Economic Measurement of the Environmental Benefits of Information and Communication Technologies: Experiences for Germany

Information and communication technology is an extensive umbrella terminology that covers all technical equipment for processing and conveying Information which includes two aspects, namely information technology and communication technology, to help process important Information such as information transfer activities. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of information and communication technology in learning the history of Islamic culture. This research aims to describe the benefits of information and communication technology in learning the history of Islamic culture. Moreover, this study uses a quantitative method that can explain the benefits of information and communication technology in learning the history of Islamic culture by conducting in-depth interviews. This study's results describe the benefits of information and communication technology in learning Islamic cultural history, which makes learning Islamic cultural history more exciting and fosters the attractiveness of students studying Islamic cultural history. The limitation of this research is that the researcher only describes the benefits of information and communication technology in learning Islamic cultural history. The researcher hopes that future researchers can explain the benefits of information and communication technology in other subjects.

One of most important issue of information and communication development all over the world is serving information and communication technologies to rural and out of the way areas. Therefore, any solution that could reduce information accessibility distance between city and rural areas is considered valuable and in consistent with information society development. Thus, communication and information technology ministry contemplate special plans for rural information technology development. In Iran, It had been planned to provide minimum necessitous access to communication and information technologies for 10000 villages till the mid of 2005. For this purpose, required funding had been assessed and its administrative and managerial structure has been designed. In addition, it was expected that till the end of forth Development Plan, 20000 villages should be benefit from communication and information technology services. Nowadays, the issue is not using or not using these technologies, but the issue is how to use them and their implementation in different social and economic areas so that maximum profit obtains from these technologies. Nowadays domination on digital gap is one of most important issues of developing countries including Iran. Rural areas are exposed to digital gap more than other areas. These areas deprived from most of the development indicators (such as education, welfare and communicational facilities and occupation) and this deprivation maybe get severe with the emergence of newer information technologies in comparison with urban areas. This maybe led to peasants' migration to urban areas for acquiring better social and economic positions and thereby survival of villages faces with more challenges than before. In addition to the mentioned threat, information and communication technologies provide a unique opportunity for bridging the existing gap between undeveloped and developed areas. If villagers could catch this opportunity and use the information and communication capabilities and potencies, not only their survival are not faced with mentioned threats but also villages become dynamic and productive areas that warrant food security of society. Therefore, in present study the role of deploying ICT services centers in Iran investigated. Operational definition of words 1-2-1- Information and communication technology (Curtain R., 2002) Information and communication technology is defined as a series of methods and technologies that are used for facilitating and implementation of production, collecting, organizing, storing, retrieving and broadcasting process of information, providing that two

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to better understand nurses’ and other staff members’ attitudes toward the usefulness of information and communication technology in home-care settings. Research has found that beliefs about the expected benefits of information and communication technology impact the use of technology. Furthermore, inexperience with using information and communication technology may cause negative attitudes. This article is based on a questionnaire to 155 nurses and other staff members in home-care in Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. The results revealed minimal use of information and communication technology at work; however, participants had positive attitudes regarding the potential benefits of information and communication technology use in home-care. Individuals’ extensive use of and familiarity with different solutions in private lives could be an important context for explaining employees’ attitudes. Given that information and communication technology is both a welfare service and a market good, this may explain individuals’ positive attitudes toward information and communication technology despite their lack of experience with it at work. Experiences with information and communication technology as a market good and the way new technologies can affect work routines will affect the implementation of information and communication technology in home-care.

