THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Jerome M. MirandaAngel Mark EsguerraJohn Jeffrey BasilioJasper Jasyco

Western Cape Striving to Eliminate the Digital Divide

3 languages for 5 million people in the Western Cape Province of South Africa 55% - Afrikaans 24% - isiXhosa 19% - English

->Over 1 million children attend the region’s 1570 K-12 schools.

The Region is poor. Unemployment rate of 17% in 2007. Only 10% of the population have personal

computers. Internet access

School Work Internet Cafes

Most schools in the region cannot afford information and communication technology (ICT).

The Western Cape Education Department was the one who is responsible for this.

Khanya Project – April 2001 To address the shortage of teachers

in the region. To bridge the digital divide by

providing access to computer technology to all school children and educators

To prepare the Western Cape for the new “knowledge economy”

If(Khanya == successful){

echo “By the start of the 2012 academic year, every educator in every school of the western cape will be empowered to use appropriate and available technology to deliver curriculum to each and every learner in the province.”;

}

Khanya Objective

To provide each school with computer lab consisting 20 to 40 PCs and peripherals that will be networked and linked to the internet.

NComputing

Khanya partner to Ncomputing to specialize “virtual desktops via software and hardware”

Successful!!!

1. How important is access to ICT in children’s educations?

2. What are the barriers that stand in the way of universal access to ICT for everyone who wants it?

THE IMPACT IF IT ON THE STANDARD OF LIVING AND WORKER PRODUCTIVITY

IT Investment and Productivity Productivity is defined as the amount of

output produced per unit of input and it is measured in many different ways.

For Example:1. Productivity in a factory might be

measured by the number of labor hours it takes to produce one item.

2. Productivity in a service sector company might be measured by the annual revenue an employee generates divided by the employee’s annual salary.

Years Rate

1839-1937 1.9%

1950-1960 3.6%

1960-1973 2.6%

1973-1980 1.0%

1980-1990 1.4%

1990-1995 1.1%

1995-2000 2.0%

2000-2008 2.5%

U.S labor productivity rates (compounded aggregate growth rate)

Innovation is a key factor in productivity improvement and IT has played an important role in enabling innovation.

Because of Information Technology- Less work for workers.- Companies are saving workers small

amounts of time each day.

Telework

Also known as telecommuting. Is a work arrangement in which an

wmployee works away from the office – at home, at a client’s office, in a hotel – literally anywhere.

Various forms of electronic communication:- e-mail - video conferencing- audio conferencing – instant messaging

Teleworkers Access the internet via:

Cell Phone PDA Laptop- To retrieve computer files- To log on to software applications- To communicate with fellow employees,

managers, customers, and suppliers.

Telework

Goal Allow employees to be effective and

productive from wherever they are.

Not well Suited Management position Face-to-face communication

Advantages/Disadvantages of teleworking for employeesAdvantages Disadvantages

People with disabilities who otherwise find public transportation and office accommodations a barrier to work may now be able to join the workforce.

Some employees are unable to be productive workers away from the office.

Teleworkers avoid long, stressful commutes and gain time for additional work or personal activities.

Teleworkers may suffer from isolation and may not really fell “part of the team”.

Telework minimizes the need for employees to take time off to stay home to care for a sick family member.

Workers who are out of sight tend to also be out of mind. The contributions of teleworkers may not be fully recognized and credited.

Teleworkers have an opportunity to experience an improved work/family balance.

Teleworkers must guard from working too many hours per day since work is always there.

Telework reduces ad hoc work requests and disruption from fellow workers.

The cost of the necessary equipment and communication services can be considerable if the organization does not cover these.

