D.Phil. (Engineering Management) / Women play a major role in the society as caregivers, communicators and providers. Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) help to co-ordinate some aspects of rural women’s life, and their future rural economy will be information and knowledge-driven one. Rural women’s participation in decision-making and contribution to the male-dominated ICT environment are of growing importance. This research will guide us to rethink how rural women’s use of ICTs can provide them more opportunities and improve their quality of life. In this research we analyze what constitutes rural women empowerment through the use of ICTs, and provide an overview of empowerment indicators. This research will focus on the provisioning of ICT in rural areas in South Africa and women’s inherent abilities to contribute to the socio-economic status of households using ICTs. The aim of this research is to address the gendered digital divide and empower rural women in South Africa through the use of ICT. If rural women are given the opportunity for capacity building, ICT training and development they will be ready to take the ICT leap in the coming years. The research highlights gender-sensitive issues such as feminisms and women’s development through ICTs. The qualities of the empowered women and the elements of rural women empowerment through the use of ICTs are elaborated. The discussions on various data collection methods suited for feminist research and specifically for ICT for women’s development (ICT4WD) research is presented. The theories, paradigms and African belief systems underpinning women empowerment are carefully analyzed. The research reveals ICT projects used to empower women in many developing countries and throws light on shortcomings of the South African legal frameworks that have implications on rural women empowerment. A theoretical framework is developed for rural women empowerment though the use of ICTs. The framework serves as a guiding principle to revisit the SA B-BBEE legal framework and BEE ICT score-card. Some light will be thrown on the plight of rural women in South Africa and various challenges they face to use and access ICT. We believe this research paves the way to critically think about women’s issues and how to empower the disempowered rural women living in South Africa through ICTs. The research focuses on the effective strategies, through the framework that would contribute to empower the disempowered rural women in South Africa through ICTs.

Abstract The purpose of the research is to crystallise and test a learning model when the object of study is in an area of education called technology education. On a nominal level, it can be defined as education for a world based on technology. The starting point for the research is contemplation of everyday technological problems. Because some citizens cope with technological problems better than others, there must be differences in technological literacy. In this research these differences are assumed to be dependent on how technology is learnt. In consequence, some of us adopt technology better than others. Some people are technologically literate. The students in technology oriented teacher education are supposed to be such people, and their skills and knowledge are analysed according to the model crystallised in technology learning. To define the learning of technology in the connection of technology education, the concepts of education and technology are considered on a general level. Education is connected with skills and knowledge. The most essential thing in it is man-machine interaction. A prerequisite for its existence is technological creativity and skills and knowledge in technology. In primary and lower secondary education, knowledge and skills connected with technology are learnt in handicrafts, especially technical work, and in mathematics and science, especially physics. It should be possible to provide technological literacy through those school subjects. To make it possible to crystallise the model of technology learning in technology education using the elements described above, the concept of technology needs to be operationalised. For this purpose the content situation in Finland and western industrialised countries is analysed. This can be seen in the literature published for technology studies. For technology learning, the essential starting point is the technological substance, referring to everything that humans have created. In technology teaching it is considered on the level of "situational empiry". Appropriate methods have to be used to make technology learning efficient. In this way it is possible to reach the theoretical level of understanding in technology. This kind of know-how will increase the substance of technology education, because it is used in new learning situations. When this state of things is reached, the learner can be considered as having properly adopted technology and he can be said to be technologically literate. We can ask if technology can be adopted by any citizen in the sense of a structure crystallised for learning technology. In the Finnish circumstances, is it really about technology education, or is technology learnt as a collection of unconnected items in a technological education? To find out, the testees were subjected to tests of six and twenty tasks using an application for technology oriented teacher education. According to the test results, the skill and knowledge of the subjects compared using the elaborated model indicated that their technological literacy was more a result of technological education than technology education. