Learning IoT without the "I" - Educational Internet of Things in a Developing Context

To provide better education to children from different socio-economic backgrounds, the Thai Government launched the "One Tablet PC Per Child" (OTPC) policy and distributed 800,000 tablet computers to first grade students across the country in 2012. This initiative is an opportunity to study how mobile learning and Internet of Things (IoT) technology can be designed for students in underprivileged areas of northern Thailand. In this position paper, we present a prototype, called OBSY (Observation Learning System) which targets primary science education. OBSY consists of i) a sensor device, developed with low-cost open source singled-board computer Raspberry Pi, housed in a 3D printed case, ii) a mobile device friendly graphical interface displaying visualisations of the sensor data, iii) a self-contained DIY Wi-Fi network which allows the system to operate in an environment with inadequate ICT infrastructure

Government and Corporate Initiatives for Indian Women in IT

Education of women severely lags behind that of men in many developing nations. Fewer girls go to school, tend to drop out earlier than boys, do not receive the same level of education as their male counterparts, and often choose careers that are female predominant (Kelly, 1987). Without exception, India is quite representative of these gender-biased phenomena in education. However, the recent explosion of offshore outsourcing market in India has created a new recognition regarding the role of women in technological careers. The Indian IT sector has seen a trend contrary to what most western nations are experiencing—predominance of women in IT, particularly in IT-enabled services (ITES). India has acknowledged that extensive and intensive use of information and communications technologies (ICT) alone can help the nation develop its neglected human resources, emerge as a knowledge-based society, and participate competitively in the global trade and services. Consequently, the development of ICT has become a national issue with strong impetus from the union government in New Delhi (Choudhary, 1999). Explicit in this initiative is the recognition that to progress as an information society, women must be empowered as key players the IT sector. In parallel, two other trends have focused attention on women in the information society—a nationwide movement for women’s rights spearheaded by many non-government organizations (NGOs) and an increased awareness of corporate social responsibility. Consequently, over the last decade, there has been an increased emphasis on education and reskilling India’s female workforce. While many government efforts are targeted toward the overall upliftment of women, many grassroots level initiatives led by NGO’s and corporations emphasize technological training. This article highlights how the intertwining of grassroots and policy level efforts can increase the pace at which a nation’s female workforce can be reskilled and prepared for a technological world. The article also addresses concerns about such rapid development and potentially challenging outcomes while making recommendations for improvement

Using Technology to Support At-Risk Students' Learning

A new report finds that technology - when implemented properly -can produce significant gains in student achievement and boost engagement, particularly among students most at risk

Looking for Shadows: The Cultural Myths of the Computer in the Classroom

This paper will draw its findings from a recent study (Lloyd, 2003) which sought to identify the cultural myths of the computer in the classroom through a case study of computer education in Queensland state schools from 1983 to 1997. This was a period marked by its consecutive, discrete, high-profile and politically-motivated projects to put computers in classrooms. The emergent myths were categorised within their source metanarratives and were also positioned within a critical cultural framework. The term "computer education" is given to mean any curricular or classroom-based use of computers. This study addressed a hitherto neglected area of educational research by looking beyond the rhetoric and highlighting where policy decisions have been made on the basis of mythic assumptions. The identification of the cultural myth(s) in this study was essentially a process of looking for shadows. Finding the twenty-seven pervasive myths which initiated and sustained the systemic policies, infrastructure programs and curricular decisions of the period under review involved rigorous processes of deconstruction, reconstruction, analysis and synthesis. The data sources were contemporary policy documents, Hansard entries, press releases and media statements, correspondence and interviews with stakeholders while the methodology employed was an adaptation of Descriptive Interpretational Analysis (Tesch, 1990)

Report on Polish Public Libraries 2001

Report is an overview of polish public libraries, services to a variety of communities, it also provides statistics, n explanation of the funding policy for public libraries in Poland and information about the governance of public libraries in the country

Vision for 2020

Our vision for the DeWitt Wallace Library of 2020 is to expand and build up our current vibrant and active space for engaging scholars. We want a library that contributes to the transformative experience for all students as well as a space that will attract faculty to utilize our space, resources, and expertise for collaborating on digital projects. We want to continue to be a community gathering space where all points of view can be shared and civil discussions can take place. We want to be a welcoming center of learning and understanding

Business plan NGO: digital competences school for underprivileged youth in Colombia

The following business plan presents a NGO that develops digital competence in Colombian underprivileged youth. Its objective is to increase the use of ICT for working and entrepreneur doing both: providing free lessons to youth and delivering digital outsourcing services to companies. To develop a suitable high-quality digital competence model and a sustainable business plan the inputs considered were: 1) The literature review: contains a PEST analysis to adjust the European DIGITCOMP model to the Colombian context, and the analysis of the Sesame Workshop business case as a success reference of an educative NGO. 2) The competitive analysis: evaluates the opportunities and threats of the outsourcing services industry where the NGO acquires financial resources and the weaknesses and strengths of the institution in comparison with others. 3) In-Depth interviews: examines the thoughts, perspectives, and knowledge of the owners of MSMEs regarding digital competence and the use of ICT. The outputs of the analysis are; the adapted version of DIGITCOMP presented in the product section of the marketing policy; the formulation of the development strategy for the NGO; and the policies for its implementation.O plano de negócios apresenta uma ONG que desenvolve a competência digital em jovens carentes da Colômbia. Seu objectivo é aumentar o uso das TIC para trabalhar: com o fornecimento de aulas gratuitas, e prestação de serviços de outsourcing digitais. Para desenvolver um modelo de competências adequado de alta qualidade e um plano de negócios sustentável as entradas consideradas foram: 1) A revisão da literatura: contém uma análise PEST para ajustar o modelo europeu DIGITCOMP ao contexto colombiano e análise o Sesame Workshop como referência o sucesso de uma ONG educativa. 2)A análise da concorrência: avalia as oportunidades e ameaças da indústria de serviços de outsourcing, onde a ONG adquire recursos financeiros e os pontos fracos e fortes da instituição, em comparação com os outros. 3)Entrevistas em profundidade: examina os pensamentos, perspectivas e conhecimento dos proprietários de MPMEs concernentes à competência digital e a utilização das TIC. Os resultados do análise são; a versão adaptada do DIGITCOMP apresentado na seção produto da política de marketing; a formulação da estratégia de desenvolvimento para a ONG; e as políticas para a sua implementação