Building Networks of Practice

{Excerpt} Extensive media coverage of applications such as FaceBook, MySpace, and LinkedIn suggests that networks are a new phenomenon. They are not: the first network was born the day people decided to create organizational structures to serve common interests—that is, at the dawn of mankind. However, the last 10–20 years have witnessed rapid intensification and evolution of networking activities, driven of course by information and communication technologies as well as globalization. These make it possible for individuals to exchange data, information, and knowledge; work collaboratively; and share their views much more quickly and widely than ever before. Thus, less and less of an organization’s knowledge resides within its formal boundaries or communities of practice. Knowledge cannot be separated from the networks that create, use, and transform it. In parallel, networks now play significant roles in how individuals, groups, organizations, and related systems operate. They will be even more important tomorrow. Since we can no longer assume that closely knit groups are the building blocks of human activity—or treat these as discrete units of analysis—we need to recognize and interface with less-bounded organizations, from non-local communities to links among websites. We should make certain that knowledge harvested in the external environment is integrated with what exists within, especially in dynamic fields where innovation stems from inter-organizational knowledge sharing and learning. Therefore, the structure and composition of nodes and ties, and how these affect norms and determine usefulness, must become key concerns. This makes the study of networks of practice a prime interest for both researchers and practitioners

Conducting a Large-scale Field Test of a Smartphone-based Communication Network for Emergency Response

Smartphone-based communication networks form a basis for services in emergency response scenarios, where communication infrastructure is impaired or overloaded. Still, their design and evaluation are largely based on simulations that rely on generic mobility models and weak assumptions regarding user behavior. For a realistic assessment, scenario-specific models are essential. To this end, we conducted a large-scale field test of a set of emergency services that relied solely on ad hoc communication. Over the course of one day, we gathered data from smartphones distributed to 125 participants in a scripted disaster event. In this paper, we present the scenario, measurement methodology, and a first analysis of the data. Our work provides the first trace combining user interaction, mobility, and additional sensor readings of a large-scale emergency response scenario, facilitating future research

Daylight entanglement-based quantum key distribution with a quantum dot source

Entanglement-based quantum key distribution can enable secure communication in trusted node-free networks and over long distances. Although implementations exist both in fiber and in free space, the latter approach is often considered challenging due to environmental factors. Here, we implement a quantum communication protocol during daytime for the first time using a quantum dot source. This technology presents advantages in terms of narrower spectral bandwidth-beneficial for filtering out sunlight-and negligible multiphoton emission at peak brightness. We demonstrate continuous operation over the course of three days, across an urban 270 m-long free-space optical link, under different light and weather conditions

Aspects of practical implementations of PRAM algorithms

The PRAM is a shared memory model of parallel computation which abstracts away from inessential engineering details. It provides a very simple architecture independent model and provides a good programming environment. Theoreticians of the computer science community have proved that it is possible to emulate the theoretical PRAM model using current technology. Solutions have been found for effectively interconnecting processing elements, for routing data on these networks and for distributing the data among memory modules without hotspots. This thesis reviews this emulation and the possibilities it provides for large scale general purpose parallel computation. The emulation employs a bridging model which acts as an interface between the actual hardware and the PRAM model. We review the evidence that such a scheme can achieve scalable parallel performance and portable parallel software and that PRAM algorithms can be optimally implemented on such practical models. In the course of this review we presented the following new results: 1. Concerning parallel approximation algorithms, we describe an NC algorithm for findings an approximation to a minimum weight perfect matching in a complete weighted graph. The algorithm is conceptually very simple and it is also the first NC-approximation algorithm for the task with a sub-linear performance ratio. 2. Concerning graph embedding, we describe dense edge-disjoint embeddings of the complete binary tree with n leaves in the following n-node communication networks: the hypercube, the dc Bruijn and shuffle-exchange networks and the 2-dimcnsional mesh. In the embeddings the maximum distance from a leaf to the root of the tree is asymptotically optimally short. The embeddings facilitate efficient implementation of many PRAM algorithms on networks employing these graphs as interconnection networks. 3. Concerning bulk synchronous algorithmic, we describe scalable transportable algorithms for the following three commonly required types of computation; balanced tree computations. Fast Fourier Transforms and matrix multiplications

