The multi-layers of digital exclusion in rural Australia

Despite many policy interventions, Australia’s ruralareas continue to be at a digital disadvantage. Withthe increasing penetration of information andcommunication technologies (ICT) into all public andprivate realms, there is a need to examine the deeplyrooted digital divide and how it relates to multipledimensions of infrastructure, services and demand inrural communities. This paper reports findings froma workshop with seven rural local governments fromthe State of New South Wales, Australia. The findingssuggest that rural digital exclusion results from amulti-layered divide where elements ofinfrastructure, connectivity and digital engagementare intertwined

Digital suburbs? Some policy implications of greater domestic connectivity

Since the mid-1990s there has occurred a communications revolution. With the development and widespread dissemination of Information Communications Technologies (ICTs), the capacity of virtually everyone in the developed world to send, receive and manipulate masses amounts of information has been transformed. In the light of high levels of internet uptake across Australian cities and the looming rollout of the National Broadband Network, it is timely to investigate just what the impacts may be on house design, service access, socialisation and connections to localities. The answer to these questions will potentially have profound implications for the future planning of Australian cities and suburbs. So, has the proliferation of domestic broadband led to more people working from home rather than commuting, on line socialising, and on line service access? Or has greater connectivity meant that the form and range of information flow has altered but the physicality of service provision, job access and socialisation is just, if not more, important? This paper will locate these questions within research on the economic, social and political impacts of ICTs before discussing how the digital revolution is having limited economic effects but profound social and political impacts on Melbourne’s western suburbs.

Staff and student views of the usefulness of information technology materials within an integrated curriculum: are these educational resources effective in promoting student learning?

This paper reports on a study on the perceived effectiveness of educational resources within the context of a single course in a first-year biology program at the University of Sydney (Australia). The overall study examined the dynamic state of perceptions towards these resources by the major stakeholders involved with the course (students, teaching staff, and technical staff). A major focus of the research was the extent to which the students used the computer-based resources made available to them, and staff and students' perceptions of the usefulness of these resources in supporting their learning. Specifically, results are discussed related to student use of computers and the Internet, use of biology online materials in the virtual learning environment, use and perceptions of communication technologies, and use and perceptions of computer-based online resources. Data were collected from the students using surveys and focus groups and from staff using surveys and interviews within an action-research paradigm. While the majority of students found the resources to be of use in supporting learning, some did not find them useful, and some did not use them at all. In comparison, the staff had higher expectations of both usage and usefulness. The level of student use was not a function of access to computers or the Internet, so the findings suggest that the provision of online resources will not necessarily generate value-added learning.

Developing professional expertise in the knowledge economy: integrating industry-based learning with the academic curriculum in the field of information technology

In response to the forces of globalization, organizations have had to adapt and even transform themselves. Universities have had to recognize the value of practical working knowledge developed in workplace settings, and promote the value of academic forms of knowledge making to the practical concerns of everyday learning. This paper presents a contemporary case of a designed professional curriculum in the field of information technology that situates workplace learning as a central element in the education of students. Key integrative dimensions are considered along with an analysis of the perspectives of teaching staff and students on the educational experience. (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2004, 5(2), 1-11)

An IT Bachelor degree using modern technologies to illustrate core concepts and principles and building generic skills

Information Technology (IT) changes very quickly and influences business, industry and the public in an enormous manner. Outsourcing of IT jobs to cheaper overseas labor and globalization of IT companies become a common practice. Graduates of IT university courses must be well prepared to address the needs and expectations of business, industry and every day life. Many factors in an Information Technology curriculum influence graduates’ professional preparation and image. The most important of them is to reflect technology change, the current state of knowledge of computing, business and industry demands and students’ expectations. The aim of our project was to develop a new Bachelor of IT curriculum that satisfies these requirements. In this report we concentrate our attention on two critical aspects of IT curriculum content, the modern technologies to be used to illustrate basic concepts and principles of computing, and the generic skills that each graduate is expected to acquire to get a job in Australia.

Educating for professional capability in the field of information technology: integrating industry-based learning with the academic curriculum

In response to the forces of globalisation, societies and organisations have had to adapt and even proactively transform themselves. Universities, as knowledge-based organisations, have recognised that there are now many other important sites of knowledge construction and use. The apparent monopoly over valued forms of knowledge making and knowledge certification is disappearing. Universities have had to recognise the value of practical working knowledge developed in workplace settings beyond university domains, and promote the value of academic forms of knowledge making to the practical concerns of everyday learning. It is within this broader systems view that professional curriculum development undertaken by universities needs to be examined.

University educational planning responds to these external forces in ways that are drawing together formal academic capability/competence and practice-based capability/competence. Both forms of academic and practice-based knowledge and knowing are being equally valued and related one to the other. University planning in turn gives impetus to the development of new forms of professional education curricula. This paper presents a contemporary case of a designed professional curriculum in the field of information technology that situates workplace learning as a central element in the education of Information Technology (IT)/Information Systems (IS) professionals.

