Can the grammar of schooling be changed?

In this article we propose that the grammar of schooling [Tyack, D., & Tobin, W. (1994). The “grammar” of schooling: Why has it been so hard to change? American Educational Research Journal, 31(3), 453–479.] is responsible not only for the well-known and world-wide difficulties in integrating ICT into formal educational settings, but also for the replication of traditional models when this integration occurs. In clear contrast with this domain, in out-of-school projects ICT is integrated in innovative and truly “disruptive” [Blin, F., & Munro, M. (2008). Why hasn´t technology disrupted academics´ teaching practices. Understanding resistance to change through the lens of activity theory. Computers and Education, 50(2), 475–490.] ways. To exemplify this integration, we have selected and described two successful, although different in nature, out-of-school projects. The first one, Pincel y Ratón, seeks to develop creativity in children and to educate them to use ICT in a reflexive and useful manner. The second project, Menosca, pursues children’s understanding of their historical and social environment through the use of GPSs, digital photography and web-page design. Both experiences underscore the multiple and varied possibilities that ICT affords for meaningful learning when the constraints inherent to the school setting do not seem to apply. By contrasting the formal and the out-of-school experiences, it is possible to unveil and bring to consciousness the principles and rules of the “grammar of schooling”. We propose that becoming aware of the features of this grammar, i.e., philosophy, course design, time and place, tasks, resources, outcomes and products and assessment, is the first step toward change.     

‘You can't not go with the technological flow,can you?’ Constructing ‘ICT’ and ‘teaching and learning’

This paper seeks to show how ‘policy’, ‘management’ and ‘information and communications technology’ (ICT) were constructed for schools in England between 2000 and 2003 and to discuss some effects of these constructions on teaching and learning in the institutions involved in the InterActive Education Project. It argues that their contribution collectively constituted ‘ICT’ as a particular kind and form of challenge for schools, and that recognising the nature of this constitution is crucial to understanding the relationship between ICT and teaching and learning. Informed by an abductive methodology, this paper draws on analyses of policy documents and interviews with the head teachers of the educational institutions taking part in the InterActive Education Project to show how the possibilities and opportunities of using ICT were shaped by those constructions. It suggests that the main policy framing ICT in education over the period in question, the National Grid for Learning, had the provision of hardware and infrastructure as its main target, but offered little advice on how they might be used. This constituted the core of the management problem of ICT for schools. The final section of the paper outlines some of the mechanisms through which schools addressed these issues and discusses some possible implications for what counts as ‘teaching and learning’ with ‘ICT’.     

Testing a recent model of ICT in development: Botswana and its university

A recent model analyzing the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in development shows promise. The model coheres with theory on contingency, the problem of reductionism, and distinctions between deeply and shallowly inscribed organizational change arising from ICT. Conditions of e-readiness at the University of Botswana provide an opportune case study for the model. On the whole the original model holds up well, although the case study reveals relevant factors missed by the model: underlying support infrastructure and postimplementation growth in demand. Accordingly, we define an explicit role for time in the model and add a major new dimension of financial sustainability. These additions equip the model to better account for realities affecting ICT's role in development. Further research needs include case and cross-case studies of the revised model. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Advancement through interactive radio

This paper describes the rationale, design and implementation of a system for increasing the status women in developing communities. AIR (Advancement through Interactive Radio) gives female community radio listeners a voice with which to respond to programming and to create programming content. We first describe the cost of excluding women from Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development, and explore how community radio represents an opportunity for inclusion. We draw upon feasibility studies and site visits in Southeast Kenya to support the introduction of a mechanism that enables women to “talk back” to the community radio station. Using the principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR), we argue that women will be more likely to benefit from technology-mediated opportunities for development if they themselves produce information that contributes to their advancement, rather than simply consuming information provided by others. Finally, we describe the design and implementation of simple communications device that supports this model for use in communities that are, and will remain for some time, off the electrical and cellular grid. This hand-held device enables women to record voice feedback and news for community radio. This feedback is then routed asynchronously back to the radio station through a probabilistic, delay-tolerant network, where the feedback can inform subsequent broadcasts and facilitate additional discussion. We conclude with a technical summary of the AIR prototype.

基于ACP的动态网民群体运动组织建模与计算实验研究

由互联网促成的社会运动组织一经出现, 就受到了广大社会学者以及计算机领域专家的广泛关注. 一方面, 互联网特别是移动互联网在整合信息、引发共振、实时分享及高度互动等方面的特性, 为网民行为的大规模快速聚集提供了直通渠道, 使得多角度超视距观察并研究在线人群复杂行为及其组织特性成为可能; 另一方面, 这一研究在社会化媒体营销、共享经济、非军事组织行动中的应用意义愈加显著. 本文引入群体行为动力学和社会运动组织理论的研究, 提出基于ACP的动态网民群体运动组织(Cyber movement organizations, CMOs)研究方法. 本文工作首先使用多智能体建模方法构造双层结构的人工社区模型, 以此为基础对动态网民的个体以及群体动态组织行为展开计算实验探讨, 重点阐释了社区用户的交互行为机制及群体组织活动的建模机制, 为揭示微观个体简单行为对于宏观群体复杂涌现现象的影响奠定基础.     

Self-Organizing Production and Exchange

Consider autonomous agents endowed with two goods and the capability ofproducing each. Regularly each agent can produce one (only) of the goods or trade with other agents. Each good yields utility according to a utility function. This paper studies how utility-maximizing agents optimize in these circumstances, examines the aggregate characteristics of the resulting economy, and investigates the internal organization of production and exchange.     

浅谈OA系统在党政机关的应用

本文主要介绍了OA系统在党政机关无纸化办公、数字化建设、政务信息网络化服务中的应用,并就应用中存在的问题提出了相应的解决办法。     

Cultural issues in developing E-Government in Malaysia

In recent years, information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly web-based technologies, have created a more complex and challenging information technology (IT) environment for governments throughout the world. As more and more activities are migrating from physical to virtual media, users and employees have been faced with relentless pressure to use technology. This calls for a greater understanding of the human, social and cultural issues involved in the acceptance of IT systems by all stakeholders of the organisation. Indeed increasingly it has been acknowledged that one of the main determinants of IT success is organisational culture, and consequently the purpose of this research is to examine cultural barriers and enablers which have impeded or facilitated the implementation of E-Government initiatives in Malaysia. An anthropological framework based on the Grid and Group Cultural Theory of Mary Douglas is used to study this issue in more depth. This framework identifies four cultural cosmologies – hierarchism, egalitarianism, individualism and fatalism. We argue that cultural cosmologies can have both enabling and constraining characteristics and that cultural pluralism in the enabling forms of hierarchism, egalitarianism and individualism is essential for the successful implementation and operation of E-Government services. We illustrate these points through two case studies in Malaysia – one displaying constraining characteristics, which impeded IT implementation/use and the other displaying enabling characteristics, which facilitated IT implementation/use. Finally, a cross comparison of the two case studies on cultural issues is also provided.     

Gendered selves and identities of information technology professionals in global software organizations in India

Global software organization (GSOs) are a recent form of work settings where Information Technology (IT) professionals engage in information and communication technology (ICT) mediated software development work for businesses across the globe. Issues of self, identity, and gender are linked to particularities of GSOs as a work setting. Using an interpretative, ethnographic approach, empirical data from a case study in India was analyzed to understand how gender was expressed in GSOs and linked to the concepts of self and identity of IT workers. Data suggests that GSOs are a global work setting where local issues of gender reflect social arrangements in Indian society. These arrangements have implications for GSOs as a work setting, for software development work, as well as for the selves and identities of IT workers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.