ICT-related transformations in Latin American metropolises

The use and application of ICT within and between cities is resulting in significant urban transformations, making cities more connected as well as more complex. A sub-discipline of urban studies - urban ICT studies - has recently emerged to explore, analyse and theorise how the technological advances are transforming urban forms, urban processes and the perceptions of urban life. ICT-related transformations in cities of the developing world, however, have not received enough academic attention until now. This book makes a contribution to the field of urban ICT studies in cities of the South, by exploring the ICT-related transformations in the Latin American urban scene. Based on Gabriel Dupuy’s notion of ‘urbanism of networks’, this explorative research identifies and analyses the recent transformations at three levels: the ICT infrastructure networks, the networks of production and consumption of ICTs in the local urban economy, and the diffusion of digital connectivity in everyday life. The book also presents the situation of digital connectivity in Buenos Aires and Lima, selected as case-studies because singular ICT-related processes are occurring in these two large metropolises. Besides from identifying the urban main trends at the different levels, the results have been also useful to spell out the main trends regarding urban functioning and the urban form, as well as the new problems and new opportunities that the introduction and development of ICTs bring to Latin American cities. The main findings point out that Latin American metropolises have great assets at the infrastructural level as main nodes of the ICT backbones infrastructures. However, there is a profound contradiction between the ICT-related developments occurring in the urban economies, and the social and cultural life of the cities. The low performance of the Latin American metropolises regarding their integration in the global economy and the production of science and technology are in stark contrast with the eagerness of Latin Americans to be connected and to be able to participate as citizens in the network society. These contradiction constitute the largest problem of the future of the metropolises

Évolutions des attitudes motivationnelles des enseignants pour l’intégration des technologies de l’information et de la communication

Alors que l’intégration des technologies de l’information et de la communication pour l’enseignement (TICE) figure dans les agendas politiques de l’éducation depuis une quinzaine d’années, le constat est souvent posé de la lenteur de l’intégration des TICE. Toutefois, peu d’études évaluent l’évolution de l’intégration des technologies à travers une démarche empiriquement ancrée. À partir de deux récoltes de données effectuées en 2006 et 2012 sur une même population d’enseignants du primaire et du secondaire, cette recherche offre un état des lieux de l’évolution des attitudes des enseignants vis- à-vis de l’intégration des TICE en Suisse (canton de Fribourg). Différentes variables motivationnelles associées à l’intégration des TICE sont analysées. Nos résultats indiquent que le sentiment de compétence des enseignants a fortement progressé en 6 ans, alors que l’attrait et la valeur perçue de l’intégration des TICE ont également évolué, bien que dans une moindre mesure. En outre, notre analyse permet de souligner des variations au niveau de plusieurs variables indépendantes. Ainsi, nous montrons que les différences générationnelles s’estompent, alors que les écarts en termes de genre tendent à diminuer

Necesidades de formación en futuros profesores para el uso de tecnologías. Resultados de un estudio documental

El objetivo del artículo es identificar necesidades de formación para el uso de tecnología en la enseñanza de las diferentes disciplinas que deben ser atendidas en los programas de formación inicial de profesores. A partir de un análisis documental, se revisaron 44 estudios entre artículos y memorias de eventos académicos (artículos publicados del 2005 al 2015 y memorias del 2013 al 2015). El trabajo adjetiva seis tipos de necesidades en la formación para el uso de tecnología y propone un acercamiento a la forma en que se desarrollan; además se aportan recomendaciones metodológicas para el diseño de cursos específicos en el que se incorpore el uso de tecnología para la formación inicial de profesore

Türkiye’deki Öğretmen Adaylarının BİT Kullanımına Yönelik Davranışsal Niyetlerinin Belirlenmesinde Branşlarının Rolü

The purpose of this study is to determine the technology acceptance of a sample of final-year pre-service teachers of different disciplines in Turkey. Research sample is composed of 973 (583 females, 390 males) pre-service teachers. They complete a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to four constructs of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used as the main technique for data analysis. One of the main findings showed that the most important determinant of behavioural intention is perceived usefulness, this is followed by attitude towards computer use, and perceived ease of use. Another preliminary finding is that the participants somewhat agree with usefulness and easiness of ICTs and have positive attitude toward use of it in education In conclusion, the study has shown that the idea that perceived usefulness is a key variable in determining intention to use technology in education.Bu çalışmanın amacı, farklı disiplinlerde öğretmenlik eğitimlerine devam eden son sınıf öğretmen adaylarının Teknoloji Kabul Modeli (TKM) kapsamında teknoloji kabul düzeylerinin belirlenmesidir. Araştırma 973 (583 kadın, 390 erkek) öğretmen adayı ile yürütülmüştür. Katılımcılardan cevaplar, TKM’ye ilişkin dört faktörden oluşan bir ölçme aracı yardımı ile toplanmış olup çalışma kapsamında toplanan veriler yapısal eşitlik modellemesi ile çözümlenmiştir. Algılanan kullanışlılık, kullanıma yönelik tutum ve algılanan kullanım kolaylığı davranışsal niyet değişkenini sırasıyla etkileyen değişkenler olmuştur. Sonuç olarak algılanan kullanışlık teknoloji kullanımına yönelik niyeti tahmin eden anahtar değişken olarak belirlenmiştir

Sustainable Smart Cities and Smart Villages Research

ca. 200 words; this text will present the book in all promotional forms (e.g. flyers). Please describe the book in straightforward and consumer-friendly terms. [There is ever more research on smart cities and new interdisciplinary approaches proposed on the study of smart cities. At the same time, problems pertinent to communities inhabiting rural areas are being addressed, as part of discussions in contigious fields of research, be it environmental studies, sociology, or agriculture. Even if rural areas and countryside communities have previously been a subject of concern for robust policy frameworks, such as the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy Arguably, the concept of ‘the village’ has been largely absent in the debate. As a result, when advances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) led to the emergence of a rich body of research on smart cities, the application and usability of ICT in the context of a village has remained underdiscussed in the literature. Against this backdrop, this volume delivers on four objectives. It delineates the conceptual boundaries of the concept of ‘smart village’. It highlights in which ways ‘smart village’ is distinct from ‘smart city’. It examines in which ways smart cities research can enrich smart villages research. It sheds light on the smart village research agenda as it unfolds in European and global contexts.

Staring down the lion: Uncertainty avoidance and operational risk culture in a tourism organisation

The academic literature is not clear about how uncertainty influences operational risk decision-making. This study, therefore, investigated operational risk-based decision-making in the face of uncertainty in a large African safari tourism organisation by exploring individual and perceived team member approaches to uncertainty. Convenience sampling was used to identify 15 managers across three African countries in three domains of work: safari camp; regional office; and head office. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in which vignettes were incorporated, to which participants responded with their own reactions and decisions to the situations described, as well as with ways they thought other managers would react to these specific operational contexts. The data were transcribed and qualitatively analysed through thematic coding processes. The findings indicated that approaches to uncertainty were influenced by factors including situational context, the availability and communication of information, the level of operational experience, and participants’ roles. Contextual factors alongside diverse individual emotional and cognitive influences were shown to require prudent consideration by safari tourism operators in understanding employee behavioural reactions to uncertain situations. A preliminary model drawn from the findings suggests that, in practice, decision-making in the face of uncertainty is more complex than existing theoretical studies propose. Specifically, the diverse responses anticipated by staff in response to the vignettes could guide safari tourism management towards better handling of risk under uncertainty in remote locations