bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Information Technology in Supporting Supply Chain Coordination of Logistics Services Providers
Authors: Evangelista Pietro
Published: May 2011

For companies competing in highly dynamic markets, coordination is considered a fundamental component for achieving a higher level of supply chain efficiency. Information and communication technology (ICT) is essential enabler of supply chain coordination and synchronization. The focus of this chapter is on the analysis of ICT adoption in small third-party logistics service providers (3PLs) as prerequisite for improving supply chain coordination. On the basis of evidences emerging from a questionnaire survey carried out on the Italian logistics service market, the chapter analyses ICT usage and the factors inhibiting and facilitating the adoption of technology for supply chain coordination and integration of small 3PLs. A number of implications are derived from the research and managerial perspectives.
Supply Chain Coordination under Price Competition
Authors: Sarmah S.P. , Sinha Santanu
Published: May 2011

This chapter analyzes the coordination and competition issues in a two-stage supply-chain in which a vendor distributes a product to two different retailers who compete on their retail prices in the same market. The demand faced by each retailer not only depends on its own price, but also on the price set by the other retailer. Mathematical models have been developed to analyze the coordination mechanism. It is shown here that perfect channel coordination can be achieved by employing simultaneously quantity discounts, volume discounts and franchise fees. Further, it has been shown that under non-cooperative price competition, the steady state equilibrium is dynamically stable in nature under certain conditions. The model is illustrated with suitable numerical examples.
E-Supply Network
Authors: Cho Namjae , Mahdavi Iraj , Mahdavi-Amiri Nezam , Mohebbi Shima , Zandakbari Mahdi
Published: May 2011

Finding most promising suppliers based on consistency with the overall goals of buyers’ companies is of great importance where different small buyers are dependent on large suppliers. Here, the authors attempt to model and implement an e-supply network considering the buyer-buyer-supplier triadic. This approach facilitates horizontal information exchange among buyers in sharing their experience and thereby buyers are inclined to find the most acceptable suppliers. Indeed, vertical information sharing among buyers and suppliers are considered in order to allocate the benefits of the mechanism to all partners while optimizing the network global objective function. The concept of discrepancy is first utilized to search for the most promising suppliers in the network based on the overall goals (exclusive attributes) of buyers and suppliers. Then, products’ specific attributes (bilateral attributes) are used to sharpen the results. At the last step, a genetic algorithm is used by the network agent to coordinate the network. Ultimately, the authors utilize intelligent agents to simulate buyers’ and suppliers’ behaviors with the aim of evaluating the system. They find out that information sharing in supply networks can be effectively established if the barriers of information access and information effects are wisely defined. While the methodology of using information for coordination is still important, the definition of information structure, the way we acquire and maintain the information and the governing rules have critical roles in the success of the system. The agent technology has a key role here enabling the users to utilize the information effects while not having access to them directly.
Word Power and Linguistic Constructs in Nursing
Authors: Cashin Andrew
Published: May 2011

Language is central to thought and of course informatics. This chapter outlines the nature of language and the Sociosemiotic of nursing. How nurses use language is critically reviewed in the context of nursing thought and hence practice. Implications for nursing curriculum, nursing research and informatics are discussed.
Praxis
Authors: Fowler Cathrine , McGarry Denise
Published: May 2011

Praxis is grounded as an essential underpinning construct of nursing. Praxis is advocated to be the route to allow nurses to be emancipated from ‘regimes of truth’ and reified bureaucratic structures. Praxis is also described as the vehicle to take nurses on the journey of continued professional and profession growth.
The Triumph of Shanzhai
Authors: Wu Mei , Li Hongye
Published: May 2011

This chapter attempts to explore the connection between the popularity of shanzhai (no-name brand) mobile phones among urban youth and their social characteristics in contemporary China. Through qualitative analyses of in-depth interviews both shanzhai and non-shanzhai users and selected online group discussions of shanzhai workers, this connection is examined in five realms: political attitudes, practical rationale, social values, interest-seeking and self identification. The findings indicate that the youth’s attitudes towards shanzhai phones are prominently based on practical rationale, followed by their craving for entertainment and fashion. The political orientation of anti-mainstream, anti-authority and anti-brand is not prominent. To use a brand imitation is not so much a vanity issue for social status elevation, as a need of self experience within an affordable means. Finally, young people who are engaged in the shanzhai industry do form their own cycle and build their identity strongly associated with the “shanzhai” both as a business career and political mission.
Call Centers, India, and a New Politics
Authors: Satpathy Maheswar
Published: May 2011

