While the need to 'involve the user' in information technology (IT) development is almost a mantra amongst information systems specialists, numerous IT projects continue to fail because of an ...inability to capture user insights or respond to users needs. Although there are clearly practical difficulties in addressing and responding to the heterogeneous requirements expressed by different users, marginalizing these views ultimately is to the detriment of the systems built. This paper describes the development of an electronic clinical handover system at the Department of General Internal Medicine (DGIM), Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH). More specifically, the paper aims to highlight how to engage meaningfully with clinicians in the development of a sustainable system. It is anticipated that by drawing attention to the importance of users and by outlining the practical experience of dealing with the diversity of requirements and views expressed, the paper can contribute to a stronger recognition within the domain of eHealth for a user-centred systems approach to IT development.
The ICT Teacher's Handbook is an indispensable guide for all teachers responsible for the teaching and management of ICT in the secondary school, both as a comprehensive introduction for students ...learning to teach ICT and as a source of ongoing support for busy practising teachers.
Illustrated throughout with case studies, key further reading and guidance on where to find and how to choose the best software and resources, the book also features a guide to specifications, software for whole school support and a useful glossary of key terms. Key topics covered include:
Organising and delivering the ICT National Curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 and post 16
Teaching and learning with VLEs, IWBs, social networking and mobile technologies
Assessment, record keeping and reporting
Popular hardware, software and networks
External assessment, target setting and tracking
Managing technical support and technicians
Preparing for promotion and managing an ICT department
Strategies for whole school management of ICT
Written for trainee and experienced ICT teachers and managers in both English and international schools, The ICT Teacher's Handbook is an authoritative guide designed to support effective teaching and learning, and efficient use of technology in all schools.
The capabilities, tools and websites we associate with new information communication technologies and social media are now ubiquitous. Moreover tools that were designed to facilitate innocuous ...conversation and social interaction have had unforeseen political impacts. Nowhere was this more visible than during the 2011 uprisings across the Arab World. From Tunis to Cairo, and Tripoli to Damascus protest movements against authoritarian rule openly utilized social networking and file sharing tools to publicize and organize demonstrations and to catalogue human rights abuses. The Arab Spring, or Jasmine Revolution, was an event that was both witnessed and played out in real time online. This article explores the impacts and effects of these technologies on regimes in East Asia, in particular exploring the extent to which they proffer new capabilities upon activists and reformers in the region’s semi-democratic and authoritarian regimes. Drawing on data on Internet and smartphone use, as well as case studies that explore the role of these technologies on the 2008 and 2011 general elections in Malaysia and Singapore respectively, this article suggests that the Internet and social networking platforms do present unique opportunities for activists, citizens and social movements.
Africa and African libraries and information centres are poorly equipped to make a meaningful contribution to the current global digital knowledge economy. Low local content on the Web retards buy-in ...from local communities into digital resources and inhibits development of digital skills. A library with content of local relevance will encourage communities to make use of library services, especially if they are empowered to participate in development of the content. Public libraries serving ethnic communities whose histories are locked up in written, pictorial and oral traditions are well positioned to provide a platform for public engagement in the collecting and disseminating of indigenous knowledge in the communities they serve. This paper presents a case study in community participation in developing content for a digital library of local indigenous knowledge. Description of the programme highlights interaction between the library, the community and the technology used. Implementation challenges, results and lessons learnt are discussed and benefits to the community pointed out. In providing an online, contextually-based information service to local communities, public libraries in Africa will ensure future-oriented access to cultural heritage resources through 21st century information communication technologies (ICTs). The potential to reduce the digital divide will be enhanced and African communities will be introduced to the global information society.
The European e-infrastructure is the ICT support for research although the infrastructure will be extended for commercial/business use. It supports the research process across funding agencies to ...research institutions to innovation. It supports experimental facilities, modelling and simulation, communication between researchers, and workflow of research processes and research management. We propose the core should be CERIF: an EU recommendation to member states for exchanging research information and for homogeneous access to heterogeneous information. CERIF can also integrate associated systems (such as finance, human resource, project management, and library services) and provides interoperation among research institutions, research funders, and innovators.
The metabolic syndrome caused by visceral-fat obesity is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis. This study used a new information communication technology (ICT) to investigate body weight (BW) and ...blood pressure (BP) changes in response to nutritional guidance. Obese subjects with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or impaired glucose tolerance received guidance with the ICT method (n = 13) or face-to-face according to conventional methods (n = 39). The effects of the methods were compared. After 12 weeks, significant weight loss and BP reduction were observed in the ICT group. Also, significant higher improvements were observed in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and HbA1c in the ICT-group compared with those groups using the conventional method. The effectiveness of the ICT method in reducing BW, BP, total and LDL cholesterol, and HbA1c was demonstrated.
A study to investigate the current state of Information Communication Technology policy of the University of Ghana Distance Education (DE) programme and the extent of awareness and use of ICTs in ...general by the DE learners was carried out. The survey methodology was adopted using questionnaire and interview instruments. Respondents were made up of 120 DE students, the coordinator of the DE programme, and 5 workers at the DE unit. The questionnaires were distributed to all the 120 students while the workers responded to a semi-structured interview. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage frequency distribution and examining relationships). The main findings of the study revealed that there was a policy statement on providing ICT-based support to the DE learners; however, this policy has not yet been implemented. Most of the DE students were fully aware of ICT and majority of them use the internet across the regions. The students had positive attitude towards ICTs in that they deemed it necessary in the course of their studies and were willing to pay for ICT services. The main barriers identified that could affect the usefulness of the various ICTs were electricity, cost and accessibility. The study recommends among others, the forging of partnerships between distance education programmes and ICT companies, the networking of DE centres and the use of diverse ICT facilities, among others.
This study appraised the level of usage of satellite imaging and selected Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools by agricultural extension workers (EWs) in the North Central Zone of ...Nigeria. Specifically, information on usage of satellite imaging, personal skill ratings, and constraints faced by respondents in the usage of ICT equipment were gathered. Findings revealed that a majority of the respondents (97%) perceived themselves as incompetent in reading and interpreting satellite imaging for agricultural information dissemination. The study posited that government at various levels should assist in training EWs on digital compatibility.
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