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21 Nov 01 - 02:43 PM (#597395) Subject: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: Noreen Hi, all. As part of my MA course, I'm researching a topic on governments encouraging the growth of the 'information age'. I have a fair bit from the UK, with Tony Blair's keenness to get every home, school, library, hospital and garden shed networked (though I'd be interested in opinions from here too). I'm particularly looking for some input from other countries, on how your government is encouraging this new age, or otherwise, and whether they should? Not expecting you to write my essay (unless you're offering...), just to open a discussion. Thanks! Noreen
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21 Nov 01 - 02:55 PM (#597405) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: GUEST,Paul Noreen, Whilst you may well get good replies from this group, I'd suggest researching the various newsgroups and listservers which specifically deal with this type of issue. Not wanting to be critical of using mudcat for your research, but other places may well be more fruitful. Paul |
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21 Nov 01 - 03:00 PM (#597410) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: Noreen Thanks, Paul. Can you give me any help towards finding the various newsgroups and listservers which specifically deal with this type of issue please? I am only a trainee information scientist and know nothing of such things... Noreen |
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21 Nov 01 - 03:21 PM (#597424) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: GUEST,Paul OK, Noreen, I'll have a think and a root around. It's been a few years since I looked at such things, so they may have changed a little. Give me a day or so... Paul |
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21 Nov 01 - 08:23 PM (#597614) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: Noreen Thanks Paul, I look forward to that. |
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22 Nov 01 - 03:41 AM (#597759) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: Sarah the flute I am currently fighting an uphill battle against Tony's policies on this subject. His overkill on IT and lack of mention of the "I" bit of it and his philosophy that all answers can be found on the net is giving me one BIG headache. I am trying to persuade our senior management team that knowledge management is the way forward and the IT department although good at fixing machines and creating networks are not the people to be given responsibility for the information handling bit. Unfortunately their vision of the Library stops at handing out books despite all the IT resources we have in here. Pity our Tony didn't consult the Library community before he launched his key skills and IT initiatives |
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22 Nov 01 - 03:54 AM (#597765) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: EarlofSidcup This just goes to show how shallow and absurd 'Tony's' approach is to this subject, and everything else. Sarah, I agree, the intellectuals should be separate from the mechanics. |
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22 Nov 01 - 08:47 AM (#597792) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: GUEST,Lascivious Librarian I work in a US school library with a computer lab managed by the library staff. There are many problems with the ways the technology has been implemented and maintained. Problem one: no one has taught students how to use the Internet as one research tool of many at our disposal in a library. And it appears to me no one will. We are looking at establishing a 9th grade academy in our secondary school (for those of you across the water who might not know, that is first year of secondary school in the US) which theoretically could be used to teach students those skills, but I doubt the implementers of our (supposed) reformers have that sort of lucid vision of educating students for their future, rather than according to our past. Problem two: the schools are all networked, and the computers are all over the place--and they are antiquated technology that often doesn't work. Why? Because there is no realistic budgetary commitment to keep the technology working at it's full potential (which means constantly replacing equipment and software). It will be interesting to see just how much of the current "tech revolution" will remain viable in the future, now that the economic realities of replacing and/or maintaining old, outdated technology is sinking in. We were the beneficiaries of an economic strategy developed by the computer industry to monopolize the academic markets as quickly as possible. They did this (and continue to do it) to get their products in the schools, in hopes that we would become technologically and economically tied to those products. Problem is, with the tech bubble bursting along with the recession, we are all just beginning to realize we can't keep funding technology at the expense of more important aspects of education, like infrastructure deterioration or increasing class sizes and decreasing teacher pools due to poor pay and working conditions. BTW, I agree with Guest Paul. Mudcat is not an appropriate place to do this kind of research. I question why an MA student would come into this sort of forum to do research on government and the information age. You should be working with your professors and fellow students, and doing your own web searches to find this information, not asking in a music and BS discussion forum. |
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22 Nov 01 - 01:28 PM (#597854) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: GUEST,Paul Noreen, Well, for a start, try here and here Paul |
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23 Nov 01 - 08:53 AM (#597991) Subject: RE: NotMusic:Govt and the 'Information Age'? From: Noreen Thanks all for your input. (LL, I am of course utilising many other sources, but am also interested to hear input from my friends in the Mudcat community.) Noreen |