scholarly journals Technological Literacy and Interrupted Internet Access

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Freeman ◽  
Sora Park ◽  
Catherine Middleton
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Technological Literacy ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
National Policies ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Rural Broadband ◽  
Improve Service Quality

As everyday practices are increasingly digitalised, many countries are prioritising broadband rollout. However, infrastructure provision under national policies has not been uniform. In comparison to urban populations, rural communities often have inferior broadband infrastructure and services and there are disparities in digital opportunities between rural and urban areas. A case study of twenty rural Australian internet users reveals that rural communities suffer from limited access, inconsistent and unreliable services, and rural broadband plans’ data restrictions and high prices, which we conceptualise as ‘interrupted access’. Rural internet experiences are subsequently shaped by the availability, speed, stability and affordability of connections. As a response, a form of ‘technological literacy’ is emerging through which rural consumers undertake technical and social manoeuvrings to self-address challenges from interrupted access and increase their opportunities for digital inclusion. Participants developed innovative local solutions, such as self-installed auxiliary hardware and mobile towers, which they used to improve mobile broadband coverage. Those unable to build such solutions displayed new types of knowledge encompassing broader contexts of connectivity (infrastructure, devices and plans) and re-structured rural life to accommodate internet use that is shaped by interrupted access. Growing community-level capacity and interest in broadband development suggests national policies could better reduce rural-urban inequities by supporting and empowering localised solutions. Without addressing the interrupted nature of rural connectivity to improve service quality and affordability, disparities in the digital opportunities available to rural and urban consumers will persist. KEYWORDS: Broadband infrastructure/services, digital divide, rural communities, digital inclusion

scholarly journals Technological Literacy and Interrupted Internet Access

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Freeman ◽  
Sora Park ◽  
Catherine Middleton
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Technological Literacy ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
National Policies ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Rural Broadband ◽  
Improve Service Quality

As everyday practices are increasingly digitalised, many countries are prioritising broadband rollout. However, infrastructure provision under national policies has not been uniform. In comparison to urban populations, rural communities often have inferior broadband infrastructure and services and there are disparities in digital opportunities between rural and urban areas. A case study of twenty rural Australian internet users reveals that rural communities suffer from limited access, inconsistent and unreliable services, and rural broadband plans’ data restrictions and high prices, which we conceptualise as ‘interrupted access’. Rural internet experiences are subsequently shaped by the availability, speed, stability and affordability of connections. As a response, a form of ‘technological literacy’ is emerging through which rural consumers undertake technical and social manoeuvrings to self-address challenges from interrupted access and increase their opportunities for digital inclusion. Participants developed innovative local solutions, such as self-installed auxiliary hardware and mobile towers, which they used to improve mobile broadband coverage. Those unable to build such solutions displayed new types of knowledge encompassing broader contexts of connectivity (infrastructure, devices and plans) and re-structured rural life to accommodate internet use that is shaped by interrupted access. Growing community-level capacity and interest in broadband development suggests national policies could better reduce rural-urban inequities by supporting and empowering localised solutions. Without addressing the interrupted nature of rural connectivity to improve service quality and affordability, disparities in the digital opportunities available to rural and urban consumers will persist. KEYWORDS: Broadband infrastructure/services, digital divide, rural communities, digital inclusion

TURNING FARMERS INTO SOCIAL FARMER ENTREPRENEURS FOR DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remus Runcan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Development Programme ◽  
Rural And Urban

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”

ICT

2014 ◽  
pp. 22-34
Author(s):  
Julián Briz ◽  
José María Duran ◽  
Isabel Felipe ◽  
Teresa Briz
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The University

Agriculture is facing new challenges in rural and urban areas, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may play a significant role. In this chapter, there is a background description of the ICT sector in the interface of urban and rural communities within the framework of agriculture. It describes some case analyses focused in agronomy and social sciences. In agronomy, the focuses are environment, food production, and pollution. In socioeconomics, there is a brief identification of ICT applications such as the collaboration between the university and firms. Considering the heterogeneousness of the analysis, the future research directions include different methods of studies for ICT programs (house of quality, structural organization, and others).

