Pieter van Staaden1 and Sam Lubbe2
1 Faculty of Informatics, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
2 School of Information Systems and Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
The authors conducted research to determine whether IT-managers, IT auditors, Users, management, etc. (all decision-makers) use a certain evaluation and selection process to acquire software to meet business objectives and the requirement of users. An argument was used that the more thorough the software evaluation and selection process, the more likely it would be that the organisation will chose software that meets these targets.
The main objective of the research was therefore to determine whether Media24 use evaluation methods and obtain the desired results. Media24 is Africa's biggest publishing group and offers entertainment, information and education 24 hours a day and served as a good example of an Internet Service organisation that made their employees available for this research project. The results confirmed that Media24 uses suggested protocol as noted in the theory for software acquisition correctly during most stages.
Keywords: Black Box testing, business process, commercial software system, document, evaluation, request for Proposal (RFP), requirements, selection, software, vendors.
Download Full Paper
read more ...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Flickr: a first look at user behaviour in the context of photography as serious leisure
A.M.Cox, P.D. Clough and J. Marlow
Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, Sheffield S1 4DP United Kingdom
Abstract
Introduction. The use of Flickr, a photo sharing Website, is examined in the context of amateur photography as a 'serious leisure' pursuit.
Method. Eleven telephone interviews were carried out with users of Flickr, using an open-ended interview schedule to explore use of the system within the context of the interviewees' photographic practices.
Analysis. Practices described are set against theoretical considerations from the literature, specifically the alternate paradigms of the photographic club and the photo magazine. Sontag's cultural critique of photography is an important, challenging reference point.
Results. The affordances of the system affect the satisfactions of hobby photography. Flickr creates moral dilemmas, such as whether to reciprocate comments or tag the photos of others. The system's appeal lies in its moral qualities as much as whether it is easy to use or performs functions efficiently. Flickr draws users into the hobby and so, like the camera club or the magazine, can be linked to the interests of industry. Yet it is too pessimistic to see it as simply a vehicle of consumerist culture; users expressed almost unqualified satisfaction with the system for its direct pleasures and learning opportunities.
Conclusions. The fluid social relations of Flickr potentially free the hobby from the rather restrictive codes and ordering of the photographic club.
Read Full Journal
read more ...
Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, Sheffield S1 4DP United Kingdom
Abstract
Introduction. The use of Flickr, a photo sharing Website, is examined in the context of amateur photography as a 'serious leisure' pursuit.
Method. Eleven telephone interviews were carried out with users of Flickr, using an open-ended interview schedule to explore use of the system within the context of the interviewees' photographic practices.
Analysis. Practices described are set against theoretical considerations from the literature, specifically the alternate paradigms of the photographic club and the photo magazine. Sontag's cultural critique of photography is an important, challenging reference point.
Results. The affordances of the system affect the satisfactions of hobby photography. Flickr creates moral dilemmas, such as whether to reciprocate comments or tag the photos of others. The system's appeal lies in its moral qualities as much as whether it is easy to use or performs functions efficiently. Flickr draws users into the hobby and so, like the camera club or the magazine, can be linked to the interests of industry. Yet it is too pessimistic to see it as simply a vehicle of consumerist culture; users expressed almost unqualified satisfaction with the system for its direct pleasures and learning opportunities.
Conclusions. The fluid social relations of Flickr potentially free the hobby from the rather restrictive codes and ordering of the photographic club.
Read Full Journal
read more ...
Friday, December 4, 2009
Millennial Students and Technology Choices for Information Searching
Martin Rich
Cass Business School, London, UK
This paper draws together ideas about different generations of students, notably the 'millennial generation' (born from around 1982 to 2000) which encompasses a high proportion of current students in higher education, and ideas about the different types of technology available when searching for information.
In the context of higher education, this is particularly relevant when students are encouraged to find out information for themselves, typically to relate this to taught material. This is connected with information literacy, as it reflects students' abilities to carry out simple or complex research. This paper focuses on why students choose particular technologies to support their research and the effect of these choices on their learning and on their written work.
A particular current issue is the emergence of the generation of Internet resources collectively known as 'web 2.0' - notably Blogs and Wikis - and the relationship of these to the way that students presently in universities favour structuring their work. These resources also introduce issues of authoritativeness. It is tempting to dismiss Wikipedia as the work of amateurs, but where a blog has been created by a notable expert, author, or journalist, questions arise as to whether the blog should be regarded as of different value from the same person's written work. Therefore some consideration will be given to how students can be encouraged to recognise and draw on intelligent exploitation of these new resources.
Keywords: millennial students, Web 2.0, information literacy
Download Full Paper
read more ...
Cass Business School, London, UK
This paper draws together ideas about different generations of students, notably the 'millennial generation' (born from around 1982 to 2000) which encompasses a high proportion of current students in higher education, and ideas about the different types of technology available when searching for information.
In the context of higher education, this is particularly relevant when students are encouraged to find out information for themselves, typically to relate this to taught material. This is connected with information literacy, as it reflects students' abilities to carry out simple or complex research. This paper focuses on why students choose particular technologies to support their research and the effect of these choices on their learning and on their written work.
A particular current issue is the emergence of the generation of Internet resources collectively known as 'web 2.0' - notably Blogs and Wikis - and the relationship of these to the way that students presently in universities favour structuring their work. These resources also introduce issues of authoritativeness. It is tempting to dismiss Wikipedia as the work of amateurs, but where a blog has been created by a notable expert, author, or journalist, questions arise as to whether the blog should be regarded as of different value from the same person's written work. Therefore some consideration will be given to how students can be encouraged to recognise and draw on intelligent exploitation of these new resources.
Keywords: millennial students, Web 2.0, information literacy
Download Full Paper
read more ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
