USING OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN DISTANCE LEARNING// International Journal of Educational and Scientific Research 4(12), 2021/ Chief Editor K. Kumpulainen /OEAPS OU - Tallinn, Estonia (Open European Academy of Public Sciences). Vienna, Austria 30.04.2021: OEAPS OU., 2021. P. 33-37.

Distance learning can expand access to education and training for both general populace and businesses since its flexible scheduling structure lessens the effects of the many time-constraints imposed by personal responsibilities and commitments. The widespread use of computers and the internet have made distance learning easier and faster, and today virtual universities deliver full curricula online. The capacity of Internet to support voice, video, text, and immersion teaching methods made earlier distinct forms of telephone, videoconferencing, radio, television, and text-based education somewhat redundant. However, many of the techniques developed and lessons learned with earlier media are used in Internet delivery.

Biden will reform internet market as 5G expands

Significance The measures address the digital divide that the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed. Among low-income and remote communities, commercial internet service can be slow and expensive or lacking altogether. The ballots add to the emerging call to treat internet connectivity as a public utility. Impacts Fibre-to-the-home could prove a feasible technology alternative to 5G in some locations. Firms will test internet delivery via alternatives such as low-orbit satellites and unlicensed TV spectrum (Microsoft). Municipalities will build or require conduits for fibre in all new infrastructure construction as part of 'smart city' deployments.

Internet delivery of intensive speech and language therapy for children with cerebral palsy: a pilot randomised controlled trial

ObjectivesTo test the feasibility of recruitment, retention, outcome measures and internet delivery of dysarthria therapy for young people with cerebral palsy in a randomised controlled trial.DesignMixed methods. Single blind pilot randomised controlled trial, with control offered Skype therapy at end of study. Qualitative study of the acceptability of therapy delivery via Skype.SettingNine speech and language therapy departments in northern England recruited participants to the study. Skype therapy was provided in a university setting.ParticipantsTwenty-two children (14 M, 8 F) with dysarthria and cerebral palsy (mean age 8.8 years (SD 3.2)) agreed to take part. Participants were randomised to dysarthria therapy via Skype (n=11) or treatment as usual (n=11).InterventionsChildren received either usual speech therapy from their local therapist for 6 weeks or dysarthria therapy via Skype from a research therapist. Usual therapy sessions varied in frequency, duration and content. Skype dysarthria therapy focused on breath control and phonation to produce clear speech at a steady rate, and comprised three 40 min sessions per week for 6 weeks.Primary and secondary outcome measuresFeasibility and acceptability of the trial design, intervention and outcome measures.ResultsDepartments recruited two to three participants. All participants agreed to random allocation. None withdrew from the study. Recordings of children’s speech were made at all time points and rated by listeners. Families allocated to Skype dysarthria therapy judged internet delivery of the therapy to be acceptable. All families reported that the study design was acceptable. Treatment integrity checks suggested that the phrases practised in one therapy exercise should be reduced in length.ConclusionsA delayed treatment design, in which dysarthria therapy is offered at the end of the study to families allocated to treatment as usual, is acceptable. A randomised controlled trial of internet delivered dysarthria therapy is feasible.

Public Space and the Development of Wireless Media

This chapter builds on research into Australian free Wi-Fi initiatives conducted in late 2012 and early 2013. It tours through a range of global developments in wireless internet delivery, focusing on how these influence the character of public spatiality, participation, and social inclusion. While there have been numerous technical and commercial advances, the authors argue that free public services narrowly focus on constructing public spaces of consumption and spectacle, and valorising public activities through increasingly granular sensor surveillance. The authors offer an expanded conception of what it means to value public space and to participate socially, culturally, and politically in public. The chapter concludes with the concerning gap between small scale projects that experiment with these concepts and the large-scale institutions that ignore them.

A self-help based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy programme using Internet delivery: effect on adults intending to work who have utilized their sick leave due to depressive symptoms

Rationale: The aim of this study was to develop a self-help based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) programme using Internet delivery, which can be practised at the workplace or at home and to examine its effect on adults intending to work who have utilized their sick leave due to depressive symptoms. Method: A one-group, baseline-to-post-intervention design was utilized with participants in Japan. Among the participants (N = 35), 26 completed the self-help based programme and answered all questionnaire surveys on 3 occasions: baseline (T1), after 3 weeks (T2) and after 6 weeks when the programme ended (T3). As the primary outcome, depressive symptoms were assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. As the secondary outcome, psychological flexibility was assessed using the Japanese version of the revised Acceptance and Action Questionnaire. Additionally, 3 items to assess process were administered and participants’ written comments were organized by content.Results: Although the number of participants who showed mild and moderate depressed states decreased, depressive symptom scores did not significantly change over time. Psychological flexibility at T3 significantly improved compared to baseline, while the effect size was relatively low (Cohen’s d = 0.35). One of the scores from the process measures showed a significant difference between T2 and T3. There were 5 positive and 5 negative comments. Conclusions: Along with participants’ comments, the findings suggested the effectiveness of the self-help based ACT programme using Internet delivery. This has the potential to help develop mindfulness and acceptance skills in adults who are intending to return to work after taking sick leave for depressive symptoms.

Internet-delivered therapy for anxiety disorders: a solution to unequal access to treatment?

SummaryAnxiety disorders are common, often have a chronic course and frequently coexist with other psychiatric disorders. Psychological therapy is recommended as first-line treatment, but equitable access remains a challenge. This month's Cochrane Corner review assesses the evidence for the efficacy of therapist-supported cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders delivered via the internet. Although internet delivery of therapy is attractive for many reasons, and the results of this preliminary review suggest that it is efficacious, this is a rapidly expanding field. Further updates of this review will include more evidence to support or refute the use of this new method of treatment delivery, either alongside or in preference to standard face-to-face CBT.