I dagens informationssamhälle ses kunskap om IKT som en viktig kompetens för att människor ska fungera i samhälle och näringsliv. Källor visar på flera motiv till varför barn i tidig ålder ska introduceras för datoranvändning (då datorn som verktyg kan generera ny kunskap och möjliggöra nya arbetssätt). Utifrån en kvalitativ metod har vi undersökt retoriken bakom barnens datoranvändning på förskolan. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med två rektorer för att ta reda på deras pedagogiska idéer om och satsningar på IKT. Med utgångspunkt ur detta har även två fokusgruppintervjuer genomförts med pedagogerna i deras arbetslag med syfte att studera vad dessa uttrycker för tankar om att använda IKT i den pedagogiska verksamheten. Utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv blir termer som samspel, meningsskapande och artefakter centrala. Resultatet visar bland annat på ambitioner hos både rektorer och pedagoger gällande utveckling av IKT-arbetet på förskolan, samtidigt som det praktiska arbetet förekommer i väldigt liten skala. Vidare påvisas att inga egentliga utvärderingar sker kring de satsningar som genomförs gällande IKT på förskolan. I diskussionen ställer vi oss kritiska till den bristande kommunikation som ses mellan rektorer och arbetslag gällande IKT-satsningarnas implementering i verksamheten. Studien behandlar även behovet av kompetensutveckling samt bakomliggande orsaker till hur arbetet med IKT organiseras. Avslutningsvis formuleras råd till rektorer och pedagoger för utveckling av IKT-arbetet inom förskolan. / In today's society ICT-knowledge is viewed as an important skill for humans to function in society and business. Sources indicate motives which underline the importance of the fact that children at an early age are introduced to computing, as the computer becomes a tool to generate new knowledge and enable new ways of working. Based on a qualitative approach, we have studied the reasoning behind children's computer use in preschool. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two principals to determine their opinions on educational benefits of and investments in ICT. On this basis we have also, through focus groups, studied what kind of thoughts teachers express on ICT in educational practice. From a sociocultural perspective terms like interaction, meaning and artifacts became central. The results show that the principals and teachers both have ambitions regarding the development of ICT work at the preschool, while the practical work occurs on a very small scale. The study further demonstrated that no real evaluation takes place regarding the ICT-investments in preschool. In the discussion we are critical to the lack of communication that is seen between principals and their teacher-teams regarding the implementation of ICT-investments in the practice. We also discuss the teachers’ need for further education regarding ICT-development and the underlying causes of the use of ICT today. In the conclusion we present guidelines for the development of ICT work in preschool.

