A TECNOLOGIA MÓVEL E OS POTENCIAIS DA COMUNICAÇÃO NA EDUCAÇÃO

A pesquisa é baseada em três eixos principais, comunicação, educação e tecnologias digitais, com uma análise exploratória do mercado de produção de conteúdos para mídias móveis. O estudo é desenvolvido com revisão bibliográfica referente a esses três eixos e com o uso da metodologia qualitativa. São realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com representantes do mercado de comunicação móvel do país, com o objetivo de descrever o fluxo de produção de conteúdos, com foco nas possibilidades de desenvolvimento da aprendizagem móvel. Neste sentido, são verificados os potenciais tecnológicos e comunicacionais do uso das novas Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TIC), com destaque para o celular, nos modelos de educação formal e informal, a partir de aspectos da Sociedade do Conhecimento, como convergência de mídias, interatividade e produção colaborativa. Observa-se tendências como a valorização do conteúdo em relação aos meios de comunicação e o desenvolvimento de novas experiências de acesso à informação com o uso das tecnologias móveis e convergentes.

ENSINO MÉDIO, LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA E PORTAL EDUCACIONAL: percepções emergentes das narrativas de alunos inseridos em práticas de letramento digital

A educação contemporânea está inserida num contexto de velozes e dinâmicas transformações sociais e culturais, principalmente com o avanço e incorporação das Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação (TDIC) no cotidiano das pessoas. Na Sociedade da Informação, na Era do Conhecimento, é preciso ir além do saber ler, escrever e digitar. A escola, por sua vez, de maneira ainda morosa, busca adequar-se às exigências do universo digital do qual participam seus agentes. O Ensino Médio, foco de preocupação e reflexão por todos os envolvidos no processo educativo dessa modalidade, tenta alcançar sua proposta de formação integral dos jovens para o exercício do trabalho e da cidadania. À disciplina Língua Portuguesa reserva-se a missão de conciliar o ensino da norma-culta com os gêneros discursivos de tal forma a promover a inclusão digital dos alunos nas diversas circunstâncias de letramento às quais são submetidos. Nesse âmbito, este trabalho investigou: Que percepções dos processos formativos emergem quando os alunos refletem acerca das práticas pedagógicas e das vivências nas aulas de Língua Portuguesa em atividades mediadas por portal educacional? O objetivo geral da pesquisa é provocar a reflexão nos professores, de tal forma que repensem suas práticas pedagógicas e seu papel no processo educativo a fim de promover uma experiência educativa mais condizente com a realidade dos alunos. A metodologia adotada foi a pesquisa qualitativa de cunho investigativo, na modalidade narrativa, sob a luz de Clandinin e Connelly (2011). Pela inserção no cenário e proximidade afetiva com os participantes, assumiu-se o desafio de desenvolver uma pesquisa-ação, para isso, os instrumentos investigativos adotados foram: entrevista semiestruturada, diário de bordo, atividades realizadas no portal, conversas informais e caderno de campo. A análise dos dados permitiu a elaboração de oito categorias de análise, emergentes das narrativas dos participantes: interação e comunicação; sala de aula ampliada; gestão da aprendizagem; o registro de si e do outro; aprendizagem colaborativa e transformadora; incentivo à pesquisa; estudo autônomo; e, desafios. Os resultados alcançados apontaram para reflexões que não se encerram nas páginas deste trabalho, dentre elas destacam-se: a importância de ouvir o aluno para que as propostas pedagógicas sejam revistas e melhoradas; o testar, nas práticas diárias, é fundamental, é o buscar algo além do tradicional, em prol de um objetivo de aprendizagem definido; o desejo de aprender pode despertar no aluno o interesse pelo conhecimento, tornando-o mais autônomo em suas escolhas e caminhos; as TDIC podem colaborar com o processo de ensino e de aprendizagem, porém exigem envolvimento dos sujeitos, pois elas, enquanto instrumentos, não configuram o conhecimento, são os agentes que ao apropriar-se delas têm condições de obter o melhor de suas potencialidades. Futuros trabalhos poderão dar continuidade a este estudo e trazer grandes acréscimos ao contemplar as influências do uso das TDIC no cotidiano da escola, o que, certamente, será de grande contribuição para o cenário atual da Educação brasileira.

