Reconciling Culture and Digital Literacy in the United Arab Emirates

For a number of years, there has been a concerted effort by the United Arab Emirates to take a prominent role in introducing e-business initiatives throughout the Gulf region, and this effort has translated into widespread access of internet technology for its own citizens. The country, in setting out to become a hub for foreign and domestic companies, realized that to achieve these goals it must provide appropriate e-business frameworks and infrastructures, which it has successfully done. Although, while not the only means of acquiring digital literacy, regular exposure to the internet does contribute to gaining these necessary 21st century skills. It might be expected that with such widespread access to the internet the population would contribute to becoming digitally competent. Using an ethnographic case study methodology, this paper investigates issues contributing to what might be a new form of digital divide; cultural issues which limit the acquisition of such digital skills

Web 2.0 Tools in Biomedical Education: Limitations and Possibilities

The use of Web 2.0 technology is rapidly being integrated into undergraduate and graduate education, which dramatically influences the ways learners approach and use information. Knowledge transfer has become a two-way process. Users no longer simply consume and download information from the web; they create and interact with it. Several theoretical frameworks were developed in order to discuss the possibilities of integration of Web 2.0 tools in Pharmacy, Medicine, Allied Health, Nursing and many other biomedical areas. Other studies have started gathering qualitative and quantitative evidence of the importance of Web 2.0 tools in the learning process. By performing the integrative review, this paper will provide an overview of current research in biomedical education, and elaborate on some of the potential opportunities and challenges that these applications present. We hope to give our contribution to ongoing research in this promising area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio