Managing social activity and participation in large classes with mobile phone technology

International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 2(3), 87-9

Online Education and the Socioeconomic Achievement Gap: A Solution or a Problem?

The socioeconomic achievement gap refers to how students of lower socioeconomic status (SES) underperform academically relative to their higher SES peers. In addressing this issue, researchers have considered online learning as a potential solution. Because online learning platforms provide increased flexibility and access for students, some argue that online education will democratize education and narrow the socioeconomic achievement gap. As such, in recent decades, online learning has increasingly been used as an addition to and, in some cases, even a replacement for in-person learning. A closer examination of the subject, however, reveals that the widespread adoption of online learning may actually exacerbate the achievement gap. This paper focuses on four ways in which online learning can actually widen the achievement gap: exacerbating the educational digital divide, increasing the demands of student self regulated learning, keeping lower SES students in environments not conducive to successful learning, and reducing the possibility of protective social support. However, this paper will also explore ways in which online platforms can be used as a method of narrowing the SES achievement gap. Rather than simply trying to imitate a classroom environment over the internet, online platforms may be used as a tool for socioeconomic integration

Benefits and challenges of Enterprise Resource Planning for Pakistani SMEs

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is used to combine all the functions happening inside the organization with the help of one software. All the data is centralized which makes it easy to manage information for all participants. The literature on ERP is studied thoroughly the whole process of adoption till the implementation and final evaluations. But studies that focus on small and medium sized enterprises are limited in number when compared to the large scale enterprises. In case of Pakistan, research is very limited. In this thesis, the author tries to analyze the current status of SMEs usage of ERP system. The benefits obtained and challenges faced by SMEs of Pakistan are studied. Framework presented by Shang and Seddon (2000) is used to understand the benefits obtained by the SMEs in Pakistan. This is a comprehensive framework that classifies the benefits obtained by the ERP adoption, into five categories: operational benefits, managerial benefits, Strategic benefits, IT benefits, and Organizational benefits. The results show that SMEs of Pakistan are also getting many benefits after adoption of ERP. Most of the firms had implemented SAP software. Operational benefits were mentioned by all the firms. The most important benefits were report generation, quick access to critical information, better product and cost planning. Respondents also mentioned that they had reduced corruption as a result of ERP implementation. It is also an important benefit considering high corruption rate in Pakistan. Along with benefits, challenges faced by Pakistani SMEs included infrastructure problems like electricity, difficulties with integration of one module with other module, costs of adoption and lack of skilled ERP consultants. Further studies in this regard can be conducted on cloud based ERP which is fast growing all around the world

Шоковая цифровизация образования: восприятие участников образовательного процесса

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined both by the importance of the problem of digital transformation of education in general, and by the specific conditions, which arose during the crisis caused by COVID-19. The long-term consequences of the emergency transition of Russian education to the distance format, taking into account the ongoing pandemic, have yet to be assessed, but the reaction of the participants in the educational process to the first period of the total distance learning should be analysed immediately as a basis for future management decisions. Aim. The aim of the present research is a comprehensive analysis of the perception of the experience of an emergency transition to a distant education format by the main participants in the educational process. Methodology and research methods. Online survey based on Google forms was employed as the main method. The respondents to the survey included participants in the educational process, mostly permanently residing in the Sverdlovsk region (99% of the respondents). The survey was conducted in September - October 2020. The survey participation was voluntary and completely anonymous. As a result of the survey conducted, more than 24,500 original responses were received and processed. The data obtained were compared with the results of secondary studies (primarily, with the monitoring studies of the Higher School of Economics). Results. The research findings demonstrate a number of significant shortcomings in the strategy of digital transformation of education, such as the insufficient development of the digital communication infrastructure in the regions, the technological and competence-based digital inequality, the lack of well-developed methods of using digital educational tools, the lack of high-quality content, the lack of full-fledged integrated educational resources on the market. The shortcomings mentioned above apparently led to a decrease in the quality of education during the period of self-isolation and provoked a reaction of rejection of digital educational forms and an increase in technological pessimism among a significant part of the respondents. The results are presented in correlation with secondary studies, which confirms the reliability of the general conclusions. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the attraction, systematisation and analytical generalisation of original material on the urgent problem of digital transformation of education, collected in one of the largest and technologically advanced regions of the Russian Federation. Practical significance. The current article makes it possible to more accurately assess the situation in regional education and provides reference points both for conducting longitudinal research and for making current and strategic management decisions in Russian education at the regional and federal level. © 2021 Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University. All rights reserved.The reported study was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) in the framework of the research project No. 19-29-14176. The authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to the Institute for the Development of Education of the Sverdlovsk Region for assistance in organising and conducting the survey

