Caribbean Centre of Excellence for E-Governance

ISBN:

978-1-60752-110-5

URL:

http://www.infoagepub.com/products/bridging-the-knowledge-divide

Keywords:

knowledge-divide; development;

Abstract:

In many international settings, developing economies are in danger of declining as the digital divide becomes the knowledge divide. This decline attacks the very fabric of cohesion and purpose for these regional societies and causes increased social, health, economic and sustainability problems. This book, the first volume in the book series “Educational Design and Technology in the Knowledge Society”, discusses how educational technology can utilise ICT to transform education and assist developing communities to close the knowledge divide. It provides a comprehensive coverage of educational technology in development in different professions and parts of world. The book provides examples of best practice, case studies and principles for educators, community leaders, researchers and policy advisers on the use of educational technology for development. In particular, it provides examples of how education can be provided more flexibly in order to provide access to hitherto disadvantaged and under-represented communities and individuals.

URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGTb9OB17xc

Keywords:

global warming; climate change; Kiribati

Abstract:

ABC documentary on "Climate change to bring an end to this island nation".

Full Text:

URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvKEWqOXd1U

Keywords:

global warming; sea level rise; Kiribiti; Central Pacific

Abstract:

A short documentary about the effects of global warming on Kiribati, a nation of 33 coral atolls in the central Pacific.

Full Text:

URL:

http://www.epracticejournal.eu/home

Keywords:

eGovernment; epractice; ejournal;

Abstract:

The European Journal of ePractice is a peer-reviewed online publication on eTransformation, launched in November 2007. The Journal belongs to the ePractice.eu community, is sponsored by the European Commission as part of its good practice exchange activity and is run by an independent Editorial Board. The aim of European Journal of ePractice (EjeP) is to reinforce the visibility of articles as well as that of professionals in eTransformation building an author's community which will strengthen the overall ePractice.eu activity. The publication will promote the diffusion and exchange of good practice in eGovernment, eHealth and eInclusion and will be open access, free of charge to all readers. We have a target audience of 50,000 professionals in Europe and beyond, and build on a community of some 12,000 members. The scope of the European Journal of ePractice reflects the three domains of the ePractice.eu: eGovernment, eHealth and eInclusion. All eService related themes are accepted as topics. The following topics are given as an example: * User centric services * Interoperability * Open source * eIdentity and eSecurity * eProcurement * eDemocracy and eVoting * eAccessibility * Digital literacy * eCompetences * Electronic health records * Telemedicine services

URL:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001570/157020f.pdf

Keywords:

functional literacy; information users; information user instruction; lifelong education; computer literacy; media education; information society

Abstract:

Understanding information literacy: a primer; an easy-to-read, non-technical overview explaining what information literacy means, designed for busy public policy-makers, business executives, civil society administrators and practicing professionals. Through this publication, UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) explains in an easy-to-understand and non-technical fashion what “information literacy” means. The publication targets a very diverse audience, from government officials, intergovernmental civil servants, information professionals and teachers to human resources managers in both profit or not-profit organizations. If you only remember one paragraph from this publication, here is the one we hope it will be: “Over the course of your life, the more you learn and thereby come to know, but especially the sooner you master and adopt proficient learning skills, habits and attitudes - finding out how, from where, from whom and when to search for and retrieve the information that you need to know, but have not yet learned - the more information literate you thereby become. Your competency in applying and utilizing those skills, habits and attitudes will enable you to make sounder and timelier decisions to cope with your personal and family health and welfare, educational, job-related, citizenship and other challenges”. IFAP is the only intergovernmental programme exclusively dedicated to promoting universal access to information and knowledge. Information literacy is one of the priorities of the Programme.

Notes:

PDF file 752 KB

URL:

http://www.gesci.org/

Keywords:

ICT; community; development; e-schools; GeSCI

Full Text:

The Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI), founded in 2004, provides strategic advice to Ministries of Education in developing countries on the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for education and community development. Adopting a demand driven, collaborative and comprehensive approach, GeSCI aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning through the strategic and effective use of ICTs, thereby transforming education, empowering communities and promoting development.

One of the most important principles guiding GeSCI’s work is that of ownership and sustainability. GeSCI believes that it assists its country partners best when working in an advisory and supportive capacity. Country ownership of end-to-end initiatives is the only means of ensuring long-term sustainability of ICT for Education initiatives. GeSCI guides its country partners through each stage of the ICT4E process, as they determine how best to develop and implement their own country policies. GeSCI believes that the fundamental principle of a successful initiative is country ownership.

One useful document is its recently published report - "ICT4E Policies by Country". This document is a compilation of available worldwide ICT4E policies and plans, at both a national and Ministry of Education level (where available). This is a draft version containing 192 countries of which 139 have information. Dowload the document ICT4E policies by country1.

URL:

http://www.editlib.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Reader.ViewAbstract&paper_id=26713

Keywords:

open source; e-government; Caribbean

Abstract:

The concept of E-Government is to provide an alternative means of accessing public services. It allows citizens to have easier access to governmental departments. It is through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that these services are delivered. In the Caribbean specifically, E-Government, and its use of ICT’s, is seen as a “potentially powerful tool to strengthen public reform efforts, to promote transparency and accountability, to enhance policy making and public service delivery, and stimulate more direct participation in the governing process” (Report of the Fifth Caribbean Ministerial Consultation, 2004. This paper investigates providing an alternative software solution that can aid the islands of the Caribbean to successfully implement their ICT E-Government strategies through the use of Open Source Software and be more cost-effective

Notes:

Byron, A. (2007). The Use of Open Source to mitigate the costs of implementing E-Government in the Caribbean. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2007 (pp. 2373-2380). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

URL:

http://www.unegov.net/index.html

Keywords:

e-governance

Abstract:

The mission of UNeGov.net is to build a Community of Practice interested in developing, sharing and applying concrete solutions for Electronic Governance through research, development and community-wide collaboration, with emphasis on the needs and challenges facing developing countries.

Objectives:

1 - Advance the practice of Electronic Governance.

2 - Focus on seeking solutions to concrete, practical problems.

3 - Build consensus on the best practices and advancing the state of the art.

4 - Pay particular attention to the challenges facing Developing Countries.

5 - Faciliatate the sharing of existing knowledge, experiences and resources.

6 - Support interactions between practitioners and experts from different areas and affiliations.

URL:

http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

Keywords:

social network sites; computer-mediated communication;

Abstract:

Social network sites (SNSs) are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. This special theme section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brings together scholarship on these emergent phenomena. In this introductory article, we describe features of SNSs and propose a comprehensive definition. We then present one perspective on the history of such sites, discussing key changes and developments. After briefly summarizing existing scholarship concerning SNSs, we discuss the articles in this special section and conclude with considerations for future research.