Learning With Mobiles in Developing Countries

2017 ◽  
pp. 774-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Traxler
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Global South ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Fundamental Component ◽  
Network Technologies

In the countries of the global South, the challenges of fixed infrastructure and environment, the apparent universality of mobile hardware, software and network technologies and the rhetoric of the global knowledge economy have slowed or impoverished the development of appropriate theoretical discourses to underpin learning with mobiles. This paper addresses one specific and fundamental component of such discourses, namely the role of language and literacy as they interact with mobile technology. The paper makes three points, that mobile technology is culturally and linguistically specific, not universal or culturally-neutral; that mobile technology does not merely store and transmit language(s) and literacy within communities, it disturbs and transforms them, and that the digital literacy agenda that might underpin learning with mobiles has not yet been developed in relation to mobile technology or in relation to the global South. These are the foundations of understanding learning with mobiles in the global South.

scholarly journals Learning with Mobiles in Developing Countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Traxler
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Global South ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Fundamental Component ◽  
Network Technologies

In the countries of the global South, the challenges of fixed infrastructure and environment, the apparent universality of mobile hardware, software and network technologies and the rhetoric of the global knowledge economy have slowed or impoverished the development of appropriate theoretical discourses to underpin learning with mobiles. This paper addresses one specific and fundamental component of such discourses, namely the role of language and literacy as they interact with mobile technology. The paper makes three points, that mobile technology is culturally and linguistically specific, not universal or culturally-neutral; that mobile technology does not merely store and transmit language(s) and literacy within communities, it disturbs and transforms them, and that the digital literacy agenda that might underpin learning with mobiles has not yet been developed in relation to mobile technology or in relation to the global South. These are the foundations of understanding learning with mobiles in the global South.

Malaysian Knowledge Society and the Global Knowledge Gap

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Dieter Evers
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
New Economy ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Industrialised Countries

Knowledge has been widely recognised as the most important factor of production in a "new economy". The production, dissemination and utilisation of knowledge are therefore essential for development. Some countries, Malaysia among others, have embarked on an ambitious plan to use knowledge as a base for economic development, by-passing earlier stages of industrialisation. Some commentators have, in contrast, asserted "that it is doubtful that the knowledge revolution will let developing countries leapfrog to higher levels of development" as "the knowledge economy will actually expand the gap between rich and poor" (Persaud, 2001:108). The paper discusses this controversy by arguing that the knowledge-gap (k-gap) is in fact a precondition for development. It is, however, no natural phenomenon but it is constructed by experts and governments. Socio-economic indicators are used to show that the existing global knowledge gap is widening between Southeast Asia and the OECD countries and within ASEAN. Malaysia, whose government has pursued a vigorous strategy of knowledge development is moving ahead of other ASEAN nations, but falling behind industrialised countries. Factors explaining the situation are outlined in this article.

University Teachers' Use of Digital Technologies

2017 ◽  
pp. 686-702
Author(s):  
Daariimaa Marav ◽  
Michelle Espinoza
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Complex Relationships

This chapter is set in the context of two developing countries, Mongolia and Chile, where digital technology is seen as a powerful icon of the knowledge economy. The predominant and common discourses surrounding the uses of digital technologies in education in these developing countries usually assume rather celebratory stances of the roles digital technologies may perform in education in the digital age. Thus, the research reported here explores the realities, opportunities, and challenges that academic staff face when using digital technologies through the perspectives offered by the field of digital literacy studies. The findings illustrate the close and complex relationships between sociocultural contexts, beliefs, values, and digital literacy practices. The study suggests that more attention needs to be paid to the wider contexts affecting the digital practices around teaching and learning rather than to technologies per se.

scholarly journals It Takes a Village: The Role of Emic and Etic Adaptive Strengths in the Persistence of Black Men in Engineering Graduate Programs

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Burt ◽  
Krystal L. Williams ◽  
Gordon J. M. Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Black Men ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Family Spirituality ◽  
Emic And Etic

Black men, underrepresented in engineering, constitute a missing segment of the population who could contribute to the global knowledge economy. To address this national concern, stakeholders need additional research on strategies that aid in Black men’s persistence. This study explores the experiences of 30 Black men in engineering graduate programs. Three factors are identified as helping them persist from year to year, and in many cases through completion of the doctorate: the role of family, spirituality and faith-based community, and undergraduate mentors. The article concludes with implications for future research and professional practice that may improve the experiences of Black men in engineering graduate programs, which may also increase the chances that they will remain in the engineering workforce.