A comparative study between old school which is considered to be boring and out of context by (many student) to new school of teaching where divers IT and ICT gadgets are used and their implications in creating a positive teacher student relationship from the very start to promote emergent literacy within preschool class. This ethnographic study examines how two preschool class teachers incorporate both old and new methods to create interest for learning and meaningfulness among their students in accordance with the national goals for education and lifelong learning. How does IT and ICT promote teaching and learning in preschool class? In what ways do teachers incorporate into classroom experiences? What are the group dynamics between teacher- student, and student- and their peers during a classroom scenario with the conventional paper and pen and technological aid?  With these central questions the study was conducted as an participant observation which resulted in preschool class children find it lot easier to communicate not only with teachers but also with their classmates during classroom activities where IT and ICT is incorporated than when teachers take on the role what they call old school which tends to become one-sided.  The results show that creating meaningfulness among ones students is largely based upon the teachers own interest in the focus group. From a socio-cultural perspective, it is evident that terms such as interaction, meaningfulness, symbols and artifacts become central. Results from the study shows even though many in-service teachers and principals are very much for including IT and ICT as teaching resource. Ambiguity of national norms and goals when we talk of preschool classes in the nation could be one the many reasons why they fail to meet their students expectations and demands. This in turn could be one of the considerable reasons for the depression in high school students failing to meet the national educational standards. / Utgångspunkten i detta examensarbete är en jämförande studie mellan gamla skolan och dess undervisningsätt vilken anses vara tråkig och utan sammanhang bland många elever och nya skolans undervisning med IT och IKT som didaktisk undervisningsmetod. Dess konsekvenser för att skapa en positiv relation mellan lärare och elev från första början för att främja framväxande och skrivkunnighet inom förskoleklass.En etnografisk undersökning av hur två förskoleklasslärare gagnar både de gamla och nya metoderna för att skapa intresse för lärande och meningsskapande bland sina elever i enlighet med nationella målen för ett livslångt lärande och hållbar utveckling. Hur främjar IT och IKT lärandet i förskoleklassen? På vilka sätt införlivar lärare upplevelser i klassrummet. Vad är gruppdynamik mellan lärare och elev, samt gruppdynamik mellan eleverna i ett klassrumsscenario med den konventionella papper/penna och tekniska stöd? Med dessa centrala frågor genomfördes studien som en deltagande observation. Detta resulterade i att förskoleklassbarnen tycker att det är mycket lättare att kommunicera inte bara med lärare utan även med sina klasskamrater under klassrumsaktiviteter där IT och IKT ingår än när lärare tar på sig rollen i den så kallade gamla skolan som tenderar att bli ensidig. Resultaten visar att skapa meningsfullhet bland elever till stor del baseras på lärarnas eget intresse i fokusgruppen. Ur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv är det uppenbart att begrepp som interaktion, meningsfullhet, symboler och artefakter blir central. Resultaten från studien visar att det finns ett stort intresse och ambitioner från rektor och lärare att införa bland annat IT och IKT i undervisningen. På grund av tvetydigheten i de nationella målen och normer när man talar om förskoleklass har detta orsakat många lärare och skolor att misslyckas med att uppfylla elevernas förväntningar och krav, vilket i sin tur kan vara en av de stora orsakerna till det ökande antalet gymnasieelever som inte uppfyller de nationella kunskapsmålen i Sverige.

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This paper examines the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on health using the data of 61 countries between 2000 and 2009 from the World Bank. The ICT variables considered in this paper include internet, fixed phones, and mobile phones. Based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations, we select several health variables and examine the impact of ICT on these variables. These variables include life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio, and prevalence of HIV. The estimation strategies are the pooling OLS model, the fixed effect model, and the random effect model. The empirical results suggest that ICT indeed plays a significant role in improving the health level of a country. ICT effectively decreases infant mortality rates and children mortality rates, and also increases life expectancy. This finding supports the viewpoints of United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that ICT has great potential in improving a country¡¦s health. The finding also confirms the arguments of several literatures, including McNamara (2007) and Lucas (2008), that ICT can lead to a more effective health system. In addition, we also find that fixed phones and mobile phones, which have more powerful functions in communicating and have greater flexibility, help decrease deaths due to acute diseases or emergencies; while internet displays more profound impact on improving health with the accumulation of time. Our results suggest that adopting and promoting ICT is an effective way for developing countries and less-developed countries to enhance the level of health of people. We also expect that ICT can help these countries to meet at least part of the Millennium Development Goals.

<p>The purpose of this bachelor paper is to analyze the different technologies used for supporting inter-organizational project work and how these technologies influence the project’s overall success. The results of this research have proved that the main impact ePM tools (e-Project Management tools) have upon inter-organizational projects are in terms of time-savings and easiness of communication when in need for communicating abroad with different business partners. Various types of collaboration tools can help the communication process between organizations and provide the project participants with the means of creating and supporting a collaborative environment. Other perceived benefits of ePM tools have been resulted including: reduce project costs due to time-savings and quality of information which lowers the risks for deficiency occurrences; improve the decision-making process; improve internal and external communication; facilitate knowledge sharing and expertise exchange; and create an agile business environment characterized by innovation, flexibility, faster market reaction and ability to work efficiently. Global time zones and communication skills are challenges to creating an efficient collaborative inter-organizational environment.</p>

