Limerick City Community ICT Steering Group would like to issue an open invitation to all Limerick based Community Grouyps to participate in our upcoming Community Technology Fair.
The event is part of the groups’ strategy to promote the benefits of technology in everyday life (home, sports and leisure, education, work etc). It will take place in Thomond Park Conference Centre on Saturday 1st November 2008 from 11.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.. The fair which is supported by funding from the Mid-West Regional Authority and Limerick Regeneration will feature 50 Interactive displays and a number of short snappy informal ‘How to’ workshops in break-out rooms. Most of the interactive displays will be built by community groups assisted by mentors from City of Limerick VEC, UL and LIT. There will also be private sector displays from technology companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, Nintendo, Bebo etc. For your information, I include a detailed description of the background and rationale for the event at the footer of this email, and also attach a link to a research report commissioned by our group earlier this year.
We are extremely grateful for the support of Munster Rugby and Thomond Park to date with this event including committing to (a) the Heineken Cup being available on the day, (b) Thomond Park opening their new Interactive Museum on the day as part of the event and (c) Munster Rugby Development taking a stand on the day highlighting the role of technology in the coaching and analysis of sport.
We would like to invite Community Groups to participate in the event by putting together a display, which highlights an example of a simple, yet innovative use of technology. The displays must engage with people and be truly interactive. Ideally people should not just see the technology in action but actually learn how to use it. The focus should be on practical and fun activities.
If you are interested in participating in the event please contact Elaine Doyle edoyle@paulpartnership.ie by Friday the 25th September 2008. For a list of some suggested ideas for stands on the day please click on this link http://techpromotion.wikispaces.com/
If you would like to participate in the event, but are unsure which technology to showcase or would like some support in advance of the event, an event briefing on the Fair will take place on Tuesday the 30th September at 2.00 p.m. in Our Lady of Lourdes Action Centre. If you would like to participate in the event but are not sure what your stand might consist of, please come along to the session. We will be providing mentors from the VEC, LIT and UL who will, where requested, support groups in advance of the event and/or on the day. We will also provide examples of ideas for stands. It also may be possible for a number of community groups to come together to put build a display. We would appreciate it if you could email Elaine (again by Friday the 25th )to let us know if you will be attend the briefing.
If you know of other community groups who may be interested in taking part in event, please let us know.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
IT Survey of Community/Voluntary Organisations & Small Enterprises
Our Lady of Lourdes Community Services Group is conducting research into the IT needs of community and voluntary organisations and small enterprises in
As part of this study, all community and voluntary organisations are invited to complete a questionnaire about their current and future IT requirements. The data gathered will be used to establish the types of services needed and to determine how best to deliver low-cost solutions to meet these needs. All responses will be treated confidentially and individual responses will not be published.
The questionnaire is available online at http://tinyurl.com/516hut. It can be completed by the person responsible for ITin an organisation or if this is not possible by someone who is working/volunteering with the organisation.
All not-for-profit organisations (including schools, sports clubs, etc.) as well as community/small enterprises are invited to complete the questionnaire. This will help to establish the breadth of the market for low-cost IT service delivery in Limerick.
This research will also feed into the development of the Community ICT strategy for
Please take the time to fill in the questionnaire, and to tell others about it. This will help Our Lady of Lourdes Community Services Group to help you and other organisations meet their IT needs.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Final Techfast-30th May 2008
Many thanks to Fergal McGrath for his interesting presentation at our Final Techfast presentation. Fergal spoke about attitudes and motivational factors as critical to encourage take up of Technology. He said the focus should really be on the person rather than the technology. It was critical he said to find a hook, something which people were interested in, as opposed to encouraging Technology for Technology sake. Once people were interested, the nature of the technology as exploratory would encourage and entice to further explore and use. The learning curve with Technology is small, it is the relevance which is critical. The challenge is less how to use the Technology and more why would people want to use the Technology.