The supposed benefits of teachers' use of information and communications technology (digital technology) are well reported throughout the academic literature—most often involving issues of enhanced learning outcomes, increased pupil engagement and more efficient management and organisation of learning. This paper uses survey data from 683 teachers in 24 secondary schools across the UK to analyse the factors influencing how these benefits are being experienced. In particular, the paper explores the complex relationships between teachers' perceptions of technology‐related benefits and a range of individual, classroom, school and system‐level issues. A number of mediating issues and influences are identified and discussed throughout these analyses. In particular, it is suggested that teachers' perceptions of the benefits of using technology are influenced more by institutional rather than individual characteristics. A number of possible reasons are discussed, highlighting the importance of social and cultural contexts of digital technology use in education.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topicSo far, research on teachers' perceptions of the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has shown that while some teachers effortlessly “assimilate” and incorporate digital technologies into their teaching, and are more inclined to see the benefits of technology use in their classrooms, many others are often “blamed” for failing to see the “obvious” benefits of ICTs in the classroom.Descriptions and analyses currently available therefore position particular groups and “types” of teachers as having rather uneasy relationships with technology, while at the same time representing technology use as the most rational and obvious choice for all teachers, irrespective of social and cultural differences.What this paper addsThe paper argues that there is a need for more attention to be paid to how digital technologies are being used between different schools and, more problematically, to explore the relationship between teachers' perceptions and a range of individual and institutional factors.The paper attempts to move beyond the “discourses of deficiency” that characterise some schoolteachers as lacking individual attributes, capabilities and the required rational mindset to appreciate the “compelling potential” of ICTs.In particular, this paper explores in more detail the complex relationships between the benefits of technology use as perceived by schoolteachers and the various individual, classroom, school and system‐level issues that may underlie these perceptions. The findings suggest that broader contextual and cultural dimensions may mediate and significantly alter individual perceptions.Implications for practice and/or policyThis paper points to the need to develop a more rounded picture of the relationship(s) between the social contexts that surround schools, teachers and technology use. Indeed, there is arguably a need to move beyond “blaming” certain groups of teachers for not making best use of technology (ie, those who are older, female and so on).As such, the data presented in this paper support the emerging argument to move beyond placing “dangerous moral imperatives” onto individual teachers to change their practices and processes in line with the assumed “affordances” of digital technology.Individual teachers or whole schools could draw on the social shaping perspective and the findings presented in this paper to articulate a more critically minded set of responses in relation to digital technologies in their contexts, resisting individualising and blaming discourses that unfairly position them as the weak link in an otherwise linear, robust and unproblematic chain of deterministic assumptions.

The article raises the issue of application of information and communication technologies in the inclusive environment of the educational institution. It is proved that such an environment is formed as a result of an individual adaptation of educational programs, as well as with the use in the educational process of information and communication technologies that allow the perception and transmission of educational information in an accessible form for all students. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the relevance and features of the use of information and communication technologies in an inclusive educational environment of the educational institution. In the process of scientific research we used the following research methods: analysis, synthesis, generalization, systematization. Results of the research. The key ways in which information and communication technologies can support educational opportunities for people with disabilities are as follows: determining the previous level of personal development (skills and abilities); providing assistance in personal development, forming new skills or updating existing ones; improving access to information; overcoming geographical or social isolation through digital communications; increase motivation and awareness of the benefits of information and communication technologies. It is determined that the main types of information and communication technology used to teach children with special educational needs are: standard technologies (for example, computers with built-in settings for people with special educational needs); available data formats, also known as alternative formats (for example, available HTML, say books DAISY system (Digital Accessibility Information System ‒ electronic accessible information system), as well as “low-tech” formats such as Braille; assistive technologies: hearing aids, screen readers, keyboards, etc. Assistive technologies are devices, products, equipment, software, or services designed to enhance, support, or improve the functionality of people with disabilities. Taking into account the didactic capabilities of information and communication technologies, as well as the needs and demands of inclusive education, three key functions that perform information and communication technologies in inclusive education are formulated: compensatory, didactic, communication. Necessary conditions for the introduction of information and communication technologies in the educational process are the availability of material and system-technical support, as well as the availability of appropriate professional competencies of teachers.
 Keywords: information and communication technologies, inclusive education, inclusive environment, audio lecture, audio simulator, compensatory function, standard technologies, auxiliary technologies.