Digital Divide

Is a term used to describe the gulf between those who do and those who don’t have access to modern information and communications technology such as: Cell Phone Personal Computers Internet

Personal computer ownership rates

Country/Region Estimated number of personal computers per

1000 people

United States 812

China 111

Middle East and Africa 21

Rates of Internet AccessGeographic area Percent of population using

the Internet (2008)

North America 74.4%

Oceania / Australia 60.4%

Europe 48.9%

Latin America / Caribbean 29.9%

Middle East 23.3%

Asia 17.4%

Africa 5.6%

World Average 23.8%

The E-Rate and Ed-Tech programs were designed to help eliminate the digital divideWithin the united states. These programs, as well as the availability of low-cost computers and cell phones, are discussed in the following sections.

E-Rate Program

Education Rate (E-Rate) program was created through the telecommunications act of 1996.

Goal:- to help schools and libraries obtain access to state-of-the-art services and technologies at discounted rates. From 20% to 90%.

Ed-Tech Program

The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is to end the achievement gap between rich and poor students and between white and minority students.

Enhancing Education through Technology (Ed-Tech) goals: Improve student academic achievement through the use

of technology in schools Assist children in crossing the digital divide by ensuring

that every student is technologically literate by the end of eighth grade.

Encourage the effective integration of technology with teacher training and curriculum development to establish successful, research-based instructional methods.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Nonprofit organization whose goal is

to provide children around the world with low cost (less than $100) laptop computers to aid in their education. OLPC XO – 2007 - $200 OLPC XO-2

2010 touch screen $75 Feature-packed e-book reader with 500-book

Intel

Notebook Computer $400 For kindergarten through high school 9-inch LCD screen 3-5 hours of battery life 512 MB of RAM 30 GB hard drive Integrated Webcam

ASUS

Eee notebook computer $200 to $400

Mobile Phone the Tool to Bridge the Digital Divide? Even though mobile phone cannot do

all that a personal computer can, many industry observers think that it will be the cell phone that will ultimately bridge the digital divide.Country PC’s per 1000

peopleCell phone subscribers per 1000 people

Afghanistan 0.4 143

Cambodia 2 181

China 122 411

India 36 203

Kenya 15 301

Pakistan 5 524

South Africa N/A 966

Swaziland 27 337

Advantages of Cell Phone

Cell Phone come in a wide range of capabilities and costs, but are cheaper than personal computers. For example, one can purchase a cell phone in India for the equivalent of $40 or less, and 500 minutes of use cost about $10 per month. The OLPC XO-2 laptop computer will cost around $75.

Advantages of Cell Phone

In developing countries, many more people have access to cell phones than they do PCs.

Cell Phone are more portable and convenient than the smallest laptop computer.

Cell Phones come with an extended battery life(much longer than any PC battery), which makes the cell phone more reliable in regions where access to electricity is inadequate or nonexistent

Advantages of Cell Phone

The infrastructure needed to connect wireless devices to the internet is easier and less expensive to build.

There is almost no learning curve required to master the use of cell phone.

Cell phones require no costly or burdensome applications that must be loaded and updated.

There are essentially no technical-support challenges to overcome when using cell phone.

Electrical Health Records

Is an application. Store information to all patients Reduce redundancy Reduce death rates Less costs

Mobile and Wireless Technology in the Healthcare Industry

Uses Providing a means to access and update EHRs at

patients bedsides to ensure accurate and current patient data.

Enabling nurses to scan bar codes on patient wristbands and in medications to help them administer the right drug in the proper dosage at the correct time of day (an attached computer on a nearby cart is linked via a wireless network to a database containing physician medication orders)

Using wireless devices to communicate with health care employees wherever they may be.

Telemedicine

Employs modern telecommunications and information technologies to provide medical care to people who live far away from healthcare provides

2 type Store and forward

Acquiring data, sounds, images, video from patient and then transmitting everything to a medical specialist for later evaluation.

Live Requires the presence of patients and healthcare

provides at the same time and often a video conferencing link between the two sides.

Health Information Web Sites URL

www.atmericanheart.org

www.cancer.org

www.doc.gov

www.diabetes.org

www.heartburn.about.com

www.heartdisease.about.com

www.medicinenet.com

www.onclick.upebb.edu

www.osteo.org

www.urologychannel.com

www.webmd.com

Thank you!