Building capacity in climate change policy analysis and negotiation: methods and technologies

Capacity building is often cited as the reason “we cannot just pour money into developing countries” and why so many development projects fail because their design does not address local conditions. It is therefore a key technical and political concept in international development. Some of the poorest countries in the world are also some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Their vulnerability is in part due to a lack of capacity to plan and anticipate the effects of climate change on crops, water resources, urban electricity demand etc. What capacities do these countries lack to deal with climate change? How will they cope? What steps can they take to reduce their vulnerability? This innovative and high-profile research project was part of a larger project (called C3D) and conducted with non-governmental organisations in Senegal, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The research involved several participatory workshops and a questionnaire to all three research centres

Visual communication in urban planning and urban design

This report documents the current status of visual communication in urban design and planning. Visual communication is examined through discussion of standalone and network media, specifically concentrating on visualisation on the World Wide Web(WWW).Firstly, we examine the use of Solid and Geometric Modelling for visualising urban planning and urban design. This report documents and compares examples of the use of Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and proprietary WWW based Virtual Reality modelling software. Examples include the modelling of Bath and Glasgow using both VRML 1.0 and 2.0. A review is carried out on the use of Virtual Worldsand their role in visualising urban form within multi-user environments. The use of Virtual Worlds is developed into a case study of the possibilities and limitations of Virtual Internet Design Arenas (ViDAs), an initiative undertaken at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. The use of Virtual Worlds and their development towards ViDAs is seen as one of the most important developments in visual communication for urban planning and urban design since the development plan.Secondly, photorealistic media in the process of communicating plans is examined.The process of creating photorealistic media is documented, examples of the Virtual Streetscape and Wired Whitehall Virtual Urban Interface System are provided. The conclusion is drawn that although the use of photo-realistic media on the WWW provides a way to visually communicate planning information, its use is limited. The merging of photorealistic media and solid geometric modelling is reviewed in the creation of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality is seen to provide an important step forward in the ability to quickly and easily visualise urban planning and urban design information.Thirdly, the role of visual communication of planning data through GIS is examined interms of desktop, three dimensional and Internet based GIS systems. The evolution to Internet GIS is seen as a critical component in the development of virtual cities which will allow urban planners and urban designers to visualise and model the complexity of the built environment in networked virtual reality.Finally a viewpoint is put forward of the Virtual City, linking Internet GIS with photorealistic multi-user Virtual Worlds. At present there are constraints on how far virtual cities can be developed, but a view is provided on how these networked virtual worlds are developing to aid visual communication in urban planning and urban design

Harnessing Technology in Schools Survey 2007: technical report

This technical report provides a detailed review of the methods used and the data gathered for this survey. The report also provides copies of the research instruments used in this survey

Technology\u27s impact on student learning in grades K-8

Many research studies have found that educational technology that is accessible, equitable, and properly used can make a significant difference in students\u27 academic performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if Wildwood Crest Memorial School had a well-orchestrated technology plan, which addressed the technological needs of students and teachers and to determine what impact technology had on student learning. A survey developed by the Southeast and Islands Regional Technology in Education Consortium (SEIR*TEC) was used to collect data from students and teachers. An analysis of the data found that the district goals and objectives were being met with the integration of technology into the curriculum and instruction. Technology as a tool was used to stimulate higher order thinking and problem-solving skills. Students\u27 mastery of academic content improved significantly utilizing collaborative and globalized learning and, as such, accelerated, enriched, and deepened students\u27 understanding of the curriculum

Digital creativity - an investigation into architectural design in the electronic age

A dissertation submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy.This study explores approaches to architectural creativity and collaborative design in the contemporary digital design context. The thesis identifies key trends and developments in the historical and present-day evolution of the creative use of computers by architects in education and practice. It examines the current manifestations of digitally supported architectural design, and investigates the ways in which computers and electronic communication technologies are being utilised in the design process. In the context of, and informed by, this investigative survey the author evolves three key models or analogues for the application of computer based techniques in the creative design process. Each design analogue has been tested with the collaboration of undergraduate architecture students and their academic teaching staff through experimental pedagogic design projects, which have been used to evaluate their validity and effectiveness. The working principles developed through these projects have also been applied in a realworld context, through a live professional case study architectural project undertaken by the author in commercial architectural practice. The concluding section examines the current state of play in the relationship between theoretical ideas and the practice of architectural design using digital techniques, to assess the methodological validity of the design analogues in the educational and practice spheres, and to make recommendations for future areas of research

DEEP IMPACT: an investigation of the use of information and communication technologies for teacher education in the global south: Researching the issues

The scale of the demand and need for primary school teachers if the Millenium Development Goal of Universal Basic Education (UBE) is to be achieved far outstrips existing provision. The countries of sub-Saharan Africa face particular challenges: over 40 million children of primary school age are without school experience and the numbers are growing. The Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP) is an applied research project exploring the ways in which information and communications technology (ICT) can improve access to, and the quality of, teacher education in the global south.* It is focused upon three key research questions: • What is the impact of ICT use on the pedagogic knowledge and practice of teachers and the communities in which they live and work? • What is the impact of ICT-enhanced teaching on student achievement and motivation? • How can teacher education and training be developed to ensure that teachers have the capacity to exploit the potential for ICT? There is a dearth of research on the application of ICT to teaching and learning in developing country contexts, specifically in the key areas of literacy, numeracy and science at the primary level. In addition there are currently few, if any, examples of planned investigations into how mobile technologies can be used to support teacher education in sub-Saharan Africa. The project’s aim is to inform policy makers, educational researchers and others interested in ways in which new forms of technology can enhance teachers’ capabilities and improve knowledge and professionalism in the global south. DEEP was funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and co-ordinated by the Open University (UK), with the University of Fort Hare (UFH), South Africa and the Programme, Planning and Monitoring Unit (PPMU), Egypt. The research was carried out in 12 primary schools in Egypt and 12 in South Africa with 48 teachers (two per school) and involved over 2,000 primary school students. Teachers worked in pairs to implement and evaluate a short, curriculum-focused, school-based professional development programme, using a range of new technologies including hand-held computers. Activities focused on the teaching of literacy, numeracy and science. ICT was used in some significant ways by schools as a whole, as well as many of the communities in which project teachers lived and worked