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on kehittää ja kokeilla teoreettista mallia, jonka avulla voidaan hahmottaa teknologian oppimista, kun tavoitteena on teknologinen yleissivistys. Tässä kontekstissa teknologiakasvatus ymmärretään kasvatustieteen tutkimuskohteeksi. Nominaalisen määritelmän mukaan teknologiakasvatus on teknologiseen maailmaan kasvattamista. Tutkimuksen lähtökohtana on arkielämän teknologisten ongelmien pohdinta. Koska toiset selviytyvät teknologisista ongelmista paremmin kuin toiset, teknologisessa yleissivistyksessä täytyy olla eroja. Tutkimuksessa oletetaan, että nämä erot johtuvat teknologian oppimisesta. Oppimisen seurauksena osaa kansalaisista voidaan pitää teknologisesti sivistyneinä. Tällaisia henkilöitä oletetaan olevan teknologiapainotteisen luokanopettajakoulutuksen opiskelijoiden, joiden teknologiaan liittyviä tietoja ja välillisesti myös taitoja analysoidaan kiteytetyn teknologian oppimisen mallin perusteella. Jotta teknologian oppimista voitaisiin määrittää teknologiakasvatuksen kontekstissa, kasvatuksen ja teknologian käsitteitä tarkastellaan toistensa yhteydessä. Teknologian olemassaolon edellytys on teknologinen luovuus sekä teknologiset tiedot ja taidot. Yleissivistävässä koulussa teknologiaan liittyviä tietoja ja taitoja opitaan käsitöissä, erityisesti teknisissä töissä sekä matemaattis-luonnontieteellisissä oppiaineissa, erityisesti fysiikassa. Näiden puitteissa tulee olla mahdollista hankkia teknologinen yleissivistys. Jotta edellä kuvatuista elementeistä olisi mahdollista kiteyttää teknologiakasvatuksessa tapahtuvan teknologian oppimisen malli, teknologiakasvatuksen käsite tulee operationaalistaa. Sitä varten analysoidaan teknologian oppimisen sisällöllinen tila Suomessa ja läntisissä teollisuusmaissa. Tämä ilmenee yleissivistävää opiskelua varten julkaistusta kirjallisuudesta. Teknologisen yleissivistyksen kannalta keskeiseksi muodostuu oppimisen lähtökohta, teknologinen substanssi. Sillä tarkoitetaan kaikkea ihmisen tekemää, jota otetaan tarkasteltavaksi teknologian opetuksessa tilanteellisen empirian tasolle. Jotta oppiminen olisi tehokasta, teknologiakasvatuksessa on käytettävä siihen soveltuvia menetelmiä. Näin on mahdollista päästä teknologian teoreettiseen ymmärrykseen. Tällainen tietotaito lisää teknologiakasvatuksen substanssia, koska se on käytettävissä uusissa oppimistilanteissa. Millaista teknologinen yleissivistys on teknologian oppimisesta kiteytetyn struktuurin merkityksessä? Onko Suomen olosuhteissa kyse teknologiakasvatuksesta, vai opitaanko teknologiaa toisistaan irrallisina kokonaisuuksina teknologisen kasvatuksen puitteissa? Tämän selville saamiseksi koehenkilöiden teknologista yleissivistystä mitataan opettajankoulutukseen pyrittäessä esitettävien hakuasiakirjojen sekä kuuden ja kahdenkymmenen tehtävän testin avulla. Kun opiskelijoiden tietoja ja taitoja arvioidaan kiteytetyn oppimisen malliin perustuen, koehenkilöiden teknologisen yleissivistyksen voi kuvata ennemmin teknologisen kasvatuksen kuin teknologiakasvatuksen tulokseksi.

Technology integration in the curriculum remains a challenge at different levels in the education system. In one Caribbean 4-year college, faculty are expected to prepare preservice teachers to integrate technology in classroom instruction. When preservice teachers are not prepared for technology integration, interventions are necessary to address this challenge of technology integration. The purpose of this qualitative bounded intrinsic case study was to gain an understanding of the process of technology integration by instructors at the research site. Davies' theory for understanding technological literacy and the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge model conceptually framed this study. A purposeful sample of 13 instructors who integrated technology in their curricula and volunteered to participate were observed, interviewed, and provided documentation to explore how they integrated technology in their courses. Data were coded typologically using a priori codes and inductively to identify major themes regarding instructors' challenges and perceptions of technology integration. Instructors were consistent in their integration of technology, increased technology use when they held a positive view of technology, and did not use sufficient web-based tools. They expressed a need for additional technology integration training, because there is an absence of training opportunities offered in the area of technology integration. Based on these findings, a 3-day technology integration workshop was created for the instructors. These endeavors may contribute to positive social change by empowering instructors to adopt pedagogy that can transform the college classroom environment and can support instructors' teaching and learning, thus, preparing preservice teachers to embrace technology in their classrooms.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Technological literacy is a competency that is widely espoused both locally and internationally (UNESCO, 1984; TAAP, 1991). Technological literacy has been described as a multi-dimensional construct consisting of a knowledge, skills and an affective component. This study investigated learner performance in the cognitive domain. Intact classes of Foundation (Grade 3), Intermediate (Grade 6) and Senior phase (Grade 9) learners from 12 Western Cape schools participated in a standardised paper-and-pencil assessment, the Pupil's Understanding of Technology (PUT) test. The study attempted to measure the effect of two variables - geographic location and gender, on learner knowledge and understanding of technology. The main substantive findings to emerge are firstly that geographic location is significantly related to performance in specific content areas of technology. Secondly, gender appears to be less significant in determining learner knowledge of technology on most questions. Furthermore, the level of knowledge of technology appears to correspond with phase or developmental level, thus supporting the conception of technological knowledge as a subset of general achievement. In addition, this study describes various methodological limitations pertaining to the PUT format and content. The main methodological limitations to an assessment of learner knowledge and understanding of technology using the PUT instrument relates to the nature of technological knowledge, and the understanding that technological literacy is a complex, multi-dimensional and activity-based subject. The study further highlights the need for an interrogation of the monolithic categories of 'geographic location' and 'socio-economic' category. