Large Scientific Infrastructures enriching online and digital Learning: LaSciL

ABSTRACTThe need for the education system to teach twenty-first century skills produces an emphasis on the teaching of first language (L1) writing on the assimilation into the teaching process of information and communications technology (ICT) tools that promote writing. The purposes of this study are to examine general aspects of the integration of ICT tools into teaching-learning-evaluation processes and the unique aspects of ICT tools relevant to teaching L1 writing. A research questionnaire was developed to examine the disciplinary aspect of teaching L1 writing alongside general aspects of integrating ICT into teaching. The research tool tested on 391 L1 secondary school teachers. The findings show that e teachers perceive themselves as having achieved some mastery of the ICT tools examined and that they agree with positive statements about the value of using ICT tools in L1 teaching. Although they sometimes-to-often use ICT tools to assess their students' writing, they make limited use of them to teach L1 writing. We suggest that there may be a disciplinary barrier to ICT tool use in teaching in the form of a lack of teacher appreciation that ICT tools can greatly promote the teaching of L1 writing.

Aims: This study sought to determine selected demographic characteristics, the extent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools’ usage, opportunities in ICT, challenges in the use, strategies to improve the use, and the correlation between the selected demographic factors and ICT tools’ usage among peasants who produce cassava in Rangwe Sub-County, Kenya. Study Design: A correlation research design was used in this study conducted at Rangwe Sub-County, Kenya from 8th December 2021 to 14th January 2022.
 Methodology: The study gathered data with the aid of pretested structured questionnaire from 106 Cassava Peasants (CPs) who used or not used ICT tools in agricultural extension.
 Results: The response rate achieved was 100%. The majority of the CPs were female (62%), middle-aged (36-50 years), attained primary education (52%), and earned the lowest average annual income (X ≤ KES160, 000). The majority of ICT tools users in extension were males, elite, higher-income earners, and youths. The largest percentage of ICT tools users mentioned, ICT tools availability as one of the opportunities in ICT, expensiveness as the main challenge in the use, ICT services subsidies as one of the improvement strategies. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that a correlation between the selected demographic factors and ICT tools’ usage was statistically significant at a 1% level of significance (P=.000).
 Conclusion: Adoption of ICT tools in agricultural extension services is directly proportional to income, gender equality, and education, while it is inversely proportional to age. The provision of supporting policies for the selected demographic factors, availability of training centers, and subsidized credit interest rate would increase ICT tools usage in extension.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has changed and continues to change almost every aspect of our daily lives. Our personal lives, social interactions, educational systems, business atmosphere, and corporate culture-everything has changed in one way or another due to advances in the field of ICT. The construction industry is no exception. ICT provides an unprecedented opportunity as well as enormous challenges to the construction industry.

Several educational organizations provide Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool registries to support educators when selecting ICT tools for their classrooms. A common problem is how to populate these registries with descriptions of ICT tools that can be useful for education. This paper proposes to tackle it taking advantage of the information already published in the Web of Data, following a Linked-Data approach. For this purpose, SEEK-AT-WD is proposed as an infrastructure that automatically retrieves ICT tool descriptions from the Web and publishes them back once they are related to an educational vocabulary. A working prototype containing 3556 descriptions of ICT tools is presented. These descriptions can be accessed either from a web interface or through a search client that has also been developed. The potential of the proposal is discussed by means of a feature analysis involving educators, data publishers and registry administrators. Results show that it is much easier to update the data associated to SEEK-AT-WD in comparison to other approaches, while educators obtain from a single registry thousands of tool descriptions collected from the Web.

Recent advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have stimulated the need for adaptation of new models of teaching and learning in educational institutions. Since the beginning, the use of technology in education has gained a lot of attention and has been applied to many areas in the academic domain. The introduction of ICT has motivated scholars to find out how various ICT tools could be deployed and efficiently used. Due to rapid changes in ICT, an extended TAM (ETAM) has been developed to highlight the demand for using advanced ICT tools in the education process. The idea is to support the acceptance of technology implementations by modifying the conventional model with the pre-acknowledgement of additional elements that reflect the state of art technological advances. These additional factors aim to increase the motivation acceptance levels by instructors and students alike towards ICT teaching and learning studio style.

