Literacy Theories for the Digital Age: Social, Critical, Multimodal, Spatial, Material and Sensory Lenses

Literacy Theories for the Digital Age insightfully brings together six essential approaches to literacy research and educational practice. The book provides powerful and accessible theories for readers, including Socio-cultural, Critical, Multimodal, Socio-spatial, Socio-material and Sensory Literacies. The brand new Sensory Literacies approach is an original and visionary contribution to the field, coupled with a provocative foreword from leading sensory anthropologist David Howes. This dynamic collection explores a legacy of literacy research while showing the relationships between each paradigm, highlighting their complementarity and distinctions. This highly relevant compendium will inspire readers to explore new frontiers of thought and practice in times of diversity and technological change.

How digital technologies have changed the way we “teach”

Proud suggested that the biggest and most obvious impact of the digital world felt by academics, was in the area of teaching. He demonstrated a number of the initiatives which have been by developed by outside organizations and within various universities. Those include larger classrooms, online teaching and Blackboard. All of these were believed to provide improved learning by students, but, most commonly also expanded the faculty workload. He then discussed a number of the newer technologies which are becoming available such as the virtual classroom, Google Glass, Adobe online, Skype and others. All of these tools, he argued were in response to increasing economic pressures on the University, the result of which is that entire courses have migrated online. The reason for university interest in these new technologies were listed as reduced need for classrooms and classroom space, less need for on-campus facilities and even a decline in need for weekly in-class lectures. Thus, it has been argued that these new tools and technologies liberate the faculty from the tyranny of geography through the introduction of blogs, online videos, discussion forums and communication tools such as wikis, Facebook sites and Yammer, all of which seem to have specific advantages. The question raised, however, is: How successful have these new digital innovations been? As an example, he cited his own experience in teaching distance learning programs in Thailand and elsewhere. Those results are still being reviewed, with no definitive view developed.

Copyright and the digital economy : submission to ALRC Discussion Paper 79

Australia should take the opportunity to clearly permit transformative uses of existing material, without requiring consideration of all four fairness factors. The key test should be the effect on the core licensing market of existing copyright expression. To accomplish this, a new transformative use exception should be introduced into Australian law. Alternatively, it should be presumptively fair to make a transformative use of existing material, regardless of commercial purpose, the character of the plaintiff's work, and amount and substantiality of the portion used, if the transformative work does not displace the market for the existing material.

Does a functional activity programme improve function, quality of life, and falls for residents in long term care? Cluster randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess the effectiveness of an activity programme in improving function, quality of life, and falls in older people in residential care. Design Cluster randomised controlled trial with one year follow-up. Setting 41low level dependency residential carehomes in New Zealand. Participants 682 people aged 65 years or over. Interventions 330 residents were offered a goal setting and individualised activities of daily living activity programme by a gerontology nurse, reinforced by usual healthcare assistants; 352 residents received social visits. Main outcome measures Function (late life function and disability instruments, elderly mobility scale, FICSIT-4

The university of the digital future : a reimagining based on the learning strategies of professionals in the digital media sectors

This article explores how universities might engage more effectively with the imperative to develop students’ 21st century skills for the information society, by examining learning challenges and strategies of successful digital media professionals. The findings support a significant body of literature, which argues that legacy university structures and pedagogical approaches are not conducive to optimal professional learning in the digital age. A model of one reimagining of the university is presented, which draws upon the learning preferences of the professionals in this study, as linked with extant theory relating to informal, situated, self-determined learning, communities of practice and personal learning environments.

Open and networked initiatives and the digital transformation of academic publishing in China