<p>This work focuses on collaborative learning and how it canbe applied and supported in distance education. Previous workindi-cates that distance learners experience more loneliness,technical problems and lack of stimulation than face-to-facelearners do. Collaboration with peers may improve the feelingof connectedness and engagement. However, collaborativelearning is not the answer to all problems in distanceeducation--and it creates new problems. The present workexplores problems, opportunities and processes whencollaborative learning is introduced in distance education--andsuggests solutions.</p><p>Related research on distance education andcomputer-supported collaborative learning is reviewed andrelated to own research. The different roles of information andcommunication technology in these areas are described.</p><p>Six own research papers are reviewed and integrated. Threeof them explore university courses on computer use in society.Learners interacted mainly through a forum system, i.e. asystem for text-based, asynchronous electronic conferences anddiscussions. The special character offorum communication hadan impact on communication and collaboration processes. Onepaper summarizes these results and deduces a first list of tipsto teachers and systems designers, aiming to reduce problemsand take advantage of collabo-rative-learningopportunities.</p><p>One paper, a report to the Swedish School Board, provides anoverview of research on distance education, withrecommendations for use in secondary schools.</p><p>To get a broader picture of distance-education learners andtheir special situation and interests, a study was conducted inAustralia. Most of the learners were secondary-school students,living far away from towns. Communication was normallyrestricted to mail, radio and telephone. Opportunities forcollaboration between peers were rare, and correspondencetraditions and the lack of technological infrastructure weredelaying changes. However, a development towards morecollaborative learning had started.</p><p>Empirical data were gathered ethnographically in naturalcourse settings. Results were analysed using 'activity theory'as a framework.</p><p>The main contribution of this work is a description of howthree groups of learning processes develop and interact: (a) ofcontent, (b) of communication, and (c) of collaboration. Theyform the spiralling model of a<b>"Triple Helix"</b>. Finally, detailed advice is given aschecklists to organisations, teachers, learners and systemdesigners.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Distance education, Collaborative learning,Computer-supported collaborative learning, Information andcommuni-cation technology, ICT, Forum system, Learningprocesses.</p>

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to conceptualize the idea of a “digital civil society”. During the latest half-century, technological developments in the areas of information and communication have been increasingly ingrained in everyday-life of many people. Not surprisingly, politics have also been affected by these developments. The concept of a global civil society is getting increasingly fashionable, and it is my belief that this global civil society in many ways is related to the technological developments manifested in the digital revolution. From this point of departure, it is my intent to depict the idea of a digital civil society within a conceptual framework substantiated by a number of cases of collective action where the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has been instrumental. By doing this, my intention is to see if, and how, the ICT revolution is altering civil society organization, mobilization, advocacy and action.</p><p>The essay has five parts. First, there is a brief introduction of the subject where the main research issues are put forward. The second part describes the methodology and defines the central concepts; global civil society, globalization and the ICT revolution. This framework, elaborated more thoroughly in part three, will serve as both goal and means for the research as it constitutes the research method as well as a potential basis for further research in the area. In part four, a number of cases of civil society collective action are portrayed and analyzed in connection to the conceptual framework. In some of these cases, ICT is used as a way to support and supplement more traditional “offline” collective action whereas in the second part of this chapter, cases of more pure “online action” are described. With the features and characteristics of these case studies in mind, the aim is to identify tendencies supporting the idea of a possibly emerging digital civil society. In the last chapter, there is a discussion concerning the potential characteristics and outcomes of such a digital civil society. I also present a model describing the logic of the conceptual framework and the processes and concepts which are central to this study.</p><p>My conclusions are meant to create an environment conducive to further research on the subjects I have studied. First, it appears as if the logic of “networking” as power structure within civil society is favourable for organization, participation, communication, mobilization and action. As such, the networked, dynamic and horizontal character of the Internet seems to influence the organizational character of many civil society entities. Secondly, the Internet’s ability to allow for many-to-many communication seems to contribute to a broader and more inclusive way to debate issues of all kinds. Thirdly, ICT in some ways appears to “individualize” collective action, a development possibly related to the individual and isolating character of Internet use itself and the relative anonymity which can be enjoyed online. In sum, these findings suggest that the idea of a digital civil society broadens the base of collective action and, to some extent, reduces the costs of participation.</p>

