As the coronavirus pandemic extends into its second year, digital literacy is more important now than ever. Misinformation and hoaxes are everywhere. Cultural and political contests on social media have also become more intense, and politicians are already beginning to position themselves ahead of the 2024 elections. 

Being digitally literate entails not only the ability to use digital devices and platforms but also the capacity to ethically engage with other online users. Digital safety and privacy are also important. As is, of course, the capacity to understand whether information is true and reliable. But just how digitally literate are Indonesians?

In this episode, Dr Annisa Beta talks to Dr Novi Kurnia, a lecturer at the Department of Communication Science at Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, and the founder and coordinator of the Indonesia Digital Literacy Network or Japelidi.

Japelidi, along with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics and Siberkreasi, published four important modules on digital literacy in April 2021. The modules can be accessed on literasidigital.id

The Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Annisa Beta from the University of Melbourne’s School of Culture and Communication, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, and Dr Charlotte Setijadi from the Singapore Management University.

Photo credit: Harviyan Perdana Putra for Antara Foto

Dr Novi Kurnia - Digital Literacy

There are more than 160,000 Chinese students in Australian educational institutions. While their contributions to Australian society have been widely acknowledged, the media have recently focused on several incidents in which Chinese students have challenged or criticised lecturers on Australian university campuses, and have sometimes depicted Chinese students as being brainwashed by the Chinese Government. How do Chinese students react to this coverage? What are the different sources and expressions of nationalism and patriotism among Chinese students? What views are held within the Chinese student community and the Australian academic community about how cultural and political differences should be addressed? What strategies can universities implement to improve cross-cultural communication? Wanning Sun, Professor of Media and Communication Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) joins James Laurenceson, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) at UTS to discuss the challenges faced by Chinese students and their instructors in Australian universities, and how these challenges may be addressed.

7. Chinese students in Australia - with Wanning Sun

For about a year now, there has been heated debate about Chinese international students on Australian university campuses. In 2017 media reported on four incidents involving Chinese students protesting lecture content. Some commentators have claimed that Chinese students are brainwashed prior to arrival, spy or protest on behalf of the Chinese Government while studying here and are generally kept loyal to the Communist Party during their time in Australia by being surrounded by Beijing-approved Chinese-language media. However, most of the time the voices of Chinese students themselves are not part of the discussion. What are Chinese students’ aspirations for their time in Australia? Do these accord with their actual experiences? Do Chinese students aim to immerse themselves in Australian life? What part do Chinese-language media play in their Australian experience?

Fran Martin, Associate Professor and Reader in Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne, joins James Laurenceson, Deputy Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) at the University of Technology Sydney to discuss her Australian Research Council-funded project following more than 50 female students coming to Australian universities from China, from before their departure to after their graduation.

22. Expectations and experiences of Chinese university students in Australia - with Fran Martin

How do we reimagine higher education for a networked age? 

Prof. George Siemens (University of Texas at Arlington) is well-known for his work in the areas of e-learning and open education. 

We discuss George’s pioneering work with MOOCs, his current interest in ‘being’ skills, and ongoing ambitions to reimagine education systems to fit individual learners in an era when the technological systems around us are more intelligent than we are.

A full transcript of this interview is available: https://criticaledtech.com/2021/10/27/networked-learning-in-a-digital-age-interview-with-george-siemens-2018/

Networked learning in a digital age (George Siemens)

The fourth and final episode of ‘Australia’s Next Steps’ examines the future of the global supply chain.

Host Michael Shoebridge, Director of Defence, Strategy, and national security Program at ASPI, talks to Louise McGrath, General Manager for International Competitiveness with the Australian Industry Group, and Pieter Els, Oracle’s Director of Supply Chain Management Cloud solutions in the Japan and Asia-Pacific region.

The conversation examines the impact of the pandemic and finds that the resilience of our supply chains have proven themselves throughout the crisis, while also presenting an opportunity to learn from the lessons of the past few months and build our supply chains more flexibly. Throughout the episode what is revealed is a story of strength and adaptability, not weakness.  

Australia’s Next Steps is brought to you by Oracle.

Australia’s Next Steps, Episode Four: The future of the global supply chain

Alison Phipps joins PTO to talk about her new book, 'Me, Not You: The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism'. We chatted about the MeToo movement and what it reveals about the mainstream of feminist politics, how violence against women is necessary to the project of capitalist globalisation and how the image of the imperilled white woman has been central to the project of empire both formal and informal.

#106 The trouble with mainstream feminism w/ Alison Phipps

The Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) is an independent, non-partisan research institute established in 2014 by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Chinese studies centres exist in other Australian universities. UTS:ACRI, however, is Australia’s first and only research institute devoted to studying the relationship of these countries. UTS:ACRI seeks to inform Australia’s engagement with China through research, analysis and dialogue grounded in scholarly rigour. 

The ACRI Podcast is a discussion of issues in the Australia-China relationship, touching on economics, business, foreign policy, domestic politics, history and culture. It features conversations with academics, experts, businesspeople, policymakers and authors from Australia and overseas. 

For more information on UTS:ACRI, visit our website: australiachinarelations.org. Follow us on Twitter @acri_uts. 

ACRI Podcast theme music by Sam J Mitchell.

22. Expectations and experiences of Chinese university students in Australia - with Fran Martin

The ACRI Podcast

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