The establishment of myriad Customer service Centers, or as colloquially known, Call Centers have become a much accepted reality now in India. The country known for its assimilative nature has also painfully adopted it, though not quite got adapted to its demands. This much appreciated system by the parents of young students leaves them agape at the amount of salary it promises in comparison to their children’s educational qualifications. Call Centers have become a major hub for any intermediate passed out youngster, with dreamy eyes, full of ambitions, and passions to win the world at any cost. In the present chapter an attempt is made to interrogate the relative benefits and weigh them with the demerits that it has accumulated on the loyal workers. The key theme of the chapter is the analysis of subtle politics in the engagement of these young souls which steals their youthful charisma, vivacious spirit, zeal and vigor in return of some rupees which neither the beneficiary can enjoy nor utilize. A cultural interpretation of modernization, progress and development with a focus on the sustained core-periphery relation in a theoretically imagined world economy finds its place into the rubric of chapter. It interrogates the motives of western countries (or at least the cause behind such accusation) to sustain their monopolistic cultural imperialism through multifarious means, as evidenced in the case of Call centers in India.
Cinema of the Gun
Authors: Hinton Sam
Published: May 2011

Games, like other technological artifacts, do not fall mysteriously from orbit. They are constructed by humans within a matrix of social, economic and cultural conditions of production and consumption. Technologies including the refrigerator, the M16 machine gun and the bicycle have famously been the subject of so-called science and technology studies (STS) analyses, following MacKenzie and Wajcman, Pinch and Bijker and Latour and Callon, among others. Aside from a few initial forays, games have largely escaped this kind of in-depth and sustained analysis. This chapter argues for the use of STS in games research and uses an STS approach to explore the evolution of a ’genre’ of computer games – the first person shooter, or FPS – and in particular the cinematic turn that has taken place within this genre over the past decade.
Evaluating the Context Aware Browser
Authors: Menegon Davide , Mizzaro Stefano , Nazzi Elena , Vassena Luca
Published: May 2011

The authors discuss the evaluation of highly interactive and novel context-aware system with a methodology based on a TREC-like benchmark. We take as a case study an application for Web content perusal by means of context-aware mobile devices, named Context-Aware Browser. In this application, starting from the representation of the user’s current context, queries are automatically constructed and used to retrieve the most relevant Web contents. Since several alternatives for query construction exist, it is important to compare their effectiveness, and to this aim we developed a TREC-like benchmark. We present our approach to early stage evaluation, describing our aims and the techniques we apply. The authors underline how, for the evaluation of context-aware retrieval systems, the benchmark methodology adopted can be an extensible and reliable tool.
A Pervasive Polling Secret-Sharing Based Access Control Protocol for Sensitive Information
Authors: Naranjo Juan Álvaro Muñoz , López Justo Peralta , Ramos Juan Antonio López
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a novel access control mechanism for sensitive information which requires permission from different entities or persons to be accessed. The mechanism consists of a file structure and a protocol which extend the features of the OpenPGP Message Format standard by using secret sharing techniques. Several authors are allowed to work in the same file, while access is blocked for not authorized users. Access control rules can be set indicating the minimum number of authors that need to be gathered together in order to open the file. Furthermore, these rules can be different for each section of the document, allowing collaborative work. Non-repudiation and authentication are achieved by means of a shared signature. The scheme’s features are best appreciated when using it in a mobile scenario. Deployment in such an environment is easy and straight.
M-English – Podcast
Authors: Menezes Célia , Moreira Fernando
Published: May 2011

At the beginning of the 21st century in a world dominated by technology it is essential to enhance and update the school, creating conditions for the students to succeed, consolidating the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a key resource for learning and teaching in this new era. In this chapter we will describe a study that was carried out in a Portuguese school. As a means to overcome some of the existing logistical obstacles in the school, where the possibility of carrying out ICT activities without restrictions was still dreamlike, the podcast was implemented as an m-learning tool. Being aware of the fact that nowadays mobile phones and mp3 players are part of our students’ lives, we took advantage of this fact and the podcast was used as a tool to support, to enhance and to motivate students to learn English, used thus as a complement to traditional (face-to-face) learning.
The Future of WiMAX
Authors: Viehland Dennis , Chawla Sheenu
Published: May 2011