Reviewed by: Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges for Development Kwame D. Dakwa Akpan-Obong, Patience Idaresit. 2009. Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges for Development. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. 203 pp. Since the early 1980s, information and communication technology (ICT) has permitted people to participate in a world in which school, work, and other activities have been increasingly enhanced by access to varied and developing technologies. ICT tools have helped people find, explore, analyze, exchange, and present information—most importantly, without discrimination. When efficiently used, ICT can provide quick access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities, and cultures. It is this aspect of modern society that Patience Akpan-Obong's book presents in a useful report on her native country, Nigeria—a book in which she carefully presents Nigeria's efforts to use ICT to drive socioeconomic growth. Readers might wonder how ICT has been integrated into Nigerian life and how it could be used to alleviate poverty. Akpan-Obong covers Aso Rock (the Nigerian White House) and shows how ICT has permeated the seat of government. She mentions how a fringe sector of the Nigerian community has used ICT in criminal activities—what has globally been referred to as "419." To help readers understand the problems in ICT in Nigeria, she analyzes the evolution of Nigerian economic development by addressing the [End Page 95] economic plans of previous colonial governing entities and successive governments since the achievement of independence. Though the book was published in 2009, she does not mention how "Vision 2010," a plan proposed by the Abacha regime in 1996, has been realized; its impact on ICT is not heavily discussed. We are made aware that the colonial government improved communication to "facilitate the administration of the colony," and governments of independent Nigeria improved ICT "to be in line with the modernization zeitgeist." However, a whole chapter is devoted to Nigeria's National Policy on Telecommunications and other matters that have dogged Nigerian telecommunication. It brings to the fore issues pertinent to the question of how ICT is being used in national development. This is broken down into the number of telephones, fax machines, computers, printers, photocopiers, and internet usage (dial up or VSAT). This pattern of usage helps readers grasp how the government and private sectors have applied ICT. With 66 percent of Nigerians reported to be living in poverty, coupled with a literacy rate of 69.1 percent as of 2003, it would have been interesting for Akpan-Obong to have addressed how ICT has been used in Asia, particularly in India, to create job opportunities through outsourcing. Several books addressing the global phenomenon of outsourcing only mention in passing the capabilities of African countries. Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat (2005) does not mention the potential that ICT can have in elevating poverty in Africa. In addition, ICT is present in interesting ways; for example, a small number of Nigerians and other Africans use it for fraudulent purposes. It is hoped that a future edition of the book will emphasize more strongly critical business opportunities in the ICT industry and the educational options for rural education via ICT. In fact, as Bonk (2009) has argued, "It is the opening up of education that ultimately makes a fatter or more robust economic world possible. In the twenty-first century, education trumps economy as key card to participation in the world" (2008:26). Though some chapters of Akpan-Obong's book point out how approaches in ICT do affect the Nigerian economy and serve larger political and educational purposes, there is a wish for more. Of course, there is a limit to what a book can do, especially this book, a foundational publication for anyone interested in the history of ICT in Nigeria. [End Page 96] Kwame D. Dakwa Indiana University, Bloomington Copyright © 2010 Indiana University Press

Today, the enormous progress in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has encouraged many countries to take advantage of ICTs in education. Morocco is not in isolation from this. Yet, the progress has often been insufficient. There is still a substantial gap concerning the availability of ICTs and their implementation methods in the Moroccan High schools, resulting in several thoughtful questions being raised for decision-makers and teachers equally. One of the main questions is what factors affect the successful implementation of ICTs in Moroccan High schools? Hence, the prominence of this paper is to find the answer to this question and other related questions from teachers’ perspectives. This study uses both qualitative and quantitative stances. A closed questionnaire was used to collect data from (134) Moroccan high school teachers, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with (20) other teachers. Generally, the results showed that ICTs were a vital device in improving teaching and learning outcomes. However, lack of resources, ICT skills among teachers, the insufficiency in ICT training, and deficiency of clear ICT policies, among other influences, were some challenges that affect the implementation of ICTs in Moroccan high schools.

Purpose– The aim of this research is to foreground information and communication technology (ICT) as an innovative approach for sustainable tourism (ST) development of destinations. ICT is the technology required for information processing which facilitates data processing, information sharing, communication, searching and selection. This paper concentrates on the Abernathy and Clark model and its usefulness in applying ICT as innovative in managing ST.Design/methodology/approach– An online survey was administered to destination managers and to eTourism experts. Destination managers were selected as they were identified as the person responsible for the overall management of a Destination Management Organisation. eTourism experts were identified as someone who possesses special expertise, knowledge and skills on ICT applications to tourism and offered expertise on which ranged from such areas as electronic distribution, recommender systems, user-generated content, online communities, mobile technology, technology acceptance, tourism networks and Web 2.0. This was followed by semi-structured interviews.Findings– These ICT tools were found to be innovative for information management and distribution for critical decision-making. Innovation was fostered through the use of ICT for ST by leading to a better understanding of the tourism product, monitoring, measuring and evaluating, forecasting trends, developing partnerships and engaging and supporting stakeholder relationships. ICT would provide novel ways of approaching marketing, energy monitoring, waste management, and communication for destinations.Originality/value– This research is important in demonstrating the value that technology can have to ST and further develops the work on tourism innovation theory.