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tegnologiese geletterdheid is 'n vaardigheid wat beide nasionaal en internasionaal voorgestaan word (UNESCO, 1984; TAAP, 1991). Tegnologiese geletterheid is al beskryf as 'n multi-dimensionele konstruk wat bestaan uit 'n kennis, vaardigheid en emosionele komponent. Die studie ondersoek die leerder se prestasie in die kognitiewe gebied. Volledige groepe van Grondslag (Graad 3), Intermediêre (Graad 6) en Senior fase (Graad 9) leerders van 12 skole in die Wes-Kaap het deelgeneem aan 'n gestandardiseerde pen-en-papier evaluering, die Leerling se Begrip van Tegnologie (Pupil's Understanding of Technology - PUT) toets. Die studie poog om die eftek van twee veranderlikes, geografiese ligging en geslag, op die leerder se kennis en begrip van tegnologie te meet. Die belangrikste substantiewe bevindinge is eerstens dat geografiese ligging beduidend korreleer met prestasie in spesifieke inhoudelike areas van tegnologie. Tweedens blyk dit dat geslag 'n minder belangrike invloed toon in die bepaling van die leerder se kennis van tegnologie in die meeste vrae. Verder blyk dit dat die vlak van kennis van tegnologie ooreenstem met die fase of ontwikkelingsvlak. Dit ondersteun die konsepsie van tegnologiese kennis as 'n onderafdeling van algemene prestasie. Hierdie studie beskryf ook verder die verskeie metodologiese beperkinge wat betrekking het op die PUT uitleg en inhoud. Die belangrikste metodologiese beperkinge vir die evaluering van leerderkennis en begrip van tegnologie met die PUT verwys na die aard van tegnologiese kennis, en die opvatting dat tegnologiese geletterdheid 'n komplekse, multi-dimensionele en aktiwiteitsgebaseerde onderwerp is. Dit blyk ook verder uit die studie dat daar 'n behoefte is aan 'n ondersoek na die monolitiese kategorieë van 'geografiese ligging' en 'sosio-ekonomiese' afdeling.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T19:56:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 15 / Nenhuma / Esta dissertação tem como objetivo problematizar a experiência pedagógica que envolveu alunos e alunas de uma Escola de Ensino Médio da rede pública estadual do Rio Grande do Sul, realizada durante o segundo semestre de 2006. A experiência teve como lócus o laboratório de Informática. O objetivo principal foi envolver os estudantes em atividades que utilizaram como recurso a Internet, mais especificamente, a Plataforma Lattes do CNPq, com vistas ao processo de alfabetização científica-tecnológica-digital dos mesmos, esta entendida como a possibilidade de realizar uma melhor leitura de mundo, através da linguagem da Ciência, aliada à capacidade de lidar com os artefatos tecnológicos, em especial a Informática, o que permite uma apropriação crítica dos códigos digitais. Apoiada em tal concepção, são analisados os enunciados dos alunos, dando o sentido da pesquisadora para os sentidos dados pelos mesmos à experiência pedagógica vivida. Para tanto, fez-se necessário investigar o universo que permeia a inter-rela

This diploma thesis is focused on technological sights located in the Pilsen region. The selection contains only those technological sights that are suitable for primary schools. The theoretical section introduces terms project and project-based learning. It describes the realization of a project, its advantages and difficulties. It explores extensively the educational theme A human and His World, technology education and technological literacy. The end of the theoretical section deals with the term technological sight and also the characteristics of six selected technological sights in the Pilsen region. The practical section of the thesis involves a field research of technological sights, planning field trips, possibility to join a field trip to a selected project for primary school pupils and in the end also creating worksheets for field trips.

The purpose of this thesis is to elucidate which arguments and discourses can be discovered in the state investigation SOU 2021:3 Skolbibliotek för bildning och utbildning. By presenting these arguments and discourses I intend to accentuate the expectations surrounding the school library and its personnel. Another aim with my thesis is to emphasise the situation surrounding the school library and how it can be affected by the propositions in the state investigation.       The theoretical and methodological starting points are discourse analysis and argument analysis. The discourse analysis stems from Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe with contributions from Åse Hedemark. In the empirical analysis I present five themes regarding the school library, based on findings in the material. Here I also present concepts and arguments regarding the school library, which in turn formulate the discourses. In the last discussion of the thesis, I present and analyze the discourses. There are four discourses I find representative of the preconditions of school libraries and school librarians, along with their current situation. The discourses are about; The enthusiast, the power and the pastorale, the leadership, and the invisibility and frustration. The discourse analytical discussion reflects on how there are predominating discourses that frame the reality of the school library. However, the state investigation presents dictums which can become new discourses. They can formulate the default discourses surrounding the definitions of the school library; here the difficulty lies in transforming theory to actuality. This thesis explores the arguments, discourses and virtual situation affecting the school library and its personnel. It presents reflections on how the propositions of the state investigation can influence working life of the school librarian, as well as the roles and features of the school library. This is a two-year master’s thesis in Library and information science.