WiMAX is being promoted as a potential solution to a number of problems that have plagued the wired and wireless broadband industry since it originated. Can WiMAX fulfill this promise in a crowded and competitive market? If so, what factors are critical to its success? Who will use WiMAX and for what purposes? This chapter identifies both the critical success factors that will give WiMAX an edge over other existing wireless technologies and the key applications that will contribute to its success. The top three critical success factors for WiMAX are availability of handset devices and consumer premise equipment, bandwidth speed, and interoperability and standardization. A panel of WiMAX experts concludes that broadband on demand, wireless services provider access, and Voice over IP are the top three killer applications for WiMAX.
Connector
Authors: Almeida Pedro , Abreu Jorge Ferraz , Almeida Margarida , Antunes Maria , Silva Lidia , Saraiva Melissa , Teixeira Jorge , Ramos Fernando
Published: May 2011

The widespread and availability of increasingly powerful mobile devices is contributing for the incorporation of new services and features on our daily communications and social relationships. In this context, geolocation of users and points of interest in mobile devices may contribute, in a natural way, to support either the mediation of remote conversations as the promotion of face-to-face meetings between users, leveraging social networks. The CONNECTOR system is based on geolocation data (people, content and activities), enabling users to create and develop their personal relations with other members of the CONNECTOR social network. Users, maps, sharing features and multimedia content are actors in this social network allowing CONNECTOR to address the promotion of geolocated social networks driven by physical proximity and common interests among users. This chapter discusses the work undertaken for the conceptualization and development of the CONNECTOR system. Preliminary evaluation results along with usage contexts are also presented. The chapter concludes with a discussion about future developments in geolocation and personalization in mobile communication services.
Model and Infrastructure for Communications in Context-Aware Services
Authors: Rodriguez-Sanchez Cristina , Borromeo Susana , Hernandez-Tamames Juan
Published: May 2011

The appearance of concepts such as “Ambient Intelligent”, “Ubiquitous Computing” and “Context-Awareness” is causing the development of a new type of services called “Context-Aware Services” that in turn may affect users of mobile communications. This technology revolution is a a complex process because of the heterogeneity of contents, devices, objects, technologies, resources and users that can coexist at the same local environment. The novel approach of our work is the development of a ”Local Infrastructure” in order to provide intelligent, transparent and adaptable services to the user as well as to solve the problem of local context control. Two contributions will be presented: conceptual model for developing a local infrastructure and an architecture design to control the service offered by the local infrastructure. This infrastructure proposed consists of an intelligent device network to link the personal portable device with the contextual services. The device design is modular, flexible, scalable, adaptable and reconfigurable remotely in order to tolerate new demanding services whenever are needed. Finally, the result suggests that we will be able to develop a wide range of new and useful applications, not conceived at origin.
Network Mobility and Mobile Applications Development
Authors: Rijo Rui , Veiga Nuno , Bernardes Silvio
Published: May 2011

The use of mobile devices with possible connection to the Internet is increasing tremendously. This mobility poses new challenges at various levels, including hardware, network services, and the development of applications. The user searches small and lightweight devices, easy to use, and with vast autonomy in terms of energy. She/He seeks also to connect the Internet “every time, everywhere”, possibly using different access technologies. Given the interface limitations, and processing capabilities of small mobile devices, the software and the operating system used must be necessarily adapted. This chapter overviews the mobility area, provides deep insight in the field, and presents the main existing problems. Mobility and the development of mobile applications are closed related. The advances in network mobility lead to different approaches in the mobile applications development. The chapter proposes a model for developing mobile applications, based on our research.
Emerging Wireless Networks for Social Applications
Authors: Aquino Raúl , Villaseñor Luis , Rangel Víctor , García Miguel , Edwards Artur
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the implementation and performance evaluation of a novel routing protocol called Pandora, which is designed for social applications. This protocol can be implemented in a broad number of devices, such as commercial wireless routers and laptops. It also provides a robust backbone integrating and sharing data, voice and video between computers and mobile devices. Pandora offers great performance with both fixed and mobile devices and includes important features such as: geographic positioning, residual battery energy monitoring, and bandwidth utilization. In addition, Pandora also considers the number of devices attached to the network. Pandora is experimentally evaluated in a testbed with laptops for the first stage and commercial wireless routers for the second stage. The main goal of Pandora is to provide a reliable backbone for social applications requiring a quality of service (QoS) guarantee. With this in mind, the following evaluation of Pandora considers the following types of traffic sources: transport control protocol (TCP), voice, video and user datagram protocol (UDP) without marks. Pandora is also compared with different queuing disciplines, including: priority queuing discipline (PRIO), hierarchical token bucket (HTB) and DSMARK. Finally, an Internet radio transmission is employed to test the network re-configurability. Results show that queuing the PRIO and HTB disciplines, which prioritizes UDP traffic, performed the best.
Towards a Programming Model for Ubiquitous Computing
Authors: Barbosa Jorge , Dillenburg Fabiane , Garzão Alex , Lermen Gustavo , Costa Cristiano
Published: May 2011