Today education has increasing impacted on dynamic factors from fast changes of information and communication technology (ICT). Such as functions of Microsoft’s Offices and social media of Facebook, Line, Instagram (IG) are all appearances in our living environment. Although those ICTs’ tools have more and more convened in our life, however, they also have made students becoming laze and lack of cooperative learning attitude with others, this causes student’s ICT tools look fruitful but their competence is lower than before. Therefore, how to enhance student’s ICT competence has become an important issue in teaching methodology and strategy. In this paper aims to develop an effective teaching strategy on fitting this challenge. Through a way on using project-based learning in understanding the tourism knowledge, we find that student’s ICT competence needs more advanced improvement on how to integrate tools of ICT, as well as how to work together with others when go through a team work project. This paper has a critical contribution on using ICT to construct an unknown industrial knowledge. And this knowledge is abstraction and difficult to understand in a traditional class teaching, but through project-based learning with ICT thus approached.

The development of information and communication technologies (ICT) brought about critical changes in digital health services. Extraordinary research has begun in the field of telemedicine and tele-psychiatry; hence, we can more deeply study the new tools of healing, its advantages, and unfortunate results just as changes in the connection between doctor and patient. The advancement of the new ICT tools offers an exceptional chance to work on cognitive debilitations. The utilization of the distinctive ICT tools works with their daily life, yet additionally decreases the expense of healthcare. The ICT advancements and tools diminish the recurrence of critical care and clinic visits and stay. There are various tools accessible to identify psychological health or cognitive diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s dementia. This research paper proposes proactive strategy for digital mental healthcare utilizing ICT-based tele-psychiatry services to forestall cognitive diseases during COVID environment. These ICT-based tele-psychiatry services such as monitoring, digital mental healthcare, and prevention of cognitive diseases would improve accessibility and adaptability, self-monitoring, and treatment during COVID environment.KeywordsDigital mental healthTele-psychiatryPsychiatry services

The role of ICT in creating intelligent, energy efficient buildings

The students nowadays are more friendly with tech devices. So, to make it less boring need to start innovative ways that involve technology. Teaching via ICT tools have the potential to make a change in the academic sector. It is a dynamic learning method. It provides more benefits as compared to the traditional blackboard and chalks learning. The whole process of education can sometimes feel tedious for students. In this digital era, ICT use in the classroom is important for giving students opportunities to learn and apply the required 21st century skills. Hence studying the issues and challenges related to ICT use in teaching and learning can assist teachers in overcoming the obstacles and become successful technology users. With the advent of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in education, teachers form their own beliefs about the role of ICT as a teaching tool, the value of ICT for student learning outcomes and their own personal confidence and competency. Barriers exist in integrating ICT in teaching and learning. The barriers are extrinsic to the teacher and include lack of resources, time, access and technical support.

PurposeThis study explores how information and communication technologies (ICT) can contribute to empowerment in an Industry 4.0 setting.Design/methodology/approachThe results are based on a case study of a Norwegian manufacturing organisation that has highly automated production and an integrated ICT platform. Data analysis was guided by the Smith and Bititci (2017) framework for performance measurement and management.FindingsWhen powered by advanced ICT, the performance measurement system matures. The design and development of the ICT platform also reinforce the organisation's existing performance management practices. Empowerment is strengthened when automated collection, analysis and reporting of performance data free up middle managers' time so that they, together with operators, can drive continuous improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are limited to a single case study and require further testing for transferability to other organisations. Future research should explore whether performance management practices are also reinforced by ICT in more command- and control-oriented organisations.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests an alternative strategy of Industry 4.0 transformation for organisations committed to empowerment. Such organisations should rely on in-house, iterative ICT development and build digital competence broadly.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the understanding of how performance measurement and management are interrelated and evolve in the context of Industry 4.0. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, highlighting the role of middle managers in empowering operators through continuous improvement is novel in the performance measurement and management literature.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are spreading rapidly and affecting almost all aspects of daily life, including businesses. The tourism and hospitality industry have been largely affected by advancements in ICTs. ICTs offer both opportunities and challenges for SMEs in the tourism and hospitality industry. Although large companies have been quick to adopt ICTs with rich resources, SMEs have been slow to adopt these technologies in general for various reasons, especially in developing countries. In this article, the authors explore the factors affecting the adoption of e-commerce by small hotels. To attain this purpose, a comparative case study was conducted in two small hotels, and their use of the Internet and the Web was explored. Conclusions derived from this study provide a meaningful contribution to the understanding of e-commerce adoption in small businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have greatly affected our professional and personal lives in a short time. One of the areas most affected by these technologies is education. The role of ICTs in learning is significant, and today, we can see virtual learning courses in many academic fields. On the other hand, one of the most important functions of academic libraries is supporting the educational programs. With the advances in ICTs, the structure, space, and services provided by academic libraries also changed and we have witnessed a great increase in electronic resources and services in libraries. Due to these changes, libraries managed to continue their support role even in virtual education programs. Since joining libraries, ICTs and education together can have significant effects on virtual learning, this study first investigates the marketing of library services and the role of academic libraries in virtual education programs, and later discusses various library services that can be helpful in virtual learning programs such as preparation and access to information sources, digital reference services, and teaching of information literacy. Finally, the most important skills for librarians in the virtual education environment are investigated.