

‘Our analysis suggests that IT has an enabling and empowering role in people’s lives by increasing their sense of freedom and control, which has a positive impact on well-being or happiness,’ he continued.

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The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology, a must-see video from TED

Posted by Celia Walter | 23 Dec, 2009

I caught some of this presentation on Cape Town TV. Fascinating

http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

At TEDIndia, Pranav Mistry demos several tools that help the physical world interact with the world of data -- including a deep look at his SixthSense device and a new, paradigm-shifting paper "laptop." In an onstage Q&A, Mistry says he'll open-source the software behind SixthSense, to open its possibilities to all.

About Pranav Mistry

Pranav Mistry is the inventor of SixthSense, a wearable device that enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data. Full bio and more links

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ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2008

Posted by Celia Walter | 8 Jan, 2009

This 2008 ECAR research study is a longitudinal extension of the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 ECAR studies of students and information technology. The study is based on quantitative data from a spring 2008 survey of 27,317 freshmen and seniors at 90 four-year institutions and eight two-year institutions; student focus groups that included input from 75 students at four institutions; and analysis of qualitative data from 5,877 written responses to open-ended questions. In addition to studying student ownership, experience, behaviors, preferences, and skills with respect to information technologies, the 2008 study also includes a special focus on student participation in social networking sites.

Full text of report

  Foreword
Chapter 1 Executive Summary
Chapter 2 Introduction: Reshaping Campus Communication and Community through Social Network Sites
Chapter 3 Methodology and Respondent Characteristics
Chapter 4 Ownership of, Use of, and Skill with IT
Chapter 5 IT and the Academic Experience
Chapter 6 Social Networking Sites
Appendix A Acknowledgments
Appendix B Students and Information Technology in Higher Education: 2008 Survey Questionnaire
Appendix C Qualitative Interview Questions
Appendix D Participating Institutions and Survey Response Rates
Appendix E

Bibliography

 

Online Supporting Materials
Key Findings
Roadmap
Survey Instrument

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Social informatics: 2 sites from Intute.ac.uk

Posted by Celia Walter | 8 Jan, 2009
Social informatics
Social informatics is a comprehensive guide to research in the field of the interaction between society and information-communication technologies (ICT). It is provided by the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. There is an annotated bibliography of resources, which include journals, and lists of relevant professional associations, research centres and study programs. The webpage aims to be both an introductory guide to ICT research as well as serve advanced users. There is news and event information and an online forum.
http://www.social-informatics.org/

Social Informatics Resources
Social Informatics Resources is a wiki managed by Per Arne Godejord, Nesna University College, Norway. It aims to provide a guide to research resources and teaching materials for lecturers and students in social informatics and includes "video lectures, sound lectures, slideshare lectures, text based lectures, relevant search pages from Google, suggestions for curriculum and a guide to lecture SI". A student page has been established for "thoughts, comments and resources" contributed by students and others who wish to participate. The references are mainly in Norwegian. There are links to other social informatics wikis.
http://samfinfo.pbwiki.com/

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Bureau of Inverse Technology (BIT)

Posted by Celia Walter | 7 Jan, 2009
Bureau of Inverse Technology
This is the website of the Bureau of Inverse Technology (BIT). BIT was formed in Melbourne Australia in 1991 by engineer/theorist Natalie Jeremijenko and radio journalist Kate Rich, with artist Daniela Tigani. It has been based in the Cayman Islands since 1992. Originally BIT was formed as an anonymous group. It continues to work with information technology as its main material to address the hidden politics of the information age. The website contains extensive documentation of BIT's activity over more than a decade. The 'Decade Report' and 'Bureau Kits' present a number of individual projects. There are texts and images for each project as well as downloadable plans and instructions for the user to implement and develop. There is audio work in the 'Sparrow Report', which uses mobile phone technology to create audio recordings to "capture live data on the vanishing network of distributed sparrows around New York and London". There is also the BIT Antiterror line which also uses similar technology to chart infringements of civil liberties. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.bureauit.org/

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