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.

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.

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.

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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?

-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!

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Useful links

For your information as a follow-up to the previous post by Elaine and the follow-up comment from Aine Lyne, the following are 2 useful links

www.learnlocal.ie - CLVECs Community learning site (using moodle)
www.communitylink.ie/kiosks - Hompage for the Community Based Kiosks and the link for information on all Learning Opportunities available in communities, in the City and beyond.

PS - Great to see the Blog taking off - 25 contributions to date (posts and comments) - We are really building an invaluable resource to help our planning process so thanks to everybody whi is contributing and keep it up by continueing to add your comments.

Tomorrows Techfast input from Gerard Walker promises to focus our minds on the rapid pace of change globally and how we can best respond to the new emerging challenges.

Community Update

Yesterday, May 14th I attended the Cluster meeting in Southill. These meetings are held once a year to dicuss allocation of classes and timetables by the VEC. It was great to hear feedback from the Southill community network about the success of technology and digital skills uptake and interest within the community. For example, the local schools had huge success with the 'surf to learn' classes for parents and their children and called for more intergenerational learning schemes to be initiated. The digital photography courses was very popular for young males and many are looking to go to an advanced level. Is was agreed that running information classes for parents about Bebo would be worth planning for next roll out. The Community Adult Education group have in response to the ICT research decided to start a new course called 'Computers for the Terrified.' Likewise the ALSS have rolled out a texting and Internet and emailing course. It is fantastic to see such a practical and quick response to our research. Well done and thanks to all involved!!

Techfast 2008-May 9th

Our short presentation kicked off with Jim Breen who is the CEO of Pulse learning. Jim came to talk about inclusive e-learning and gave an inspiration talk about his own experiences and move into a career in Technology. This session was very much about how we could be more inclusive and apply technology to closing the digital divide. We need to have a compelling vision of how becoming a digital community will benefit the community and the individuals in it - tackling social deprivation and widening opportunities. Feedback from individuals and groups will allow us to develop an achievable and practical plan for reaching that vision.
Here are some of the ideas from Friday morning!

What would make people interested?
-Sense of achievement
-Power of knowledge
-Currency
-Social networking

Provide the tools
-I phone in every hand
-Formal learning is decaying! Informal learning solutions needed.
-Build off other successes---learn from tried and tested
-Keep language jargon free
-Go for the most ambitious idea- even if it is not likely to succeed, work on area where there is an interest and magnify success. Success feeds off ambition!
-Report---problems with report in that people can’t read-how to deal with literacy problems
-Technology ---fear amongst Teachers about using Technology. Once the first step is made the learning curve to adapt technology is small.
-Culture change to technology---technology embrace by all (used as a way to improve literacy.)
-Create a whole network of learning in community---a critical mass of web users. Communities of learners.
-Break the taboos----use technology as a tool rather than technology for technology sake.
-Free wireless broadband---pay people to use it---would that work?
-Google and social networking---currency and value as technologies
-Internet --supports social networking
-Corporate world---technology given where they need to do the job
-Focus on the Interest, not the internet and in order to see, first engage!

The plan is nothing, planning is everything.

All of these should come under an umbrella where there is a broad partnership which includes the key players (e.g. local authority, schools, private sector etc) who can make the initiative happen in our community. The hope is that we can create a comprehensive and sustainable future management plan.

Progressing the new Strategic Plan - Emerging Themes

The Steering Group met yesterday afternoon to reflect on the report of the round table discussions which took place at the launch of the research . As a result of this reflection the following were identified as key emerging themes / potential strategic priorities for the new plan which will provide a framework for Limerick Community ICT Steering Group to respond to the issues identified by the research and further elaboarated in the round table discussions.

1) AWARENESS
It was agreed that significant work will need to be done on the area of awareness raising of the benefits of ICT and that this will need to be accompanied with lots of encouragement and supported opportunities to embrace the various forms of ICT. This work needs to be done within the Steering Group, with community centres, education and service providers as well as among the target group of those identified in the research if the key aim of addressing the attitudinal barriers identified is to be met.

2) EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The key concern here is to work towards the integration of ICT into all forms of learning opportunities.

3) EMBRACING ICT IN DAILY PRACTISE WITHIN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
WORK
The key concern here is to provide opportunities, resources and support to those within the community setting to embrace ICT as part of the day to day work and so be resourced to support those curently excluded to have more and more opportunities to experience the direct benifits of ICT.

4) INFRASTRUCTURE
The opportunities identified as important above can only become a reality if the the physical infrastucure is there. The concern is to bring the best tools available to bear on the target communties and to develop models of best practise in that regard.


5) BUILDING STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
Cutting accross all of the above is the commitment to building strategic alliances and working in partnership in responding to the issues raised by the research. As the planning continues towards firming up strategic priorites, agreeing objectives and identifying actions it will become clearer which agencies , organisations and groups are best placed to work with the ICT Steering Group on planning and delivering individual responses to particular issues.


6) TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Also cutting accross all of the above is a priority commitment to the provision of appropriate techincal support .

YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE ABOVE IS MOST WELCOME
Have we ommitted something that is key?
Do you have a question or a comment re any of the above?
Please post your comments and so participate in a very real way in the development of the strategic plan.
With thanks

Notes from working groups

Below please find a summary of the main themes and ideas emerging from the groupwork on 4th April. A Full version report including the background, purpose,methods and outputs from the day are available full notes

Summary Notes

Summary of key Issues / Challenges From Working Groups (April 4, 2008)

Barriers to the successsful Adoption of ICT
Attitudinal The perceived lack of relevance of ICT within the target communities was the key barrier to inclusion identified. Fear was also identified as a significant barrier.

Awareness Related to the attitudinal barrier is the lack of awareness of the benefits of ICT and information in relation to how much it already is a part of peoples lives

Physical Adequate physical access to computers was identified as another key barrier.

Financial Related to the physical barrier is the identified financial barrier namely the cost of computers/ internet access/ technical support

Specific There was strong feedback from the round table discussions in relation to the need to understand and respond to the particular barriers experienced by specific target groups – women, young people, older people

Educational Issues
ICT needs to be integrated into all educational opportunities
The focus needs to be on skills for life, and delivery of training needs to be flexible, and of immediate relevance
There needs to be strong collaboration between all stakeholders (education providers and the community sector)
Poor literacy skills need to be addressed, and the use of jargon needs to be minimised
Provision of courses/ training is not enough – it is imperative that there is appropriate technical back up for individuals, families, and those working in the community sector
In education provision there needs to be a move towards learner driven approaches, a move from teaching to resourcing/ facilitating


Resources
Resource needs to adequately respond to the issues raised by the research were identified by schools, adult education providers, and community centres
Volunteers were identified as a possible key resource, as was the corporate sector.

Common Ideas/ Emerging Themes
1) There was strong feedback that the Limerick Community ICT Steering Group will need to learn from others – for example to contact those involved with the Ennis experiment
2) A key focus of the response needs to be focussed on the attitudinal barriers – the need for fun approaches to demystify and show the relevance and benefits of ICT to target groups.
3) The response will also need to identify and respect that some people will choose not to engage with ICT
4) There needs to be a creative approach to revisioning ICT education provision with increased emphasis on informal, flexible, and immediately relevant training that is cognizant of literacy needs and that minimises jargon without dumbing down the content.
5) Appropriate access to computers within the community with adequate technical support needs to be planned, resourced and delivered.
6) Responses to the issues and needs identified will best be developed with a collaborative approach between the education, community and corporate sectors
7) Financial resources will need to be identified to respond to the issues and needs identified

Next steps
The information gathered during today will used to further explore the issues identified and to develop the key strategic responses to the issues and challenges identified in the research. Engagement will continue through this blog and through updates at each of the four breakfast meetings. Your feedback will help us shape and develop the startegic plan.