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are having remarkable effects and promise potential solutions to many of the South Pacific islands’ geographic, economic and social challenges. Access to ICTs is also an increasingly important factor for education and training in the region. While the Pacific eLearning Observatory, supported by the University of the South Pacific, has been monitoring the development and access to ICT in education across the 12 university’s campuses, studies that specifically examine the attitudes and understanding of educators working on the islands of the South Pacific towards the use of ICT in their profession, as well as for their professional development, are rare. This study aims at addressing the gap in the literature by examining the professional development of facilitators working in blended learning environment across the remote islands of the Cook Islands. The research outcomes of this study are based on the analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and the theoretical foundation of this thesis is grounded in the social and situated theory of learning. By closely examining the facilitators’ perceptions, the project sheds new light on the still little recognised concept of online communities of practice in teaching and learning. The central finding of the study is that participation in online communities of practice offers on-going opportunities for learning, development and support, and reduces the feeling of remoteness and isolation associated with the geographical conditions of the South Pacific region.

This dissertation investigated the bottom-up technology transmission process in a country with varied levels of technology diffusion, such as Chile. In particular, I explored how children act as technology brokers within their families by influencing their parents' adoption of and learning about digital media, so as to include older generations in the digital environment. In order to do this, I measured to what extent this process occurs, I proposed a typology of factors that intervene in the process and analyzed the outcomes variables related to the phenomenon. Methodologically, I used a mixed-methods research approach by combining in-depth interviews with a self-administered paper-and-pencil survey taken by dyads of one parent and one child. I analyzed 28 interviews involving one 12 to 18-year-old child and one parent or legal guardian (14 dyads) stratified by socioeconomic background, age, and gender. In addition, I conducted the parent-child survey among school-aged children and their parents in three schools, stratified by socioeconomic status. One class per cohort from 7th to 11th grades was randomly surveyed. In total, 381 students and 251 parents completed the surveys. The analyses showed that bottom-up technology transmission occurs at some degree for all the technologies investigated in this study. However, children's influence should not be overstated because they play only one part among a number of factors involved in the digital inclusion of older generations. It also established a typology of factors related to the process at different levels, including structural influences, family structure, strategies employed by youth, and psychological dispositions of parents. Specifically, the analyses consistently found that this process was more likely to occur among people from a lower socioeconomic status. Also, the transmission was associated with more fluid parent-child interactions and occurred among parents who perceived the technology to be useful. Regarding the outcome variables, it demonstrated that this phenomenon is linked, although weakly, to greater levels of perceived competence among parents and higher esteem among young people. Finally, it suggested that bottom-up technology transmission is associated with the reduction of some socioeconomic gaps in digital media use. / text

This thesis contributes to the quality of engineering education and the accessibility of education worldwide by promoting computer-enhanced teaching and learning. It uses the epistemology of John Dewey (1859-1952) and the action research methodology first advanced by Kurt Lewin (1890-1947). A mixed methods approach that combines qualitative case studies with quantitative research methods is used. In the first of three case studies engineering students working on their final degree projects participated. To elicit interaction, a learning management system (LMS) was used and the students were strongly encouraged to discuss various aspects of their work. The second case focused on the barriers to a wider utilization of educational software in engineering education. The case is delimited to lecturers at the School of Engineering at the University of Borås. The investigation focuses on the lecturers’ reluctance to use educational technology and the slow uptake of new pedagogical methods in engineering education. The third case study covers three subsets of participants. A course intended to improve lecturers handling skills and motivation to utilize educational software in a pedagogically sound manner was given in Cuba, Guatemala and Peru. The first case demonstrated that computer-enhanced collaborative learning can improve the learning experience and performance of engineering students. The second case showed that LMS tools that facilitate traditional methods are used routinely, whereas lecturers often refrain from using features intended to facilitate collaboration and the creation of communities of learners. The third case study investigated the use of a complete course package, with all course material and software contained on the same USB drive (LiveUSB Mediated Education, LUME). It is asserted that LUME can facilitate constructivist pedagogical methods and help overcome the reluctance of lecturers to utilize educational software in a pedagogical sound way.