Shock digitalisation of education: The perception of participants of the educational process

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined both by the importance of the problem of digital transformation of education in general, and by the specific conditions, which arose during the crisis caused by COVID-19. The long-termconsequences of the emergency transition of Russian education to the distance format, taking into account the ongoing pandemic, have yet to be assessed, but the reaction ofthe participants in the educational process to the first period of the total distance learning should be analysed immediately as a basis for future management decisions. Aim. The aim of the present research is a comprehensive analysis of the perception of the experience of an emergency transition to a distant education format by the main participants in the educational process. Methodology and research methods. Online survey based on Google forms was employed as the main method. The respondents to the survey included participants in the educational process, mostly permanently residing in the Sverdlovsk region (99% of the respondents). The survey was conducted in September – October 2020. The survey participation was voluntary and completely anonymous. As a result of the survey conducted, more than 24,500 original responses were received and processed. The data obtained were compared with the results of secondary studies (primarily, with the monitoring studies of the Higher School of Economics). Results. The research findings demonstrate a number of significant shortcomings in the strategy of digital transformation of education, such as the insufficient development of the digital communication infrastructure in the regions, the technological and competence-based digital inequality, the lack of well-developed methods of using digitaleducational tools, the lack of high-quality content, the lack of full-fledged integrated educational resources on the market. The shortcomings mentioned above apparently led to a decrease in the quality of education during the period of self-isolation and provoked a reaction of rejection of digital educational forms and an increase in technological pessimism among a significant part of the respondents. The results are presented in correlation with secondary studies, which confirms the reliability of the general conclusions. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the attraction, systematisation and analytical generalisation of original material on the urgent problem of digital transformation of education, collected in one of the largest and technologically advanced regions of the Russian Federation. Practical significance. The current article makes it possible to more accurately assess the situation in regional education and provides reference points both for conducting longitudinal research and for making current and strategic management decisions in Russian education at the regional and federal level.Введение. Актуальность исследования определяется как общей значимостью проблемы цифровой трансформации образования, так и специфическими условиями, которые возникли в ходе кризиса, вызванного распространением COVID-19. Долгосрочные последствия экстренного перехода на дистанционное обучение еще предстоит оценить, но реакция участников образовательного процесса на первый период тотального дистанта должна быть проанализирована незамедлительно как основа для будущих управленческих решений. Целью исследования является комплексный анализ восприятия опыта экстренного перехода на дистантный режим основными участниками образовательного процесса. Методология и методы. В основе работы лежит социокультурный методологический подход. В качестве главного метода использовалось онлайн-анкетирование на базе гугл-форм. Респондентами стали участники образовательного процесса, по преимуществу постоянно проживающие на территории Свердловской области (99% опрошенных). Анкетирование проводилось в сентябре – октябре 2020 г. на добровольной и полностью анонимной основе. Сведения, полученные посредством обработки более 24 500 оригинальных ответов, сопоставлены с данными вторичных исследований (прежде всего мониторингов Высшей школы экономики). Результаты исследования демонстрируют наличие существенных недочетов стратегии цифровой трансформации образования, таких как недостаточное развитие инфраструктуры цифровой связи в регионах, технологическое и компетентностное цифровое неравенство, отсутствие проработанных методик применения цифровых образовательных инструментов, нехватка качественного контента, отсутствие на рынке полноценных интегрированных образовательных ресурсов. Связанные с ними трудности привели, по-видимому, к снижению качества образования в период самоизоляции и спровоцировали реакцию отторжения цифровых образовательных форм и рост технологического пессимизма у значительной части респондентов. Результаты представлены в сопоставлении с данными вторичных исследований, что подтверждает достоверность общих выводов. Научная новизна исследования заключается в привлечении, систематизации и аналитическом обобщении оригинального материала по актуальной проблеме цифровой трансформации образования, собранного в одном из крупнейших и технологически развитых регионов Российской Федерации. Практическая значимость. Статья позволяет точнее оценить ситуацию в региональном образовании и дает опорные точки как для проведения лонгитюдных исследований, так и для принятия текущих и стратегических управленческих решений в российском образовании на региональном и федеральном уровнях.The reported study was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) in the framework of the research project No. 19-29-14176. The authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to the Institute for the Development of Education of the Sverdlovsk Region for assistance in organising and conducting the survey.Исследование выполнено при финансовой поддержке Российского фонда фундаментальных исследований (РФФИ) в рамках научного проекта № 19-29-14176. Авторы статьи выражают признательность Институту развития образования Свердловской области за содействие в организации и проведении анкетирования