Mobile computing is been driven by the proliferation of portable devices and wireless communication. Potentially, in the mobile computing scenario, the users can move in different environments and the applications can automatically explore their surroundings. This kind of context-aware application is emerging, but is not yet widely disseminated. Based on perceived context, the application can modify its behavior. This process, in which software modifies itself according to sensed data, is named Adaptation. This constitutes the core of Ubiquitous Computing. The ubiquitous computing scenario brings many new problems such as coping with the limited processing power of mobile devices, frequent disconnections, the migration of code and tasks between heterogeneous devices, and others. Current practical approaches to the ubiquitous computing problem usually rely upon traditional computing paradigms conceived back when distributed applications where not a concern. Holoparadigm (in short Holo) was proposed as a model to support the development of distributed systems. Based on Holo concepts, a new programming language called HoloLanguage (in short, HoloL) was created. In this chapter, we propose the use of Holo for developing and executing ubiquitous applications. We explore the HoloL for ubiquitous programming and propose a full platform to develop and execute Holo programs. The language supports mobility, adaptation, and context awareness. The execution environment is based on a virtual machine that implements the concepts proposed by Holo. The environment supports distribution and strong code mobility.
Ontological Dimensions of Semantic Mobile Web 2.0
Authors: Aranda-Corral Gonzalo , Borrego-Díaz Joaquín
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we advance, from the point of view of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, an analysis of which ontological dimensions are needed to develop Mobile Web 2.0 on top of Semantic Web. This analysis will be particularly focused on social networks and it will try to make an outlook about the new knowledge challenges on this field. Some of these new challenges will be linked to Semantic Web context, while others will be inherent to Semantic Mobile Web 2.0.
Collaboration within Social Dimension of Computing
Authors: Ahrens Andreas , Zašcerinska Jelena , Bassus Olaf
Published: May 2011

A proper development of computing which penetrate our society more thoroughly with the availability of broadband services is provided by varied cooperative networks. However, the success of social dimension of computing requires collaboration within a multicultural environment to be considered. Aim of the following chapter is to analyze collaboration within the social dimension of computing on the pedagogical discourse. The meaning of the key concepts of social dimension of computing, collaboration and its factors is studied within the search for the success of social dimension. The manuscript introduces the study conducted within the Baltic Summer School Technical Informatics and Information Technology in 2009. The conducted explorative research comprises four stages: exploration of the contexts of collaboration, analysis of the students’ needs (content analysis), data processing, analysis and data interpretation, and analysis of the results and elaboration of conclusions and hypothesis for further studies.
Critical Factors in Defining the Mobile Learning Model
Authors: Chirino-Barceló Violeta , Molina Arturo
Published: May 2011

Many factors converge when attempting to define the most adequate mobile learning model to be applied in a face-to-face university environment. As far as innovation related processes go, the implementation of mobile learning, implies defining a road map on the basis of strategic planning. It is also important to apply an action research approach in the implementation process of the model. In analyzing in depth this innovative mobile learning process, there are key factors to consider. First, there are factors related to the technology necessary for the implementation of the model—both hard and soft requirements. Second, there are cultural issues related to the use of non-native internet professors of innovative technologies. Finally, there are challenges related to defining, exactly, those educational strategies to be handled through mobile devices. This chapter focuses on the critical factors involved in integrating mobile learning into a hybrid educational model at a Mexican university.
Evolvable Production Systems
Authors: Bjelkemyr Marcus , Maffei Antonio , Onori Mauro
Published: May 2011

The rationale for EPS is based on current road mapping efforts, which have clearly underlined that true industrial sustainability requires far higher levels of system autonomy and adaptivity than what can be achieved within current production system paradigms. Since its inception in 2002 as a next generation of production systems, the EPS concept has been further developed and tested to emerge as a production system paradigm with technological solutions and mechanisms that support sustainability. Technically, EPS is based on the idea of using several re-configurable, process-oriented, agent-based and wireless intelligent modules of low granularity. This allows for a continuous adaption and evolution of the production system and the ability to explore emergent behavior of the system, which are imperative to remain fit with regards to the system environment.
Adoption of Mobile and Information Technology in an Energy Utility in Brazil
Authors: Garcia Osvaldo , Cunha Maria
Published: May 2011

