This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the IFIP WG 8.2 Working Conference "Researching the Future", Future IS 2011, held in Turku, Finland, in June 2011. The 17 revised full papers presented together with 4 panels and workshops were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized into 6 topical sections: how the future and the past are connected and inter-related; critical view of the future; technological futures; the future of information technology and work-related practices in health care; the future of industrial and institutional practices and outcomes through information technology; and the future of critical realism in IS research.

"This book provides critical research and knowledge on electronic cultivation and political development experiences from around the world"--Provided by publisher.

Universal Design is the term used to describe the design of products and environments which can be used by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It is not a euphemism for ‘designs for people with a disability’, but really is about designing to include all people, regardless of their age, ability, cultural background or status in life. However it remains the case that many designers and developers fail to understand the need for universal design and lack the skills needed to implement it. This book presents papers from the 3rd International Conference on Universal Design (UD 2016), held in York, UK, in August 2016. The theme of the conference was: learning from the past, designing for the future, and it aimed to bring together policymakers, practitioners and researchers interested in the different strands of universal design to exchange ideas and best practice, review some of the developments in universal design from the last 20 years, and formulate strategies for taking the concept of universal design forward into the future. The book is divided into two sections. Section 1: About Universal Design, and Section 2: Universal Design In Practice. The book will be of interest to all those whose work involves design, from the built environment and tangible products to communication, services and systems.

The labour economy is being transformed by technology, as employers embrace new practices that utilise flexible work contracts and a whole new generation of tech-savvy employees. Leaders and decision-makers, managers and aspiring professionals, and a generation soon joining the workforce, will find Reshaping the Future invaluable.

This edited book focuses on the possible education responses that can be implemented in future education times. The impact of technology on learning and teaching is often at the forefront of demands, particularly from those who dictate the funding available to pay for technology within education systems. This is not an unreasonable request and there is merit in impact evaluations of educational technologies including emergingtechnologies. Besides, it also shows how emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Educational Games and Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, will reshape the future of education to provide efficient learning/teaching experiences and assessments. Furthermore, the book discusses innovative teaching and learning approaches (e.g., the use of open educational practices and peer-to-peer learning) that can be applied in this rapidly moving technological era to maintain education, including in unconditional times. Particularly, new instructional methods, such as game-based learning, should be designed based on integrated technologies to provide an effective learning experience, resulting in better learning outcomes. Future education should not solely focus on technology and psychology, but also on the applied instructional methods, as well as the human touch to maintain authentic and effective learning experiences. The book also discusses how teaching and learning can be designed to meet the growing tendency of Open and Distance Education, where thousands of learners can be taken the same course from different cultures, backgrounds and learning needs. This book aims to establish itself, through the published books/textbooks and research, as a medium to provide guidelines and recommendations for different stakeholders, including policymakers, educational designers, teachers, and students on how to enhance both learning and teaching experiences in the future for better learning outcomes, as well as how to maintain education in emergency times. It also provides one step ahead towards future education to prepare different stakeholders for the rapid evolution of education, even in times of emergency and difficult situations.

Irrespective of whether we use economic or societal metrics, the Internet is one of the most important technical infrastructures in existence today. It will be a catalyst for much of our innovation and prosperity in the future. A competitive Europe will require Internet connectivity and services beyond the capabilities offered by current technologies. Future Internet research is therefore a must. This book is published in full compliance with the Open Access publishing initiative; it is based on the research carried out within the Future Internet Assembly (FIA). It contains a sample of representative results from the recent FIA meetings spanning a broad range of topics, all being of crucial importance for the future Internet. The book includes 32 contributions and has been structured into the following sections, each of which is preceded by a short introduction: Foundations: architectural issues; socio-economic issues; security and trust; and experiments and experimental design. Future Internet Areas: networks, services, and content; and applications.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could equip your school and yourself to face whatever the future might throw at you! Schools face myriad calls on their time and creativity yet have finite internal resources to respond to them. This can result in piecemeal changes, and reactive rather than pro-active approaches. This book reduces, filters and prioritises the demands on staff energy to the central task of all schools - to achieve the best engagement of and learning outcomes for all learners (including the staff themselves). Schools often feel constrained by their current context, their previous performance, their demographics or available staff. This book provides an holistic and effective approach to change management that is simple, engages all stakeholders, is built around the current expertise and culture of the school and, most importantly, is sustainable. It is suitable for headteachers, senior or aspiring leaders, and those driving change through initiatives, but also individual teachers who are interested in effective practice as a route towards personal well-being and professional satisfaction. -- Dr Morris Charlton

A Sustainable Future for Small States: Pacific 2050 is part of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s regional strategic foresight programme that examines whether current development strategies set the region on a path to achieve sustainable development by 2050. The study analyses whether Commonwealth Pacific small states (Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It reviews critical areas that can serve as a catalyst for change in the region: governance (examining political governance, development effectiveness and co-ordination, and ocean governance); non-communicable diseases; information and communications technology and climate change (focussing on migration and climate change, and energy issues). In each of these areas, possible trajectories to 2050 are explored, gaps in the current policy responses are identified, and recommendations are offered to steer the region towards the Pacific Vision of ‘a region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity, so that all Pacific people can lead free, healthy, and productive lives’.

"This book is a comprehensive collection of research on the emerging trends and advances in the global application of information and communication technology use in agriculture and rural development"--Provided by publisher.