Jonathan Briggs

SMS and interactivity-some results from the field, and its implications on effective uses of mobile technologies in education

This paper reports the results of an experiment undertaken to test the effectiveness of a two-way SMS campaign for a UK youth brand. These results are presented, and considered from the perspective of leveraging these results in an educational technology context. It is proposed that these results and their findings can inform more effective future usage of mobile technologies in education.

Educational tools for computational modelling

Abstract The paper reports both a theoretical analysis and a comparison of educational tools for computational modelling, and describes three prototype tools developed in the Programme for use in empirical studies of children reasoning with the aid of computational tools, together with an outline of the result obtained by using the tools with children.

Reasoning supported by computational tools

Abstract This paper sets out the work of the Tools for Exploratory Learning Programme within the ESRC Initiative Information Technology in Education. The research examines young secondary childrens reasoning with computational tools. We distinguish between exploratory and expressive modes of learning, that is, interaction with anothers model and creation of ones own model, respectively. The research focuses on reasoning, rather than learning, along three dimensions: quantitative, qualitative, and semi-quantitative. It provides a 3 × 2 classification of tasks according to modes of learning and types of reasoning. Modelling tools were developed for the study and descriptions of these are given. The research examined childrens reasoning with tools in all three dimensions looking more exhaustively at the semi-quantitative. Pupils worked either in an exploratory mode or an expressive mode on one of the following topics: Traffic, Health and Diet, and Shops and Profits. They spent 3–4 h individually with a researcher over 2 weeks, carrying out four different activities: reasoning without the computer; learning to manipulate first the computer then later the tool and finally carrying out a task with the modelling tool. Pupils were between 12 and 14 yr. Research questions both about childrens reasoning when working with or creating models and about the nature of the tools used are discussed. Finally an analytic scheme is set out which describes the nature of the causal and non-causal reasoning observed together with some tentative results.

Introducing a Collaborative Business Model for European ERP Value Chains of SMEs

Similarly to the high-end market segment, a large number of ERP installations in the small and medium market segments also fails or results in time and cost overruns. To overcome those difficulties, a partnership-based e-business model amongst value chain actors is proposed. This model is supported by a platform, which engages and involves local actors in flexible multinational e-collaborations (forming European clusters in the ERP industry), in order to expand and broaden their activities. The envisaged outcome is to improve response times, low cost operations, flexibility towards clients, and provision of high-quality services tailored at end customers, facilitating the whole value chain to act as a single business entity (Virtual Organization).

Using rules to guide learners through hypertext

Abstract This paper describes a computer based learning system for professional pharmacists that combines the technologies of hypertext with knowledge based systems. The ‘knowledge’ about the domain, pharmacy, is used to generate links automatically between topics and to guide the learner to topics of interest. In particular the learner can volunteer to the system symptoms for a patient or customer entering the pharmacy. The system will then guide the pharmacist to information that is of particular relevance to this patient. The paper concludes with a discussion of further possible areas of application for this type of marriage between these techniques.

Agent-based service-oriented collaborative architecture for value chains of SMEs

Current ICT trends provide new opportunities to implement some well-known models of e-collaboration between business partners, namely virtual organizations. The orientation towards enterprise social computing naturally complements the way companies do business with each other, thus the new service oriented architecture (SOA) and Web 2.0 based solutions can help to develop systems better suited for modern business needs. This paper presents an architecture based on SOA and Intelligent agents, which is aimed to address the needs of European SMEs involved in ERP software business. The solution is based on the concept of digital business ecosystem, an environment and software infrastructure, which can help a community of potential business partners to establish and maintain valuable business relationships. Such ecosystem provides its members with value-added services like reputation management, peer-to-peer negotiation of business terms and flexible partner search through usage of Intelligent Agents technology in overall SOA-based framework.

Cultural issues in developing a leadership education program in Kosovo

A leadership education program has been developed in post-war Kosovo, taking a non-formal approach; combining a broad range of ICT techniques with a constructivist pedagogy underpinning its design and implementation, based upon successes in developed nations. This paper outlines the development of the program, explores some of the cultural issues encountered, and considers how they are being addressed. It is proposed that cultural issues exist from multiple perspectives, and that all stakeholders need to address them.

A Service Oriented and Agent-Based Architecture for the e-Collaboration of SMEs

The concept of a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) to flexibly address business needs with the use of Information Technology (IT) is increasingly being recognized as important for a company’s agility and responsiveness to change. A SOA approach can also help to design more agile web portals, in order to enable companies to increase their responsiveness and adaptability with regards to addressing a business opportunity as a collaborative Virtual Organization (VO). Value can be added to the operations of such a VO with the use of Intelligent Agents to automate the processes of finding collaboration partners and negotiating the creation of VOs based on user-defined business rules. This paper discusses these concepts and their benefits for Virtual Organizations based on the work of a European Union (EU) co-funded Information Society Technologies (IST) project examining these issues for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the European Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) industry.

Towards Knowledge Based Hypermedia

This chapter outlines the development of hypermedia systems for training and job support. It proposes the application of techniques from knowledge based systems to support their effective development. The central focus concerns a project for the UK Department of Health to construct a computer based learning package for updating community pharmacists, and results of an evaluation are included. The chapter concludes with a discussion of further possible applications of these techniques in the production of hypermedia.