Developing SOA wrappers for communication purposes in rural areas

The introduction of Web Services as a platform upon which applications can communicate has contributed a great deal towards the expansion of World Wide Web technologies. The Internet and computing technologies have been some of the factors that have contributed to the socio-economic improvement of urban and industrial areas. This research focuses on the application of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Web Services technologies in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) contexts. SOA is a style used to design distributed systems, and Web Services are some of the common realizations of the SOA. Web Services allow the exchange of data between two or more machines in a simple and standardized manner over the network. This has resulted in the augmentation of ways in which individuals in a society and in the world communicate. This research aims to develop a SOA-based system with services that are implemented as Web Services. The system is intended to support communication activities of Dwesa community members. The communication methods identified as the most commonly used in the Dwesa community are Short Message Services (SMSs) and voice calls. In this research we have identified further methods (i.e. Multimedia Message Service, Electronic mail and Instant Messaging) to augment communication activities in Dwesa. The developed system, therefore, exposes SMS Web Service, MMS Web Service, Email Web Service and IM Web Service that are consumed in machine-to-machine, machine-to-person and person-to-person types of communication. We have also implemented a one-stop communication shop, through a web portal which provides interfaces to the different communication modules. Elaborate functional and usability testing have also been undertaken to establish the viability and end-user acceptance of the system respectively. This research has provided the initial validation of the effectiveness of the SOA-based system in ICT4D context

Investigation and development of an e judiciary service for a citizen oriented judiciary system for rural communities

One of the factors that contribute towards slow rural development is the presence of the digital divide. An area where the digital divide is still prevalent is the administration of justice within traditional contexts. One of the areas affected by this problem is the Dwesa rural community, situated on the Wild Coast of the former homeland of Transkei, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. To address this problem for the Dwesa community, a research project on developing and implementing an e-Judiciary service was undertaken. The primary objective of this project was to develop a web application to support traditional justice administration in the Dwesa community. Due to the lack of a proper legal environment in this community, the e-Judiciary service acts as a portal for safe-keeping of judicial information. Such a system also serves as a platform for the administration of minor offences that are solved by the traditional courts. Furthermore, it provides a better working environment for traditional judicial leaders and eliminates the difficulty of accessing legal information by the rest of the community. Through the availability and use of the service, community members are provided with understanding and knowledge about judiciary operations and services in their community

A critical analysis of factors influencing internet diffusion in South Africa and its implications on the rollout of e-government services

Abstract Staying up-to-date with Internet and other Information and Communication Technology developments is vital for a country’s economic growth and for a country to stay internationally competitive. Despite the rapid growth and uptake of the Internet around the world, South Africa has continued to struggle to keep up with this trend as the number of people who have access to the Internet is relatively low. Numerous factors continue to have a large effect on the diffusion of the Internet which in turn leads to implications for the uptake and rollout of e-Government services. Regulatory issues, ineffective policies, increasing State involvement, obsolete Universal Service Obligations, and a weak, underfunded regulator continue to hinder the widespread uptake of Internet and high speed Internet offerings. The low diffusion of Internet has lead to the South African government investing a large amount of capital into e-Government projects and strategies which are only benefiting a small portion of the population and thus exacerbating the ever growing digital divide

O USO DO MICROSOFT TEAMS EM AULAS REMOTAS, POR PROFESSORES E ALUNOS, NO CONTEXTO DA PANDEMIA DO COVID19, EM UMA FACULDADE PÚBLICA: UMA ANÁLISE DOS PROBLEMAS, NECESSIDADES E ANSEIOS DOS ENVOLVIDOS NO PROCESSO DE ENSINO-APRENDIZAGEM.

