Meeting the information challenge: exploring partnerships with Africa

Africa suffers from the disadvantages of marginality within the global technical system and a legacy of externally driven infrastructure. Developments in information and communication technologies now offer the chance to redress these but the technologies require skills and capacities which are scarce. The technologies themselves can be used to leverage existing resources so that the necessary skills can be developed. However this process needs to take account of African priorities and requirements if the current inequitable situation is not to be reproduced in a new global infrastructure. The key to this is a balance between external partnership and internal collaboration. The African diaspora offers a means of moderating such relationships

Funding Media, Strengthening Democracy: Grantmaking for the 21st Century

Despite the pervasiveness of media, the amount of philanthropic dollars in support of public interest media remains minuscule and, therefore largely ineffective. The report, based on a survey of the the funding sector, calls on philanthropists to embrace a practice of transparency and information sharing via technology, to determine how existing funds are being used and how they can best be leveraged to increase philanthropic impact within the media field

Social Justice Documentary: Designing for Impact

Explores current methodologies for assessing social issue documentary films by combining strategic design and evaluation of multiplatform outreach and impact, including documentaries' role in network- and field-building. Includes six case studies

Schools of the future in Hawai\u27i: networked learning communities and teaching innovation

Networked learning communities have the potential to improve teacher practice more effectively than traditional professional development models by expanding the pool of ideas to draw upon and engaging participants in mutual problem solving (Little, 2005). The intent of this descriptive, quantitative study was to better understand how network factors and benefits relate to teaching innovation in a networked learning community, part of the Hawai\u27i Schools of the Future Initiative in Hawai\u27i. Forty-one teachers from 10 schools took a customized 50 item Levels of Teaching Innovation Digital Age Survey to generate ratings in three key areas, Personal Computer Use, Current Instructional Practices, and Levels of Teaching Innovation. Existing data regarding type of professional learning community and intensity of professional development was also utilized. Results were analyzed descriptively and inferentially in order to better understand the nature of participation in the networked learning community as it relates to digital age teaching practices. The researcher concluded that: * Teachers with higher levels of network participation demonstrate higher fluency with digital tools and learner-based methodologies. * Teachers who collaborated more often with higher quality collaboration and established more new professional relationships demonstrate higher fluency with digital tools. * The type of professional learning community in place at the school level does not bear a relationship to levels of teaching innovation. * The intensity of professional development offerings in place at the school level does not bear a relationship to levels of teaching innovation. * Teachers with higher levels of teaching innovation place greater value on learning from experts outside the network and collaboration at individual schools in transforming their practice. This study was limited as it studied only one network, it had a lower than expected response rate, and relied on a snapshot versus intervention lens. Recommendations for future studies include replicating the study in subsequent years of the project or in a similar network, further exploring the nature of professional relationships formed in the network, and focusing on the online Ning tool

The Academic Librarian and Techno-Communication: Facilitating Social Networking with Generation Y Students

This paper will address the ways in which academic librarians can work to bridge the communication gap with Generation Y students using social networking and techno-communication. Utilizing cyber-communication opens many doors previously shut to educators. Academic librarians, specifically, have much to gain by embracing the trend toward online communication and social networking. Facebook, and other social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace, have helped to dissolve barriers between librarians and students. An online profile can allow, even moderately techno-savvy librarians, a new brand of accessibility to the university community. Academic librarians can gain acceptance and direct access to students, and anyone else in the university network with a Facebook account. Cyber-connected librarians are also able to directly advertise—and even personally invite—online university members to events, inform network users of new library collections, new online databases, upcoming library workshops, and any number of other outreach activities. In addition, a librarian’s online profile page can include links to sites designed to help students with citing sources for a paper, RSS feeds to library and university news and events, current national and world news items, book reviews, and personal and reference desk contact information. Other forms of technological communication, such as IM (instant messaging or chatting) can also be a useful tool for the academic librarian.International Federation of Library AssociationsUniversity of Toronto, LibraryUniversity of Toronto, Faculty of InformationUniversity of Illinois, LibraryTitle VI National Resource Center Grant (P015A060066)unpublishednot peer reviewe

