The co-learning process in healthcare professionals: Assessing user satisfaction in virtual communities of practice

Communities of practice are nowadays an important concept in the healthcare sector. Particularly, the intensive use of ICT has allowed their creation into a virtual environment – Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) developing optimal conditions to make possible the collaborative learning process. The VCoPs antecedents can be situated on social network phenomenon, where individuals with different traits but a common interest/objective are linked, use ICT potency (especially social media) to interchange information, experiences and contents among them. And as a result, people create and share knowledge, and learn collaboratively. VCoP users have a higher satisfaction level in the collaborative learning process when they can: (1) Achieve benefits related to patient diagnosis and treatment (cost reductions, faster management, quality and accuracy of diagnosis, etc.); (2) Increase the share capital of participants and creating networks of trusted individuals. Given the interest in this topic, the objective of this work is to identify the factors that determine user satisfaction in relation to Community Practice (CoP) and the process of building shared knowledge. For this, a sample of 130 Spanish health professionals participating in an online community, and developed in a virtual community of practice, is discussed. The results obtained from an analysis of logistic regression show evidence of the perception of efficiency and effectiveness in collaboration with the members of the VCoP as positively influencing the perceived satisfaction with the CoP. Also, the degree of individual participation in the community affects the degree of perceived satisfaction. The conclusions provide interesting strategic recommendations in the management process of the CoP.     

Does ICT matter for effectiveness and efficiency in mathematics education?

ICT infrastructure investments in educational institutions have been one of the key priorities of education policy during the last decade. Despite the attention, research on the effectiveness and efficiency of ICT is inconclusive. This is mainly due to small-scale research with weak identification strategies which lack a proper control group. Using the 2011 ‘Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study’ (TIMSS) data, we define by a Mahalanobis matching a control group with similar student, teacher, school and regional characteristics. The results indicate that accounting or not accounting for these characteristics, may considerably alter the estimated impact of ICT. This suggests that a correction for characteristics related to the student population, teaching staff, administrative personnel and school management is warranted in the evaluation of the impact of ICT.     

The greenhouse gas abatement potential of enterprise cloud computing

In this paper we present a dynamic, country level methodology and model to determine the energy related Green House Gas (GHG) emissions abatement potential of enterprise cloud computing. The developed model focused upon demonstrating the impact of a move to cloud computing from traditional on-site computing, by creating country specific estimates of energy and GHG reductions. The methodology presented includes variables for market penetration, organisation size, and organisational adoption of on-site and cloud computing. Using the current enterprise cloud service applications of email, customer relationship management (CRM), and groupware against selected global countries, results indicated that 4.5 million tonnes of CO₂e could be reduced with an 80% market penetration for cloud computing. The majority of reductions were calculated to be from small and medium size organisations. A sensitivity analysis of the market penetration and current organisational adoption of cloud computing highlights the possible large variability in overall energy and GHG reductions. An analysis of the model and data used within this study illustrates a requirement for industry and academia to work closely in order to reach the large energy reductions possible with enterprise cloud computing.     

Investigating the relationship between perceived risks in communication and ICT-enabled communicative behaviors

We examine employees’ perceptions of communication problems in the workplace and their active communication behavioral responses when multiple information communication technologies (ICTs) are available for use. Through the lens of the situational theory of publics, we shed light on how employees adapt to increasing communication demands. We uncovered active technology-mediated behavior such as information gaining, action, and social interaction seeking, and their association with perceived risk (i.e., message, information and action). Findings suggest that technology-mediated communication behaviors are not only enabled by the use of ICTs but behavior also involves appropriate structuring of single and multiple ICTs to manage problems encountered during communication.     