A presente tese tem como objetivo geral analisar como se desenvolveu e quais foram os desafios, problemas e aprendizagens decorrentes da aplicação de conteúdos pelos professores e de aprendizagem pelos alunos, utilizando a plataforma do Microsoft Teams, nos cursos diurnos e noturnos, de uma Faculdade Pública do Governo do Estado de São Paulo, na cidade de Bragança Paulista. Apresenta como objetivos específicos: verificar os recursos da plataforma digital do Microsoft Teams, identificando suas limitações e aplicações no uso do ensino remoto; identificar quais foram os problemas, dificuldades, mas também, aprendizagens identificadas pelos professores durante o processo do uso do Microsoft Teams nas aulas remotas; descrever quais foram os problemas, dificuldades, mas também, aprendizagens identificadas pelos alunos durante o processo do uso do Microsoft Teams nas aulas remotas; e demonstrar as vantagens e desvantagens do uso da plataforma digital Microsoft Teams no processo de ensino-aprendizagem, em aulas remotas. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, em uma abordagem mista, sendo, portanto, qualitativa e quantitativa, caracterizando-se pela triangulação de dados, contemplada pelas observações da pesquisadora, questionário aplicado nos alunos e entrevistas aplicada nos professores, com desenho não-experimental e de caráter longitudinal. A pesquisa iniciou-se em 2020, durante a pandemia do Covid-19, com as anotações da pesquisadora em seu diário de campo (dados qualitativos), após a observação de inúmeras situações relacionadas a este estudo, além da coleta de dados, em paralelo, no 2º semestre de 2022, entre os meses de agosto e novembro, com a aplicação de um questionário on-line aos alunos (dados quantitativos) e entrevistas presenciais e por WhatsApp aos professores (dados qualitativos). Os resultados foram demostrados por meio de método estatístico para os alunos, trazendo dados numéricos relevantes, em paralelo aos resultados coletados através da análise de conteúdos realizada com as entrevistas dos professores, completando com as observações e anotações do diário de campo da pesquisadora. Com este estudo pode-se constatar, as dificuldades encontradas por alunos e professores no processo de ensino-aprendizagem, utilizando uma plataforma digital para ministrar as aulas remotas, denominada de Microsoft Teams, durante a pandemia do Covid-19, além dos desafios, sucessos e insucessos. Caracteriza-se por oferecer uma discussão sobre os temas acerca do ensino- aprendizagem, utilizando plataformas digitais, destacando pontos positivos, mas também os negativos, além da troca de experiências e de convivência entre os envolvidos. Pôde-se evidenciar que existe conexão entre os registros feitos pela pesquisadora, enquanto professora atuante de todo o processo, com os relatos dos professores entrevistados, além das percepções dos alunos quando questionados, muito embora sejam detectadas algumas situações específicas, descritas por alguns professores, que, corroboram para o aprofundamento de tal assunto em um estudo posterior

Wireless Technologies Bridging the Digital Divide in Education

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how the latest wireless standards and technologies may overcome the digital divide in education in the developed and developing worlds. The concept of the digital divide is discussed in the traditional socio-economic sense and expanded in terms of the learner's location, age, culture and background. It is important that we understand the full extent and complexities of this division if we are to effectively bridge it. Why and how the digital divide may be bridged is examined. Apart from the inherent inequalities that need to be addressed from an ethical perspective, it is very much in the interests of governments and citizens globally that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is made available to all as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. New forms of wireless protocols are overcoming challenges of terrain, infrastructure and finance. It is proposed that, by leveraging open broadband wireless standards, like Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi*) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX*), and implementing Mobile Computing architecture, it is now possible to make dramatic strides in this direction. The paper continues with a general overview of these wireless standards and technologies followed by an in-depth look at Wi-Fi and WiMAX. The paper goes on to give examples of the Innovation Centre's involvement in delivering solutions and new usage models for eLearning that utilize the latest wireless standards and technologies. The challenges and successes of these projects are outlined and metrics are presented where available