The key dimensions of the learning environment of Deakin University’s BIT (Hons) program are considered with a view to identifying areas of strong integration between the worlds of academic and workplace learning from the perspectives of major stakeholders. The dynamic interplay between forms of theorising and practising is seen as critical in educating students for professional capability in their chosen field. From this analysis, an applied research agenda, relating to desired forms of professional learning in higher education, is outlined, with specific reference to the information and communication technology professions.

Re-envisioning literacy instruction with adolescents: multiliteracies, multimodality and new technologies

Engaging students' lifeworlds and the concerns of their communities in globalised, semiotic and information societies is imperative in New Times. As youth continue to exhibit their proficiency with new literacies emerging from Internet communication technologies (leTs), education-particularly curriculum and instruction-remains largely focused around monomodal, print-only literacy practices, often ignoring students' hybrid multiple voices. This paper reports on two curricular interruptions to the progressive reading and writing workshop that acknowledged adolescents' engagement with digital technologies and their new multimodalliteracy practices in a year eight public classroom within a small urban academy of technology.

The use of Web 2.0 Technologies to promote higher order thinking skills

During 2007 several independent Victorian secondary schools participated in a study exploring the ways in which the use of learning technologies can support the development of higher order thinking skills for students. This paper focuses on the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) including Web 2.0 technologies for promoting effective teaching and learning in science. A case study methodology was used to describe how individual teachers used ICT and Web 2.0 in their settings. Data included interviews (focus group and individual), questionnaires, monitoring of teacher and student use of smart tools, analysis of curriculum documents and delivery methods and of student work samples. The evaluation used an interpretive methodology to investigate five research areas: Higher-order thinking, Metacognitive awareness, Team work/collaboration, Affect towards school/learning and Ownership of learning. Three cases are reported on in this paper. Each describes how student engagement and learning increased and how teachers’ attitudes and skills developed. Examples of student and teacher blogs are provided to illustrate how such technologies encourage students and teachers to look beyond text science.

Information security management curriculum development : an Australian example

The development of Information Security as a discipline has only occurred in recent years. Currently Information Security topics are widely taught at tertiary institutions but these topics are taught from a technical perspective and in other cases from a business perspective.

This paper discusses the development of a new security curriculum within Australia and how Australian tertiary institutions responded to that curriculum, the paper also puts forwards a framework that assists in curriculum development.

Examining how teachers use web 2.0 technologies in Science lessons to promote higher order thinking in teaching science

During 2007 several independent Victorian secondary schools participated in a study exploring the ways in which the use of learning technologies can support the development of higher order thinking skills for students. This paper focuses on the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) including Web 2.0 technologies for promoting effective teaching and learning in science. A case study methodology was used to describe how individual teachers used ICT and Web 2.0 in their settings. Data included interviews (focus group and individual), questionnaires, monitoring of teacher and student use of smart tools, analysis of curriculum documents and delivery methods and of student work samples. The evaluation used an interpretive methodology to investigate five research areas'. Higher-order thinking, Metacognitive awareness, Team work/collaboration, Affect towards school/learning and Ownership of learning. Three cases are reported on in this paper. Each describes how student engagement and learning increased and how teachers' attitudes and skills developed. Examples of student and teacher blogs are provided to illustrate how such technologies encourage  students and teachers to look beyond text science.

Case study of the integration of ICT's into the school curriculum

This study, conducted in a laptop environment, found many factors mediate teachers' integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into the curriculum. Successful integration of ICTs was not so much related to pedagogical style and teachers' self-sufficiency with computers, as to the principle of 'teachers first' and professional development which utilizes a 'situative-learning' model.

Integrating e-simulations in teaching business information systems

Students’ early exposure to the fundamentals of business and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), creation of a professional skill base, as well as, the gaining of practical experience in applying such knowledge and skills, are the determinants of success in their study and development as Information Systems (IS) professionals. This chapter argues that e-simulations, or computer-based and online simulations, can be effectively used to engage learners in interactive learning activities and provide them with real world practical experience in the safety of an educational setting. A research project is subsequently described. A suite of e-simulations were developed and deployed across two institutions to support teaching and learning of Information Systems. Using staff discussions and online surveys, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the staff and students. The collected data were then analysed to evaluate and guide a sequence of curriculum and technology changes with a view to arriving at an optimum support model for students and teachers using the e-simulations. The findings of the study emphasise the usefulness of e-simulations to accommodate the learning styles of generation Y students, to stimulate their interest and creative thinking, and in meeting industry expectations of IS graduates’ ability to fulfil professional roles. Based on these insights, in its concluding remarks, the chapter outlines a conceptual framework for the inclusion of e-simulations in Information Systems curriculum development and teaching delivery.