This chapter deals with the adoption of mobile technology. The case illustrated here is the implementation of mobile and wireless technology – MIT and smartphones – at an energy utility. The objective was to understand the human and social aspects of the adoption of this technology. This paper makes use of the metaphor of hospitality proposed by Ciborra in the late 1990s. The hospitality metaphor was a useful alternative for describing the process of adopting a new technology. It touches on technical aspects and notes human reactions that become evident when a technician comes across an unknown ‘guest’, the new technology: the doubtful character of the guest, the reinterpretation of the identities of guest and host during the process, learning through trial and error, the technology’s ‘drift’, the participants’ emotions and state of mind, and the appropriation of, and the care for, the new technology.
Data Replication Support for Collaboration in Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing Environments
Authors: Barreto João , Ferreira Paulo
Published: May 2011

We analyze state-of-the art solutions, discussing their strengths and weaknesses along three main effectiveness dimensions: (i) faster strong consistency, (ii) with less aborted work, while (iii) minimizing both the amount of data exchanged between and stored at replicas; and identify open research issues.
Extending the Scope of eID Technology
Authors: Naessens Vincent , De Decker Bart
Published: May 2011

In 2002, Belgium has adopted an electronic identity card as one of the first countries in Europe. By the end of 2009, the roll-out of the eID card will be completed. This means that each Belgian citizen will possess an eID card. The card enables her to digitally prove her identity and to legally sign electronic documents. The Belgian eID card opens up new opportunities for the government, its citizens, service providers and application developers. The Belgian eID technology originally aimed at facilitating transactions between Belgian citizens and the government. Although many eID applications have been developed, the success of the Belgian eID technology has not been what was expected. Therefore, the Belgian government encourages developers to build commercial applications that use the eID card (for authentication or e-signatures). However, extending the scope of the Belgian eID technology from e-government to the commercial sector is no sinecure and not without risks.
Mobility and Connectivity
Authors: Gonzalez Victor M. , Demetriou Antonis
Published: May 2011

Mobile information work, an extreme type of information work, is progressively becoming commonplace in various corporations. The availability of cheap and portable information technologies as well as the development of pervasive communication infrastructure in some parts of the world is creating scenarios where people can work from almost anyplace. Nevertheless up to now there has not been sufficient research on the particular work practices and strategies these professional workers use to be productive as they face the particular challenges of being mobile. Based on an ethnographic investigation of the experiences of mobile professional workers in a multi-national accountancy company (Bengo), this chapter discusses some characteristics defining the character of modern information work with regards mobility and connectivity while operating outside the workplace. Our study highlights the importance of: location in terms of providing an adequate atmosphere and infrastructure to conduct work; regularity in terms of giving workers flexibility to connect and reconnect whenever it was more convenient for them; space in terms of letting people preserve and reconstruct their information workspaces; and balance while juggling between personal and work related commitments. The findings presented can be useful for defining the processes and technological tools supporting mobile professional workers.
Web 2.0 and Interactive Systems
Authors: Ficarra Francisco V. Cipolla
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses the evolution of state of the art interactive systems aimed at the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean area in Europe, especially Spain and Italy. It covers the last two decades of advances in design and considers the human and technological factors in the effective use and assessment of hypertext, multimedia and hypermedia. The chapter introduces basic concepts to eliminate ambiguities and to (re)acquaint readers with the main components of audiovisual technologies that have been vital to the (r)evolution of on-line and off-line cultural heritage material. It goes on to analyze quality in the communication process between potential users and interactive systems by drawing upon essential concepts in software engineering, human-computer interaction, semiotics, interface design and communicability. The main goal is to establish metrics for the heuristic evaluation of the quality attributes that make up an interactive system, taking as a reference the intersection of the formal sciences and the factual sciences. The chapter mainly focuses on dynamic and static audiovisual media, including digital photography, video, and computer animation. Consequently, this process of diachronic study of interactive systems has allowed the author to generate a methodology—Aesthetics Cultural Heritage for Communicability Assessment (ACHCA)—for evaluating communicability in dynamic and static cultural heritage media. The chapter also includes a table for the heuristic analysis of on-line and off-line systems, based on design categories addressing content, presentation, structure, navigation, panchronism and conection of the interactive system. Finally the chapter presents the results of a study of on-line and off-line systems from the 1990s to 2010.
Context-Aware Cultural Heritage Environments
Authors: Christopoulou Eleni , Garofalakis John
Published: May 2011