FORMAÇÃO DOCENTE E ENSINO SUPERIOR A DISTÂNCIA: TRANSIÇÃO PARADIGMÁTICA E OS IMPACTOS E CONTRIBUIÇÕES DAS TECNOLOGIAS DE INFORMAÇÃO E COMUNICAÇÃO

O século XXI trouxe profundas modificações na organização das sociedades e consequentemente no mundo do trabalho no âmbito da educação. O crescimento exponencial da dinâmica da comunicação nas sociedades possibilita a multiplicação generalizada de visões de mundo, a tecnologia é um agente de mudança e as inovações tecnológicas podem resultar em uma revolucionária quebra de paradigma educacional. Diante dos impasses de um mundo globalizado, em constante mutação cultural, surgem novas possibilidades de mediações que geram diferentes perspectivas para os processos educativos com a introdução das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) e da Educação a Distância (EaD). Por esta razão, a Formação Docente é pesquisada tendo como objetivo analisar os impactos e as contribuições que as tecnologias trazem para este campo, especialmente no curso de Pedagogia, considerando uma experiência em EaD e sua relação com o curso na modalidade presencial a partir dos pressupostos norteadores do Projeto Pedagógico Institucional (PPI) na instituição pesquisada. Foi relevante perceber no decorrer da pesquisa bibliográfica e do estudo de campo que as duas modalidades apóiam-se na concepção de educação que está subjacente e que orienta as escolhas teórico-metodológicas adotadas pela instituição no seu PPI. A educação a distância possibilita a construção de um ambiente de aprendizagem mediado pelas TICs e novas compreensões sobre o processo de ensinar e aprender. O estudo mostra que a formação docente nesta modalidade deve estar articulada com o processo educativo e ter como eixo a concepção de um sujeito capaz de estabelecer novas formas de expressão e conhecimentos para trabalhar em uma educação do futuro. Portanto, é necessário pensar na Intencionalidade de sua formação, de modo a capacitá-lo com visão pedagógica crítica e objetivando que seja capaz de intervir no desenvolvimento educacional como um intelectual transformador.(AU)

A IMPORTÂNCIA DAS TICS E DA EDUCAÇÃO COMO PROCESSO COMUNICACIONAL DIALÓGICO NO ENSINO SUPERIOR: Um Estudo da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul

Esta tese teve por objetivo saber como o corpo docente da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS) percebe, entende e reage ante a incorporação e utilização das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) nos cursos de graduação dessa Instituição, considerando os novos processos comunicacionais dialógicos que elas podem proporcionar na sociedade atual. Metodologicamente, a tese é composta por pesquisa bibliográfica, buscando fundamentar as áreas da Educação e Comunicação, assim como a Educomunicação; pesquisa documental para contextualização do lócus da pesquisa e de uma pesquisa exploratória a partir da aplicação de um questionário online a 165 docentes da UEMS, que responderam voluntariamente. Verificou-se que os professores utilizam as TICs cotidianamente nas atividades pessoais e, em menor escala, nos ambientes profissionais. Os desafios estão em se formar melhor esse docente e oferecer capacitação continuada para que utilizem de forma mais eficaz as TICs nas salas de aula. Destaca-se ainda que os avanços em tecnologia e os novos ecossistemas comunicacionais construíram novas e outras realidades, tornando a aprendizagem um fator não linear, exigindo-se revisão nos projetos pedagógicos na educação superior para que estes viabilizem diálogos propositivos entre a comunicação e a educação. A infraestrutura institucional para as TICs é outro entrave apontado, tanto na aquisição como na manutenção desses aparatos tecnológicos pela Universidade. Ao final, propõe-se realizar estudos e pesquisas que possam discutir alterações nos regimes contratuais de trabalho dos docentes, uma vez que, para atuar com as TICs de maneira apropriada, exige-se mais tempo e dedicação do docente.

The impact of Foreign Direct Investment and trade openness on ICT expansion: A comparative analysis of Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern countries

This study investigates the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow and trade openness on the expansion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the period of 1996 to 2005, in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. The results of regression analyses conducted indicate that while dissimilarities exist among the countries included in this study in terms of their level of socio-economic and political development, factors such as trade openness, education and the growth of GDP had a positive impact on their ICT development. While FDI inflow had positive impact on the expansion of ICTs on Asia-Pacific countries its impact on Middle Eastern countries was not statistically significant. The study results also show that governmental intervention in economic activities has a negative impact on ICT expansion in both regions. In the Middle East, regional conflict imposes additional negative impact on FDI inflow and trade openness and consequently, ICT expansion. The regression results show that those countries that implemented liberalization of their ICT sector were able to not only reduce the digital divide with other developed countries, but also increase their operations in both local and global markets.

