Knowle West Media Centre meets Chris Pickering
November 21, 2006 Posted by Roz in : Education, Digital Challenge, Wireless, Community Media, Media, e-society, Learning, Skills, jobs, Technology , 2 comments26 October 2006
I travelled to KWMC where I met with Chris Pickering, Director of Future Learning, a social enterprise providing training opportunities in Knowle West. Chris told me about his involvement with Knowle West Web and how he has worked closely with Kevin and Diane Jeffries to support them in putting local people on line.
Chris talked about Knowle West and said that the day has gone when you could get local people to go into spaces for training. He told me that he thinks that local people want less consultation and more action. He said that, instead of trying to get people to attend training sessions, the emphasis needs to be on going into people’s homes to work with them.
Chris told me that he has recently obtained funding from UKonline for someone to go around door-to-door to do training in internet and email and also to help people work out how they can use digital technology to ends that are useful to them. He said that Steve Woods of Bristol Wireless has been doing this to a certain extent already.
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Wireless mapping
November 3, 2006 Posted by Clare in : Digital Challenge, Wireless, Bristol , 8 comments
Ever wondered where in Bristol you can wirelessly access the web for free? Cityspace runs a large free to access Wi Fi network in the city centre. They have used Google Earth to create a map of their coverage. You can look at a full size screengrab of their Streetnet coverage map here or download the Google Earth file.
Connecting Bristol and SubSub are also taking up the wireless mapping challenge and are in the process of producing a map of all of the open wireless networks in the city. People will be able to upload their own networks and see where the coverage blackspots are. Watch this space.
Correspondence with Ronnie Corbett
October 31, 2006 Posted by Woodsy in : Digital Challenge, Wireless, Bristol, Regeneration, e-society, Mentoring, Learning, Skills , 3 commentsBristol Wireless has recently received an email from Ronnie Corbett, warden of Princess Royal Gardens in Redfield, where they installed an LTSP suite of allegedly ‘redundant’ computers in the residents’ common room. Ronnie now wishes to reach out to the local community and invite them in, where the resident mentoring team of silver surfers will be on hand to assist. The text of Ronnie’s email is reproduced below:
“I am writing on behalf of a group of elderly people in sheltered housing seeking education through lifelong learning, who have been assisted by Bristol Wireless and the Bristol Quartet to set up computer suites in several sheltered housing schemes that enable us to seek out information on any subject and in addition to obtain and have access to the same information as everyone else.
“Our wish is to share our use of the internet service and computer suite with the wider community and also to use the computers to connect and contact our neighbouring communities across Bristol and the world so as to enhance our lives and the lives of our fellow elderly people, regardless of their colour, creed, political persuasion or sexual preference.
“Much has already been achieved, but before we can invite those members of the wider community into Princess Royal Gardens, it will be necessary to make safe and hide all the wiring behind trunking and all the work that entails. We need funding to do this, which forms the next part of this worthwhile project. Bristol Quartet has already kindly provided grant aid to train 16 elderly people in the use of computers. Those 16 people have in turn acted as mentors, passing on what they have learnt to some thirty others and brought people together in a contented atmosphere of integration.
“The people who will benefit are the elderly, i.e. over 55s, plus anyone who may need help or who is lonely and isolated, any who are referred to us and who would wish to join us at times and dates to be arranged. This would also include anyone who fits the criterion of over 55 and who just wishes to be somewhere with people of their own age. We have no barrier to grandchildren. In fact, we welcome and encourage the children to help Gran or Granddad to use the computers effectively.
“Trusting that you feel our plea for funding is a worthy one, we thank you in anticipation and say thank you for all your previous help.
Yours sincerely
Ronald Corbett
Scheme Manager, Princess Royal Gardens”
If you feel you can help Ronnie, please feel free to call him on 07769882803 or email him.
Schools mediascape site launched today
October 26, 2006 Posted by Clare in : Education, Wireless, Community Media, Innovation, News, Technology , 2 commentsFuturelab today launch the Create-A-Scape website, with the support of the DfES and HP Labs, to enable teachers and students to create mediascapes as easily as possible and to find all the resources they need to make them in one place.
A mediascape is composed of sounds and images placed virtually outside. The images and sounds can then be accessed by a handheld computer (PDA) and a pair of headphones. An optional GPS unit can automatically trigger the images and sounds when you are standing in the right place.
Create-A-Scape was inspired by Futurelab prototype research projects which demonstrated the enormous potential of mobile technology for learning. Futurelab identified a significant need for a tool of this type among educators and, with support from the DfES and HP Labs, turned the idea into a learning resource that is freely available to everybody.
