DAIN at DOTs event, Thursday 12th July

After over a week since the event, here’s my reflection and some personal notes I captured during the event, at the end there’s a round up e-mail from the DOT’s team, encapsulating many of the messages that were delivered on the day.

Firstly, thanks to Andria for driving our involvement in this initiative, it’s great for the DAIN initiative to continue to move forward in various guises.

I personally believe that such events have tremendous value from a knowledge sharing and networking opportunities, providing a view of the bigger picture and the challenges that are occuring throughout the world with regards to digital inclusion.

DOTS stands for DIGITAL OUTREACH TRAINERS – SHEFFIELD
DOTS perform a role very similar to DAIN – DIGITAL ACTIVIST VOLUNTEERS

DOTS have been around since JUNE 2009 and have trained in excess of 500 DOTS

Phil Coppard, the DOTS chair, kicked things off and identified 3 key BARRIERS to digital inclusion
(1) COST - it was mentioned that there are some free services available, but generally cost is a barrier to people getting involved
(2) FEAR - people are worried about breaking expensive stuff
(3) WHY - we need to SHOW and reenforce with people the benefits FOR THEM of being digitally included

Being digitally included can enrich people’s lives and improve all our interconnected futures.

A presentation was given by Broadband Delivery UK – http://www.bis.gov.uk/bduk

The goal is for the UK to have the best superfast broadband in Europe, in three key areas – Rural, Urban and Mobile

Demand drives the technology and will, eventually, drive the cost down

A presentation was given by Ellen Helsper on the emergence of the Digital Underclass

Ellen identified barriers as
(1) COST
(2) ACCESS
(3) SKILLS
(4) NO INTEREST

Humm, wasn’t 1&4 mentioned by Phil when he opened the session !

Identified that low educated and unemployed were the most digitally excluded and focus is needed in this area to stop it becomming an underclass

Identified that alot of the LOW HANGING FRUIT had been harvested and identifying and getting new people connected is getting harder.

A number of presentations were given by YOUNG DOTS who had been interacting with various tranches of clients in various different forms, a innovative method was their GAME2ENGAGE initiative where DOTS were interacting and engaging people via the utilisation of GAME technologies.

Personally found the YOUNG DOTS very inspirational, as they were getting out and helping their communities and helping to drive the future and helping other’s along the journey.
The presentation by a young guy in a wheel chair using TEXT to SPEECH technology to present what he had been doing was pure brilliance !
This guy was definately at the top of the “Ladder of accountability” and was waving the flag !

It was noted and discussed that CHILDREN are driving digital inclusion via their usage of social networking, connected gaming solutions and interacting with schools and colleges via virtual remote learning services.

It was also discussed that the more people become educated the more they will interact and use technology.

It was identified that there is a group of people, estimated at 1/3 of those not connected, that rely on others (proxies) to use the internet on their behalf.

It was identified that children are helping to get their elders online, but not particularly developing skills in their elders, it was noted that trained proxies are more effective at upskilling elders rather than their children.

There is a concerted move educationally to focus on the NEED for digital solutions rather than teaching the pure technology i.e. How to communicate digitally rather than teaching pure e-mail technology.

There is a move towards community outreach to solve identified needs in deprived areas rather than making people come to intimidating hi-tech centres that focus on pure technologies.

I have received the following e-mail from the DOT’s team that encompasses most of what occured on the great day :-

It was good to see so many people at the DOTs Celebration Event last Thursday. Feedback has been very positive and people have commented on what an inspiring and interesting event it was.

Thank you to the DOTs and eMentors who added their enthusiasm to proceedings and to Julie Byrne, Principal of Sheffield City College, who presented our DOT Awards.

Thanks also to our Chair, Phil Coppard, and our speakers Robert Ling from DCMS, Ellen Helsper from London School of Economics, and Bernard Agius from Malta Communications Authority.

Copies of the presentations from the day are available here: http://www.makingitpersonal.eu/resources/documents/

You can view video footage from the live stream of the event by following the links below:
http://bambuser.com/v/2822152
http://bambuser.com/v/2822184
http://bambuser.com/v/2822457
(Apologies for the odd gap where the internet connection let us down)

The latest newsletter is on the website: http://www.makingitpersonal.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/MITP_July_2012_Web1.pdf [PDF link]

Along with the latest case studies including a feature on the Game2Engage project at: http://www.makingitpersonal.eu/resources/stories/

Lastly, a selection of photos can be found on the Facebook site at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Making-It-Personal-Joining-the-Dots/207667872637496

If you have any queries or comments from the day, please get in touch by contacting Liz Wallis at Sero on email: liz.wallis@sero.co.uk

Thank you for your ongoing interest in the DOTs programme.

Best regards,

The DOTs Team
http://www.makingITpersonal.eu

If you got this far, my typing wasn’t wasted, but you now have a responsbility to pay it forward and communicate with others activities you’ve been undertaking.

The Facebook group “What’s next for DA’s” is a great resource to keep upto date with what’s happening, as well as this blog.

Thanks for your time and here’s to continuing the journey

Steve
INFOSTOCKSY