scholarly journals Re-thinking professional development and accountability: towards a more educational training practice

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yvonne Emmett
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
The Social ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Educational Potential ◽  
Training Practice

Abstract In this article, I discuss the contribution of theoretical resources to the transformation in my thinking about professional development and accountability, within an action research self-study of practice as a civil servant, in the context of participation on the Doctor in Education (Leadership) programme at Dublin City University (DCU) in the period 2008-2012. It is at the intersection of these subject positions, between theory and practice, that professional development was explored through the ‘leadership problem’ of encouraging trainer colleagues to investigate the educational potential of information and communications technologies (ICT) for the development of their practice. Ultimately, this constituted a critical space for sustained dialogue between the self and the social in exploring professional subjectivity. The resources discussed supported the interrogation of social, cultural and historical conditions influencing self-understanding and narrative reasoning (Tamboukou, 2008) and movement from strategic to communicative reasoning (Habermas, 1984). It is claimed that this has significance for the development of a more educational training practice, which expresses a concern for subjectivity and agency in the face of a growing ‘performativity’ in professional life (Ball, 2003).

scholarly journals The Governance of Covid-19: Anthropogenic Risk, Evolutionary Learning, and the Future of the Social State

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-594
Author(s):  
Simon Deakin ◽  
Gaofeng Meng
Keyword(s):  
Theory And Practice ◽  
State Of Exception ◽  
External Shocks ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Face ◽  
Anthropogenic Risks ◽  
Industrialised Countries

Abstract We consider the implications of the Covid-19 crisis for the theory and practice of governance. We define ‘governance’ as the process through which, in the case of a given entity or polity, resources are allocated, decisions made and policies implemented, with a view to ensuring the effectiveness of its operations in the face of risks in its environment. Core to this, we argue, is the organisation of knowledge through public institutions, including the legal system. Covid-19 poses a particular type of ‘Anthropogenic’ risk, which arises when organised human activity triggers feedback effects from the natural environment. As such it requires the concerted mobilisation of knowledge and a directed response from governments and international agencies. In this context, neoliberal theories and practices, which emphasise the self-adjusting properties of systems of governance in response to external shocks, are going to be put to the test. In states’ varied responses to Covid-19 to date, it is already possible to observe some trends. One of them is the widespread mischaracterisation of the measures taken to address the epidemic at the point of its emergence in the Chinese city of Wuhan in January and February 2020. Public health measures of this kind, rather than constituting a ‘state of exception’ in which legality is set aside, are informed by practices which originated in the welfare or social states of industrialised countries, and which were successful in achieving a ‘mortality revolution’ in the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Relearning this history would seem to be essential for the future control of pandemics and other Anthropogenic risks.

The Politcal Economy of Knowledge Management in Higher Education

2011 ◽  
pp. 2301-2313
Author(s):  
Amy Scott Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communications Technologies

In this chapter, I discuss the economic and political implications of knowledge management in higher education. First, I examine the linkages between KM and capitalism, with the help of theoretical frameworks that connect increasing managerialism in higher education with the promises of profit-making in the New (Knowledge) Economy. Next, I discuss the politics of information and the ways in which knowledge is stratified in postsecondary institutions. Third, the social dynamics of information and communications technologies (ICT) are explored in the context of higher education institutions. These perspectives provide a counter-balance to the decidedly functionalist views of much of the knowledge managementliterature. The intent of the chapter is to provide a foundation for the rest of the volume and the more specific studies of KM in higher education to follow.

On the Social Shaping of the Semantic Web

2010 ◽  
pp. 341-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul T. Kidd
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Web ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Utility Value ◽  
Web Searches ◽  
Social Shaping Of Technology ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
Dominant Design ◽  
Social Shaping ◽  
Conceptual Formulation

Addressed in this chapter is the Social Shaping of the Semantic Web in the context of moving beyond the workplace application domain that has so dominated the development of both Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), and the Social Shaping of Technology perspective. The importance of paradigms and the values that shape technology are considered along with the utility value of ICT, this latter issue being somewhat central in the development of these technologies. The new circumstances of ubiquity and of uses of ICT beyond mere utility, as a means of having fun for example, are considered leading to a notion of the Semantic Web, not just as a tool for more effective Web searches, but also as a means of having fun. Given this possibility of the Semantic Web serving two very different audiences and purposes, the matter of how to achieve this is considered, but without resorting to the obvious and rather simple conceptual formulation of the Semantic Web as either A or B. The relevance of existing Social Shaping of Technology perspectives is addressed. New thoughts are presented on what needs to be central to the development of a Semantic Web that is both A and B. Key here is an intelligent relationship between the Semantic Web and those that use it. Central to achieving this are the notions of the value of people, control over technology, and non-utility as a dominant design principle (the idea of things that do not necessarily serve a specific purpose).