Fergal also spoke about the need to foster and rekindle a culture of giving back to the community. He gave examples of places in the USA where he spent considerable time working within communities. He was delighted by the spirit of volunteerism and community spirit which prevails in parts of the USA. He noted that people love to give back especially when it comes to information to share. It was suggested from the floor that volunteerism in Ireland should start in the schools. It is important to learn the idea of community service and involvement at a young age. The culture of volunteerism can be contagious and thus encourage others to get involved. There is never a shortage of opportunities to give back and the key is to match up passions with opportunities. Fergal encouraged the group to experiment and keeping trying new ideas especially with the changing nature of Technology.
Acquiring familiarity with computers and adapting to Technology depends not only on individual attributes, but crucially also on contextual factors. People come in contact with digital technologies via their family and friendship networks as well as at their workplace, colleges and schools. Informal advice and support are crucial to acquiring basic computing skills, and where neighbours and friends use internet, this can facilitate the learning process. Every computer literate individual in a disadvantaged area constitutes a valuable resource for the local community, as he or she can potentially help others to overcome their fears and difficulties in relation to the new digital technologies. Thus creating a critical mass of web users can create an e-community where many opportunites may arise.
Fergal also spoke about the need to foster and rekindle a culture of giving back to the community. He gave examples of places in the USA where he spent considerable time working within communities. He was delighted by the spirit of volunteerism and community spirit which prevails in parts of the USA. He noted that people love to give back especially when it comes to information to share. It was suggested from the floor that volunteerism in Ireland should start in the schools. It is important to learn the idea of community service and involvement at a young age. The culture of volunteerism can be contagious and thus encourage others to get involved. There is never a shortage of opportunities to give back and the key is to match up passions with opportunities. Fergal encouraged the group to experiment and keeping trying new ideas especially with the changing nature of Technology.
Acquiring familiarity with computers and adapting to Technology depends not only on individual attributes, but crucially also on contextual factors. People come in contact with digital technologies via their family and friendship networks as well as at their workplace, colleges and schools. Informal advice and support are crucial to acquiring basic computing skills, and where neighbours and friends use internet, this can facilitate the learning process. Every computer literate individual in a disadvantaged area constitutes a valuable resource for the local community, as he or she can potentially help others to overcome their fears and difficulties in relation to the new digital technologies. Thus creating a critical mass of web users can create an e-community where many opportunites may arise.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Third Techfast - 'a synopsis'
Thanks to Colm Butler for this mornings’ excellent thought-provoking overview on eInclusion from a national policy perspective.
The following is my attempt to post the key points I picked up from his input so feel free to correct me or to offer alternative interpretations of Colms' input.
Colm started by giving some background in relation to eGovernment in Ireland. He said the initial approach was supply led – focused on pushing content online. Mistakes had been made but these mistakes were part of a learning process. The CSO statistics highlighted (as does the Limerick research) that many people were still not engaging. He spoke of the need to learn from analysis and had hoped that the national Research Group would play a key role in this regard.
In some cases the take-up by government agencies was slow. Colm concluded that a business case needed to be made and that the focus should not be on the technology, rather on getting government to do it better. It needs to be about optimisation of performance – Many projects failed because the focus was on technology not on reform. Technology is only a part of any project – people and the culture of the organisation are also critically important to the success of initiatives.
Colm argued that if this is true of eGovernment- it is equally true of eInclusion. He highlighted the danger of labeling people as digitally excluded. The Limerick research identified large numbers of people who did not identify technology as relevant to their lives, yet they were using mobile phone technology daily. Telling people that they are excluded is not the best approach – it defines them (often incorrectly) in terms of what they cannot do, or are excluded from. He highlighted the ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) approach of John McKnight as an approach which focuses on assets rather than real or perceived deficiencies. Telling people that they are not part of a new digital world is not terribly useful.
Colm identified the real need to adopt a multi-pronged approach to eInclusion. Yes - we should show people how to use technology and show them how wonderful it is but any response must be contextualized. The industry tends to talk in jargon (Ghz, Mb etc.) rather than telling people what the technology can do. He highlighted the Home Computer Initiative (HCI) which the ISPU developed with the credit unions as a good example of a demand-centered approach.
Following the input there was a short Q&A.
Q - Who will champion eInclusion politically?
Ans -Sean Power is the new minister with responsibility for eInclusion and therefore the political champion for its cause.
