The emergence of artificial intelligence has triggered enthusiasm and promise of boundless opportunities as much as uncertainty about its limits. The contributions to this volume explore the limits of AI, describe the necessary conditions for its functionality, reveal its attendant technical and social problems, and present some existing and potential solutions. At the same time, the contributors highlight the societal and attending economic hopes and fears, utopias and dystopias that are associated with the current and future development of artificial intelligence.

Contents page:

Editorial

Contents page

Preface

• Learning Algorithms

: What is Artificial Intelligence Really Capable of?

• Transgressing the Boundaries

: Towards a Rigorous Understanding of Deep Learning and Its (Non )Robustness

• Limits and Prospects of Ethics in the Context of Law and Society by the Example of Accident Algorithms of Autonomous Driving

• Limits and Prospects of Big Data and Small Data Approaches in AI Applications

• Artificial Intelligence and/as Risk

• When You Can’t Have What You Want

: Measuring Users’ Ethical Concerns about Interacting with AI Assistants Using MEESTAR

• Man-Machines

: Gynoids, Fembots, and Body AI in Contemporary Cinematic Narratives

• Trends in Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Non-Experts

• Machine Dreaming

• Let’s Fool That Stupid AI

: Adversarial Attacks against Text Processing AI

Authors

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Social media, digital devices, and networked communication systems have entered our collective bloodstream. This e-book touches upon the human experience of contemporary trends that affect how we perceive ourselves, others, and society.

Table of contents:

Introduction – Why study digital and social media?

Chapter 1 - A Historical Perspective

Chapter 2 – What is a Social Network?

Chapter 3 – Metadata, Tracking, and the User's Experience

Chapter 4 – The Ethical Challenges of Online Behavioral Targeting (OBT)

Chapter 5 - Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Chapter 6 – Facial Recognition

Chapter 7 – Digital Activism

Chapter 8 - Deepfakes, Hate Speech, Anonymity, and Free Speech

Chapter 10 – Socially Constructed Knowledge: Q & A Networks and Wikis

About the Author – Steve Covello

This book is written for the typical computer user: someone who uses computers for day-to-day activities (browsing the web, sending/receiving email, etc.) and is interested in delving a bit deeper into some of the current technology concepts and terminology.

Table of Contents:

Accessibility Statement

For Students: How to Access and Use this Textbook

About BCcampus Open Education

Introduction

1. Software Updates and Patches

2. Malware and Viruses

3. Geolocation

4. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

5. Searching the Web

6. Analyzing Web Content

7. Crowdsourcing Online Reviews

8. Privacy & Online Presence

9. Email

10. Cloud Computing

11. Staying Organized

12. User-ID / Password Management

13. Wi-Fi Networks

14. Home Networks

15. Backup & Restore

16. File & Printer Sharing

17. Remote Access & VPNs

18. Bluetooth

Versioning History

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All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. 

For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.

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This book received the 2018 AECT Outstanding Book Award!

"What is this field?" "Where have we come from as a discipline, and where are we going?" "What do I want to study?" These and other questions are typical for new students in the field of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. This textbook is designed to help answer these questions and provide the quickest route to understanding the history and current trends in the field. After surveying classic theories and writings, as well as more recent applications of theory and practice, students will be better prepared to chart their own course and careers within the discipline. This book is designed to support foundations courses common in departments, as well as seminars on current trends and issues.

For a detailed Contents Page, go to https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations 

Governments across the world make thousands of personnel management decisions, procure millions of goods and services, and execute billions of processes each day. They are data rich.  And yet, there is little systematic practice to-date which capitalizes on this data to make public administrations work better. This means that governments are missing out on data insights to save billions in procurement expenditures, recruit better talent into government, and identify sources of corruption, to name just a few.

The Government Analytics Handbook seeks to change that. It presents frontier evidence and practitioner insights on how to leverage data to make governments work better. Covering a range of microdata sources—such as administrative data and public servant surveys—as well as tools and resources for undertaking the analytics, it transforms the ability of governments to take a data-informed approach to diagnose and improve how public organizations work.

Main Messages:

Firms are capitalizing on innovations in data science at an unprecedented scale to improve their internal operations, but many governments are lacking behind. This book introduces government analytics – how governments can repurpose their data and records to diagnose public administration and boost public sector productivity.

A wealth of approaches and data sources are available to governments for analytics to identify evidence-based improvements. Many of these approaches rely on data that governments already collect as part of their day-to-day operations.

Government analytics can be undertaken with at least three types of data: 

• administrative data from government entities (such as procurement data); 

• surveys of public servants; and 

• external assessments (such as household surveys or anthropological assessments).

