Digital Britain announcments - like buses - long wait and they all come at once

So, finally after all the anticipation, we have the Digital Britain report, we have a new Digital Champion and the dust is settling after a huge flurry of Twittering and media comment. A very busy day and everything happened all at once … Martha Lane Fox; someone who is immensely digitally included, is to champion the issues of those that are not - those with fixed lines will have to pay a £6 a year tax to help fund the roll our of 2mgb per home to even the most rural of houses. The report does however bring together digital, economic and social agendas and provides a good base from where to move forward.

DC10plus network would like to welcome Martha Lane Fox to the new role and looks forward to meeting her and sharing ideas with her over the coming months.

Gordon Brown stated that he is, “determined that Britain’s digital infrastructure will be world class… it is all part of building Britain’s future beyond the difficult, short-term economic conditions. We must continue to invest to become a world leader in the new high-tech, low-carbon industries of the future by reigniting the British genius for invention, discovery and trade - to capitalise on our strengths.”

Whether 2mgb per household is enough to put Britain at the cutting edge of ‘world class’ is entirely questionable, certainly the FSB feels that these proposals don’t go anything like far enough.  A reTweeted post on Twitter currently reads frequently heard yesterday: “i haven’t read this report, but i’m disappointed to hear…” #digitalbritain #dbuc09 …

At 240 pages there is alot to digest and comment will continue to come over the next weeks but you can read the overview and some of the earlier reports here and we will continue to add sources of commentary to this list. DC10plus network welcomes the Digital Britain report and looks forward to building on the work we have already done and rolling out the exemplar products and projects across the country.

Gordon Brown article from The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6506136.ece

Stephen Carter in the FT
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/38756bbc-59dc-11de-b687-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

Digital Britain forum blog
http://digitalbritainforum.org.uk/2009/06/final-report-published/

The full Digital Britain report available to download here
http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/6216.aspx

Online reaction to the report - including the Digital Britain wordle
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/jun/16/digital-britain-twitter

ISPs association call the Digital Britain report pragmatic
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=20404

IT industry gives the report a ‘muted’ thumbs up
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=20403

Helen Milner, MD of UK Online centres of welcomed the report, “People are the real heart of this report, and it’s their use of technology which will drive Britain out of recession. Having one in four people excluded from the digital world will hold us back, while engaging and supporting them will propel us forwards. I’m delighted to see Carter amplify that view in the final Digital Britain report, to see Estelle Morris’ recommendations for new action on digital skills provision, and to see Martha appointed to ensure emerging policies work for real people.”

Rural response from CRC
http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/events/aruralperspectiveondigitalbritain

CLA (Country Landowners Association) feel that the report provides a tipping point but still fails to recognise the urgency of the need for universal high speed broadband access in rural areas.
http://www.cla.org.uk/News_and_Press/Latest_Releases/Rural_Economy/Broadband/107193.htm/

Peter Shearman from Intellect provides a useful summary (”unravelling”) of the report on the BSG blog
http://www.broadbanduk.org/blog/?p=100

Journalist Bill Thomson who was a part of the UnConference team responded , “The result, though far from perfect, offers a good basis for work on the detail of implementation and legislation, and there are clear signs that those who want to engage will be able to do so.” More from his blog here
http://www.thebillblog.com/billblog/index.php/2009/06/16/digital-britain-engaging-with-the-internet/

Lindsey Annison at 5tth blogspot - the champions of Fibre to the Home is not convinced about the new levvy
http://5tth.blogspot.com/2009/06/50pmonth-is-simply-not-enough.html

Many are yet to comment formally including the CBI, SOCTM and the LGA, but keep checking back here for updates.

A trip to Sunderland…

A busy day was had in Sunderland on Thursday,4th June. 

Our day began at 9.30 at the Digital Challenge offices where Steve Gowland, Programme Manager, Sunderland Digital Challenge gave us an interesting presentation on the background of Sunderland and the work of the Digital Challenge team, highlighting some of the key projects and programmes and providing an overview of their “where people matter” approach to the programme.

