Chapter 3: Economic Growth in the European Union

Growth performance among the EU-15 countries has been mixed. While it has been sluggish in France, Germany and Italy, several other EU countries have done well. Some successful countries, such as Finland, Ireland, Sweden and the UK, have relied strongly on the introduction of new technologies, in particular information technology. Greece and Spain have also been successful but have relied on traditional capital accumulation and increased labour input. The Lisbon Strategy, which focuses on the role of knowledge-based industries, should adopt a more flexible approach. Countries on the technology frontier should continue to rely on knowledge-based sources for growth. Other countries would be better advised to rely mainly on accumulation of traditional capital and increases in labour input, while they approach the high-tech frontier via technology transfer. The key areas for growth policy include improvements in education and IT adoption, together with measures that enhance competition among firms. Fostering innovation and improving entrepreneurial activities in the EU is vital for economic growth.

Development of Nano-economy as a Factor of Forming the Effective National Innovation System of Singapore

The article reveals the theoretical and methodological interpretation of the innovation system, when it determined the structure of the national innovation system. It is noted that the components of the national innovation system are elements, stages and subjects. The main elements are the scientific, technical, production and management. Scientific and technical organization responsible for basic research, applied research implementation and technology transfer from research institutions to production entities. The industrial element is characterized by the implementation of technology in the industry. Management invention provides an element of organizational know-how that would receive revenue from the introduction of the newest technological solutions. Such an approach to the definition of innovation system author used in the analysis of such a system in Singapore. Common indicators confirmed the level of scientific, manufacturing and managerial innovation system segments of Singapore. In statistics of the country, these data are: higher education sector (Science and Technology segment), private sector (commercial segment) and the government sector (management segment). The study concluded that the human factor in a country like Singapore, is the basis of scientific, technical, production and management changes in the development of the national innovation system

Exploration, design and application of simulation based technology in interventional cardiology

Medical education is undergoing a vast change from the traditional apprenticeship model to technology driven delivery of training to meet the demands of the new generation of doctors. With the reduction in the training hours of junior doctors, technology driven education can compensate for the time deficit in training. Each new technology arrives on a wave of great expectations; sometimes our expectations of true change are met and sometimes the new technology remains as a passing fashion only. The aim of the thesis is to explore, design and apply simulation based applications in interventional cardiology for educating the doctors and the public. Chapters 1and 2 present an overview of the current practice of education delivery and the evidence concerning simulation based education in interventional cardiology. Introduction of any new technology into an established system is often met with resistance. Hence Chapters 3 and 4 explore the attitudes and perceptions of consultants and trainees in cardiology towards the integration of a simulation based education into the cardiology curriculum. Chapters 5 and 6 present the “i-health project,” introduction of an electronic form for clinical information transfer from the ambulance crew to the hospital, enactment of case scenarios of myocardial infarction of varied levels of difficulty in a simulated environment and preliminary evaluation of the simulation. Chapter 7 focuses on educating the public in cardiovascular diseases and in coronary interventional procedures through simulation technology. Finally, Chapter 8 presents an overview of my findings, limitations and the future research that needs to be conducted which will enable the successful adoption of simulation based education into the cardiology curriculum.Open Acces

Development and Transfer of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of Special Education Teachers

This dissertation presents findings of three studies investigating the development and transfer of TPACK of pre-service and in-service elementary school special education teachers. The dissertation is presented in a non-traditional format including an introduction, three manuscripts submitted for journal publication, and a summary chapter. The purpose of the first study was to analyze development of TPACK of pre-service elementary special education teachers enrolled in a graduate level pedagogy course Integrating Technology in Mathematics and Science Instruction in Special Education and Inclusive Classrooms in a New York City public college. The study’s research question was to find out whether the TPACK- based course affects TPACK and basic TPACK domains of pre-service special education teachers’ knowledge: TK – technological knowledge, PK – pedagogical knowledge, and CK – content knowledge. The paired sample t-test indicated significant gains in teachers’ TPACK, however there were no significant changes in PK, TK and CK. The first study raised questions of whether the TPACK basic domains are independent of the TPACK domain. The purpose of the second study was to investigate the question raised in the first study i.e., whether TK, PK, and CK are independent constructs in the TPACK framework and to develop instruments for assessing the basic domains of the TPACK. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the TPACK construct is independent from TK, PK, and CK. Multiple linear regression showed that TK, PK and CK are not predictors of the TPACK for this population. The purpose of the third study was to analyze TPACK development and a learning trajectory of a single pre-service elementary special education teacher and TPACK transfer from this course to the teaching during the induction to teaching year. It was noted that the graduate pedagogy course played a critical role in developing pre-service teacher’s TPACK. The study suggested several internal (teacher’s attitude towards using technology and preparedness – teacher’s comfort with using technology) and external (access to technology and school support) factors affecting transfer of teacher’s TPACK from her pre-service to in-service teaching experience

Technology transfer management culture (education-based approach)

