A comparative study of mobile technology adoption in remote Australia

The paper presents a comparative study of mobile technology adoption\ud and use by two communities – one Aboriginal and the other non-Aboriginal –\ud both located in a remote region of Australia, the Bloomfield River Valley of Cape\ud York. Both communities have high levels of ownership of mobile phones relative\ud to, on the one hand, the low uptake of other ICT such as fixed-line phones by the\ud Aboriginal community at Wujal Wujal and, on the other hand, the poor mobile\ud coverage in the non-Aboriginal community at Bloomfield. For both groups\ud communication is of paramount importance, followed by listening to music. In\ud addition, the Aboriginal community make extensive use of other multimedia and\ud Internet features of their devices. Key factors in the motivation to acquire mobile\ud phones, in comparison to other ICT, are the superior cost management that\ud mobiles offer for Aboriginal people and the convenience of being able to\ud communicate while away from home for Bloomfield residents. The authors\ud conclude that mobile technology needs to be taken seriously, even in areas of\ud limited coverage such as the Bloomfield River Valley

Indigenous Australians in the Information Age

Information Technology is not a neutral tool but a medium which embodies the values of the civilization which produced it. This could have serious implications for Indigenous Australians as they adopt the new technologies and move into the Information Age. Computer use is certainly low amongst Indigenous Australians, but a review of the existing literature shows no evidence of rejection of the technology on the grounds of its ideological bias. Instead, there appears to be an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, limited only by a difficulty in accessing the technology due to cost, isolation, poor telecommunications infrastructure, low computer literacy and lack of awareness. It is proposed that attributes inherent in Information Technology, such as its flexibility, interactivity, its non-judgemental and non-hierarchical nature, and its use of graphics mitigate any potentially negative effects and allow Indigenous Australians to achieve their own goals while avoiding Western enculturation

Laurel Evelyn Dyson Indigenous Australians in the Information Age Indigenous Australians in the Information Age: Exploring Issues of Neutrality in Information Technology Abstract

Information Technology is not a neutral tool but a medium which embodies the values of the civilization which produced it. This could have serious implications for Indigenous Australians as they adopt the new technologies and move into the Information Age. Computer use is certainly low amongst Indigenous Australians, but a review of the existing literature shows no evidence of rejection of the technology on the grounds of its ideological bias. Instead, there appears to be an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, limited only by a difficulty in accessing the technology due to cost, isolation, poor telecommunications infrastructure, low computer literacy and lack of awareness. It is proposed that attributes inherent in Information Technology, such as its flexibility, interactivity, its non-judgemental and non-hierarchical nature, and its use of graphics mitigate any potentially negative effects and allow Indigenous Australians to achieve their own goals while avoiding Western enculturation

Cultural issues in the adoption of information and communication technologies by indigenous australians

Abstract. This paper investigates cultural issues concerning Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Indigenous Australians. Firstly, it examines whether the low adoption of ICTs by Indigenous Australians derives from a rejection of Western values embodied in the technology. A review of the existing literature shows no evidence for this. Instead, there appears to be an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, limited only by a difficulty in accessing the technology due to cost, isolation, poor telecommunications infrastructure and low computer skills. Secondly, the paper looks at how ICTs can be implemented to reflect particular Indigenous Australian cultural concerns. Contrary to the view of the technological pessimists, who see computers as a vehicle for marginalizing non-Western cultures, ICTs are shown to be adaptable to other cultures, especially once people from that culture have input into ICT design and management. A number of examples of how this is being done in practice are given. 1

The Role of Podcasts in Studentsâ?? Learning

Podcasts have been employed extensively in some countries and are now being trialed at a number of universities in Australia. They allow ubiquitous learning whereby students can access a variety of educational material anywhere, anytime on iPods, MP3 players or even desktop computers. There remain many questions about the impact of podcasts on studentsâ?? learning. One issue is how podcasts can be used to support high quality, experiential learning rather than merely perpetuating the old transmission model of education. In this paper, we explore the reasons why students either use, or fail to use, podcasts provided for their education. We report on the motivation of students enrolled in a large first-year information systems subject. These varied considerably and show that podcasts are a useful adjunct for providing for the diverse range of learning styles of our students. However, we also conclude that further research is needed into the use of podcasts to promote deeper learning in our students and how podcasts can act as a support tool for other forms of m-learning

Applying the ISO 9126 model to the evaluation of an elearning

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Supporting practitioners in implementing mobile learning and overcoming ethical concerns: a scenario-based approach

Ethical concerns about mobile learning have been raised across all sectors of the educational system, sometimes resulting in the banning of mobile phones in schools and retarding the adoption of mobile learning as rapidly as might have initially been envisaged. A way of dealing with this problem is to empower mobile learning practitioners and researchers to deal effectively with ethical dilemmas through the development of their ethical reasoning. A commonly accepted approach to ethical development is by means of scenarios, to which ethical principles are applied in order to produce solutions. In this paper four scenarios are presented which were developed at two mobile learning and ethics workshops conducted in 2012. An ethics framework for the analysis of the scenarios is described and finally a strategy is outlined for conducting professional development of teachers and academics as well as training for student teachers. The authors propose that ethical scenarios provide not only a means of developing the competence of teachers and academics in dealing with ethical issues in their mobile learning practice and research, but may well lead to the greater adoption of mobile learning as fears of ethical issues diminish once a way to providing solutions is demonstrated. Finally, scenarios are seen as a tool to foster conversations with educational managers and administrators in order to promote policy development and practical responses to ethical issues in mobile learning