As technologies get ever more powerful and sophisticated, and as fast Internet access spreads more widely, there is always a danger of some people getting left behind. One way of making sure that everyone gets a chance to engage with the online world is to deploy as many ‘enabling technologies’ as possible. These items of software or hardware are often not very expensive (the software is sometimes free), and it is generally not ‘rocket science’ to deploy them. Last month, the QIA launched a new service aimed at the English sectors – but anyone can use it. It is an online toolkit produced by TechDis which guides you through the main issues faced by users with various impairments, and explains how to approach resolving these, or at least making ‘reasonable adjustments’. Amongst the many strengths of this toolkit is that it has been prepared in consultation with knowledgeable stakeholders, and it is heavily user-focused. Resources of this nature sometimes just list, or perhaps review, potential solutions. This does much more than that; it guides the reader through the issues involved, allowing an informed selection of the most appropriate tools. Have a look at this resource at http://excellence.qia.org.uk/page.aspx?o=jisctechdis

The TechDis site is also well worth visiting. It’s at

http://www.techdis.ac.uk/

“Education is all a matter of building bridges.” (Ralph Waldo Ellison)

“A fo ben bid bont” “Who would lead should be a bridge” (Mabinogion)

The JISC Regional Support Centre Wales (RSC Wales), in partnership with NIACE Dysgu Cymru, Communities@One, and the North Wales Probation Service is pleased to announce that it will be holding a special conference on E-Learning, for the benefit of the ACL, Voluntary and Criminal Justice Sectors. The conference will take place on March 4th and 5th 2009 at the Pavilion, Llandrindod Wells, under the title “Building Bridges”.

The purposes of the conference are:-

To raise awareness of the opportunities which new technologies present.

To showcase examples of good practice.

To facilitate discussion of the challenges which organisations currently face as they incorporate technologies into their systems, including those related to funding and quality.

We invite stakeholders in the target sectors to contribute to this conference. Contributions should address at least one of the following themes:

Inclusion:  Serving the needs of learners who belong to groups which are typically excluded from learning.

Engagement: Using a range of strategies to encourage active learning and wide engagement.

Empowerment: Enabling Learners to achieve new skills and qualifications.

Contributions will be accepted in a range of formats, and may include:

Spoken presentations (20 or 45 mins)

Workshop activities (45 mins)

Posters

Multimedia (video/ DVD, etc.)

Presentations may be in Welsh or English.

You are invited to submit a short abstract (no more than 300 words), showing how the conference themes will be addressed in your contribution. Please indicate the type of presentation from the list above, and send your submission by email to p.b.r.richardson@swansea.ac.uk, by December 4th .

We will consider all submissions, and will accommodate as many as we can. We will let you know whether or not you have been successful by December 19th.

If you would like to discuss any of the above, please contact Paul Richardson by email, or on 07813634522.