It is a great pleasure to share with you the Springer LNCS proceedings of the Second World Summit on the Knowledge Society, WSKS 2009, organized by the Open - search Society, Ngo, http://www.open-knowledge-society.org, and held in Samaria Hotel, in the beautiful city of Chania in Crete, Greece, September 16–18, 2009. The 2nd World Summit on the Knowledge Society (WSKS 2009) was an inter- tional scientific event devoted to promoting dialogue on the main aspects of the knowledge society towards a better world for all. The multidimensional economic and social crisis of the last couple of years has brought to the fore the need to discuss in depth new policies and strategies for a human centric developmental processes in the global context. This annual summit brings together key stakeholders involved in the worldwide development of the knowledge society, from academia, industry, and government, including policy makers and active citizens, to look at the impact and prospects of - formation technology, and the knowledge-based era it is creating, on key facets of l- ing, working, learning, innovating, and collaborating in today’s hyper-complex world. The summit provides a distinct, unique forum for cross-disciplinary fertilization of research, favoring the dissemination of research on new scientific ideas relevant to - ternational research agendas such as the EU (FP7), OECD, or UNESCO. We focus on the key aspects of a new sustainable deal for a bold response to the multidimensional crisis of our times.

It is a great pleasure to share with you the Springer CCIS 112 proceedings of the Third World Summit on the Knowledge Society––WSKS 2010––that was organized by the International Scientific Council for the Knowledge Society, and supported by the Open Research Society, NGO, (http://www.open-knowledge-society.org) and the Int- national Journal of the Knowledge Society Research, (http://www.igi-global.com/ijksr), and took place in Aquis Corfu Holiday Palace Hotel, on Corfu island, Greece, September 22–24, 2010. The Third World Summit on the Knowledge Society (WSKS 2010) was an inter- tional scientific event devoted to promoting the dialogue on the main aspects of the knowledge society towards a better world for all. The multidimensional economic and social crisis of the last couple years brings to the fore the need to discuss in depth new policies and strategies for a human-centric developmental process in the global c- text. This annual summit brings together key stakeholders of knowledge society dev- opment worldwide, from academia, industry, government, policy makers, and active citizens to look at the impact and prospects of it information technology, and the knowledge-based era it is creating, on key facets of living, working, learning, innovating, and collaborating in today’s hyper-complex world.

It is a great pleasure to share with you the Springer CCIS proceedings of the First International Conference on Reforming Education, Quality of Teaching and Technology-Enhanced Learning: Learning Technologies, Quality of Education, Educational Systems, Evaluation, Pedagogies––TECH-EDUCATION 2010, Which was a part of the World Summit on the Knowledge Society Conference Series. TECH-EDUCATION 2010 was a bold effort aiming to foster a debate on the global need in our times to invest in education. The topics of the conference dealt with six general pillars: Track 1. Quality of Education––A new Vision Track 2. Technology-Enhanced Learning––Learning Technologies––Personalization-E-learning Track 3. Educational Strategies Track 4. Collaborative/ Constructive/ Pedagogical/ Didactical Approaches Track 5. Formal/ Informal/ and Life–Long Learning Perspectives Track 6. Contribution of Education to Sustainable Development Within this general context the Program Committee of the conference invited contributions that fall in to the following list of topics. Track 1: Quality of the Education––A new Vision • Teaching Methodologies and Case Studies • Reforms in Degrees • The European Educational Space • Academic Curricula Designs • Quality of Teaching and Learning • Quality and Academic Assessment • The School / University of the Future • Challenges for Higher Education in the 21st Century • New Managerial Models for Education • Financing the New Model for Education of the 21st Century • The Quality Milestones for Education of the 21st Century • Evaluation in Academia • The Role of Teachers • International Collaborations for Joint Programs/Degrees • Industry–Academia Synergies • Research Laboratories Management

This book discusses learning and teaching with modern technology in the new knowledge society. It focuses specifically on new literacy and technology in classroom environments. Based on a social-constructivist approach, this book covers a wide range of new technology use examples, such as participatory media, video recording systems and 3D computer graphics. A case study on a constructivist approach to teaching and learning, especially CSCL (computer supported collaborative learning), is discussed from a practical perspective for educators. It also includes specific in-class practices with detailed accounts of curricula featuring readily accessible yet new technology available for classroom use, such as Google Sketchup 3D computer models.

Due to the development of mobile and Web 2.0 technology, knowledge transfer, storage and retrieval have become much more rapid. In recent years, there have been more and more new and interesting findings in the research field of knowledge management. This book aims to introduce readers to the recent research topics, it is titled "New Research on Knowledge Management Models and Methods" and includes 19 chapters. Its focus is on the exploration of methods and models, covering the innovations of all knowledge management models and methods as well as deeper discussion. It is expected that this book provides relevant information about new research trends in comprehensive and novel knowledge management studies, and that it serves as an important resource for researchers, teachers and students, and for the development of practices in the knowledge management field.

The amount and range of information available to today’s students—and indeed to all learners—is unprecedented. Phrases like “the information revolution”, “the information (or knowledge) society”, and “the knowledge economy” underscore the truism that our society has been transformed by virtually instantaneous access to virtually unlimited information. Thomas Friedman tells us that “The World Is Flat” and that we must devise new political and economic understandings based on the ceaseless communication of information from all corners of the world. The Bush administration tells us that information relating to the “war on terrorism” is so critical that we must allow new kinds of surveillance to keep society safe. Teenage subscribers to social-computing networks not only access information but enter text and video images and publish them widely—becoming the first adolescents in history to be creators as well as consumers of vast quantities of information. If the characteristics of “the information age” demand new conceptions of commerce, national security, and publishing—among other things—it is logical to assume that they carry implications for education as well. In fact, a good deal has been written over the last several decades about how education as a whole must transform its structure and curriculum to accommodate the possibilities offered by new technologies. Far less has been written, however, about how the specific affordances of these technologies—and the kinds of information they allow students to access and create—relate to the central purpose of education: learning. What does “learning” mean in an information-rich environment? What are its characteristics? What kinds of tasks should it involve? What concepts, strategies, attitudes, and skills do educators and students need to master if they are to learn effectively and efficiently in such an environment? How can researchers, theorists, and practitioners foster the well-founded and widespread development of such key elements of the learning process? This book explores these questions and suggests some tentative answers. Drawing from research and theory in three distinct but related fields—learning theory, instructional systems design, and information studies—it presents a way to think about learning that responds directly to the actualities of a world brimming with information. The book is grounded in the work of such key figures in learning theory as Bransford and Anderson & Krathwohl. It draws on such theorists of instructional design as Gagne, Mayer, and Merrill. From information studies, it uses ideas from Buckland, Marchionini, and Wilson (who is known for his pioneering work in “information behavior”—that is, the full range of information seeking and use). The book breaks new ground in bringing together ideas that have run in parallel for years but whose relationship has not been fully explored.