The role of national intellectual capital in the digital transformation of EU countries. Another digital divide?

Purpose: This study, an exploratory one, aims to empirically investigate the association of national intellectual capital (NIC) with the national digital transformation readiness of the European Union's (EU’s) member states. Apart from building the conceptual model of NIC, this study explores the role of NIC dimensions in the digital divide between European countries. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the literature review and the available EU statistical data and indexes, the theoretical framework and conceptual model for NIC were developed. The model explores the relation of NIC and its dimensions (human, social, structural, relational and renewable/development capital) on the readiness of European countries for digital transformation and the digital divide. Significant differences between EU countries in NIC and digital readiness were tested. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the association of each NIC dimension with digital transformation and digital divide within the EU. Findings: Despite a positive association between all dimensions of NIC and digital transformation readiness, the proposed model of NIC was not confirmed in full. Regression analysis proved social capital and working skills, a dimension of human capital, to be the predictors of digital transformation at a national level, able to detect certain elements of digital divide between EU member states. Structural capital, knowledge and education, as dimensions of human capital, were predictors of the digital divide in terms of the integration of digital media in companies. Research limitations/implications: This research has a limited propensity for generalisation due to the lack of common measurement models in the field of NIC exploration. Practical implications: This research offers policy makers an indication of the relationships between NIC and digital transformation, pointing out which dimensions of NIC should be strengthened to allow the EU to meet the challenges of digital economy and to overcome the digital divide between EU member states. Social implications: The use of digital technologies is key in creating active and informed citizens in the public sphere and productive companies and economic growth in the business sphere. Originality/value: This study provides an original theoretical framework and conceptual model through which to analyse the relationship between NIC and digital transformation, which has thus far not been explored at the level of the EU. This research makes an original contribution to the empirical exploration of NIC and produces new insights in the fields of digital transformation and intellectual capital

Every-where is here: architecture and a developing information society.

‘Bit by bit’ our Societies are moving through an Information Age, characterized by a global shift towards an increased need for Information. In an instantaneous age of digital information, the ability to access the world’s knowledge from anywhere and by anyone is an inevitable reality, but not yet true for communities on the other side of the digital divide. With technology becoming cheaper and faster the Digital Divide must be seen as more than lack of hardware, and rather as a cultural divide. Nurturing Information Societies in a developing context needs a bottom-up approach that applies local cultures and methods of interaction to the global trends of the Information Age. By providing free access to the world’s knowledge and interfaces between the virtual and the real, public space and the Library as historic resource centres must be the first to embrace a new era in digital information and its potential for narrowing the cultural divide and most importantly, educating for a new culture of use. This thesis explores a spatial re-interpretation and an adaptation of the traditional information platform within a developing world context and concludes with the design of an open-information-campus model. The building model provides for new ways of thinking about the social interactivity, the remix culture and the innovative opportunities provided for by the Network Age’s emancipated information landscape

Reckoning with the digital turn in electoral geography

The sub-discipline of electoral geography contains research threads that draw on different theoretical, philosophical, and methodological traditions. I link these threads to the ‘digital turn’ that is occurring in the electoral landscape and in the discipline of geography itself. The use of digital technology is increasingly shaping electioneering and data regimes, providing new conceptual challenges concerning the spatial mediation and subsequent knowledge politics of voting and campaigning. Responding to these challenges requires not only building on the subfield’s tradition of interdisciplinarity but also on strengthening intra-disciplinary dialogue, in particular working across the quantitative–qualitative divide

Civics and citizenship education in NSW secondary schools : case studies of the impact of authoritative expert content and multimedia technology in the classroom

This study examines teachers’ perspectives and experiences with civics and citizenship education (CCE) in secondary school classrooms in NSW. It investigates the pedagogical approaches of teachers of History and Geography in CCE and the ways in which technology is used in teaching practice. It is a study based on qualitative research methods and design. The research methodology adopts a multiple case study approach that incorporates an action research orientation. Sixteen teachers participated in the study in five NSW secondary schools. The research findings revealed that teachers approached CCE with reference to the NSW syllabus in a diverse range of ways. These approaches were categorised as follows: empathetic, rights and responsibilities based, values based, community based, and critically inquiring. While teachers tended to adopt a mix of these approaches in classroom teaching practice, the above approaches were discemable. Teaching approaches to CCE depended on several factors including school context, levels of student literacy and language skills, access to technology, and length of teaching experience. The research revealed the complex nature of the challenges facing CCE teachers in response to changing contemporary local, national and international events. The findings identify a continuing need for pre-service training, inservice training and professional development in CCE for secondary school teachers. Data gathered on teachers’ use of technology in classroom teaching showed differences in the pedagogical approaches adopted by CCE teachers in different schools. Differences in teaching approaches were shaped by teachers’ access to equipment and facilities, communication networks, and maintenance and support of technology for classroom teaching. The ‘digital divide’ revealed by the data influenced the ways in which participating teachers approached the use of technology for classroom teaching. The wider opportunities that existed in some schools to engage technology appeared to extend teacher’s ability to build knowledge of content and teaching (KCT) and knowledge of students and content (KSC) with respect to the use of technology. Limited and unequal access to technology for classroom teaching practice holds implications for the development of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). A technological ‘digital divide’ has the potential to be mirrored in a ‘pedagogical divide’ in approaches to teaching with varied possibilities and outcomes for teachers and students in different schools. In addition to investigating existing teaching practice, in secondary schools this study explored different pedagogical approaches to CCE in the classroom. The action research orientation adopted relied on the earlier investigation of classroom practice with participating teachers. The methods that were applied combined authoritative expert content (AEC), instructional strategies, and video technology. The study explored the perceived impact of these methods on teacher knowledge and student knowledge in classroom settings. The research design facilitated the use of AEC in classrooms with participating teachers and over 800 secondary school students from 2002- 2005. Participating teachers perceived student involvement with AEC in the classroom as beneficial to student motivation and knowledge building in civics and citizenship within the NSW syllabus. The impact of AEC on teacher knowledge suggested an enhancement of teacher content knowledge with particular emphasis on specialised content knowledge (SCK) in CCE. Teacher’s participation in the study was perceived to have enhanced pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in CCE to some extent. The pedagogical methods based on AEC and the use of video technology demonstrated a capacity to stimulate learning and build knowledge through collaborative teaching partnerships in CCE

