Virtual HR Departments: Getting Out of the Middle

In this chapter, we explore the notion of virtual HR departments: a network-based organization built on partnerships and mediated by information technologies in order to be simultaneously strategic, flexible, cost-efficient, and service-oriented. We draw on experiences and initiatives at Merck Pharmaceuticals in order to show how information technology in establishing an infrastructure for virtual HR. Then, we present a model for mapping the architecture of HR activities that includes both internal and external sourcing options. We conclude by offering some recommendations for management practice as well as future research

Synchronous communication technologies for language learning: Promise and challenges in research and pedagogy

We propose a definition of synchronous communication based on joint attention, noting that in certain mediated communication settings joint attention is a matter of perception rather than determinable fact. The most salient properties of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) are real-time pressure to communicate and a greater degree of social presence relative to asynchronous communication. These properties underlie the benefits and challenges of SCMC for language learning, which we discuss under three headings: (1) SCMC as learning tool; (2) SCMC as target competence; and (3) SCMC as setting for learner dialogue, intracultural and intercultural. We survey research themes in SCMC and preview the contributions of the Special Issue. Finally, we identify questions for future research

Structural awareness for collaborative learning environments

In this paper we propose a peer-to-peer support approach that we call structural awareness support. The structural awareness aims to support the communication that takes place in virtual learning communities. Its emphasis is on revealing the group structure to its participants in order to promote collaborative interactions. This support has been implemented on a forum type tool called Mailgroup. It has been tested twice in different contexts, obtaining initial feedback of its pertinence according to our objectivesEducation for the 21 st century - impact of ICT and Digital Resources ConferenceRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

A Review of the "Digital Turn" in the New Literacy Studies

Digital communication has transformed literacy practices and assumed great importance in the functioning of workplace, recreational, and community contexts. This article reviews a decade of empirical work of the New Literacy Studies, identifying the shift toward research of digital literacy applications. The article engages with the central theoretical, methodological, and pragmatic challenges in the tradition of New Literacy Studies, while highlighting the distinctive trends in the digital strand. It identifies common patterns across new literacy practices through cross-comparisons of ethnographic research in digital media environments. It examines ways in which this research is taking into account power and pedagogy in normative contexts of literacy learning using the new media. Recommendations are given to strengthen the links between New Literacy Studies research and literacy curriculum, assessment, and accountability in the 21st century

Redefining cybersecurity through processual ontology of the cyberspace

The way cyberspace is conceptualized in security discourses shapes strategies, tools and possible solutions developed within the ICT security debate. Putting forward processual ontology of cyberspace helps in apprehending the unique dynamics of this new domain arising from the intersection of ICT with social and political phenomena. Cyberspace is presented as a process of data transmission and information cognition/processing in the digital domain. It contains time as an inherent dimension and includes all subjects and objects of this process: data (codes, packets, files, texts), information (structured or operationalized data), human and computer agents (people, software) and communication environment (hardware, protocols). Processual ontology is based on the fact that ICT is a man-made realm with almost unlimited potential to expand, where physical distance is lapsed and bits are the primary matter. This theoretical stance blurs the line between human and non-human agents, dehumanizing the idea of actorness by categorizing both humans and computers as actors. Finally, processual ontology of cyberspace promotes resilience strategies both in the private sector as well as on national and international level

From Everyday Information Behaviours to Clickable Solidarity

Digital social media has, in many ways, transformed the way people create, maintain, and sustain their social information networks, and has also influenced their information-related behaviours such as searching, seeking, finding and use of information. This is especially true in technologically-mediated environments. In many ways, social media is the contemporary incarnation of the Internet itself. It is a complex information-and-communication environment, very much analogous to physical environments, but consisting of symbolic matter rather than physical matter. All social situations are information environments and social media is no different. This paper is an inter-disciplinary literature-review essay that examines the social media phenomenon using the lens of selected theories in information science and allied disciplines such as communication and media ecology with a specific focus toward its possible role in civil society using the conceptual framework of spatial metaphors drawn from the study of traditional physical environments. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/ccs.v5i3.348

A brief critique on the future of learning (Assessing the potential for research)

Recent advances in computer and communications technologies are opening up new opportunities for learning design requiring a thorough (perhaps revolutionary) reappraisal of the goals and purpose of education. The potential of the Internet and the technologies it inspires makes it feasible to not only access and manage information in productive and efficient ways, but also to deliver dynamically interactive, personalised solutions tailored to the needs and preferences of all learners. Therefore, it is important to extend our understanding of how computer technologies can enhance student learning whilst providing some insight into the future of learning.If we accept for the moment that graduates are not adequately equipped to cope with current skill requirements, and combine this view with the complexity of devising suitable electronic delivery methods, there is cause for concern as to the capacity of current learning design models to cater for the diverse skill demands of a technologically driven world. Such concern for the future is not new, but certain emerging factors suggest there is merit in constructing advanced learning models that take advantage of the growing sophistication of computer technologies. The challenge will be to harness technological innovations in ways that will assist to deliver high quality learning outcomes relevant to the changing needs of learners