blueIRIS4learning2
Earlier this year the Northwest Regional Intelligence Unit completed
a major survey of citizens in the region concluding that 66% of the
population feel that they need training in ICT skills. The percentage
in Lancashire was highest at 68.9%
The percentage of citizens who have used a personal computer across
Lancashire is 57.9%, with an expected reduction on percentage with
increasing age (18 – 24 84.3% to 65 20.3%)
It is no wonder then that there was some reservation from certain
onlookers about the way visually impaired people might be willing to
adopt the ideas of blueIRIS. What we discovered was that the
project, which had enlisted its 15 trial users initially, created a
queue of other interested and willing takers. Even at the early
test phase it was a matter of limiting the trials to 50 users.
The blueIRIS project provides people with a new experience. A
'just-in-time' link to the world through up-to-date articles and
information about local communities and the world at large - wherever
they have access to a computer.
The project is also exploring the accessibility of its content through
even more interesting mediums, namely ‘set-top box’ stream players that
do not require a computer at all.
Whatever the medium used, the easier and better suited to accessibility
the better. A service such as blueIRIS can provide users with a
compelling context and a friendly interface to independence.
Anyone with friends or family who are uninspired or afraid to use
computers and the Internet knows how independence is the key first step
to encouraging them to learn new skills and take control of their own
destinies. Indeed, this is no different for any learning.
blueIRIS has something that is rare in this day and age. A
passionate volunteer base exists at the “Talking News”. Although
it is early days, research is being undertaken to determine what users
of the service actually want. The project is working with blind
and visually impaired members to establish their interests, and through
encouraging them to contribute ideas and even become the subject of
interviews; it goes a long way towards ensuring that their focus meets
their needs and interests.
As the skill and confidence of participants grows, blueIRIS will be
able to incorporate increasingly sophisticated interactive
technologies, among these teaching blind individuals to use podcasts
will certainly feature. The idea might be, by establishing high
standards of presentation, that the pioneers of the blind community can
inspire others with their example and their authentic stories.
Yet audio also lends itself well to dialogue, and community inspires
participation, so an easy to use audio blog with key topics such as
“useful tips”, “ help please!” or a “what I’d like folks to know” may
help to build members’ confidence to begin to tell their stories. This
is for the future.
We've long known that the best learning comes about through active
participation, problem solving, working collaboratively, and people
developing a sense of ownership.
blueIRIS provides the context and technology that helps to bring people
together, and strengthens the community by the very action of sharing
information. As a solution for learning, there is quite a way to
go, but we feel that it might be just right to support people enough to
help to increase their knowledge, their experience and their skills and
offer them a way of appropriating the new technologies for themselves
to reduce dependency on others.
It’s a dream, turning into reality that we invite you to share in…………