Bridging the ICT Gap: A Study of UK Online Centres

An initiative to create about 6,000 UK online centres aims to bridge the gap between those in society who have access to and are able to use information and communication technologies competently, and those who do not. UK online centres can be seen as networked community learning entities, playing an expanding role in formal and informal community-based learning. The study described below provides a detailed snapshot of what was happening in UK online centres in the first nine months of 2002. The goal was to gain an improved understanding of the social context of the centres, and issues around the creation and exchange of knowledge within and between online community centres. The longer term goal is that if models of successful practice can be built, and cascaded by the community to new start- ups and more established centres, we will have the building blocks for sustainable capacity for bridging the digital divide

Repurposing resources as open content: studying the experiences of new providers

Much educational content sits within institutional systems protected from global access, this proprietary approach restricts opportunities for informal learning and the exchange of materials between cultures. One response to reducing this particular digital divide is to open up access to existing courses by providing them as free to use Open Educational Resources (OERs). This is being addressed through work on OpenLearn (the open content initiative from The Open University developed with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) and POCKET (The Project on Open Content for Knowledge Exposition and Teaching, supported by JISC under the repositories and preservation programme). The approach is evaluative considering transfer of lessons from work on the reworking of distance learning materials (within the OpenLearn initiative) to the reworking of material from campus-based universities (supported by the POCKET project). Analysis will include the role of supporting artifacts (guidelines, examples, tools) and the process support required (shared aims, workshops, structure). Evaluation tools that are being applied include logging of experience, stake holder interviews, and analytics data. We are building on existing evaluation of the OpenLearn initiative that has revealed models for learner use of open educational resources and studied the reuse of released open resources. Results include the need for a range of reworkable formats, support and time pressures on voluntary use – these results are supported by case study information and overall usage statistics. Further data that will be available from POCKET by September 2008 will include reflections from participants, workshop outcomes and initial stakeholder interviews, full evaluation of POCKET will be complete by April 2009. This paper will have examined our understanding of the process by which content can be transformed from existing learning materials to freely available open educational resources. Conclusions at this stage will focus on the process of adoption and transfer from OpenLearn and the effectiveness of the evaluation and project approach. Comparison will be made with the advantages and disadvantages of the self supported approach adopted initially in OpenLearn and suggestions given for structures that enable collaboration in producing open educational resources

Bridging the Innovation Divide: An Agenda for Disseminating Technology Innovations within the Nonprofit Sector

Examines technology practices -- such as neighborhood information systems, electronic advocacy, Internet-based micro enterprise support, and digital inclusion initiatives -- that strengthen the capacity of nonprofits and community organizations

Access to information in digital libraries : users and digital divide

Recognising the importance of information and knowledge in all spheres of human life, the recently held World Summit on Information Society came up with a plan of action for building a global information society. The goal of the world information society initiatives is the same as that of digital library research and development - to make information and knowledge accessibleto everyone in the world. Digital libraries have progressed very rapidly over the past ten or soyears. This paper addresses the two most important aspects of the information society - information users and digital divide. Findings of some large-scale studies on human information behaviour on the web and digital libraries have been discussed. The major findings of a study on access to electronic resources by university students are the presented. Proposed that a one-stop window approach with a task-based information organisation and access system may be the way forward

International lessons for the digital age

Some commentators hold the view that the digital divide is a problem largely caused by lack of access to appropriate technologies which, when overcome, will act as a virtual panacea for many interlinked ills. Yet, others see this as far too simplistic an analysis in the search for radical solutions in a world of such extreme social inequality and global inequity. This paper will argue for a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach to finding those solutions, advocating a greater amount of needs-based work in this field, getting to the root of the problem by taking into account the particular set of conditions within each situation or case study. At the same time it will strive to create a more harmonious world view where each small scale project is seen as part of a network searching for broader solutions rather than an end product in themselves. In order to provide a framework for this argument, and support theories with informed practice, a case study of a teacher training project delivered to Rwandan students, through the medium of the English language and new technologies, will be used as an example of what has been achieved so far in the field of online learning, and what lessons could be learned for the future. The paper shall also argue for greater involvement on the part of British universities, so that voyages into this multidimensional terrain, widely explored but largely uncharted, remain more pedagogic than economi