Which data source is appropriate for analytics depends on what aspect of public administration an organization is seeking to diagnose and improve. Some data sources are better suited to assessing inputs into public administration, such as payroll data assessing the costs of different personnel. Some data sources are better suited to assessing the processes, practices, and cultures that convert inputs into outputs, such as surveys of public servants assessing perceptions of management in government. And some data sources are better suited to assessing the outputs and outcomes of public administration, such as citizen satisfaction surveys.

Frontier government analytics integrates different data sources and makes insights accessible to managers across government organizations. For instance, dashboards integrating data sources and updating in real time can provide managers with insights into staffing issues, quality of management, task completion rates and case productivity, among many. Comparative data can allow benchmarking with other government organizations, or where appropriate, other countries. The result is a transformational change, with managers integrating analytic insights with their tacit understanding of their organization to drive continuous public administration improvement.

Governments can advance government analytics by creating government analytics units at the center of government and within each major organization. Centralized units enable economies of scale in analytics, a common data architecture and government-wide benchmarking. Units within organizations can complement central analytics by helping interpret analytics for their organization, and adapting analytics tools to particular organizational needs.

Reviews:

"This pioneering handbook shows how microdata can be used to give ... granular and real insights into how states work."

- Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University, author of State-Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century

"The most comprehensive work on practically building government administration I have ever seen."

- Francisco Gaetani, Special Secretary for State Transformation, Government of Brazil 

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This book introduces students to the concept of information systems, the components of information systems, their application to business, and the impacts of their use on business and society. This book is written as an introductory text, meant for those with little or no experience with computers or information systems.

While sometimes the descriptions can get a bit technical, every effort has been made to convey the information essential to understanding a topic while not getting overly focused in detailed terminology. The text is organized into thirteen chapters, and then divided into sub-chapters by concept or topic (See below).

Note: This edition provides a Canadian context and examples.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements

About this Book

Changes from Previous Edition

Chapter 1: Information Systems

1.1. Chapter Introduction

1.2. Information Systems

1.3. Information Systems Components

1.4. The Role of Information Systems

1.5. Technology in Professions

1.6. People and Information Systems

1.7. Information Systems in an Organization

1.8. Summary

1.9. Key Terms

1.10. Knowledge Check

Chapter 2: Technology Enabled Strategy

2.1. Chapter Introduction

2.2. Digital Business Landscape

2.3. Technology Enabled Strategy

2.4. Competitive Advantage

2.5. Competitive Strategy

2.6. The Value Chain

2.7. Porter's Five Forces

2.8. The Danger of Relying on Technology

2.9. Summary

2.10. Key Terms

2.11. Knowledge Check

Chapter 3: Hardware

3.1. Chapter Introduction

3.2. Digital Devices

3.3. Personal Computer Tour

3.4. Processing Data

3.5. Storing Data

3.6. Computer Speed factors

3.7. Input and Output Devices

3.8. Trends in Personal Computing

3.9. PC Commoditization and E-Waste

3.10. Summary

3.11. Key Terms

3.12. Knowledge Check

Chapter 4: Software

4.1. Chapter Introduction

4.2. Operating Systems

4.3. Application Software

4.4. Desktop and Enterprise Software

4.5. Mobile Software

4.6. Obtaining Software

4.7. Open Source Software

4.8. Summary

4.9. Key Terms

4.10. Knowledge Check

Chapter 5: Data

5.1. Chapter Introduction

5.2. Big Data

5.3. Databases

5.4. Database Models

5.5. Data Hierarchy

5.6. Designing a Database

5.7. Why Databases?

5.8. Database Manipulation

5.9. Summary

5.10 Key Terms

5.11. Knowledge Check

Chapter 6: Networks

6.1. Chapter Introduction

6.2. Communications Process

6.3. Networks

6.4. The Internet

6.5. A Packet's Journey

6.6. The Growth of High Speed Internet

6.7. Wireless Networking

6.8. Organizational Networking

6.9. Businesses Applications

6.10. Summary

6.11. Key Terms

6.12. Knowledge Check

Chapter 7: Systems Development

7.1. Chapter Introduction

7.2. Systems Development

7.3. Systems Development Life Cycle

7.4. Other Development Methods

7.5. Feasibility

7.6. Design

7.7. Building a Mobile App

7.8. Programming

7.9. Build vs. Buy

7.10. Implementation and Maintenance

7.11. Summary

7.12. Key Terms

7.13. Knowledge Check

Chapter 8: Security

8.1. Chapter Introduction

8.2. Cybercrime

8.3. The Information Security Triad

8.4. Tools for Security

8.5. Prevention

8.6. Detection and Security Policies

8.7. Information Security

8.8. Summary

8.9. Key Terms

8.10. Knowledge Check

Chapter 9: Impacts of Information Systems

9.1. Chapter Introduction

9.2. Information Systems Ethics

9.3. Intellectual Property and Copyright

9.4. Patents and Trademarks

9.5. Privacy

9.6. Digital Divide

9.7. Other Social Impacts

9.8. Summary

9.9. Key Terms

9.10. Knowledge Check

Chapter 10: E-Business

10.1. Chapter Introduction

10.2. Definitions

10.3. E-Commerce Advantages and Disadvantages

10.4. Online Strategy

10.5. Types of E-Commerce

10.6. E-Commerce Models

10.7. E-Commerce Technology

10.8. Blockchain and Bitcoin

10.9. Trends

10.10. Summary

10.11 Key Terms

10.12. Knowledge Check

Chapter 11: Business Process Solutions

11.1. Chapter Introduction

11.2. Business Process

11.3. Business Process Management

11.4. Information Systems

11.5. Enterprise Resource Planning

11.6. Enterprise Systems

11.7. Summary

11.8. Key Terms

11.9. Knowledge Check

Chapter 12: Decision Support

12.1. Chapter Introduction

12.2. Big Data

12.3. Managerial Decision Making

12.4. Decision Types

12.5. Decision Support Systems

12.6. Business Intelligence & Data Analytics

12.7. Data Analysis Projects

12.8. Analysis and Reporting Tools

12.9. Data Repositories

12.10. Summary

12.11. Key Terms

12.12. Knowledge Check

Chapter 13: Emerging Technology

13.1. Introduction

13.2. AI Evolution

13.3. Machines, AI & Humans

13.4. Types of AI

13.5. Machine Learning and Deep LearningN

13.6. Applications of AI

13.7. Extended Reality

13.8. Emerging Technology Trends

13.9.The Future: A Cautionary Approach?

13.10.Summary

13.11.Key Terms

13.12.Knowledge Check

Appendices

Appendix A: Video Resources

Appendix B: Instructor Slide Decks

Versioning History

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That digital technologies can be tools for better governance is widely accepted - the degree to which they can meet their potential in Africa in the near future is an open question. Are the countries in Africa caught in a trap with digital progress limited by the very governance problems that such technologies could address? Or have they already progressed with large leaps forward? What are the factors that limit progress from being even faster? 

This study examines the progress and challenges in establishing the analog foundations for the use of digital technologies for better governance in Africa, and the degree of implementation of those GovTech tools. It covers the use of digital tools for providing information to the public, for streamlining the provision of government services including those related to taxation and business and land registration, courts and one-stop shops, digital identification systems, and interoperability between systems. The report similarly covers the use of digital tools for strengthening participation in policy making, accountability systems including grievance redress, and anticorruption. Finally, the report examines the adoption of electronic government procurement (eGP), as well as the procurement of IT systems by governments. The report concludes with recommendations for reaching the potential for the use of digital tools for better governance in Africa. 

[SEE ALSO: Regulating the Digital Economy in Africa:  Managing Old and New Risks to Economic Governance for Inclusive Opportunities.]

Contents page:

1. Introduction

•    Africa’s governance challenge   

•    Can digitization help?   

•    Data and stories 

•    Roadmap for the report   

2. Progress in the adoption of digital tools and complements for better governance

•    Digital adoption by government and its impact on good governance  

•    Laying the foundation of digital infrastructure, institutions, and other analog complements

•    Chapter summary: Progress in digital adoption shows results, but they are hampered by weaknesses in analog complements and institutions

3. Governance risks in public procurement of ICT solutions 

•    Understanding the governance risks in ICT procurement 

•    Minimizing governance risks in ICT procurement 

•    Chapter summary: Governance risks are large but manageable

4. Digital tools for providing information to the public  

•    Online provision of information by government 

•    Online publication of budget documents  

•    Online publication of laws and regulations 

•    Chapter summary: Digital tools are often used to provide information, but details and institutional foundations are lacking

5. Digital tools for streamlining the provision of government services and supporting efficiency

•    E-government procurement 

•    Digital tools for filing and paying taxes

•    Digital land registration systems  

•    E-services for business registration  

•    E-court systems 

•    One-stop-shops for digital services and payments 

•    Digital identification systems 

•    Interoperable government systems and data infrastructure  

•    Chapter summary: Basic functions can be found, but transactional features are rare

6. Digital tools for strengthening participation, accountability, and anticorruption

•    Digital tools for public participation in policy making  

•    Digital tools for citizen feedback on services and projects 

•    Digital tools for reporting and detecting corruption 

•    Chapter summary: Countries are just scratching the surface on digital tools for participation, accountability, and anticorruption

7. Summary of main findings  

Index 

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[From the Introduction, by Torrey Trust:]

With the easy-to-use, yet powerful web design platforms available today (e.g., Wix, Google Sites, Weebly, Wordpress), anyone can create a website. However, that doesn't mean that every website will be valuable to readers. Nor does it mean that simply creating a website will enrich your students' learning. Websites need to be accessible, well-designed, easy-to-navigate, and easy-to-scan, otherwise, viewers will leave quickly and unhappy. 