We then jumped into the car for our first visit: Washington Church of Christ.

Washington Church of Christ is not only a church on Sundays but during the week it forms a thriving Community Centre that plays host to many of the area’s community groups. It is a local community hub which now has ICT at its very heart thanks to the delivery of two laptops through the equipment loan scheme set up by the Digital Challenge team. Organisations such as Sunderland Wood Turners, Washington Asylum Seekers Project, Yorkshire Online, WEA, Age Concern, Women’s Integration Craft Group, Brownies, and Guides use the busy EVH (Electronic Village Hall) which has nine computers with internet access. Church pastor Joseph Hannan became a Community e-Champion and recognised how ICT could be used to increase learning, inclusion and social and cultural opportunities. This is a good example of how the City Council has liaised and consulted with members of the community to find out their needs. Washington Church of Christ is run by local people to help others to integrate into the community. Between 500 and 1,000 people from the Community use the building every week for a variety of purposes.

 

Washington Church of Christ is currently a very busy Community Centre, and the installation of an electronic village hall brings a whole new dimension to the work they do with the community. As well as all the courses they plan to run in conjunction with Sunderland College and the Learning Partnership such as ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), the installation of the equipment will give the Centre wider appeal to new as well as existing users in the community. On our visit we saw first hand how the facilities in the IT suite benefited the members of the community where people were learning English through programmes set up on the computers.

We then travelled to Blue Watch in Ryhope. Blue Watch is a youth centre club which encourages young people to participate in a range of activities including sports, cooking, film nights and trying their hands at music. There are also plenty of opportunities for the youngsters to try activities outside the youth club, from ten pin bowling and laser quest to cycle maintenance. Blue Watch is amongst one of the projects who have benefited from the equipment loan scheme set up by the Digital Challenge team. The youth centre has been able to have access to an extensive range of IT equipment. Blue watch has an IT suite available to all Blue Watch youth members to use.

Our last trip was to Amble Tower which consists of 16 social housing blocks which all have IT suites available for residents. By communicating with residents about the sort of facilities they would like they were given an IT suite in each housing block. The IT suite we looked at had around 8 computers with free internet provided. The IT suite is accessible for all the residents to use freely. They were also looking into having IT sessions to teach residents how to use the facilities effectively.

Demonstration of Portal and Telesafe

After our three visits, we all jumped back into the car and made our way back to the Digital Challenge office where we were lucky enough to be shown a demonstration of the new Digital Challenge Portal ( based on the popular networking site, Facebook) which is being developed by the team and due to be launched soon.  The Digital Challenge portal is an online network relating to digital challenge/inclusion/engagement. It is aimed to be used by a variety of different groups and communities who have been involved in the Digital Challenge work to collaborate and share information and ideas.

We were then given a demonstration of Telesafe. This is a tracking device which can be used on any mobile phone and on any network. The project is designed specifically for ‘ at risk’ staff in case of an emergency. It is also being trialled by a 16 year old boy, Scott with ADHD and his mum who was afraid to give him independence in case there was an emergency. This device allows his mum to track via her mobile where he is at a specific time which is shown on a map. If Scott does get into any difficulty all he has to do is press a button on his mobile phone to let his mum know he is in trouble and the map will show his exact location.

This was another great example of how technology has been used as an enabler to really make a difference to people’s lives, giving Scott his much needed independence, saving the family money and time and ensuring less stress for Scott and his mum.

Another exciting development which we were informed about was the launch of their Community Health Information Point (CHIP)which are going live this Friday. The  Health Points allow the measurement of a persons weight, body mass index and blood pressure etc) and take them through an (optional) health questionnaire that will produce personalised advice with regards a healthier lifestyle The kiosks can be used to provide health related information and also site specific content (opening times, contacts, events, etc) and are being placed where the community go such as youth centres and pubs. We where told one of the first CHIP’s will be placed in the Washington Church of Christ.