Simulation scenarios in NS2 demonstrating knowledge obtained in the MPKT course

V bakalářské práce jsou navrženy simulační úlohy datových sítí pro potřeby předmětu Pokročilé komunikační techniky (MPKT). Sítě jsou simulovány v prostředí programu Network Simulator 2 (NS2). V úvodu je stručný popis programového prostředí NS2 a dále základy jazyka Tcl, používaného k simulaci. Uvedeny jsou i možnosti simulace protokolu HTTP s použitím OTcl tříd PagePool. Následuje návrh celkem šesti simulačních úloh. První úloha využívá třídu PagePool/Math a zobrazuje nejjednodušší komunikaci mezi klientem, serverem a cache. Další úloha, využívající třídu PagePool/CompMath zobrazuje komunikaci mezi klientem, cache, webovým serverem, FTP serverem a FTP klientem. Úloha využívající třídu PagePool/WebTraf simuluje vzájemnou komunikaci mezi dvěma klienty a třemi servery. Poslední tři úlohy využívající třídy PagePool/ProxyTrace se od sebe liší rozdílnou topologií a průběhem komunikace. Úlohy této třídy jsou nejsložitější a jejich vstupní soubory umožňují nadefinovat celou komunikaci. Výstupy úloh jsou grafy, logovací soubory HTTP komunikace a k poslední úloze je zpracován podrobný návod.The aim of the bachelor´s thesis is to develop simulation tasks for modeling of data networks. The tasks will be used in the course Modern communication technique (MKPT). The networks are simulated in the environment of Network Simulator 2 (NS2). A brief description of program environment NS2, as well as basics of Tcl language is mentioned in the introduction. Described is the possibility of simulation HTTP protocol in NS2 using OTcl PagePool classes. Totally six proposed tasks form the core of the thesis. The first task uses PagePool/Math and displays the simplest communication between client, server and cache. Next task uses PagePool/CompMath and it shows the communication between client, cache, Web server, FTP server and FTP client. The task, that uses PagePool/WebTraf class, simulates communication between two clients and three servers. The last three tasks are of different topologies and course of communication using PagePool/ProxyTrace. The exercises of this class are the most complicated and their input files allow defining whole communication. The outputs of exercises are given in graphs, log files of HTTP communication and the last task contains detailed instructions.

Upgrading of a Data Communication and Computer Networks Course in Engineering Technology Program

Data network communications is traditionally a course offered by computer engineering technology curricula, with the primary objective to introduce to the fundamental concepts in data communication and computer networks, as well as some level of hands-on component related to this area. Typical topics in such courses are the layered model of data communication, specifically the OSI seven-layered model, Internet routing, communication standards, protocols and technologies, and learning methods used to design the network and send data over the network in a secure manner. In the last decades, the data communication and applications have grown and become ubiquitous in both industry and people\u27s everyday life, alongside with increasing data rates and emerging broadband technologies, i.e., Internet access technologies. The ability to connect with other computers, remote systems, and mobile devices is also contributing to the increased number of applications in our daily life. Consequently, courses related to computer networks become imperative for students in engineering technology programs, as they are essential in preparing the students for the level of technology required on the current job market. However, it is challenging to keep up in classrooms with today\u27s industry requirements for graduates in terms of both content and hands-on activities. Firstly, the course content should be updated with emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, 5G, cybersecurity, etc. The knowledge of emerging communication technologies is crucial for student\u27s awareness of new trends and to prepare them for the industry, especially telecommunication and Information Technology (IT) sectors. Secondly, the course should cover hands-on activities that are aligned with the theoretical upgrades introduced in the class. Such activities should include the use of network analyzer tools for network analysis and communications protocol development, as well as a network simulator to provide students with a technology development environment for network design, troubleshooting, and protocol modeling in a simulated environment. Following these considerations, this paper presents the way the Data Network Communications course was updated as part of an overall curriculum revision in an Electrical Engineering Technology program. The paper discusses the course topics, the course objectives, and the software tools introduced to support the hands-on activities in the class, including the Wireshark software tool, for network troubleshooting, profiling network traffic and analyzing packets. The paper also presents the way the course was received by students, as well as lessons learned after the first semester of offering it in the new format and the modifications planned for future semesters

