Computers, communications, digital information, softwareâ€"the constituents of the information ageâ€"are everywhere. Being computer literate, that is technically competent in two or three of today's software applications, is not enough anymore. Individuals who want to realize the potential value of information technology (IT) in their everyday lives need to be computer fluentâ€"able to use IT effectively today and to adapt to changes tomorrow. Being Fluent with Information Technology sets the standard for what everyone should know about IT in order to use it effectively now and in the future. It explores three kinds of knowledgeâ€"intellectual capabilities, foundational concepts, and skillsâ€"that are essential for fluency with IT. The book presents detailed descriptions and examples of current skills and timeless concepts and capabilities, which will be useful to individuals who use IT and to the instructors who teach them.

Healthcare transformation requires us to continually look at new and better ways to manage insights – both within and outside the organization. Increasingly, the ability to glean and operationalize new insights efficiently as a byproduct of an organization’s day-to-day operations is becoming vital for hospitals and health systems to survive and prosper. One of the long-standing challenges in healthcare informatics has been the ability to deal with the sheer variety and volume of disparate healthcare data and the increasing need to derive veracity and value out of it. This book addresses several topics important to the understanding and use of data in healthcare. First, it provides a formal explanation based on epistemology (theory of knowledge) of what data actually is, what we can know about it, and how we can reason with it. The culture of data is also covered and where it fits into healthcare. Then, data quality is addressed, with a historical appreciation, as well as new concepts and insights derived from the author’s 35 years of experience in technology. The author provides a description of what healthcare data analysis is and how it is changing in the era of abundant data. Just as important is the topic of infrastructure and how it provides capability for data use. The book also describes how healthcare information infrastructure needs to change in order to meet current and future needs. The topics of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in healthcare are also addressed. The author concludes with thoughts on the evolution of the role and use of data and information going into the future.

A call for informed, responsible engagement with information technology at the local level. The common rhetoric about technology falls into two extreme categories: uncritical acceptance or blanket rejection. Claiming a middle ground, Bonnie Nardi and Vicki O'Day call for responsible, informed engagement with technology in local settings, which they call information ecologies. An information ecology is a system of people, practices, technologies, and values in a local environment. Nardi and O'Day encourage the reader to become more aware of the ways people and technology are interrelated. They draw on their empirical research in offices, libraries, schools, and hospitals to show how people can engage their own values and commitments while using technology.

Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

First published in 1999, Project-Based Learning Using Information Technology has become a classic in the field-and for good reason. David Moursund offers educators an inspiring vision of the possibilities of project-based learning and then shows them how to realize it in their classroom. Moursund deftly summarizes both the principles and supporting research on project-based learning, and walks teachers through the process of creating their own learner centered, technology-enhanced projects. This edition offers many new teacher training activities and ideas for projects that will activate students higher-order thinking skills and instill in them a thirst for life-long learning. Motivate your students to plan and carry out projects with real-world purpose and meaning with this terrific resource for teachers! FEATURES Insights from a widely known author, teacher educator, and educational technology pioneer Activities for teacher training as well as materials and ideas for assessment Companion Web site with regularly updated bibliography and detailed syllabi for workshops on project-based learning Also available: Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age - ISBN 156484238X Spreadsheet Magic: Second Edition - ISBN 156484224X

Recent years have yielded significant advances in computing and communication technologies, with profound impacts on society. Technology is transforming the way we work, play, and interact with others. From these technological capabilities, new industries, organizational forms, and business models are emerging. Technological advances can create enormous economic and other benefits, but can also lead to significant changes for workers. IT and automation can change the way work is conducted, by augmenting or replacing workers in specific tasks. This can shift the demand for some types of human labor, eliminating some jobs and creating new ones. Information Technology and the U.S. Workforce explores the interactions between technological, economic, and societal trends and identifies possible near-term developments for work. This report emphasizes the need to understand and track these trends and develop strategies to inform, prepare for, and respond to changes in the labor market. It offers evaluations of what is known, notes open questions to be addressed, and identifies promising research pathways moving forward.

There are two different, interdependent components of IT that are important to a CIO: strategy, which is long-term; and tactical and operational concerns, which are short-term. Based on this distinction and its repercussions, this book clearly separates strategy from day-to-day operations and projects from operations – the two most important functions of a CIO. It starts by discussing the ideal organization of an IT department and the rationale behind it, and then goes on to debate the most pressing need – managing operations. It also explains some best industry standards and their practical implementation, and discusses project management, again highlighting the differences between the methodologies used in projects and those used in operations. A special chapter is devoted to the cutover of projects into operations, a critical aspect seldom discussed in detail. Other chapters touch on the management of IT portfolios, project governance, as well as agile project methodology, how it differs from the waterfall methodology, and when it is convenient to apply each. Taking the fundamental principles of IT service management and best practices in project management, the book offers a single, seamless reference for IT managers and professionals. It is highly practical, explaining how to apply these principles based on the author’s extensive experience in industry.

The benefits of using technology to remake government seem almost infinite. The promise of such programs as user-friendly "virtual agencies" and portals where citizens can access all sections of government from a single website has excited international attention. The potential of a digital state cannot be realized, however, unless the rigid structures of the contemporary bureaucratic state change along with the times. Building the Virtual State explains how the American public sector must evolve and adapt to exploit the possibilities of digital governance fully and fairly. The book finds that many issues involved in integrating technology and government have not been adequately debated or even recognized. Drawing from a rich collection of case studies, the book argues that the real challenges lie not in achieving the technical capability of creating a government on the web, but rather in overcoming the entrenched organizational and political divisions within the state. Questions such as who pays for new government websites, which agencies will maintain the sites, and who will ensure that the privacy of citizens is respected reveal the extraordinary obstacles that confront efforts to create a virtual state. These political and structural battles will influence not only how the American state will be remade in the Information Age, but also who will be the winners and losers in a digital society.

The major focus of this Handbook is the design and potential of IT-based student learning environments. Offering the latest research in IT and the learning process, distance learning, and emerging technologies for education, these chapters address the critical issue of the potential for IT to improve K-12 education. A second important theme deals with the implementation of IT in educational practice. In these chapters, barriers and opportunities for IT implementation are studied from several perspectives. This Handbook provides an integrated and detailed overview of this complex field, making it an essential reference.