Research deals with the analysis of theoretical aspects of increasing the competence of scientists and experts, whose task is to work with technology as a good promotion of technology on the market with a view to its commercialization or search for technological solutions according to the tasks of the organization and to examine the startup methodology as a tool of improving the technology transfer skills efficiency. The new specifics of technology transfer management within the Education 3.0 paradigm are considered. In the paper, the authors analyze the technology transfer as important source of innovation creation and an integral part of business development. Target result of technologies introduction, implemented within limited period with limited resources as an innovative purpose of technology transfer, which is aimed at the best possible development of organization, is identified. The paper also suggests consider¬ing processes of technology development and technology transfer based on startup methodology

Abstracts

The following publications are abstracts by the mentionned authors;A Preliminary Study of an attempt to Introduce PGCE D&T Students to Designing and the Teaching of Designing in the Secondary School - Abstract by David Barlex and Marion RutlandRemembering the C in D&T: Gendered Perceptions of Creativity and Design & Technology - Abstract by David SpendloveInnovation in Design and Technology: the Polymer Acoustic Guitar and the Case for Relegation of 'The Design Process' - Abstract by Dr Eddie NormanThe Introduction of Practical Craft Skills into the Scottish Technology Curriculum: A New Beginning or the Beginning of the End - Abstract by John DakersMaking Progress? A Discussion of the Concept of Progress in Relation to Design and Technology Education - Abstract by Steve KeirlGlobalisation of the Go: Implications for Design and Technology Education @ 2003 - Abstract by Steve KeirlThe Wow Factor - Textiles gets a Boost with CAD in the UK and Australia - Abstract by Rose Sinclair and Louise DuvernetInteraction, Dialogue and a Creative Spirit of Inquiry - Abstract by J. W. HamiltonTechnology Students' Views of Intelligence and the Implications for Classroom Practice - Abstract by Wendy J. DowIs there a Core of D&T Knowledge? - Abstract by Tim LewisDeyond Pro/DESKTOP Computer Aided Design (CAD): the Transfer of CAD-based Design Modelling Skills from Schools to Higher Education - Abstract by Tony Hodgson and Clare Allsop'It aint what you do it's the way that you do it' - Abstract by Tony Lawler and Martin HowlettThe Presentation of Systems Thinking in Support Materials for Secondary Design & Technology Pupils: A Review - Abstract by Torben SteegValuing Progression in Design and Technology Education - Abstract by Mike MartinElectronic Portfolios for Design and Technology. What if...? - Abstract by Andy MitchellGifted and Talented Pupils in Design and Technology at Key Stage Three - Abstract by Christine Arthingto

Information Technology and Russia's Social Modernization

Information technologies play a very important role in modernizing Russia's economy and society as whole. Its competitive advantage lies in the availability of highly educated labour resources. Russia accounts for approximately 9% of researchers in the world as opposed to a share of about 0.3% in the world innovation market. Our approach is based on identifying ways to set up IT innovation centres and create an organizational and economic mechanisms making possible the transfer of new technologies to production processes and the creation of tools for innovative management. In the markets of high technology Russia will concentratie on software tools for IT security, applied modelling information systems, various types of software, and cryptographic systems, some types of specialized computing systems. In the Education Project two main mechanisms of systemic change are envisaged: to identify and support leading higher educational institutions; to introduce on a grand scale new knowledge-management methods and put mechanisms into practice. Among the main intentions of the Education Project the following should be mentioned: the modernization of its material-technical base, the internetization of education, the expansion of innovation centres on the pattern of universities and scientific and research institutes, the creation of Russian "Siliceous Valley"- Skolkovo complementary clusters of small, innovative companies. In the framework of the Health Care 2020 Programme. Activities are underway to introduce a Federal Register of the most widespread diseases, to operate waiting lists of those who need high technology medical help, and to centralize access to the common database of normative and reference information. Drafts of their electronic presentation formats are developed on the basis of international ISO standards. An Internet market for various types of medical and information services is being set up; telemedicine technologies are being taken into account. The social orientation of IT development will improve educational and health care systems, accelerate progress in extending the number of qualified professionals in IT (according to experts, the demand for these in 2012 will increase by up to 550,000 persons, and even then the country's demand will only be satisfied to the degree of 15%). A model enabling Russia to enter the group of countries with a high development of intellectual potential demands more intensive introduction of IT in modernization of Russian society. --codes Information technology,human factor,modern economy,social factors,telecommunication,education,personal training,medicine,national healthcare,telemedicine,social networks,internatization