“Successful Communication in a Social Movement: A Case Study of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a social movement. It is often referred to as the first defining movement within the broader context of the Civil Rights Movement. Planned communication can be critical to the success of a social movement. This historical case study analyzed the communication that occurred during the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott, a 381-day protest of the segregated bus system in Montgomery. The overall research questions addressed were: How was communication used during the boycott to inform and mobilize the participants? How did news organizations mediate and frame communication? How was the information about the boycott communicated among and between the participants, churches and other networks? Qualitative methods (interviewing, frame analysis and archival analysis) were used to address these questions. Interviews were conducted with former participants to determine how they received their information about the boycott and how they stayed informed during the course of the protest. Content analysis was conducted on Montgomery Advertiser stories published about the boycott between Dec. 1, 1955 (the day Rosa Parks was arrested) and Dec. 21,1956 (the day the first court-ordered integrated buses operated in Montgomery) to determine the frames projected by the newspaper’s coverage. Archival analysis was used to determine the role of churches and networks such as the Montgomery Improvement Association, a group formed specifically during the boycott to help spread information to participants. This study reveals that boycott participants were skeptical of local newspaper coverage, and instead relied heavily on the Montgomery Improvement Association, area churches and other participants for their primary information regarding the boycott. This is important in the study of social movements because it shows how critical communication networks are to a movement’s success

Academic staff take the lead : experimenting with social software at Deakin University

This paper reports on a two staged staff development exercise to help new academic staff to integrate Web 2.0 technologies including web-based communication and some digital technologies into their curricula. It involved professional development for the teaching staff in the first stage followed by these teachers providing professional development for the course participants. The teachers engaged in a blended community of inquiry with face-to-face sessions and online work while the professional development for the course participants included technical support, training and a peer group environment with formal allocation of time for the course, finally leading to an institutionally recognised qualification. Evaluations conducted through focus group interviews revealed that collegial networks and time were important for effective professional development. The paper reflects on the successes and limitations of the model and its potential for further development. It also highlights the importance of providing professional development in a safe environment for academics to adopt technologies for teaching and learning.<br /

Citizens and Institutions as Information Prosumers. The Case Study of Italian Municipalities on Twitter

The aim of this paper is to address changes in public communication following the advent of Internet social networking tools and the emerging web 2.0 technologies which are providing new ways of sharing information and knowledge. In particular public administrations are called upon to reinvent the governance of public affairs and to update the means for interacting with their communities. The paper develops an analysis of the distribution, diffusion and performance of the official profiles on Twitter adopted by the Italian municipalities (comuni) up to November 2013. It aims to identify the patterns of spatial distribution and the drivers of the diffusion of Twitter profiles; the performance of the profiles through an aggregated index, called the Twitter performance index (Twiperindex), which evaluates the profiles' activity with reference to the gravitational areas of the municipalities in order to enable comparisons of the activity of municipalities with different demographic sizes and functional roles. The results show that only a small portion of innovative municipalities have adopted Twitter to enhance e-participation and e-governance and that the drivers of the diffusion seem to be related either to past experiences and existing conditions (i.e. civic networks, digital infrastructures) developed over time or to strong local community awareness. The better performances are achieved mainly by small and medium-sized municipalities. Of course, the phenomenon is very new and fluid, therefore this analysis should be considered as a first step in ongoing research which aims to grasp the dynamics of these new means of public communication

Terminology as a Sense Making Social Tool

UID/LIN/03213/2013Since the middle of the first decade of this century, several authors have announced the dawn of a new Age, following the Information/ Knowledge Age (1970-2005). We are certainly living in a Shift Age (Houle, 2007), but no standard designation has been broadly adopted so far, and others, such as Conceptual Age (Pink, 2005) or Social Age (Azua, 2009), are only some of the proposals to name current times. Due to the amount of information available nowadays, meaning making and understanding seem to be common features of this new age of change; change related to (i) how individuals and organizations engage with each other, to (ii) the way we deal with technology, to (iii) how we engage and communicate within communities to create meaning, i.e., also social networkingdriven changes. The Web 2.0 and the social networks have strongly altered the way we learn, live, work and, of course, communicate. Within all the possible dimensions we could address this change, we chose to focus on language – a takenfor-granted communication tool, used, translated and recreated in personal and geographical variants, by the many users and authors of the social networks and other online communities and platforms. In this paper, we discuss how the Web 2.0, and specifically social networks, have contributed to changes in the communication process and, in bi- or multilingual environments, to the evolution and freeware use of the so called “international language”: English. Next, we discuss some of the impacts and challenges of this language diversity in international communication in the shift age of understanding and social networking, focusing on specialized networks. Then we point out some skills and strategies to avoid babelization and to build meaningful and effective content in mono or multilingual networks, through the use of common and shared concepts and designations in social network environments. For this purpose, we propose a social and collaborative approach to terminology management, as a shared, strategic and sense making tool for specialized communication in Web 2.0 environments.authorsversionpublishe