Exploring civil servant resistance to M-government:a story of transition and opportunities in Turkey

The concept of mobility, related to technology in particular, has evolved dramatically over the last two decades including: (i) hardware ranging from walkmans to Ipods, laptops to netbooks, PDAs to 3G mobile phone; (ii) software supporting multiple audio and video formats driven by ubiquitous mobile wireless access, WiMax, automations such as radio frequency ID tracking and location aware services. Against the background of increasing budget deficit, along with the imperative for efficiency gains, leveraging ICT and mobility promises for work related tasks, in a public administration context, in emerging markets, point to multiple possible paths. M-government transition involve both technological changes and adoption to deliver government services differently (e.g. 24/7, error free, anywhere to the same standards) but also the design of digital strategies including possibly competing m-government models, the re-shaping of cultural practices, the creation of m-policies and legislations, the structuring of m-services architecture, and progress regarding m-governance. While many emerging countries are already offering e-government services and are gearing-up for further m-government activities, little is actually known about the resistance that is encountered, as a reflection of civil servants' current standing, before any further macro-strategies are deployed. Drawing on the resistance and mobility literature, this chapter investigates how civil servants' behaviors, in an emerging country technological environment, through their everyday practice, react and resist the influence of m-government transition. The findings points to four main type of resistance namely: i) functional resistance; ii) ideological resistance; iii) market driven resistance and iv) geographical resistance. Policy implication are discussed in the specific context of emerging markets. © 2011, IGI Global.

Understanding mobile phone usage while driving:mini-bus and taxi drivers' experiences in Istanbul

In emerging markets, the amount of mobile communication and the number of occasions mobile phones are used are increasing. More and more settings appropriate or not for mobile phone usage are being exposed. Although prohibited by many governments, there is evidence that use of new mobile devices while driving are somehow becoming current everyday practice, hence legitimatizing usage for many users. Dominant dangerous behavior in the absence of enforced legal framework is being deployed and has become routine for many m-users. This chapter adopts a qualitative case study approach (20 cases) to examine the public transport drivers' motives, logic and legitimacy processes. The question which these issues raise in the light of advancing m-technologies is: How do, in the context of emerging market, undesired emerging routines enactment get to be reflected upon and voluntarily disregarded to maximize the benefits of m-technologies while minimizing their drawbacks? Findings point out at multiple motives for usage including external social pressure through the ubiquitous 24/7 usage of mtechnology, lack of alternative communication protocol, real time need for action and from an internal perspectives boredoms, lack of danger awareness, blurring of the boundaries between personal and business life and lack of job fulfillment are uncovered as key factors. As secondary dynamic factors such as education, drivers work' histories, impunity, lack of strong consumer opposition appear central in shaping the development of the routines. © 2011, IGI Global.

State-of-the-art in integrated vehicle health management

Integrated vehicle health management (IVHM) is a collection of data relevant to the present and future performance of a vehicle system and its transformation into information can be used to support operational decisions. This design and operation concept embraces an integration of sensors, communication technologies, and artificial intelligence to provide vehicle-wide abilities to diagnose problems and recommend solutions. This article aims to report the state-of-the-art of IVHM research by presenting a systematic review of the literature. The literature from different sources is collated and analysed, and the major emerging themes are presented. On this basis, the article describes the IVHM concept and its evolution, discusses configurations and existing applications along with main drivers, potential benefits and barriers to adoption, summarizes design guidelines and available methods, and identifies future research challenges.

Time-division-multiplexing using pulse position locking for 100 Gb/s applications

Recently, there is a great interest in pushing communication technologies to 100 Gb/s. However, there are still many challenges to perform high speed (> 40 Gb/s) clock and data recovery, and data time-division-multiplexing (TDM). Here, we propose and numerically analyze an asynchronous optical packet retimer using parabolic or sinusoidal phase modulation and linear dispersion. This scheme is named pulse position locking (PPL). Numerical simulation shows that this scheme can effectively resynchronize input signals with arbitrary delays to the local clock, and reduce input jitter. The scheme can also be applied to TDM 10 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s signals to over 100 Gb/s.