Cultural heritage environments, like museums, archaeological sites and cultural heritage cities, have gathered and preserved artefacts and relevant content for years. Today’s state of the art technology allows the shift from traditional exhibitions to ones with reinforced interaction among the cultural heritage environment and the visitor. For example, mobile applications have proved to be suitable to support such new forms of interaction. Effective interaction exploits information both from the cultural environment, the visitor, and the broader context in which they occur. The aim of this chapter is to present the value of context in applications designed for cultural heritage environments and to demonstrate an infrastructure that effectively exploits it.
Requirements on System Design to Increase Understanding and Visibility of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Roffia Luca , Bartolini Sara , Manzaroli Daniele , D’Elia Alfredo , Cinotti Tullio Salmon , Raffa Giuseppe , Pettinari Marina
Published: May 2011

How can technology be used to increase visibility and understanding of numerous sites that are not yet able to attract the amount of people they deserve? Focusing on this question, the authors report on their activities started with MUSE, a project started within the Italian National Research Program on Cultural Heritage PARNASO and continued within the “Mobile and Ambient Systems” Work Group of the European Network of Excellence in Open Cultural Heritage as part of the CIMAD project. The authors use their experience on a 7th Framework Programme project called SOFIA within the ARTEMIS Joint Technology Initiative to consider future and prospective research directions and present a vision of how Cultural Heritage would benefit from making “information” in the physical world available for smart services.
Urban Memory in Space and Time
Authors: Ringas Dimitrios , Christopoulou Eleni , Stefanidakis Michalis
Published: May 2011

Cities are places where various aspects of past events are projected and expressed through personal memories and narrations; urban memory can be regarded as an expression of collective memory that has been shaped within a particular space as time goes by. This chapter considers urban memory as an important aspect of the cultural heritage of a cityto be captured and preserved for future generations. This chapter introduces the concept of urban memory and how it is related to space and time. It presents a survey of applications that aim to capture, preserve and exploit urban memory and proposes a system that allows citizens to interact with urban memory both by offering their memories and by viewing others’ memories. The proposed system aims to transform cities in a cultural environment where cultural heritage is both preserved and enhanced.
Building Multimedia and Web Resources for Teaching Mathematical Concepts through their Historical Development
Authors: Daher Wajeeh , Baya’a Nimer
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes how teachers can use technology to build learning materials and non-traditional lessons that incorporate heritage and history. Students are expected in these lessons to be engaged by a combination of mathematics, cultural heritage, and technological presentation. The chapter describes a project carried out in a teacher training college and presents the structure of the web-based learning environment. Preservice teachers who participated in the project developed the online materials and carried out the educational activities. The technological tools used to build learning materials were based on ICT pedagogical models and were integrated into the mathematical lessons. The chapter also describes various models and teaching settings in which heritage and technology can be utilized and integrated, followed by an example lesson plan which elaborates on the model. The chapter also describes the educational, pedagogical, technical, and logistical difficulties that the preservice teachers confronted during the project. They also struggled with reading historical material and relating it to mathematics. Semi structured interviews revealed that the preservice teachers overcame these difficulties by reflection and by communicating and collaborating with each other and with their lecturers. A questionnaire with yes-no items was used to collect data about attitudes and perceptions of the preservice teachers during the project. They viewed this technological project connected with their heritage as fun, benefiting them, making them proud of their mathematical heritage, and encouraging them to use such projects in their future teaching.
Multimedia Technology
Authors: Barbieri Giuseppe , Celentano Augusto
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the design and use of multimedia technology for personal guides and public projections for two exhibitions on ancient and contemporary art. The authors discuss the critical issues, suggest approaches and solutions, and evaluate the results. In both exhibitions, the researchers designed personal guides on Apple iPod touch devices, with rich information structure and rich multimedia content. In one of the two exhibitions they also implemented a narrative path in the exhibition rooms with large displays and projections. They evaluated the guide design with questionnaires and automatic tracing of device use. This chapter reports the project outcomes.
Buddhist Detachment as a Conceptual Point of Entry into Teaching Sociopolitically-Located Multicultural Education Online
Authors: Clark Christine
Published: May 2011

Drawing on the concept of “Buddhist detachment,” this chapter focuses on how the “distance” between students, and between students and faculty, imposed by the online teaching and learning environment, though typically viewed as antithetical to progressive educational pedagogy, can actually be integral to its realization.
Cyber-Ethnography
Authors: Keeley-Browne Elizabeth
Published: May 2011

