Browsing by Subject "Information and communication technologies"

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Digital inclusion in the context of economic opportunity
(2018-05) Crocker, Tianca Ilicia; Padilla, Yolanda C.; Straubhaar, Joseph; Streeter, Calvin; Whitt, Ahmed
This dissertation examined information and communication technologies (ICTs) and related digital inclusion strategies to promote economic opportunities for low-income individuals and households. The dissertation is presented in a three-article format with the interrelated focus of enhancing economic well-being through greater inclusion. The first article used spatial and social network analyses to depict a community-based public-private digital inclusion partnership that aims to equip non-profit organizations and public agencies with very fast internet service to support innovative service delivery. The second article investigated associations of online banking practice among low-income residents in subsidized housing, and offered recommendations to support the practice in order to enhance financial literacy. Through bivariate associations and ordered logit modeling, the final article studied the relationship between ICT access and use and students’ academic performance. This dissertation demonstrates that digital inclusion is an effective framework to advance economic opportunity interventions, and that related endeavors are aligned with the mission of social work
From response to preparedness : examining the structuring of information and communication technologies in emergent disaster response networks
(2007-05-19) Porter, Amanda Jean; Browning, Larry D.
Scholarly research and the popular press have long touted the potential of technology to transform the way we live, work, and play. One important dimension of technology is the enhanced potential for connection between individuals and organizations via new information and communication technologies (ICTs). From this perspective, in times of urgent need, ICTs should promote quick and easy ties between organizations responding to disaster. However, despite the promises of ICTs for coordination and connectivity, little research has examined the actual processes of ICT use for coordination in disaster response. This research project explores the constraining and enabling aspects of information and communication technology use within an emergent disaster response network. Additionally, this study examines how the structuring process of the network in the response phase impacts the design of ICTs within the network in the preparation phase. The data for this study was drawn from twenty one in-depth interviews with individuals of an emergent disaster response network that have experienced ICT use in responding to Hurricane Katrina. The key findings of this study highlight the way in which ICT use structures the relationships between network members at different phases of the response. Three phases were identified from the data, each with its own unique clustering of network member activities surrounding ICT use: the immediate phase, the stabilization phase, and the preparation phase. First, in the immediate phase, the initial appropriation and use of technology was influenced heavily by contextual factors such as urgency and the lack of identifiable leadership. Members draw heavily on their own organizations and informal networks for resources which structures the communication and coordination within the network so as to establish communication boundaries between different groups. Over time, all network members tend towards stabilizing the systems and procedures they use to communicate and manage information. Network members focus on modifying or incorporating new ICTs to improve coordination to sustain a long term response. Issues of balancing access with control and formalization with usability characterize the relationship between ICT use, organizational structures, and coordination in this phase. Finally, unlike most emergent groups, this one endures beyond the response phase. Network members largely agree to a formal structure, however, members use this formal structure to different ends. Seemingly conflicting orientations to disaster response are connected to structuring processes that occurred in the response phases. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Understanding perspectives of teachers in Thailand towards information and communication technologies integration in the classroom
(2011-05) Wattanawaha, Benjaporn; Resta, Paul E.; Hughes, Joan; Liu, Min; Northcutt, Norvell; McCoy, Danny
The purpose of this research is to explore Thailand teachers’ perspectives towards the integration of ICTs into the teaching and learning process in order to better understand how teachers use technology for classroom instruction and their perceptions of the factors that influence their use of ICTs. The study applied Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) approach to draw a systems thinking of teachers and to provide in-depth perspectives of teachers about their implementation of ICTs in the classroom. Eighteen computer teachers and twenty-two mathematics teachers participated in a focus group interview. Fifteen computer teachers and fourteen mathematics teachers were invited to participate in an individual interview. Results from the data analysis based on the IQA approach showed that teachers’ perspectives on their integration of ICTs encompassed several components including School management and administration, Content and curriculum, Teacher, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Student, Environment, Time, and Parent or guardian. The results also revealed a systems thinking of teachers that showed the interrelationships of the affinities. The statistical analysis comparing the perceptions of two teachers groups showed that there was only one affinity, which was “Student”, found to be significantly different at the .049 level. This could be because of difference in teacher perceptions of students. For other affinities, the results showed that both groups of teachers did not perceive their work experiences in a significantly different way.