The unprecedented technological revolution seen in the field of communication and space technology stretches over a very small span of Asian history and the collective memory of ancient civilizations of India and China. The techno-political events in the modem political paradigms, of parliamentary democracy in India and communism in China, are just about half century old. In such a situation, any expectation that information and communication technology would alter or influence recently adopted political systems and worldview needs an in-depth analysis of the social structure and capabilities of information and communication technology. The author had earlier proposed three forms of challenges that information and communication technology can bring to bear on the political paradigms. These were ‘technopositivism’, ‘techno-neutralism’and ‘techno-negativism’. The ‘techno-positivism’… view refers to the opinion of those who believe that satellite-based broadcasting helps political and emotional integration, thereby strengthening democracy. The ‘techno-negativism’ endorses the views of those who think that satellite-based broadcasting in plural civilizations having multiple languages and a ‘world view’, imposes the views of a politically dominant minority over the majority. The third form represents views of those who believe that technology by itself does not create any condition for weakening the democracy; rather the aims and goals of the communicators are directly responsible for strengthening or weakening the democracy. (Agrawal 1993:222, also see Hamelink, 1986). The situation has not substantially changed in the last decade. A large number of scholars have cast futuristic views on the basis of experiential knowledge about the repercussions on individual freedom of speech and expression, and human insights as a result of the all pervasive technological penetration in human society. The fundamental assumption being that information and communication technology willy-nilly will influence the existing political paradigms since information and communication is an essential ingredient in maintenance and perpetuation of clearly held values like democracy. The author has attempted in this paper is to have a synoptic view as to how professionals of communication and information technology have postulated its influence on democracy and the likely challenges it can pose to human freedom, freedom of expression and human rights. This will be followed by a likely scenario and the challenges that it can pose to the world’s largest democracy of a billion people.

The adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to organize, integrate, coordinate and manage various activities has become the catalyst for organizational change. The impact of these changes in the public sector have been to change the type of work being performed, demand new levels of productivity and efficiency from those performing the work, and call for a fundamental restructuring of the public sector to reflect the value systems of an information age. The literature on the organizational impacts of Information and Communication Technology have pointed to mixed findings about the success of information technology enabled organizational change, suggesting that the success of such change efforts depends on the combination of technical and social influences. Despite any potential for organizational change in the private sector, information technologies have not been associated with organizational transformation in the public sector. It is suggested that for the public sector to begin reaping the benefits of Information and Communication Technology, public sector managers are going to need to become change agents and manage the change process by managing the technology. <BR>

The subject of the study is the peculiarities of teaching information and communication technologies in educational institutions of higher education.The object of the study is the implementation of professionally oriented disciplines related to countering crimes committed using information and communication technologies in educational institutions of higher education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The authors consider in detail the introduction of information and communication technologies into the educational process, their effectiveness in solving applied tasks to improve the educational process, increase the activity of students through their involvement in various activities and stimulating educational activity. The authors pay special attention to the use of information and communication technologies in the pedagogical process of educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The authors reveal the problems of implementing professionally oriented disciplines related to countering crimes committed using information and communication technologies. In the course of the research, the dialectical method of scientific cognition was used, as well as a set of general scientific and special methods for studying the theoretical foundations of pedagogy, creative understanding of the problems of using information and communication technologies in the educational process. The introduction of scientific conclusions and recommendations into the practice of teaching professionally oriented disciplines are made. The main conclusions of the conducted research are the ways proposed by the authors to solve the problems of implementing professionally oriented disciplines. The main didactic questions "Who should be trained?", "What should be taught?", "How should training be conducted?" are considered and "Who will provide training?" professionally-oriented training related to countering crimes committed using information and communication technologies. A special contribution of the authors to the study of the topic is their proposed methodology for teaching students and cadets of universities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia to counter crimes committed using information and communication technologies. The authors note that the training should be carried out using an interdisciplinary approach, including elements of jurisprudence, information technology, psychology, sociology and other relevant fields of knowledge. The novelty of the research lies in the disclosure of the basic didactic principles of the implementation of professionally oriented training related to countering crimes committed using information and communication technologies.