As the use of technology in teaching and learning grows at a pace a new research approach is gaining in popularity among student researchers and academics. This article describes the development of cyber-ethnography as a research tool, identifies its use as a research method and provides summary to a research project that examines interaction between lecturers and learners engaged on a Masters degree in Education delivered on-line. Drawing on the benefits provided by cyber-ethnography as a research tool, new perspectives on the student learning experience are identified and explored. The research provides insight into the experience of staff and students alike. The course specific research findings are discussed and the process of researching in virtual space is evaluated. The findings identify advantages to the learner when asynchronous communication provides time for reflection and considered response. Further advantages are identified in the opportunity to consult across the globe on issues of practice. The creation of communities of personal support networks that reach beyond the considerations of the course are identified and assessed. Disadvantages are identified with the technology itself and associated issues of access, equity and support. Recommendations arising from the research are for greater focus on the role of the tutor in virtual learning situations with consideration given to the time commitment required of lecturing staff. Evaluation of the research methodology highlights the need for a clearer definition of cyber ethnography, greater understanding of the social worlds inhabited in cyberspace and a code of practice for those researching on the net.
Use “hhh” Technology in the Transformative Models of Online Education
Authors: Mkrttchian Vardan
Published: May 2011

All People Internet University (“hhh”) technology is a hybrid distance education approach that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environments. This chapter defines this online distance education approach, outlines an “hhh” framework, and showcases an “hhh” archetype. In “hhh” environments, classroom teachers are not positioned in the role of teacher/facilitator/designer in the online learning spaces. The “hhh” online spaces are collaborative spaces where students, teachers, subject experts, and “hhh” team members interact with one another; these are community spaces where traditional hierarchical classroom roles are blurred. Students’ roles transform due to the flexibility and design of the “hhh” learning environments as they move from student to reflective practitioner, providing for new ways of learning and teaching.
Deconstructing the Politics of Identity and Representation in Cyberspace
Authors: Eryaman Mustafa Yunus
Published: May 2011

The term cyberspace has come to represent the virtual space in which people surf the Web, send and receive email, chat with strangers, or instant message their friends. As people’s lives become increasingly entangled with these technologies, understanding how gender, sexual, and racial identities are negotiated in online spaces becomes important to understanding the Internet as a social and political space. To uncover how individuals make sense of race, class, sexual, and gender identities in cyberspace, this chapter explores how they construct and reproduce cyberspace as a social and political realm. Specifically, drawing on Habermas’ theory of ideal speech situation (1988) and Bakhtin’s notion of heteroglossia (1973, 1984), the analysis deconstructs how race, class, and gender are performed in cyberspace and how corresponding inequalities are created and upheld in this space. It also explores the ways in which online education might help individuals to actively disrupt social, racial, and gender inequalities in both their online and offline communities.
The Criticality of an ICT Ethics Backbone for Transformation and Social Equality in E-Learning
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: May 2011

The ethics backbone for information and communications technologies (ICT) guides the evolution of the socio-technical spaces and technologies on the WWW and Internet. This backbone directs the ways people harness information for education and social betterment; how they create virtual communities, and what digital contents they share. There are numerous stakeholders to transformative e-learning throughout the world, both now and in the future. To achieve the realities of transformative e-learning that leads to social equality, it helps to first understand the guiding ethical values underpinning these technologies; in addition, it will be important to engage these ethics and to shape them in ways that would optimize e-learning as a force for the greater good. In an information society, e-learning educators need a solid grasp of ICT-based ethical reasoning and practice.
Relational Capabilities
Authors: Zaragoza-Sáez Patrocinio , Claver-Cortés Enrique
Published: May 2011

Linking the knowledge-based view and the intellectual capital view of the firm, this chapter has as its purpose to underline the relevance of a specific component of intellectual capital, namely relational capital, in the knowledge acquisition and transfer processes as well as its influence on a firm’s value creation. The authors used a qualitative research based on a multiple case study, and six Spanish knowledge-intensive firms were analyzed in depth. The results show that the main relational capabilities used by firms to create value through knowledge management are: relationships with customers, suppliers and stakeholders; acquisition of established firms; setting-up of joint ventures; collaboration with Universities, national and international institutions; participation in forums and conferences; publications; advice given by consultants and experts; and benchmarking practices. These capabilities allow firms to acquire and transfer knowledge from the environment where they develop their activity with the aim of obtaining benefits such as innovations; customers, suppliers and stakeholders’ satisfaction; an improvement in the firm’s image and credibility; new knowledge; and learning.
Stomodeum to Proctodeum
Authors: Bhattacharya Paramartha , Asanga Amar Puri , Biswas Rakesh
Published: May 2011

This chapter contains physician and patient perspectives of their gastrointestinal system problem solving experiences beginning from one anatomical end, stomodeum and continuing toward the other end proctodeum of the gastrointestinal tube. These experiences reflect user driven health care to the extent that they have been largely shared and developed over a web interface through email narratives and illustrate conversational learning in a patient centered manner.
Descriptive Statistics with a Purpose
Authors: Conroy Ronan
Published: May 2011