Media, ecology and conservation:using the media to protect the world's wildlife and ecosystems

The second book in The Converging World series, Media, Ecology and Conservation focuses on global connectivity and the role of new digital and traditional media in bringing people together to protect the world's endangered wildlife and conserve fragile and threatened habitats. New media offers opportunities for like-minded individuals, community groups, businesses and public organisations to learn and work cooperatively for the good of all species. One of the key themes of this book explores the important issue of how new information and communication technologies mediate the natural world, and our understanding of our place in it. By exploring the role of film, television, video, photography and the internet in animal conservation in the USA, India, Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom John Blewitt investigates the politics of media representation surrounding important controversies such as the trade in bushmeat, whaling and habitat destruction. The work and achievements of media/conservation activists are located within a cultural framework that simultaneously loves nature, reveres animals but too often ignores the uncomfortable realities of species extinction and animal cruelty.

ICT diffusion and foreign direct investment:a comparative study between Asia-Pacific and the Middle Eastern economies

This chapter investigates the impact of inward and outward FDI on ICT diffusion in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions for the period 1996-2008. The results indicate that while inward FDI has generally had a positive and significant impact on ICT diffusion in Asia-Pacific economies, its impact on the Middle Eastern countries has been detrimental. In contrast, the results of this study also show that outward FDI has had, in general, the inverse effect, it has been in general positive and significant for the Middle East countries but insignificant for Asia-Pacific economies.

Performance modelling and analysis of multiple coexisting IEEE 802.15.4 wireless sensor networks

With the features of low-power and flexible networking capabilities IEEE 802.15.4 has been widely regarded as one strong candidate of communication technologies for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It is expected that with an increasing number of deployments of 802.15.4 based WSNs, multiple WSNs could coexist with full or partial overlap in residential or enterprise areas. As WSNs are usually deployed without coordination, the communication could meet significant degradation with the 802.15.4 channel access scheme, which has a large impact on system performance. In this thesis we are motivated to investigate the effectiveness of 802.15.4 networks supporting WSN applications with various environments, especially when hidden terminals are presented due to the uncoordinated coexistence problem. Both analytical models and system level simulators are developed to analyse the performance of the random access scheme specified by IEEE 802.15.4 medium access control (MAC) standard for several network scenarios. The first part of the thesis investigates the effectiveness of single 802.15.4 network supporting WSN applications. A Markov chain based analytic model is applied to model the MAC behaviour of IEEE 802.15.4 standard and a discrete event simulator is also developed to analyse the performance and verify the proposed analytical model. It is observed that 802.15.4 networks could sufficiently support most WSN applications with its various functionalities. After the investigation of single network, the uncoordinated coexistence problem of multiple 802.15.4 networks deployed with communication range fully or partially overlapped are investigated in the next part of the thesis. Both nonsleep and sleep modes are investigated with different channel conditions by analytic and simulation methods to obtain the comprehensive performance evaluation. It is found that the uncoordinated coexistence problem can significantly degrade the performance of 802.15.4 networks, which is unlikely to satisfy the QoS requirements for many WSN applications. The proposed analytic model is validated by simulations which could be used to obtain the optimal parameter setting before WSNs deployments to eliminate the interference risks.

iServe:a serious game for servitization

Servitization concerns the process of manufacturers shifting from a focus on producing and selling tangible goods to service-based business models. Factors that drive adoption of servitization are financial, strategic (competitive advantage) and marketing. However, uptake is slow and active efforts are being made to transfer knowledge about servitization to the manufacturing sector. This paper presents early results from the first test of a serious computer game which has the goal of educating managers about what advanced services are and how they fit in supply chains. Results suggest the role-play scenario tested is appropriate for an audience of largely non-expert gamers, and that the approach has the potential to instruct users about the role of services in the supply chain.

ICT adoption by logistics service providers:developing a learning agenda

Recent years have seen innovations in the logistics and freight transport industry in relation to Information and communication technologies (ICT) diffusion. The implementation of such technologies by third party logistics providers (3PLs) allows the real-time exchange of information between supply chain partners, thereby improving planning capability and customer service. However, the logistics and freight transport industry is lagging somewhat behind other sectors in ICT diffusion. In relation to the latter point, it is important to note that the dissemination of ICT in logistics and supply chain management (SCM) is shifting the 3PL industry to an increasingly knowledge-intensive approach. In this process, the role of learning becomes more central and an assessment of the impact of future ICT learning needs for the logistics providers is a strategic imperative. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of ICT on logistics and freight transport industry in Italy and Ireland, and to identify learning needs for more effective ICT adoption in 3PLs.