The effects of geography lessons with geospatial technologies on the development of high school students' relational thinking

Geospatial technologies offer access to geospatial information via digital representations, such as digital maps, and tools for interaction with those representations. The question is whether geography lessons with geospatial technologies really contribute to the development of students' geospatial thinking, in particular geospatial relational thinking, as is suggested in the literature about geospatial technologies in secondary education. This paper reports about the outcomes of a quasi-experimental research project, in which a geography lesson series with geospatial technologies was compared with a conventional geography lesson series that had the same content. Although the lesson series covered only three lessons, the data showed that the lesson series with geospatial technologies contributed significantly more to the development of students' geospatial relational thinking than the conventional lesson series. The effect size was ‘medium large’.     

An analysis of variables affecting the ICT literacy level of Korean elementary school students

With the study aim of examining individual- and school-level variables affecting the ICT literacy level of Korean elementary school students, a stratified sample of 11,767 students in 173 schools was analyzed using a two-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) and a two-level hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM). Students' ICT literacy level was classified into four levels: below basic, basic, average, and excellent. First, HLM analysis results revealed that male student, completion of computer courses, log usage time for purposes other than study and satisfaction level of students in classes using ICT have positive effects on ICT literacy score, but that log usage time for study has a negative effect at the individual level. In addition, major city, achievement level and number of PCs per student have a positive influence at the school level. At the individual level, the results from HGLM analysis showed that the ICT level of female students was higher than that of male students in average or lower levels. The completion status of computer courses had a significant effect on the probability of attaining a basic or average level. The satisfaction level of students in classes using ICT had a positive influence on attaining a higher level of ICT literacy. At the school level, the number of PCs per student had a significant effect on the probability of attaining an average level. The ICT literacy of schools located in major cities was higher than that in rural area in average level.     

How to successfully promote ICT usage: A comparative analysis of Denmark and Japan

The paper presents a comparative analysis of two advanced ICT nations, Japan and Denmark. While Japan is very advanced with respect to its telecommunications infrastructure, Denmark has come further than Japan regarding the use of ICT infrastructures. This paper compares Denmark, a leader in ICT usage, and Japan, which lags in that regard, analyzes differences in institutions, technologies, and services offered, and examines factors contributing to the success of Denmark in promoting ICT usage from a Japanese perspective. Strong governmental leadership, and common techno-infrastructure such as personal ID and digital signature that serve different systems, and user-orientation of service design are the characteristics of Danish efforts absent in Japan.     

TD-LTE主设备节能新技术简介

如何在节能减排的大背景下,不断开拓新思路、运用新技术,在不影响网络质量的情况下尽可能的提升设备能效是网络发展的必由之路,本文重点介绍了应用于TD-LTE主设备的几种节能新技术,通过对4G系统架构的分析,从硬件和软件2个方面着重阐述了新技术的原理及节能效果。     

A confessional account of community entry: doing critically reflexive ICT4D work in a deep rural community in South Africa*

ABSTRACT

In this paper I reflect on the community entry phases of doing a critical ethnography in a traditional Zulu community in a deep rural part of South Africa. I present my reflections in the form of confessional narratives on community entry and on how an Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) project was introduced in the community. Drawing on a basic principle of doing social science research, I ask: In what ways should I achieve self-emancipation, in order to ensure the on-going emancipation and empowerment of the people I engage with? I also ask: How should one do critically reflexive community entry and ICT4D project introduction in communities that embrace a people-orientated worldview? The paper is practice-orientated in that it demonstrates critical self-reflexive community entry in a particular ICT4D project situation, how community entry encounters informed follow-up work, and how cultural interpreters empowered me to do community entry successfully. Methodologically, the paper contributes by demonstrating the value of using narrative examples to represent virtuoso expertise of how I developed knowledge of self-reflexivity while excavating hidden social meanings from an ICT4D project situation.     

三维ICT图像处理与分析系统关键算法研究

该文介绍了ICT图像处理与分析系统关键算法的研究,即三维重建算法的改进和为提高测量精度所采用的双线性插值算法。改进的重建算法提高了三维面显示的效果,有效地抑制了三维面显示中的阶梯效应。另外,采用的测量算法使得测量误差在0.05mm以内,可以满足绝大部分工业CT应用的需求。