If you want to create an educational website that enriches student learning or presents information to students' family members or amplifies your digital reputation, then make sure to explore each of the five chapters in this book. This book offers a selection of tips, examples, and resources to ease your web design experience and improve your results. 

The book was designed as part of a class project for EDUC 612: Educational Web Design at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The following graduate students contributed to the book: Emily Ding, Michael Ferguson, Joel Flores, Sai Gattupalli, Jennifer Haugsjaahabink, Yaxin He, Margeret Hersey, Kay Lloyd, Adam Lopes, Jarvis Miller, James Swerzenski, and Chris Von Achen. Additionally, Trevor Takayama provided valuable insights and support with editing the chapters. 

We hope that you find this book to be a valuable resource. Feel free to share it or use it in your class! 

This book was written for a one-semester course in web design for students in Ryerson’s Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD) and may also be useful for high school, community college, or training center courses on beginning web design — or for anyone who wants to read the book and complete the tutorials on their own.

The goal of the book is to provide students with a reference on some of the latest web design practices that is short and to-the-point, low-cost, and readily accessible.

What You Will Need:

To use this book and its companion site for a course similar to Ryerson’s, you will need:

• A computer, preferably with a large-screen display, for each student

• An HTML-editing program, such as Adobe Dreamweaver

• An image-editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop.

• An animation program, like Adobe Flash or Edge, Tumult Hype, or similar. If using Flash, Google’s free “Swiffy” plugin enables exporting HTML5 that will work on iOS devices.

• Optionally, a server where students’ work can be uploaded to and viewed on the web. In this case, a file-transfer utility like “FileZilla” may also be useful.

Table of Contents:

    Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 - Files and Links

Chapter 3 - HTML

Chapter 4 - The Semantic Web

Chapter 5 - Styles and CSS

Chapter 6 - Image Optimization

Chapter 7 - Video

Chapter 8 - Animation

Chapter 9 – JavaScript

Chapter 10 – JavaScript Libraries

Chapter 11 - Uploading Content to a Web Server

Chapter 12 - eBook Formats

Chapter 13 - eBook Production

Chapter 14 - Digital Photography for Web and Cross-Media

Chapter 15 - Photoshop for Web and Cross-Media

Chapter 16 - Apps for iOS

Chapter 17 - Web References

Appendix - Image Credits

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This guide will help you become "web literate" by showing you how to become a discerning consumer of information. Learn how to search for information, evaluate content, and learn tips for separating facts from internet myths. 

[NOTE: This is a NSCC adapted version of an open textbook created by Mike Caulfield.]

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments

I. Four Fact-Checking Strategies

1. Why This Book?

2. Four Fact-Checking Strategies

3. When Emotional Content Goes Viral

II. Previous Verification

4. Has it Already Been Fact-Checked?

5. Fact-checking Sites

6. Wikipedia

III. Locate the Source

7. Find the Source

8. Identifying Sponsored Content

9. Activity: Spot Sponsored Content

10. Understanding Syndication

11. Tracking the Source of Viral Content

12. Tracking the Source of Viral Photos

13. Using Google Reverse Image Search

14. Filtering by Time and Place to Find the Original

15. Activity: Trace Viral Photos

IV. Credibility of the Source

16. What “Reading Laterally” Means

17. Evaluating a Website or Publication’s Authority

18. Basic Techniques: Domain Searches, WHOIS

19. Activity: Evaluate a Site

20. Time-Saving Tips for Fact-Checkers

21. Finding a Journal’s Impact Factor

22. Using Google Scholar to Check Author Expertise

23. How to Think about Research

24. Finding High Quality Secondary Sources

25. Choosing Your Experts First

26. Evaluating News Sources

27. What Makes a Trustworthy News Source?

28. National Newspapers of Record

29. Activity: Expert or Crank?

30. Activity: Find Top Authorities for a Subject

V. Field Guide

31. Verifying Twitter Identity

32. Activity: Verify a Twitter Account

33. Using the Wayback Machine to Check for Page Changes

34. Finding Out When a Page Was Published Using Google

35. Citation Rates

36. Using Google Books to Track Down Quotes

37. Understanding Astroturfing

38. Searching TV Transcripts with the Internet Archive

39. Treating Google’s “Snippets” with Suspicion

40. Using Buzzsumo to Find Highly Viral Stories

41. Finding Out Who Owns a Domain

42. Avoiding Confirmation Bias in Searches

43. Promoted Tweets

44. Finding Old Newspaper Articles

Image Descriptions

References

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