ICT-Supported Education for Sustainable Development of South Korean Rural Communities

2012 ◽  
pp. 769-785
Author(s):  
K. P. Joo
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The South ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Rural And Urban

The rural communities in South Korea have faced serious challenges as the country has gradually opened the agricultural market and extended the conclusion of Free Trade Agreement with more and more countries. Moreover, due to the national socio-economic and political structures, South Korea has been undergoing the technological imbalance between rural and urban areas. In order to cope with these vital social challenges, the South Korean government has exerted considerable investment and effort in establishing ICT knowledge and skills as well as infrastructure in rural areas. Thus, conceptualizing ICT in the context of adult education, this chapter addresses three ICT-supported adult education programs oriented toward developing ICT skills and competencies of people in agricultural areas of South Korea. The South Korean cases of agricultural ICT education represent the vast and concentrated national efforts in integrating ICT across rural areas in this fast changing global situation.

Rural realities

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Freeman ◽  
Sora Park
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
Digital Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Digital Exclusion

Purpose – This article explores challenges for rural Australian local governments during the transition to high-speed broadband infrastructure. Despite the National Broadband Network’s promised ubiquitous connectivity, significant access discrepancies remain between rural and urban areas. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical findings are drawn from a full-day workshop on digital connectivity, which included participants from seven rural local governments in New South Wales, Australia. Thematic analysis of the workshop transcript was undertaken to extrapolate recurring nuances of rural digital exclusion. Findings – Rural communities face inequitable prospects for digital inclusion, and authorities confront dual issues of accommodating connected and unconnected citizens. Many areas have no or poor broadband access, and different digital engagement expectations are held by citizens and local governments. Citizens seek interactive opportunities, but rural authorities often lack the necessary resources to offer advanced participatory practices. Research limitations/implications – While this research draws from a small sample of government officials, their insights are, nonetheless, heuristically valuable in identifying connectivity issues faced in rural Australia. These issues can guide further research into other regions as well as civic experiences of digital inclusion. Practical implications – There is a need to reconceive Australia’s current policy approach to broadband. Greater rural digital inclusion may be achieved by focusing on connectivity as a public interest goal, targeting infrastructure developments to suit local contexts and implementing participatory digital government practices. Originality/value – The actions suggested would help ensure equity of digital inclusion across Australian municipal areas. Without such changes, there is a risk of rural citizens facing further marginalisation through digital exclusion.

scholarly journals Higher Hospitalization and Mortality Rates Among SARS-CoV-2 infected Persons in Rural America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred Jerrod Anzalone ◽  
Ronald Horswell ◽  
Brian Hendricks ◽  
San Chu ◽  
William Hillegass ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hospitalized Patients ◽  
Rural America ◽  
Inpatient Mortality ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Hospital Systems

IMPORTANCE: Rural communities are among the most underserved and resource-scarce populations in the United States (US), yet there are limited data on COVID-19 mortality in rural America. Furthermore, rural data are rarely centralized, precluding comparability across urban and rural regions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess hospitalization rates and all-cause inpatient mortality among persons with definitive COVID-19 diagnoses residing in rural and urban areas. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) examines a cohort of 573,018 patients from 27 US hospital systems presenting with SARS-CoV-2 infection between January 2020 and March 2021, of whom 117,897 were hospitalized. A sample of 450,725 hospitalized persons without COVID-19 diagnoses was identified for comparison. EXPOSURES: ZIP Codes provided by source hospital systems were classified by urban-rural gradient through a crosswalk to the US Department of Agriculture Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcomes were hospitalization and all-cause mortality among hospitalized patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis and mixed effects logistic regression were used to estimate 30-day survival in hospitalized patients and associations between rurality, hospitalization, and inpatient mortality while controlling for major risk factors. RESULTS: Rural patients were more likely to be older, white, have higher body mass index, and diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 later in the pandemic compared with their urban counterparts. Rural compared with urban inhabitants had higher rates of hospitalization (23% vs. 19%) and all-cause mortality among hospitalized patients (16% vs. 11%). After adjustment for demographic and baseline differences, rural residents (both urban adjacent and non-adjacent) with COVID-19 were more likely to be hospitalized (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 1.41, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 1.37-1.45 and AOR 1.42, CI 1.35-1.50) and to die or be transferred to hospice (AOR 1.62, CI 1.30-1.49 and 1.38, CI 1.30-1.49), respectively. Similar differences in mortality were noted for hospitalized patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalization and inpatient mortality are higher among rural compared with urban persons with COVID-19, even after adjusting for several factors, including age and comorbidities. Further research is needed to understand the factors that drive health disparities in rural populations.