The paper considers the problems consider the problems of enterprises digitalization. Based on the research of the scientific literature, it is established that enterprises in the modern world need the active introduction of information and digital technologies to ensure the competitiveness of production and active development in the future. The analysis and assessment of the use and development of communication and information technologies by domestic enterprises is carried out. According to its results, it is established that the main areas of information and communication technologies implementation in domestic enterprises are cloud computing services, sources of "big data" for the analysis of "big data", 3D printing, external links to the Internet, own websites and electronic trade via the Internet, etc. It is determined that due to the rather intensive growth of the number of enterprises in the information and communication industry, the use of their developments in production is rather insignificant. Only 5% of enterprises during the study period used all the above information technologies in their activities. Based on the analysis, the problem areas of the process of implementation and development of communication and information technologies at domestic enterprises are identified and recommendations for improving the efficiency of information and communication technologies are provided. The MatLab Statistic Toolbox built into MatLab is used to determine the trends of the impact of digital innovations and the number of information and communication enterprises on GDP.

Information professionals in a globalized world: Digital inclusion initiatives in Brazil: Improving education and information seeking behavior through government‐academic partnerships

Information and Communication Technologies in Russia: Problems and Perspectives

Given the importance of knowledge management at university, most scholars believe that the key to the success of knowledge management is the capacities information and communication technology provides in this field. Thus, the present article aims to identify effective factors of information and communication technology on knowledge management in higher education. Research methodology: this is a qualitative study conducted by content analysis and semi-structured interviews with academics from state universities in Tehran as well as objective sampling in the year 2016. Using an analysis of data resulting from semi-structured interviews and a review of research, background effective factors of optimal use of communication and information technology were identified. Then, they were classified into main and additional categories. Results from encoding and categorical content analysis suggest that hardware and software infrastructures, access to academic databases and electronic networks, access to new knowledge research, retrieval, storage, exchange and processing technologies, and mastery over related software are regarded as effective factors of information and communication technology on knowledge management in the higher education system. Each category covers several subsets. Conclusion: in order to apply the findings of the present research in practice, it is suggested that the establishment of knowledge management system approach be valued in academic environments.

Methods. The scientific results presented in this article were obtained through the use of such research methods as the method of analysis when identifying factors restraining the development of the Ukrainian market of information and communication technologies, the method of comparisons – when clarifying the differences in the influence of the IT sector on the pre-war the economy of Ukraine and its functioning in a state of war; general and specific – when establishing the specifics of the development of the market of information and communication technologies in wartime conditions. Results. The state of the market of information and communication technologies during the war period was studied within the framework of macroeconomic indicators from the point of view of meaningful content and market interaction. The dynamics of the domestic market of information technologies before the war were analyzed and the impact of the IT sector on the economy of Ukraine during the war was considered. It was found that the level of technological development determines not only the economic potential of the country, but also the role and place of this country in the global society, the scope and prospects of its economic and political integration with the whole world. Based on the results of the study, the internal obstacles faced by the Ukrainian information technology sector during the war period were assessed. The implementation of best practices, in particular in the areas of development, implementation and use of information technologies, products and services, is proposed, subject to proper scientific, technical and legal support for the reform of the information technology sector. It was established that the Ukrainian market of information and communication technologies is in a phase of slow development in the conditions of war. The problems of today, which restrain the development of the market of information and communication technologies, are given. Recommendations are provided for further activation of the market of information and communication technologies, taking into account the fact that the activity is conducted in conditions of war. Novelty. The article identifies the specifics of the impact of the information and communication technology sector on the national economy in the pre-war period and during the war. The main trends in the development of information and communication technologies in Ukraine and investment opportunities in this sector are analyzed. The importance of the sector of information and communication technologies for achieving progressive changes in the national economy in the post-war period is determined. Practical value. The practical role of information and communication technologies as a factor in GDP growth is substantiated. The dynamics of the development of the ICT market of Ukraine were analyzed, there was made a comparison of the development in the pre-war period and during the war. The main trends in the development of the country's IT sphere during the war period have been identified. Prospective directions for further implementation at the national level in the post-war period are presented.