A statistic is a data summary which provides useful information. I use the example of sex work research in Africa to ask the question “useful to whom?”. In over 800 papers on sex work in Africa published over more than two decades, the focus has been on sex workers as spreaders of HIV, enriching the research community while further stigmatising the sex workers who participate in the research. In this study, partly run by sex workers themselves, the focus is on targeting micro-economic aid, and documenting the violent and abusive culture in which sex work is practised. The chapter illustrates the data analysis using Stata. However, it tries to place the descriptive statistics into their wider context in the research agenda, including a discussion of the ethics of research into vulnerable groups.
Psychiatric Illness and Personal Narrative
Authors: Kim Edward
Published: May 2011

Psychiatric illness is perhaps the richest and most challenging narrative for consumers to develop because core symptoms of disease may distort perceptual and interpretative brain functions. These distortions may fragment and disrupt personal narratives of wellness, illness, and recovery. Advances in psychopharmacology enable better management of core symptoms, while evidence-based psychotherapies help consumers manage residual symptoms and reduce relapse risk. So-called recovery-oriented treatments that focus on improving functioning and success in life, relationships, and work enable consumers to pursue goals that are not limited to managing their disease. These advances in the management of psychiatric illness create opportunities and needs for greater social awareness and integration. As Internet access becomes more common among all strata of societies, the use of the Web-based social networking may accelerate the development of new models of recovery. Social networking may expand the consumer’s understanding of their past and present through web-based shared discussions with other consumers and professionals. Online psychiatric-related activity generally falls into several categories related to information acquisition, treatment facilitation, and social networking. Professional and consumer education are available on the Internet, though the quality of information may be variable depending on whether or not the material undergoes scientific review. Virtual communities (VCs) may range from professional communities of practice to peer-based support networks comprised of consumers alone or consumers and professionals. The tension between confidentiality and transparency, and the potential for deception due to anonymity are ethical challenges that must be addressed as VCs and social networking evolve in health care.
Integrating Medical Education with Medical Practice
Authors: Basu Arindam , O’ Steen Billy , Allan Mary
Published: May 2011

Education is essentially a social phenomenon. As such, a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning is highly applicable to all disciplines and especially medicine where most graduates are required to deeply engage with society and need to communicate with a diverse array of people as part of their professional responsibilities. While traditional models of medical education are predicated on the establishment of face-to-face interactions, particularly within teaching hospital settings and residencies, there may be some opportunities to utilize current developments in online social networking technologies to enhance students’ and instructors’ experiences {references}. A review of social networking in the professional preparation of medical students and their subsequent practices would be helpful in determining the viability of such an approach. In this chapter, we provide a review of two key concepts of online social learning (social presence and media richness), explore how they can be implemented in the current wave of web based collaboration tools, and indicate their place in medical education. We provide a few examplars of how educators are incorporating web based or online social tools in student learning in the context of medical education and indicate some ways to extend this approach further.
Planning and Implementing Online Programs
Authors: Bishop Kay , Kroll Christine
Published: May 2011

This case study reviews the planning, development, and initial implementation of an online Master’s of Library Science (MLS) degree program at a large public research university. The development process will be presented from both a school-based and a department-based perspective. A review of the literature found articles and books that address online programs in education and library science; however, the majority of those publications focus on either the experiences of students or the concerns of faculty members who deliver courses through distance education technologies. Very few of the resources address the full spectrum of planning, developing, and implementing an online program. We found that the MLS program development process greatly benefited from existing school-based policies and procedures, while some barriers and challenges were also encountered in the context of customizing those policies and procedures for the Library and Information Studies (LIS) department. We believe our experiences will inform practices at other institutions and departments considering initiating online programs.
The Case of Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning at the University of Alberta, Canada
Authors: Oberg Dianne
Published: May 2011

The online distance education program, Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning, was developed and implemented in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta, Canada beginning in 1996. At the time, neither the university nor the department had the interest, funding or infrastructure required for such an undertaking, but these developed over time through a combination of careful planning and serendipity. The program’s instructional team has utilized various approaches to establish, maintain and continue the program: a distance education theoretical framework, analysis of distance education research, one-time government incentive funding, and on-going policy relevant research and evidence-based practice. Current challenges facing the organization are program growth, new and emerging technologies, and maintaining flexibility. The solutions to these challenges include a cohort model for the majority of program delivery; a stand-alone course introducing new and emerging technologies as a launching pad for integration of these technologies; and graduate certificate programs for meeting the short term needs of teachers new to the field.