scholarly journals Metadiscourse in persuasive essays by elementary students in South Korea and the US

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Il-Hee Kim
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Persuasive Essays ◽  
The Us

AbstractThis study investigated metadiscourse in the persuasive essays of fourth graders from both urban and rural communities: 224 students in South Korea and 188 in the US. Each student was asked to write a persuasive essay in his or her native Korean or English in response to a story not previously read or discussed. Analysis with a taxonomy developed by Hyland (2004) indicated significant differences in the metadiscourse by country. In terms of interactive metadiscourse, South Korean students used more sentence-level transitions than U.S. students, who used more frame markers and endophoric markers. With regard to interactional metadiscourse, U.S. students used more hedges, boosters, engagement markers, and self-mentions in their essays. This study also compared the students′ essays by the type of community in which the writers lived. In the US the essays of students in rural communities contained more hedges, whereas those of students in urban areas included significantly more self-mentions. In South Korea, no significant difference was detected in the metadiscourse of students living in rural and urban areas.

scholarly journals Rural and urban views on elephants, conservation and poaching

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Christie Sampson ◽  
Jenny Anne Glikman ◽  
S. L. Rodriguez ◽  
David Tonkyn ◽  
Paing Soe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Criminal Activity ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Asian Elephants ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Elephant Conservation

Abstract Successful anti-poaching policies and effective conservation of Asian elephants Elephas maximus require input and support from all stakeholders, including the public. But although Myanmar has one of the largest remaining populations of wild Asian elephants, there has been little research on public attitudes there towards elephants and poaching. We developed a questionnaire to assess attitudes of people in rural and urban areas towards elephants and conservation, and their perceptions of and experience with elephant poaching. We conducted 178 interviews across two regions in Myanmar. Although both rural and urban participants supported elephant conservation, people from urban areas expressed more favourable attitudes towards elephants than their rural counterparts. Similarly, conservation priorities differed between rural and urban communities, with rural communities less likely to believe that peaceful human–elephant coexistence was possible and preferring conservation initiatives that prioritize human activities over elephant conservation. Both groups were familiar with elephant poaching in Myanmar, but rural communities appeared to be better informed regarding the challenges faced by conservation agencies, and were more negatively affected by poaching. Our findings highlight potential areas for intervention by government and conservation agencies to reduce criminal activity and to protect both Myanmar's citizens and its elephants.

ICT-Supported Education for Sustainable Development of South Korean Rural Communities

2011 ◽  
pp. 174-191
Author(s):  
K. P. Joo
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The South ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Rural And Urban

The rural communities in South Korea have faced serious challenges as the country has gradually opened the agricultural market and extended the conclusion of Free Trade Agreement with more and more countries. Moreover, due to the national socio-economic and political structures, South Korea has been undergoing the technological imbalance between rural and urban areas. In order to cope with these vital social challenges, the South Korean government has exerted considerable investment and effort in establishing ICT knowledge and skills as well as infrastructure in rural areas. Thus, conceptualizing ICT in the context of adult education, this chapter addresses three ICT-supported adult education programs oriented toward developing ICT skills and competencies of people in agricultural areas of South Korea. The South Korean cases of agricultural ICT education represent the vast and concentrated national efforts in integrating ICT across rural areas in this fast changing global situation.

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