A survey of narrative listening behaviors in 8-13-year-old children

Leisure reading confers significant benefits to children in both social and academic domains. However, the number of children who read for pleasure is decreasing and has been recently shown to drop off significantly between the ages of 8 and 9. Despite the rising popularity of audiobooks and podcasts, research on children listening to spoken stories remains in its infancy. Thus, the present study explores how children engage with these novel media. Fifty-two parents of children aged 8-13 years completed an online survey which asked about their children’s listening habits. Results showed that 74% of children listen to spoken stories, with the vast majority (92.5%) listening at least 1-2 times a week. While the survey revealed children are indeed engaging with both podcasts and audiobooks, being read aloud to continues to be the most popular format for story listening in this age group (77.4% of listeners). Across platforms, the genre most frequently listened to was fantasy stories (84.9%; more detailed descriptions of popular themes and sub-themes are described). In sum, access to technology is becoming an increasingly important part of children’s lives. The data described here provide a timely perspective and provide a basis for informed studies of listening engagement in children.

The Role of Intersectionality in Access to Technology Among Older Adults

In the era of COVID-19, technology has become a primary means of connecting with the world while maintaining physical distance, which is crucial for older adults who are at disproportionately high risk of infection and death. Throughout the pandemic, there has been increased emphasis on using telehealth to access medical and mental health care, and technology (e.g., apps, social media, video calls) for social interactions/communication to mitigate loneliness/isolation. Thus, COVID-19 has increased the need for older adults to access technology, and widened disparities experienced by those with limited access. This study used data from the 2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study, an annual longitudinal panel survey of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ in the U.S, to explore the association between the interaction of race/ethnicity and sex, and access to both a working cell phone and laptop/computer. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted. The sample (N=2,442) was 83.7% white, 8.5% Black, and 7.8% Hispanic. After accounting for other explanatory variables, logistic regression analysis indicated significantly higher odds of not having both a working cell phone or computer/laptop among White women (OR=1.518, CI=.1.510-1.527), Black men (OR=.1.741, CI= 1.720-1.763), Black women (OR=2.567, CI= 2.545-2.589), Hispanic men (OR=1.036, CI=1.022-1.050), and Hispanic women (OR=2.265, CI=.2.243-2.287) compared to White men. Overall, Hispanic and Black women were the least likely to have access to technology compared to other groups. Addressing technological equity remains a need. Future research should consider how the provision of devices along with technological literary programs can improve well-being among BIPOC women.

Understanding the Effects of COVID-19 on the Education of Low-Income Students in Khamariya, Nepal

This paper addresses the impacts COVID-19 is having on the learning of upper-primary students in a remote community in Nepal. These findings are based on interviews with 15 students in Khamariya— a small village with limited infrastructure and minimal access to technology. In this paper, the education system in Nepal before COVID-19 is discussed and compared with the current learning that is happening throughout the pandemic. The shortcomings of government solutions are discussed, the benefits of the pandemic on students' learning are evaluated, and the implications of changes in students’ learning due to the pandemic are analyzed. Overall, through the interviews, it has been determined that the education system in remote communities in Nepal before the pandemic was below standard. However, COVID-19 is exacerbating these negative aspects of the education system even further. The pandemic is specifically targeting impoverished students’ education. As well, it is increasing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, which is contributing to the cycle of poverty.

Blended Learning and the Global South Virtual Exchanges in Higher Education

This volume collects a series of theoretical and practical interventions in the area of blended learning globally. It aims to present pedagogues working in higher education contexts in the developing world with models of successful blended learning initiatives designed and implemented by committed educators working with student bodies characterised by unequal access to technology and connectivity. The twelve individual chapters of this volume are an invaluable practical resource for educators but when taken as a whole the collection provides a counter to commonplace beliefs about blended learning originating within the institutions of wealthy countries. It offers theoretical, material and socially grounded currents for thinking about the place of blended learning in the Global South and is a work of resistance to pedagogical epistemologies with ‘first world’ and neoliberal biases.

Learning in Times of COVID: Journalism Education in Kashmir, India

Our in-depth qualitative interviews with journalism graduate students and professors, from Kashmir, India, show that unlike the rest of India, the region experienced extremely low internet connectivity, and this combined with a lack of access to technology nearly brought classes to a standstill. But students and teachers, used to social disruptions, used the COVID-19 pandemic to learn and practice journalism that was deeply bound to the community and they created “circles of trust” that helped them overcome internet and other technical issues. Ramifications for journalism education in situations of low connectivity and poor technology resources are discussed.

Eksklusi Sosial dalam Kapital Digital dan Kebijakan Virtual (Studi Filantropi Platform KitaBisa.com)

Modernisasi membawa efek digital masuk ke dalam varian aktivitas sosial-budaya dan ekonomi-politik masyarakat. Namun, tiadanya pemerataan akses terhadap penggunaan teknologi, berdampak pada keterasingan dan marginalisasi. Konsep tersebut cenderung dilihat sebagai kesenjangan antara yang memiliki akses terhadap teknologi (the haves) dan kelompok yang tidak memiliki akses terhadap teknologi (the have-nots). Di dalam masyarakat pasca-industri hari ini, segala sesuatu telah digitalisasi. Tidak hanya pada aspek kebijakan dan bisnis, bahkan kebijaksanaan filantropi berupa platform-platform sosial telah massif berkembang di era-digital. Misalnya, pengentasan permasalahan kesehatan, ekonomi, kemanusiaan dan lingkungan yang, sejauh ini, mendapatkan donor (donation) dari masyarakat digital melalui platform KitaBisa.com. Hal tersebut dilakukan dalam rangka memperbaiki dignitas kehidupan manusia dan kelestarian lingkungan. Namun, akibat kesenjangan digital di dalam masyarakat yang tidak dapat mengakses agenda filatropi secara online, membuat kelompok yang tidak memiliki kapital digital tereksklusi dari kebijakan virtual. Modernization brings digital effects into a variant of socio-cultural and political activities of society. However, the lack of access to the use of technology, is associated with alienation and marginalization. The concept tends to be viewed as a gap between those who have access to technology (the haves) and groups who have no access to technology (the have-nots). In today’s post-industrial society, everything has been digitalized. Not only on policy and business aspects, even philanthropic policies of social platforms have developed massif in digital era. For example, a reduction in health, economic, humanitarian and environmental problems, so far, have been obtained donors from digital societies through KitaBisa.com platforms. This is done in an effort to improve dignities of human life and the sustainability of the environment. However, as a result of digital gaps in societies which make them cannot access the filatropic of an online agenda, groups that do not have digital capital are excommunicated from virtual policy.

Iran deal's foreign investment impact would be limited

Significance Indirect negotiations with the United States over a mutual return to the 2015 nuclear deal are facing delays while the transition team of President-elect Ibrahim Raisi moves into place. Meanwhile, questions are mounting over the likely impact on foreign investment, even if most sanctions are lifted. Impacts The government will prioritise efforts to invite investment in sectors where it has inadequate access to technology. The government's reported use of frozen assets as central bank borrowing collateral would limit the fiscal impact of their release. If it remains unblocked, the Clubhouse app could increase popular involvement in economic debate.