Knowledge Networks, the Internet and, Development

Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) are playing a significant role in economic, political and cultural development. The relationship between technologies supporting information processing and distribution, and the application of that knowledge for development purposes has only recently come into focus. The discovery, publication and application of new knowledge, the dissemination of information concerning best practices and the exchange of views and opinions are now considered essential elements of development work. These functions it is now increasingly recognized, are effectively facilitated by ICTs. In the area of economic development ICTs can create new jobs, new industry and service sector opportunities and a more educated work force. They make possible the cross-border flow of information, promote international trade, particularly high technology, bits rather than atoms, type trade and help to attract foreign direct investment. ICTs can also contribute to political development by fostering good governance and streamlining bureaucratic procedures through intra-governmental networking. The creative use of ICTs, particularly the Internet, in the areas of health care, education, environmental protection and in other developmentally important fields can substantially contribute to the advancement of developing societies

The Philanthropic Landscape in the United States: A Topology of Trends

Over the last decade, the field of philanthropy has been in a constant state of evolution. New wealth has brought new philanthropists into the field, many seeking to apply their business acumen to their philanthropic work. There also has been a corresponding growth in consultants and advisors providing guidance and assistance on all aspects of giving. The growth of new technologies has revolutionized communications, social organizing, data collection, and program delivery. Additionally, the line between sectors is blurring and many funders and donors are exploring partnerships across sectors, if not focusing their philanthropic efforts solely on private sector driven initiatives. This paper was commissioned as part of the process undertaken by the Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group (AGAG) to develop a new strategic plan that responds to changes int he landscapes in Africa and in philanthropy. The changes in philanthropy are vast and a full cataloging of them is outside of the scope of this brief paper. What this paper strives to provide is a brief overview of the major trends that have been driving philanthropy over the last three to five years and where possible, provide specific examples of these various types of philanthropy at work in Africa with the hope of fostering reflection and coversation as AGAG moves into its strategic planning process

Global Engagement Model for Land-Grant Universities, a Grounded Theory.

The purpose of this study is to examine how land-grant universities engage with the public in the era of globalization; to explain the institutionalization of engagement processes accounting for the global context; and, to integrate this analysis into a Global Engagement Model for Land-Grant Universities (GEM) implementing a grounded theory research methodology. GEM’s foundation is both theoretical and empirical. Applying the intensity sampling method, the universities selected for the empirical base were: The University of California, Davis, Michigan State University, and The Pennsylvania State University. Rather than an exact representation of individual universities’ engagement models, the model is the researcher’s representation of global engagement processes for land-grant universities in the twenty-first century. The model explains how land-grant universities engage with the public in the global context in response to the network society and its knowledge economy. GEM’s seminal component is Bilateral Relationships which are the basis for Quality Partnerships and subsequently Engagement Networks. GEM accounts for social processes occurring at the macro level and how they relate to local- and institutional-level processes. The model’s contextualization of the land-grant university in its socio, economic, political, and historical conditions makes it comprehensive. Moreover, the identification of seminal components and their interconnectedness with the entireness allows for explaining a complex phenomenon in simple terms. GEM model is a theoretical tool that can be instrumental in explaining change and continuity in the modern land-grant university. According to this research, the land-grant university has redefined its role over time. And, it is apparent that in the global society the land-grant university has become a scholarship node

Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children's Learning and Health

Based on a literature review and interviews with digital learning experts, explores how digital games can foster skills and knowledge for better academic performance and health. Makes recommendations for government research, partnerships, and media

Knowledge Management As an Economic Development Strategy

The United States is shifting to an information economy. Productive capability is no longer completely dependent on capital and equipment; information and knowledge assets are increasingly important. The result is a new challenge to the practice of local economic development. In this information economy, success comes from harnessing the information and knowledge assets of a community and from helping local businesses succeed in the new environment. Knowledge Management (KM) can provide the tools to help economic development practitioners accomplish that task. KM is a set of techniques and tools to uncover and utilize information and knowledge assets -- especially tacit knowledge. Economic development organizations can use KM tools to enhance external communications of local companies including marketing and to promote internal communications within local businesses and help companies capture tacit knowledge. More importantly, they can use those tools to uncover and develop local intellectual assets, including helping develop information products, and helping identify entrepreneurial and business opportunities. KM tools are also useful in developing local economic clusters. Finally, these tools can be used to enhance external knowledge sharing among the economic development community and to capture and share tacit knowledge within an economic development organization