Orientador: Ana Carolina Biscalquini Talamoni / Resumo: A Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista apresenta uma grande biodiversidade de espécies animais e vegetais devido à presença de diferentes ambientes aquáticos: rios e riachos costeiros, manguezais, costão rochoso, praias e ambiente marinho. Contudo, os municípios são extremamente afetados pelas ações antrópicas, colocando em risco todos os ecossistemas e seu equilíbrio. Desta forma, parte-se do pressuposto de que as escolas devem abordar de maneira permanente e articulada questões socioambientais relacionadas à região onde estão inseridas, habilitando os alunos para a resolução de problemas envolvendo sua realidade. Para que os professores de todas as disciplinas consigam trabalhar estas questões é fundamental o aprimoramento de novas estratégias didáticas por meio da formação continuada. Assessores pedagógicos mostram-se importantes atores neste processo, uma vez que é parte de suas atribuições prover este tipo de formação, através de reuniões quinzenais junto aos professores da rede municipal. Para abordar essas questões que, por sua complexidade, mostram-se interdisciplinares, é fundamental que as escolas e professores adotem a interdisciplinaridade como uma ferramenta na promoção da alfabetização científica. Isto acarretará noções provenientes de diversas disciplinas, promovendo o que Fourez propõe como alfabetização científica e técnica (ACT), tendo como objetivo atingir atributos como a autonomia, domínio e comunicação, o que pode ser atingido através da metodologia ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Mestre

The aim of this thesis is to gain a greater understanding of Stockholm Public Library’s democratic role in a society that is increasingly digitalized. This is done by studying the Young IT-support project at the library, and how it aligns with the library’s mission for digital inclusion. Critical discourse analysis methods are used to understand for which “problem” the project was formulated as a solution. By using theories about digital inclusion the study also investigates if the Young IT-support project contributes to the library users’ digital competence, and how the project effects the library’s own mission of digital inclusion. The empirical material consists of policy documents connected to the Young IT-support project and interviews with young IT-supporters, librarians and administrators involved with the project. The results show that the project is formulated as a solution to two different types integration “problems”: social and digital. But the responsible authorities are only interested in whether or not the goals of social inclusion are achieved. The study shows that the project mainly contributes to increase the users’ operational skills rather than their information and strategic skills, and that it favours socioeconomically strong groups. The project does have an unburdening effect on the library’s heavy workload on digital issues. However, the study also shows that it has a potentially impeding effect on the library’s digital mission, as librarians are overlooking the deeper digital work. In conclusion, the project partially has a positive effect on the digital inclusion but that it isn’t enough to bridge the digital divide. I argue that the library needs to examine if these external collaborations are a long-term solution to social developments, or if they are a short-term solution in place until other authorities take responsibility for democratic needs and rights. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Los docentes son los encargados de generar oportunidades para que los estudiantes desarrollen habilidades relacionadas al uso de la tecnología. Por lo que es necesario que, en el proceso de formación de los docentes, estos reciban una alfabetización tecnológica acorde a sus funciones y a su futura práctica pedagógica. Es así que, el principal objetivo del presente estudio es explorar la competencia tecnológica en el proceso de formación profesional de futuros docentes de educación primaria de una universidad privada de Lima desde la perspectiva del modelo TPACK. Al ser un estudio de enfoque cualitativo se realizó un análisis del contenido de los documentos que señalan el compromiso de la enseñanza aprendizaje de la competencia tecnológica. Según los resultados, sólo algunos de los documentos académicos analizados especifican el desarrollo de la competencia TIC en su asignatura, del mismo modo sólo algunos documentos indican el cómo se da el desarrollo de la competencia y cómo es que se vincula con la didáctica pedagógica. / Teachers are responsible for creating opportunities for students to develop abilities relating to technology. For this reason is it necessary that, during their own learning process, aspiring teachers acquire digital literacy according to their functions and future pedagogical practice. The main goal of this study is to explore the digital competencies during the professional training of future primary level teachers in a private university located in Lima from the perspective of the TPACK model. Being a qualitative study, an analysis of documents that list digital literacy as one of their key teaching components. According to the results, only some of the documents analyzed specify the development of ICT competencies during the course of the class, meanwhile, a few documents only mention how this competency is acquired and how it relates to the teaching approach of the class. / Trabajo de investigación