У статті представлено результати теоретичного й емпіричного дослідження впливу інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій (ІКТ) на мовленнєвий досвід дітей молодшого шкільного віку, виявлено напрями подальших досліджень впливу мережі Інтернет середовища на мовленнєвий досвід. Визначено проблему, що полягає у недостатньому врахуванні у педагогічному процесі нецілеспрямованого і неорганізованого використання дітьми інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій. З’ясовано основні теоретичні підходи до вивчення проблеми взаємодії дітей і Інтернет-середовища та основні напрями використання ІКТ у педагогічному процесі. Критичне осмислення наукових теоретичних та практичних розвідок дало змогу виокремити потребу вивчення питання впливу інформаційних ресурсів мережі Інтернет на змістові характеристики мовленнєвого досвіду дітей молодшого шкільного віку. У статті обґрунтовано підхід до вивчення мовлення саме як до мовленнєвого досвіду, докладно описано методику емпіричного дослідження. Дослідження здійснюється в парадигмі теорії мовленнєвого досвіду, згідно з якою останній розглядається як система у свідомості особистості, спрямована на здійснення мовленнєвого освоєння особистістю світу. Зовнішня структура мовленнєвого досвіду, котра складається з мовленнєвої компетентності, мовної картини світу та мовленнєвої культури, виконує функцію опосередкування мовленнєвої взаємодії дитини із світом. У статті визначено провідні функції кожного елементу мовленнєвого досвіду, змістові характеристики та маркери, а також діагностичний інструментарій, за допомогою якого виявляються ці маркери. У результаті здійсненого емпіричного дослідження було виокремлено специфічні змістові характеристики мовленнєвого досвіду дітей молодшого шкільного віку, зумовлені використанням ІКТ: збільшення асортименту та диференціації емоцій одночасно зі зменшенням здатності до їх вербалізації; переважання динамічних фреймових когнітивних структур над статичними; розширення семантичних полів; збільшення ініціативності в комунікації; зменшення ролі правильності мовлення, дотримання граматичних і синтаксичних норм мови; збільшення семантичної гнучкості. Провідним висновком здійсненого дослідження є те, що використання ІКТ здійснює вплив не лише на кількісні показники мовленнєвого досвіду дітей молодшого шкільного віку (рівень мовленнєвого розвитку), а змінює його змістові характеристики.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has significantly advanced global healthcare, with electronic health (e-Health) applications improving health records and delivery. These innovations, including electronic health records, strengthen healthcare systems. The study investigates healthcare professionals' perceptions of health information applications and their associated factors in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana's health facilities. We used a descriptive cross-sectional study design to collect data from 632 healthcare professionals (HCPs), in the three purposively selected health facilities in the Cape Coast municipality of Ghana, in July 2022. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of dependent variables. Descriptive statistics were used to report means with corresponding standard deviations for continuous variables. Proportions were also reported for categorical variables. Bivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors influencing the Benefits of Information Technology (BoIT); Barriers to Information Technology Use (BITU); and Motives of Information Technology Use (MoITU) in healthcare delivery. Stata SE version 15 was used for the analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 served as the basis for considering a statistically significant accepting hypothesis. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) generally perceived moderate benefits (Mean score (M) = 5.67) from information technology (IT) in healthcare. However, they slightly agreed that barriers like insufficient computers (M = 5.11), frequent system downtime (M = 5.09), low system performance (M = 5.04), and inadequate staff training (M = 4.88) hindered IT utilization. Respondents slightly agreed that training (M = 5.56), technical support (M = 5.46), and changes in work procedures (M = 5.10) motivated their IT use. Bivariate regression analysis revealed significant influences of education, working experience, healthcare profession, and IT training on attitudes towards IT utilization in healthcare delivery (BoIT, BITU, and MoITU). Additionally, the age of healthcare providers, education, and working experience significantly influenced BITU. Ultimately, age, education, working experience, healthcare profession, and IT training significantly influenced MoITU in healthcare delivery. Healthcare professionals acknowledge moderate benefits of IT in healthcare but encounter barriers like inadequate resources and training. Motives for IT use include staff training and support. Bivariate regression analysis shows education, working experience, profession, and IT training significantly influence attitudes towards IT adoption. Targeted interventions and policies can enhance IT utilization in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.