Q - Do those at the cutting edge (tutors/community workers etc.)really understand how technology can enhance their own work?
Ans -Colm suggested that these were the people who should be targeted through initiatives as they can be more easily reached and can have an impact through their work.
Q – How can we change the values of those who do not embrace technology?
Ans. – You cannot change the values of people– you should must identify what the values are and build your projects/initiatives in response to them
Q - If government is really serious about eInclusion – shouldn’t money be invested in innovation for the adult and further education sector and community development sector as has happened at third level
Ans. – Colm supported the idea a focus on innovation.
The following is my attempt to post the key points I picked up from his input so feel free to correct me or to offer alternative interpretations of Colms' input.
Colm started by giving some background in relation to eGovernment in Ireland. He said the initial approach was supply led – focused on pushing content online. Mistakes had been made but these mistakes were part of a learning process. The CSO statistics highlighted (as does the Limerick research) that many people were still not engaging. He spoke of the need to learn from analysis and had hoped that the national Research Group would play a key role in this regard.
In some cases the take-up by government agencies was slow. Colm concluded that a business case needed to be made and that the focus should not be on the technology, rather on getting government to do it better. It needs to be about optimisation of performance – Many projects failed because the focus was on technology not on reform. Technology is only a part of any project – people and the culture of the organisation are also critically important to the success of initiatives.
Colm argued that if this is true of eGovernment- it is equally true of eInclusion. He highlighted the danger of labeling people as digitally excluded. The Limerick research identified large numbers of people who did not identify technology as relevant to their lives, yet they were using mobile phone technology daily. Telling people that they are excluded is not the best approach – it defines them (often incorrectly) in terms of what they cannot do, or are excluded from. He highlighted the ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) approach of John McKnight as an approach which focuses on assets rather than real or perceived deficiencies. Telling people that they are not part of a new digital world is not terribly useful.
Colm identified the real need to adopt a multi-pronged approach to eInclusion. Yes - we should show people how to use technology and show them how wonderful it is but any response must be contextualized. The industry tends to talk in jargon (Ghz, Mb etc.) rather than telling people what the technology can do. He highlighted the Home Computer Initiative (HCI) which the ISPU developed with the credit unions as a good example of a demand-centered approach.
Following the input there was a short Q&A.
Q - Who will champion eInclusion politically?
Ans -Sean Power is the new minister with responsibility for eInclusion and therefore the political champion for its cause.
Q - Do those at the cutting edge (tutors/community workers etc.)really understand how technology can enhance their own work?
Ans -Colm suggested that these were the people who should be targeted through initiatives as they can be more easily reached and can have an impact through their work.
Q – How can we change the values of those who do not embrace technology?
Ans. – You cannot change the values of people– you should must identify what the values are and build your projects/initiatives in response to them
Q - If government is really serious about eInclusion – shouldn’t money be invested in innovation for the adult and further education sector and community development sector as has happened at third level
Ans. – Colm supported the idea a focus on innovation.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Third Techfast
The third techfast will take place on Friday next 23rd May. This Friday Colm Butler, Director of Information Society Policy Unit at the Department of the Taoiseach will present ‘E-Inclusion-a national perspective’. Colms role is to promote the public policy agenda for the development of the Information Society in Ireland. The policies are designed to ensure that modern technologies are universally accessible and that everyone has an opportunity to participate in a society being increasingly impacted by technologies that are opening up new possibilities for innovation in government, commerce and in all sectors of society. Colm has long been a friend to the Community ICT Steering Group in Limerick and we very much look forward to his input.
There are still a limited number of places available so if you are interested in coming along you might email me at brendanryan@clvec.ie as Elaine is away on leave this week.
Please keep on commenting on this blog as your input is vital to the ongoing development of our new strategy.
There are still a limited number of places available so if you are interested in coming along you might email me at brendanryan@clvec.ie as Elaine is away on leave this week.
Please keep on commenting on this blog as your input is vital to the ongoing development of our new strategy.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Techfast 16th May, 2008
Gerard Walker is Senior Policy advisor within ForFás. He is responsible for project management, research and policy support to the Expert Group on Future skills needs. Forfás is the government group which provides policy advice on enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation.