scholarly journals Beyond Virtual Inclusion – Communications Inclusion and Digital Divisions

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Sinclair ◽  
Glen Bramley
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
Technological Barriers ◽  
Social Distribution ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Digital Engagement

Access to and engagement with information and communications technologies (ICTs) are increasingly important aspects of social inclusion. This paper draws upon analyses of UK survey data and a review of research on communications and social exclusion published in the UK between 2001 and 2006 to examine the social distribution of access to and uptake of ICTs and to explore key factors restricting the digital engagement of young people from lower income households and communities. It argues that effective strategies to bridge digital divisions in the UK must pay more attention to the social rather than technological barriers which inhibit communications inclusion.

Telework in Public Sector Organizations: The Slovak National Library

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mária Murray Svidroňová ◽  
Beáta Mikušová Meričková ◽  
Juraj Nemec
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Institutional Dynamics ◽  
Public Sector Organization ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Original Survey

Reforms of government and public administration combined with use of information and communications technologies (ICT) have brought many innovations in public sector, including telework as a form of organizing and performing work out of the employers´ premises. This structural change in work organization aims at increasing efficiency and in some cases, economy, too. The authors used qualitative and quantitative approach based on original survey data from own research, including data collected within the LIPSE project. Main findings point out the factors that influence the use of telework in the conditions of Slovakia in a selected public sector organization, e.g. the social, technological and inter-institutional dynamics factors playing a vital role in telework adoption.

Information Access in Rural Communities

2008 ◽  
pp. 3585-3591
Author(s):  
V.S. Venkatesan ◽  
Robyn Eversole ◽  
Kem Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Technology Usage ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
Access Information

The concept of ‘digital divide’ draws attention to the social context of technology usage. Current IT solutions are technology driven and are focussed on elite consumers in cities. In contrast, regional Australian communities face a number of problems such as remoteness, small population and distance. Knowledge and resource constraints also impact on these communities and businesses. Any attempt to transform regions using new information and communications technologies should take into consideration these unique factors. This chapter focuses on information access in two rural communities in Western Australia. A qualitative study followed by a quantitative phase in two regional towns explored how people access information and where information gaps lie. Results of this research suggest that, along with technical infrastructure, equal emphasis should be placed on the human/community element. Without this, regional transformation will remain mere rhetoric.

Socio-Economic Impacts and Influences of E-Commerce in a Digital Economy

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sushil K. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Privacy Protection ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Economic Productivity ◽  
Digital Revolution ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communications Technologies

Innovations in information and communications technologies have created a digital revolution that is changing the way the world works, learns, communicates and transacts business. E-commerce continues to show strong growth and has been influencing the social and economic growth of nations. On one hand e-commerce technologies have helped nations to accelerate their economic growth and to provide more opportunities for businesses to grow, but it has also created many challenges and effects across numerous domains of society, and for policy makers. These issues involve economic productivity, intellectual property rights, privacy protection, and affordability of and access to information, among other concerns. This chapter describes the various socio-economic impacts and influences that have been created by e-commerce in a digital economy.

The Politcal Economy of Knowledge Management in Higher Education

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Scott Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communications Technologies

In this chapter, I discuss the economic and political implications of knowledge management in higher education. First, I examine the linkages between KM and capitalism, with the help of theoretical frameworks that connect increasing managerialism in higher education with the promises of profit-making in the New (Knowledge) Economy. Next, I discuss the politics of information and the ways in which knowledge is stratified in postsecondary institutions. Third, the social dynamics of information and communications technologies (ICT) are explored in the context of higher education institutions. These perspectives provide a counter-balance to the decidedly functionalist views of much of the knowledge managementliterature. The intent of the chapter is to provide a foundation for the rest of the volume and the more specific studies of KM in higher education to follow.

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