Many aspects of China's academic publishing system differ from the systems found in liberal market based economies of the United States, Western Europe and Australia. A high level of government intervention in both the publishing industry and academia and the challenges associated with attempting to make a transition from a centrally controlled towards a more market based publishing industry are two notable differences; however, as in other countries, academic communities and publishers are being transformed by digital technologies. This research explores the complex yet dynamic digital transformation of academic publishing in China, with a specific focus of the open and networked initiatives inspired by Web 2.0 and social media. The thesis draws on two case studies: Science Paper Online, a government-operated online preprint platform and open access mandate; and New Science, a social reference management website operated by a group of young PhD students. Its analysis of the innovations, business models, operating strategies, influences, and difficulties faced by these two initiatives highlights important characteristics and trends in digital publishing experiments in China. The central argument of this thesis is that the open and collaborative possibilities of Web 2.0 inspired initiatives are emerging outside the established journal and monograph publishing system in China, introducing innovative and somewhat disruptive approaches to the certification, communication and commercial exploitation of knowledge. Moreover, emerging publishing models are enabling and encouraging a new system of practising and communicating science in China, putting into practice some elements of the Open Science ethos. There is evidence of both disruptive change to old publishing structures and the adaptive modification of emergent replacements in the Chinese practice. As such, the transformation from traditional to digital and interactive modes of publishing, involves both competition and convergence between new and old publishers, as well as dynamics of co-evolution involving new technologies, business models, social norms, and government reform agendas. One key concern driving this work is whether there are new opportunities and new models for academic publishing in the Web 2.0 age and social media environment, which might allow the basic functions of communication and certification to be achieved more effectively. This thesis enriches existing knowledge of open and networked transformations of scholarly publishing by adding a Chinese story. Although the development of open and networked publishing platforms in China remains in its infancy, the lessons provided by this research are relevant to practitioners and stakeholders interested in understanding the transformative dynamics of networked technologies for publishing and advocating open access in practice, not only in China, but also internationally.

Digital PWM waveform generation using adders, not counters

An alternative approach to digital PWM generation using an adder rather than a counter is presented. This offers several advantages. The resolution and gain of the pulse width modulator remain constant regardless of the module clock frequency and PWM output frequency. The PWM resolution also becomes fixed at the register width. Even at high PWM frequencies, the resolution remains high when averaged over a number of PWM cycles. An inherent dithering of the PWM waveform introduced over successive cycles blurs the switching spectra without distorting the modulating waveform. The technique also lends itself to easily generating several phase shifted PWM waveforms suitable for multilevel converter modulation.

Social media and its impact on crisis communication: Case studies of Twitter use in emergency management in Australia and New Zealand

There is a growing awareness worldwide of the significance of social media to communication in times of both natural and human-created disasters and crises. While the media have long been used as a means of broadcasting messages to communities in times of crisis – bushfires, floods, earthquakes etc. – the significance of social media in enabling many-to-many communication through ubiquitous networked computing and mobile media devices is becoming increasingly important in the fields of disaster and emergency management. This paper undertakes an analysis of the uses made of social media during two recent natural disasters: the January 2011 floods in Brisbane and South-East Queensland in Australia, and the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is part of a wider project being undertaken by a research team based at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, that is working with the Queensland Department of Community Safety (DCS) and the EIDOS Institute, and funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through its Linkages program. The project combines large-scale, quantitative social media tracking and analysis techniques with qualitative cultural analysis of communication efforts by citizens and officials, to enable both emergency management authorities and news media organisations to develop, implement, and evaluate new social media strategies for emergency communication.

Nurses' experiences of practice and political reform in long-term aged care in Australia : implications for the retention of nursing personnel

Keywords gerontological nursing;health care reform;health policy;long-term care;recruitment and retention Aim  The aim of the study was to explore registered nurses’ experiences in long-term aged care in light of the political reform of aged care services in Australia. Background  In Australia, the aged care industry has undergone a lengthy period of political and structural reform. Despite reviews into various aspects of these reforms, there has been little consideration of the effect these are having on the practice experiences and retention of nursing staff in long-term care. Methods  In this critical hermeneutic study, 14 nurses from long-term care facilities in Australia were interviewed about their experiences during the reform period. Results  The data revealed a sense of tension and conflict between nurses’ traditional values, roles and responsibilities and those supported by the reforms. Nurses struggled to renegotiate both their practice roles and values as the reforms were implemented and the system evolved. Nursing management support was an important aspect in mediating the effect of reforms on nursing staff. Conclusion  This research highlights both the tensions experienced by nurses in long-term aged care in Australia and the need to renegotiate nursing roles, responsibilities and values within an evolving care system. This research supports a role for sensitive and proactive nursing management during periods of industry reform as a retention strategy for qualified nursing personnel.

Searching for value : the influence of policy and reform on nurses’ sense of value in long-term aged care in Australia.