Environmental Leadership in Developing Countries: Transnational Relations and Biodiversity Policy in Costa Rica and Bolivia. By Paul F. Steinberg. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001. 280p. $65.00 cloth, $24.95 paper.

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 868-869
Author(s):  
Pamela Stricker
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Global South ◽  
The South ◽  
Environmental Leadership ◽  
Transnational Relations ◽  
The North ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Biodiversity Policy

Much of the literature on environmental policymaking in the Global South focuses on the role of transnational linkages, wherein ideas regarding environmental management are transplanted by intergovernmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations in the North to governments in the South. The perception that environmental management concepts are primarily transferred in this way stems in part from the resonance that Ronald Inglehart's work on postmaterialist societies and environmental activism has had on the field, as well as a paucity of studies examining the dynamics of the domestic political players in the creation of natural resource management policies in the South. Paul Steinberg's work, Environmental Leadership in Developing Countries, addresses this particular puzzle and takes on the too-oft accepted notion that domestic policy entrepreneurs play a small supporting role at best in bringing about environmental policies in the Global South.

The New Technopolitics of Development and the Global South as a Laboratory of Technological Experimentation

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 947-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Moe Fejerskov
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Global South ◽  
Development Cooperation ◽  
The Political ◽  
The West ◽  
Gates Foundation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Contemporary Technology

Science and technology have been integral issues of development cooperation for more than sixty years. Contrary to early efforts’ transfer of established technologies from the West to developing countries, contemporary technology aspirations increasingly articulate and practice the Global South as a live laboratory for technological experimentation. This approach is especially furthered by a group of private foundations and philanthrocapitalists whose endeavors in developing countries are, like their companies, shaped by logics of the individual, the market, and of societal progress through technological innovation and experimentation. This article draws upon critical intellectual thought about the political and social ramifications of technology to reflect on the renascent role of technology in development cooperation. It traces the discourses and practices of philanthrocapitalist organizations, in particular the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to understand how their experimentalist technology aspirations influence human life and relations in the Global South. This article argues that this newfound focus on technology in development cooperation may challenge the essence of democracy, reduce participation, and have undesirable consequences for populations in the Global South.

Contributing knowledge and knowledge workers: the role of Chinese universities in the knowledge economy

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang-Ye Chen
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Chinese Higher Education ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Economic Significance ◽  
Changing Role

As China has appeared only recently as an important knowledge producer with growing global economic significance, little is known internationally about how these processes develop and are managed within China. The rapidly expanding Chinese higher education system is playing an increasingly important role in China's knowledge economy and therefore in the global knowledge society. This paper reviews historically the changing role of Chinese universities from the planned economy to the knowledge economy, analyses their contribution of knowledge and knowledge workers, and critically reflects on the mechanisms driving or confining their future contribution to the knowledge economy.

scholarly journals Climate Change Litigation in Ghana: An Analysis of the Role of Courts in Enforcing Climate Change Law

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
pp. 51-55
Author(s):  
Bolanle Erinosho
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Global South ◽  
Climate Change Negotiations ◽  
Environmental Negotiations ◽  
The Way

Jacqueline Peel and Jolene Lin note that a “transnational understanding of the nature, significance and effects of climate litigation is incomplete if it fails to encompass the Global South experience.” This is especially important because the broader aim of climate litigation—namely, to provide redress to victims for climate harms—requires a collective global effort. Peel and Lin thus call for a broadening of our understanding of climate change litigation to include the experiences of the Global South. The term “Global South” has been used to refer to the collection of mostly developing countries with similar agendas that have often collaborated in environmental negotiations. These countries form a significant bloc in climate change negotiations. However, the experiences and views of many of the countries of the Global South differ in the way climate change matters are conceived and tackled. This essay demonstrates as much by examining climate change litigation in Ghana.

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