Tag: nptech

Hands up whose blog helps them learn? The Charity Commission thinks you're wrong.

I’m frowning at a consultation report published in March 2008 by the Charity Commission.

Public Benefit and the Advancement of Education March 2008 is the commissioners trying to clarify when an educational institution (private school) can or can’t claim charity status. However on page 18 they write:

There are two main aspects to educative merit or value:
• is the subject capable of being of educative value; and
• is the process such that it delivers educative value?

Fair enough, except by way of illustrating point 2 they add:

A modern example might be a ‘wiki’ site which might contain information about
historical events but, as the content is superficial and this information is not
verified in any way, it would not be accepted as having educational value without
positive evidence.
The Commission, having been satisfied on the evidence before it, accepted in a
particular case that an interactive website was a process capable of delivering
educative value as it was capable of delivering learning through improving the
student’s analytical and learning skills.
An individual’s blog, on the other hand, is not likely to be of educative value, as
neither the subject matter nor the process is of educational value.

As an explanation of why key social media tools are mechanisms with limited educational value I would say the report appears to be superficial and I can’t see that the information is verified in any way. I learn huge amounts through my blog and from wikis.

So which of you find your blogs to be of educational value? Which of you have been able to use wikis as a way of learning?

If you want to give the commission feedback on this consultation there doesn’t appear to be a way of commenting online on the document. It would of course be much better on the web not as a clunky pdf but as a wiki or maybe even a blog with a series of pages so we can comment on different aspect of the consultation – and then everyone can learn from it.

The only email address I could find was pressenquiries@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk – which is OK to use because the press office will show a close interest in how the commission communicates and its reputation online.

Bridging the digital divide is about strengthening human networks not internet access.

We can’t bridge the digital divide simply by providing internet access. Stepping across that divide comes when people use the internet to strengthen their social network and enrich their stock of social capital.

When web access is used as an alternative mechanism to passively consume media, adverts, opportunities to buy or even help from public services the power relationship stays essentially unchanged. Earlier today Jo Geary clearly made the point that the digital divide is not simply about acess to technology. Loads of people have access to the internet, but choose to use it rarely or not at all.

That’s what I’m thinking after a couple of hours at the Big Debate on Digital Utopia – Power and powerlessness here in brum. You can watch it here (bambuser provided by Mark Comerford) or read the live coverage here (liveblogged by Pete Ashton).

Chris Unitt blogged about this yesterday, saying that the web becomes attractive to people when we understand they need help reaching it which is pitched at their level.

To my mind the digital divide is much like the economic divide between work and worklessness. If someone has been out of work for a long time it may well be a question of getting them into the flow of new networks, connections that can give them the confidence and the information to find and keep a job.

To step higher up the work chain is again often connected to connections. Strengthening your network to gain greater access to ideas, intelligence, support and encouragement can make the critical difference between being led and becoming a leader. To do this people will often benefit from a mentor or a sponsor, someone in their existing network who’ll get them across the bossed and boss divide.

Also at the big debate was graduate apprentice who’s post neatly summarises some of the key points made during the discussion between: Joanna Geary – Digital Journalist, Birmingham Post; Chris Cooke from Unlimited Media; Anthony Rose – Head of Digital Media for the BBC and Dr Doug Williams – Project Director, BT. Alex Hughes knocked out some neat cartoons for us, whilst Jon Bounds illustrated how online social capital helps substitute for old power conventions rather neatly:

In the pre-internet age, the opinions of panellists, debaters,
those “selected” where the only ones heard and would be automatically
given credence, but now unless the reputation of the speaker precedes
them I can think of twenty people I regularly communicate online with
who would tear the discussion apart with wit and actual experience.It’s those voices that I want to hear and online is the only real way to get them all together.

I was pleased that the Birmingham Post, New Generation Arts Festival and the ICC had brought this group to Birmingham. What really worked for me though was the conversations afterwards, not least bumping into dave Harte in Brindley Place as I left the ICC. Dave blogged this morning about the real question not being today’s question of ‘Digital – More Power or Powerless’ but being Useful or Useless.

But if we are at the forefront then we need to listen to ourselves now
and again. At best we demonstrate the vibrancy of living in an exciting
city with lots to offer but at worst it descends into a curious
uncritical mush and represents our city as one with its head in the
sand – too excitable to see the wheat from the chaff or tell the good
times from the bad.

Time for proof then.

Fair Play – a brief review of this partly online consultation for young people.

I’ve just played the online consultation game from the Department of Children and Families. You can find it here www.dcsf.gov.uk/playspace. Sorry to the folk at the department if I’ve slightly skewed the result. I ticked the over 13 button (which is true) as were the rest of my answers.

I expected to be very dismissive of the game but I was instead interested. It was an intelligent way to use a simple game to narrow down who was sharing their opinions. Allowing choices of things to go on the playground as a reward was a good idea (I immediately chose the treehouse, tunnel and den – why wouldn’t you!). The main problem with the game as a tool for consultation is I have no real incentive to work my way through to the the end. However it might work as a social object – to encourage a group of people to talk about what they want from play areas. It is also only one game – so inevitably won’t be well enough targeted for different age groups.

There is a separate online questionnaire, which I imagine is where the department is really expecting to get useful data. This, and all the other information could do with being more smoothly integrated. At the moment the game has it’s own set of pages, the rest simply appears on the web in a way which suits the department internal bureaucracy rather than the user. The game ought to have it’s own site with all the other information radiating out from that. It also would work best as w widget or some sort of onlne object which can be integrated into other people’s sites, myspace pages etc. Then the audience can distribute the consultation.

Summary:

  • A good stab
  • Not in the slightest web 2.0
  • Would have benefited from being executed with more conviction.

Youtube Insights – Analytics for Youtube

This isn’t new – but I’ve just become aware of Google Analytics thanks to this tweet.

Very useful tool for telling us the age/gender and location of the people who are watching our Youtube films. You can find it by clicking on My Account once you’re logged into Youtube and scrolling down until you see a link to Insight.

Surprisingly almost all Podnosh viewers on youtube are from the UK, which is good because the films are designed to encourage improvements in neighbourhoods in the UK.

What next? I couldn’t find more detailed geographic data – like city etc. Will google extend analytics with more info if you pay?