WHAT DRIVES TECHNOLOGY UTILISATION, LEARNING AND TRANSFER IN AGRICULTURE? LESSONS FROM NIGERIAN WOMEN FARMERS

This study examines the factors that drive technology utilisation, learning and transfer among women farmers in Nigeria. It assesses both modern and indigenous technologies used in farming activities. Three states were purposively selected from the six that comprise the South West geopolitical zone of the country. Structured questionnaire was administered to 180 women smallholder farmers who were randomly selected in equal proportion across the three states. Some 128 copies of questionnaire were retrieved representing a response rate of about 71%. The study reveals that majority of the women (about 67%) use indigenous technologies while only a few (17%) and 16% use modern technologies and a combination of both respectively. Family and friends are the main source of learning indigenous technologies while extension agents are the major source of modern. The study uses spearman correlation to determine the drivers of the dependent variables. Age, level of education, years of experience and learning intensity are significantly correlated with technology utilisation at 1% level of confidence while primary occupation and learning have significant correlation with technology learning at 5% and 1% confidence level respectively. The study also reveals that farmers’ age, experience and availability of learning system are have significant correlation with technology transfer. The study advocates the introduction of need and gender-specific new technologies. There is the need for integration of indigenous technologies into research so that it can be attractive to the older women. Also, farmers should be integrated into the technology development process. This will help in sustaining the rising interest of younger women in adapting modern and indigenous technologies in agriculture. The study also advocates the need for deeper and broader interactions among key actors, such as, R&D institutions, extension agents, NGOs, CBOs and farmers on the effectiveness and variety of channels used in technology learning, utilisation and transfer. Appropriate public policy interventions should also be introduced to develop ‘smallholder-friendly’ technologies, especially among women, to curb market failures in technology adoption

Design Gateway: Pedagogical Discussion of a Second-Year Industrial Design Studio

This presentation was part of the session : Pedagogy: Procedures, Scaffolds, Strategies, Tactics24th National Conference on the Beginning Design StudentMost industrial design programs focus the beginning design curriculum on the learning of core design principles. These core principles are seen as not specific to any one discipline (architecture, industrial design, interior design, etc.), but rather as fundamentals germane to all design fields. These core principles focus on the analysis of built artifact (structures, products, systems) to develop an understanding of geometry, structure and composition through looking and exploring. Students develop skills in representing, communicating and analyzing what they see and experience. These skills are nurtured in early studios. As students move into later studios, more discipline-specific knowledge and skills are integrated into their educational pedagogy. In the beginning years of design education, there is a transition from the learning of general 'core' design fundamentals to specialized principles that is inherent to their specific disciplines. As students move from abstract ideas to 'real-world' projects, they seem to have difficulty transitioning between the abstract concepts they previously learned and reality that requires application to new settings [1]. Students perceive learned concepts as specific to a particular studio project, rather than realize that design education is a continuum of practiced principles [1]. This presents a disconnect between knowledge transfer from one studio project to the next. The curriculum of the second-year industrial design studio at the Georgia Institute of Technology is designed to address this disconnect and help students successfully transition from the core design fundamentals to industrial design knowledge. Throughout the second year education, students engage in the making and communication of form and they do it through design exercises dealing with the fundamentals as well as knowledge base, both simultaneously and repeatedly, According to ----, a design education that offers a component of repetitive experience encourages students to be cognizant of the iterative nature of both the design process as well as design education [2]. This paper discusses the approach, designed by the authors, evident in the sophomore-year industrial design curriculum at Georgia Tech. While emphasis is placed on rigor, exploration and articulation of concepts throughout the studio period, this approach adopts a pedagogy based on a series of modules that scaffold the introduction of new concepts with the reinforcement of previously learned ones. Individual modules follow a path of concept introduction (lecture), analysis, practice, and finally refinement. Upon completion of several modules, students engage in a 'module project' which demonstrates synthesis and realization of the learned concepts. A final semester-end design project provides for aggregation and demonstration of all subject matter learned throughout the semester. This pedagogical approach bridges the gap of disconnect between previous studios and promotes a continuous layering and practice of beginning design fundamentals

The integration of information and communication technology into basic education schools in Oman: a study of teachers' use of ICT and the influence of related factors

This study investigates teachers' use of Information and Communication technology (ICT) in Basic Education schools in Oman. The introduction of ICT was a reform in the education system embarked upon in 1998 which aimed to transfer the schools from the traditional style to more progressive through the integration of technology into teaching and learning. The main focus of the present study is on exploring the influence of different factors on the use of ICT, such as the availability of different types of equipment, teacher training, learning resource centres, administration and attitudes toward the importance of the educational technology to the teaching-learning process.The study is based on both quantitative and qualitative data gathered using a variety of methods: questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. The questionnaire sample consisted of 743 teachers. Interviews and observations were conducted with 23 teachers in all regions in Oman.Results indicate that teachers' use of ICT was low and most of them (around two thirds of the sample) still rely on traditional media tools; ICT use by Basic Education teachers was still confined primarily to laboratory settings; and teachers' technology experiences were not directly integrated into daily classroom instruction or lesson planning. Access to resources, time, training, home use and support were identified as factors that influence the integration of technology into daily instruction.Among the findings of the study are continuing weaknesses in ICT integration and the need for improved and more flexible in-service training. In addition, the study argues that the main concern of the Basic Education teachers was the lack of support, which could be improved by offering technical, administrative and suitable guides and knowledge to help them the achieve the higher levels of ICT integration