500 research outputs found
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The Web of Identity: A Model of Digital Identity Formation in Networked Learning Environments
No full textThis chapter examines how learners develop a sense of self and belonging in networked learning environments. The authors propose that individuals create and negotiate their identities through an iterative process of dialogic and symbolic exchange with other individuals. The process is always in flux as individuals constantly readjust their understanding and actions within a given context. Individuals strive to reach comfortable levels of cognitive resonance in which they integrate experiences and beliefs of the external world into their personal narratives. To explain this process, the authors provide the Web of Identity (WoI) model. Based on the work of Goffman (1959) and Foucault (1988), this model is composed of five dramaturgical strategies: technology, power, social structure, cultural, and personal agency. These strategies both guide and enable the enactment of behaviour. For researchers, exploring identity and affiliation through the WoI lens raises a series of thought-provoking questions worthy of further investigation
Reconfiguring Performance Information Linking with Accountability: Reporting and Internal Management
No full textOver the past decade, performance information has been widely available to citizens along with the expansion of e-government, which has magnified communications between citizens and government as well as citizen direct participation in government business. If citizens are informed more about government performance, citizen trust in government should improve. However, there is, in effect, little use of performance information by citizens, since availability to citizens is not very visible. To disseminate the results of performance measurement effectively, government should pay attention to the improvement of performance measurement systems and performance reporting systems with citizen-centered approaches. User-friendly reporting should not just simplify the multi-layers of performance measurement for improving performance itself. Rather, this chapter suggests applying different approaches to present complicated performance information to citizens. Performance reporting should be constructed in modernized, innovative, and user-focused ways to stimulate the use of performance information by external stakeholders, which can promote government accountability
Definition and History of Online Professional Development
No full textThere exists a consensus on the importance of teacher professional development. This chapter provides a knowledge base for environments, describes the benefits, best practices, and sources for quality online professional development. The attributes associated with online professional development can be examined within the framework of web conferencing, web cast, and online teaching and learning. An annotated bibliography and extensive glossary related to online professional development are included in this chapter
Interactive Learning Between Chinese Students Learning English and English Students Leaning Chinese on the Platform of Wiki
No full textThis research investigates the interaction between English students learning Chinese in the UK and Chinese students learning English in China via a wiki platform. Activity theory and legitimate peripheral participation theory were employed as a theoretical framework; wiki was embedded as an interactive learning tool. The findings revealed that Chinese native speakers assisted English students learning Chinese as foreign language (CFL) by means of reorganizing word orders and restructuring sentence patterns. The usages of clarification and elaboration were more frequent than the usages of added and deleted information. Both CFL and English as foreign language (EFL) students interacted with each other in attending to language forms through the essay correction and revision process, and the interaction consequently enhanced their target language learning. The study suggests that wiki provides a dynamic platform, which encourages further integration into the syllabus to support foreign language learning
From Politicized Adult Education to Market Oriented Adult Higher Education: How Adult Education Practice in One Region is Different from Another
No full textThis study investigated the general instructional modes of adult educators in Southeast China and Northeast China. The study utilized Conti's (1983, 2004) Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) to measure instructional modes of adult educators. Data were collected from 112 randomly selected participants engaged in teaching Chinese adult learners in Southeast China and Northeast China. The results of the study showed that adult educators in Southeast China were andragogical in their instruction while their counterparts in Northeast China were pedagogical although the difference (p>0.05) between the means of adult educators in Southeast China and Northeast China was not statistically significant
Social Learning from the Inside Out: The Creation and Sharing of Knowledge from the Mind/Brain Perspective
No full textThis chapter explores from the viewpoint of the mind/brain the factors and conditions which influence the social creation and sharing of knowledge. A foundation is developed by providing clear definitions of information, knowledge and learning, including levels of knowledge and the process through which the mind/brain creates new knowledge. Then neuroscience findings are used to discuss social interaction, including environmental impacts on the creation and sharing of knowledge. Factors such as arousal and stress level, social attunement, holding environment, intersubjective space, level of trust, social bonding, and an enriched external environment are posited to enhance the creation and sharing of knowledge. Finally, the individual learning and knowledge activity is extrapolated to the societal level through a short introduction to collaborative entanglement (learning to create and apply knowledge as communities), and the use of metaphor and story. Summary highlights of neuroscience findings are also provided
Associative Patterning: The Unconscious Life of an Organization
No full textThis chapter begins with a brief discussion of the basic concepts related to the unconscious life of an organization, and then addresses specific aspects of knowledge, learning, and memory, developing a language and framework for comprehending their application to organizations. Knowledge is addressed in terms of an information part and a proceeding part. Tacit knowledge is divided into embodied, intuitive, affective, and spiritual parts, with each of these aspects carried over to corresponding descriptions of memory. Organizational memory is then considered in light of a rapidly changing, uncertain environment. It is forwarded that organizational sustainability in an uncertain world requires a dynamic and responsive organizational memory. This highlights the challenge of keeping tacit memory updated as experienced personnel retire. Ideas and actions are briefly suggested to enhance and sustain organizational memory
Leaders, Decisions, and the Neuro-Knowledge System
No full textEvery decision-maker has a self-organizing, hierarchical set of theories (and consistent relationship among those theories) that guide their decision-making process. In support of this thesis the authors explore the following: (1) the development of invariant hierarchical patterns removed from the context and content of a specific situation; (2) the connections among values, beliefs, assumptions and those patterns (a personal theory); and (3) the robustness of those patterns and connections in a complex decision situation. These focus areas are addressed through the following chapter sections: baseline definitions; surface, shallow and deep knowledge; the decision-making process; decision-making viewed from outside the decision-maker; decision-making viewed from inside the decision-maker; anticipating the outcome of actions; hierarchy as a basic property of the decision-making system; advanced decisionmaking: the cortex; and final thoughts. It is also forwarded that the workings of our mind/brain provide a model for decision-making in a complex situation
An Internet Framework for Pervasive Sensor Computing
No full textThe rapid increase of sensor networks has brought a revolution in pervasive computing. However, data from these fragmented and heterogeneous sensor networks are easily shared. Existing sensor computing environments are based on the traditional database approach, in which sensors are tightly coupled with specific applications. Such static configurations are effective only in situations where all the participating sources are precisely known to the application developers, and users are aware of the applications. A pervasive computing environment raises more challenges, due to ad hoc user requests and the vast number of available sources, making static integration less effective. This paper presents an Internet framework called iSEE (Internet Sensor Exploration Environment) which provides a more complete environment for pervasive sensor computing. iSEE enables advertising and sharing of sensors and applications on the Internet with unsolicited users much like how Web pages are publicly shared today
A Template for Defining Enterprise Modelling Constructs
No full textThe paper explains the need for a standard way of defining modelling constructs from different enterprise modelling languages and proposes a template for defining enterprise modelling constructs in a way that facilitates language integration. The template is based on the Bunge-Wand-Weber (BWW) representation model of information systems (IS) and has been used on several existing modelling languages and frameworks. It is illustrated with definitions of constructs from the Unified Modeling Language (UML). The paper focusses on modelling constructs that represent concrete problem domains, i.e., that represent materials rather than concepts, and thus focuses on the concrete parts and aspects of enterprises