Our Sunderland visit was very insightful. The places we visited have all in some way benefited from the use of technology.  Some people used it to learn news skills such as learning English, or to research important information, others used it to buy presents for their grandchildren and friends. The presence of technology has acted as an enabler for people in the community in terms of social inclusion, learning new skills and developing confidence in their own ability.

 

For more info on Sunderlands digital challenge projects please click here

Unconference final report on Digital Britain

For ‘More Ideas than you can Shake a Stick at’ on digital inclusion and the future of Digital Britain you should take a look at the final Unconference report http://digitalbritainunconference.wordpress.com/final-report/

Developed as a result of informal, interative ‘unconferences’ across the country (from Didcot to Derbyshire, Truro to London) in early May this report represents a real overview of ‘grass roots’ opinion on where Lord Carter should be looking to work for a truly Inclusive Digital Britain.

You can also sign your name on the bottom of the report - should you be so inclined

Bit of light reading for you

Lots of new stuff has been published on the DCLG website today on community empowerment, LAAs, influencing decision making etc. This is to coincide with the Second Reading in the Commons yesterday of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill.
The big evidence report (3rd link down) has lots of examples from Bristol.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1242592

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/communitiesprogressreport

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localdecisionreview

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localdecisionlessons

thanks Stephen Hilton for sending this over

GCSEs in under 140 characters

Read today about plans in a London school to introduce a Social Media element into their curriculum in the next academic year … to teach young people how to make the most of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, digg and so on to build their career, look for opportunities and maximise the potential benefits from self promotion and a raised understanding of the issues around these networks and tools.

With increasing numbers of Councils, Councillors, Govt Departments and MPs using Twitter (TweetyHall), their own blog sites it really is important that like it or loathe it, there is an understanding of the best way to exploit social media.

It may be that the mainstream media is onboard with a campaign, or an issue, no notice is taken of the online Twitterati community. Risky business it is easy to miss core and ground swell of comment. M&S turned this to their advantage recently having been initially unaware of the busts4justice campaign which started on Facebook complaining about the additional £2 M&S were charging for bigger bras … the campaign group grew to over 14,000 members and M&S were shamed in the media - before they then turned the whole problem to their advantage and admitted they had “boobed” and took away the large bust levvy.

Kellogs had a similar experience with their Michael Phelps campaign and their brand identity suffered badly (check out the thread on reddit http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/7v8ew/kelloggss_drops_michael_phelps_contract_everyone/ )

Knowing what people are saying online in blogs and on social networking sites is critical to really understand public perception.

There is alot that the Public sector can learn in terms of social media monitoring - and engaging via multiple online platforms. It is no longer enough to simply ‘have a website’ it is important to interact and to understand how to work with these online communities.

As far as learning about social media in school it may that these lessons become even more interactive with many pupils understanding the way the sites work (often more so than their teachers) but then through iterative discussion the broader realisation of ‘life’ benefits. Exciting times …

I also read today that at the end of March 2009, following a review of the UK primary school curriculum, recommendations were put forward to teach children under 11 how to use social networking sites, such as Twitter, as well as blogs, webcams and podcasts. Sir Jim Rose, a former director of inspections at Ofsted, advised young children needed to develop an understanding of different ways to communicate online.

Perhaps local authority social media courses are the way to go …

So - if you haven’t already got a Twitter account - try it … DC10plus network have been ‘out there’ for a few months now and the insights into what is going on not just in the UK but internationally in the digital engagment space have been thought provoking and tremendously useful…

just some of the sites that will be being covered in the new lessons
http://wordpress.org/
http://www.blogger.com/home
http://digg.com/
http://www.flickr.com/
http://www.ning.com/
http://delicious.com/
https://www.yammer.com/
http://www.facebook.com
hrrp://www.reddit.com
follow your interests, issues, Twitter account and other searches with Tweetdeck or Twitterfall

and you can always follow us
http://www.twitter.com/dc10plusnetwork