Contemporary literature on long-term aged care focuses heavily on issues associated with the recruitment and retention of nursing staff, such as job satisfaction and attitudes towards caring for older people. This paper aims to highlight one aspect of a larger study of registered nurses' experiences in long-term aged care in Australia and the influence that government policy and reform has in shaping that experience. This insight into aspects of nurses' everyday experience also contributes to a broader understanding of job satisfaction in long-term care. Findings from this study suggest that registered nurses experience tension in their search for value in their practice, which incorporates professional, political and social mediators of value and worth. These issues are discussed in relation to the impact of policy and reform on nurses' sense of value in long-term aged care and highlight the need for sensitive policy initiatives that support issues of value in nursing practice.

Road crashes and long term disabilities : Implications for policy and its implementation in Cambodia

The number of road crashes leading to disabilities is increasing alarmingly and constitutes a significant public health problem in many countries. So far, very few studies have been conducted to explore the impacts on persons with disabilities due to road crashes, and their families. This gap in the literature is especially large for low income countries such as Cambodia. This review explored relevant publications to provide background on persons in Cambodia with disabilities due to road crashes and their families. The review adds to the limited knowledge base in this area and has the potential to provide information on contextual issues relevant to the experience of disability in other developing countries, such as poverty, stigma and lack of resources. The findings of this review form the first part of a PhD study that will contribute to the development of informed policy change leading towards a safer system for all road users, including persons with disabilities.

Long-term survival after intensive care unit discharge in Thailand : a retrospective study

Introduction Economic evaluations of interventions in the hospital setting often rely on the estimated long-term impact on patient survival. Estimates of mortality rates and long-term outcomes among patients discharged alive from the intensive care unit (ICU) are lacking from lower- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess the long-term survival and life expectancy (LE) amongst post-ICU patients in Thailand, a middle-income country. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, data from a regional tertiary hospital in northeast Thailand and the regional death registry were linked and used to assess patient survival time after ICU discharge. Adult ICU patients aged at least 15 years who had been discharged alive from an ICU between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2005 were included in the study, and the death registry was used to determine deaths occurring in this cohort up to 31st December 2010. These data were used in conjunction with standard mortality life tables to estimate annual mortality and life expectancy. Results This analysis included 10,321 ICU patients. During ICU admission, 3,251 patients (31.5%) died. Of 7,070 patients discharged alive, 2,527 (35.7%) were known to have died within the five-year follow-up period, a mortality rate 2.5 times higher than that in the Thai general population (age and sex matched). The mean LE was estimated as 18.3 years compared with 25.2 years in the general population. Conclusions Post-ICU patients experienced much higher rates of mortality than members of the general population over the five-year follow-up period, particularly in the first year after discharge. Further work assessing Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in both post-ICU patients and in the general population in developing countries is needed.

The influence of digital technology on the performance space

Through practice-led research, TESSA SMALLHORN examines the influence of digital technology on the performance space. From the mechanisation of modernist culture to the digitalisation of present day, technology acts as response material for scenographers investigating the stage as machine. The interactive, real-time tools of digital culture encourage a systems-orientated approach that challenges user and operator alike. This article explores the studio practice and critical theory that was combined to offer a functional model of a digital stage machine.

Stories into games (Workshops and digital work)

In the summer of 2012 - 2013, the State Library of Queensland invited us to run a number of workshops for younger participants as part of the Garage Gamer program. The brief was very much about the local games industry and the SLQ community, the core concept was about participant contribution. The 'Stories into Games' series of workshops ran across three Saturdays (January 5 - March 2). The workshops were aimed at younger audiences (ages 6-12) and the concept was to engage this group with games as game makers and designers, rather than players. Each session saw a group of participants create a shared story, illustrate the story and then make game assets and objects out of their illustrative work. These were then put into a raw framework created in the Unity Game Engine so that the stories could be played.

Understanding preconditions for digital school transformation

While over the past decade many Australian schools have come to understand the transformative potential of digitally-rich teaching and learning, traditional models of schooling continue to dominate. Even with significant investment in the area, both in terms of digital resourcing and teacher professional development, innovation has generally only occurred in individual classrooms or ‘pockets’ in schools. This article discusses three interdependent conditions which need to exist as a foundation in order to facilitate the opportunity for transformation from traditional to digitally-rich ways of working in primary, middle and secondary schools or colleges. Distributed and transformational leadership approaches are critiqued with core elements identified which facilitate change. The establishment of a vision is identified and discussed as a fundamental driver and rudder for school transformation. The importance of creating and maintaining urgency to compel a school community to adopt and embed change is unpacked. This report concludes with a synthesis of the three preconditions and recommendations for proponents of digital school transformation.