Gerard spoke about a national vision of Ireland in 2020; possessing a well educated and highly skilled population which contributes to a competitive, innovation-driven, knowledge based, participative and inclusive society. Within the current workforce, an additional 500,000 people need to be upskilled through either education or training.
He also mentioned that increased emphasis needs to be placed on generic skills like:
· Basic/Fundamental skills such as using information Technology, literacy, using numbers.
· People related skills such as communication, interpersonal, team working, customer-service skills; and
· Conceptual skills such as collecting and organising information, problem solving, planning and organising learning to learn skills, motivation and creativity skills.
There are challenges for the government, Education and Training providers and Employers
Some of the challenges for Education and Training providers:
1. Provision of Education and Training to be flexible and responsive and reflect the needs of individuals and enterprise.
2. Develop suitable mechanisms for interaction between enterprise and education providers.
3. Rapid spread of emerging skills and technologies-effect on sectors and occupations-need to ensure inclusive E-inclusion learning.
4. Emphasis on careers guidance and dissemination labour market information.
Within the formal education system retention rates to leaving certificate need to reach 90% (current rate 82%) by 2020. The progression rate from second to third level should increase to 72% (current rate 55%). In 2020, 94% of thepopulation aged 20-24 should have a second level qualification (current rate 86%).
Throughout his presentation he emphasised the need to ensure that those in the workforce and society have the skills to take advantage of these changes in the labour force. Furthermore, ICT skills are an integral part of the knowledge based economy and their promotion is important. They are skills which are workplace requirement at all levels-higher professional, manufacturing, service sector and administrative positions. ICT is been used to modernise on-line services for citizens, such as issuing passports, birth certificates and payment of road taxes etc. E-business is a growing area, with an increasing level of services and goods been purchased over the internet.
This advance of ICT means that it is important to gain generic-basic ICT Literacy in the use of the most common PC application and use of the Internet. It is also important that ICT skills are developed in late adopters in the information Society. Computer literacy is as necessary today as where reading and writing skills in the previous decade.
*********************************
Feedback after the presentation.....
-Educational and Training needs to respond to changing economic needs
-Address the issue of early school leavers. According to the socio-economic and demographic profile of Limerick City and suburbs[1], based on the 2006 Census of Population. Just under two-thirds of the population in the Limerick City area (over the age of 15) has at least an upper second level education (i.e. Leaving Certificate or equivalent) or higher. However, for one fifth of the population (over the age of 15), their highest level of education is the Junior Certification or equivalent, while 16% have just a primary level education. Just under 1% reported that they have no formal education.
-Structures based on traditional model of education
-One billion euro spent on training and education each year. How much has informal learning received, what is education and training sector still in need of huge re structure and changes?
-Investment needed in training personnel in early childhood (leavers)
-Are there groups nationally working on the ground that community workers in Limerick could connect with?
-One billion euro spent on training and education each year. How much has informal learning received, what is education and training sector still in need of huge re structure and changes?
-Investment needed in training personnel in early childhood (leavers)
-Are there groups nationally working on the ground that community workers in Limerick could connect with?
-We need to fund E&T strategies-training vouchers, individual training accounts
-Where will money come from in terms of upskilling?
-Is there a gender divide in E&T, yes but IT has changed all that.
-2020-'How do you change perceptions of ‘the value of education.' Attitudes shift when you expose people over a period of time to what education has to offer. In disadvantaged areas it is firstly important to recognise where people are coming from.
-Look at non- formal education approach
-Little money been spent in Ireland into innovation in informal learning.
-Is there a problem with measuring informal learning success?
-Is the solution in the learning-tutor make assessment invisible!
-2020-'How do you change perceptions of ‘the value of education.' Attitudes shift when you expose people over a period of time to what education has to offer. In disadvantaged areas it is firstly important to recognise where people are coming from.
-Look at non- formal education approach
-Little money been spent in Ireland into innovation in informal learning.
-Is there a problem with measuring informal learning success?
-Is the solution in the learning-tutor make assessment invisible!
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