I wrote earlier this week about the RaceOnline Manifesto for a Networked Nation , and at the end of that posting I mentioned the consultation on Digital Inclusion which was recently launched by the Welsh Assembly Government. These documents have different purposes and tenors, but they address the same theme.

 As the title indicates, the consultation document ‘Delivering Digital Inclusion: a Strategic Framework for Wales’ supplies a Welsh context, and provides strategic leadership. It does not, however, link to any funding opportunities. This is an important (but fully understandable) limitation, especially in the light of the recent disappointing news on the rescoping of the Digital Participation Programme.

 This aside, there is much to like about this document. For me a key element is the thoughtful strategic approach to stakeholder engagement. Crucially, the strategy incorporates are recognition of existing activity. No initiative starts from scratch. The document recognises this by the inclusion of a round-up of many of the best and most positive current and recent developments in this area. However, the authors also recognise that it is a tall order to make this kind of review comprehensive, and accordingly a mechanism is provided for other stakeholders to identify themselves as part of the consultation. Hence, organisations and groups which are not mentioned in the document can outline their work, and indicate how this aligns with the strategy. This is a very refreshing approach, which promises to bring the full range of stakeholders ‘on board’.

 A second key aspect which I find very helpful is the discussion of the barriers which must be overcome, in order for the strategy to succeed, The list is comprehensive, and includes  socio-economic, motivational, and technical constraints, which should allow for the full range of barriers  to be understood and addressed in a concerted manner.  In my view, this approach helps to raise the document above the level of a ‘call to arms’, and turns it into a useful working guide to the actions which will be needed in order to realise the vision.

 This initiative provides hope for genuine widened access in Wales. I hope that many individuals, groups and organisations will choose to take part in the consultation.

The RaceOnline 2012 Manifesto for a Networked Nation was launched yesterday. “This manifesto is a rallying cry for us all to create a truly networked nation” declares the document at the outset. It aims at a very wide target audience, and as a result, blends an outline of the evidence for investing in this area, with a ‘call to arms’ and an action plan involving a network of local champions drawn, presumably, from the voluntary sector. The manifesto will serve as a useful reference point for many, but I also worry that this breadth of purpose may undermine some of its very worthy intent.

The data provided varies between the statistically robust and the downright speculative, and none of it is referenced in any meaningful way. I assume that much of it comes from the PriceWaterhouse Coopers report of 2009 referred to here, but not referenced in full.  The manifesto fails to recognise uncertainties in the evidence. For example, the case for the positive impact of the Internet on children’s education is assumed here, whereas there is also some surprising evidence that the reverse may be true.

There are times when the manifesto seems too concerned with getting the reader on its side, and fails to probe the complexities of the issues. We really need to know more about the many and complex reasons why are so many people are offline. The manifesto discusses  costs and motivation, but it fails to mention ‘notspots’, or the issue of connecting people who have no landline connection (and there are plenty of those).  Will the action plan exclude them? Not necessarily, one hopes, but the methods by which they will connect, and the hardware they use, will be much different, and the network of local champions which the report envisions will have to take account of this.

The manifesto repeatedly refers to “a networked nation”, without mentioning the four countries which comprise the UK. This is not a trivial issue, since mechanisms for funding and regulation vary across the four countries, and there are significant cultural differences (e.g. language) which could have a bearing here. Crucially, these funding differences have led to the creation of the UKOnline Centres in England, but not elsewhere.  However, the manifesto does not consider whether or not the actions which it recommends need to be different in the Celtic nations, where there are no UKOnline Centres.

Given the very broad target audience, I would also have liked to see more attention paid to the needs of disabled people in the way the document is presented. There are a disconcerting number of different fonts on display here, in least three different colours. The dark pink was hard to see, and the pale pink was completely illegible to my (only slightly impaired) vision. This is at odds with the stated aim to “ensure that products and services are usable and accessible for older and disabled people”.

Overall, I suspect that this manifesto will receive only a muted round of applause in some quarters. However, it does point the way to some vitally important work which needs to be done. To do this, we need to gain a much more complete understanding of the nature of the barriers which we are up against, as well as to rally people to the cause.

Those of us in Wales also have another way to participate in this agenda. This is the Welsh Assembly Government’s consultation paper: “Delivering Digital Inclusion:  a Strategic Framework for Wales”. You have until September 9^th to respond to this very important call.

Over the years, I have listened to the old dialogue about the interplay between technology and teaching practice many times. As I understand it, it runs something like this. Someone says: “Technology changes practice, because it forces people to rethink their whole approach”. Then someone else says: “Ah, but technology is just a set of tools to support practice; a really good teacher can work with a some bluetak and a flipchart”.  And so on. This one can go on for a long time, if you have some determined people arguing on both sides. Occasionally, you can hear people arguing both sides at once.

Quite a nice way to avoid discussions like this going around in circles is to role-play. Not necessarily literally, but at least to try out a different perspective on the problem, by thinking yourself into a different role.  At yesterday’s ‘Learning in a Digital Wales’ conference, Dougald Hine essentially invited an audience of teachers  to think like journalists for 45 minutes, and the effect was highly refreshing.

Once you try this, you may find this is not such a great leap of imagination. Journalists and teachers both learn new things, and then tell others about them. The best people in both professions also allow the learner/reader/listener/ viewer to see how they are thinking about a specific problem. This requires skill, confidence, and ability to think on one’s feet. There is a combination of solid preparation and ‘flying by the seat of one’s pants’ in both professions.

Then along comes technology. Dougald was able to show us stark examples of how technology has impacted on journalism.  For example, he described scenarios where demonstrators have died in unclear and controversial circumstances, possibly at the hands of the police. How do we know what happened? Eyewitness reports can be confused. How do we judge the assumptions which reporters are making? Above all, how can we get accuracy? The concept of the ‘citizen journalist’ is perhaps  one way forward. Mobile phones are potentially the perfect tool, offering instant recording and rapid dissemination. Broadly speaking, anyone can record, or write, and anyone can publish. This changes things entirely, ideally in a way which can empower people.  The ramifications are immense.

Likewise, in education, technology can also spread the power around more equally. It can give learners a stronger voice by enabling them to write their own stuff, make their own images, and construct their own learning in a host of new ways.

But this potentially utopian vision also has a dark side. In education, as in journalism, new technologies have the potential to break open traditional business models in a way which newspapers, broadcaster, and universities find deeply threatening. This, in my view, is where the parallels become really powerful. If content is king, is user-generated content the heir apparent? In the world of the read-write web, how do we know whose output to trust? Do we make our own judgements? If not, who has the authority to do this on our behalf? Moreover, how do newspapers, or for that matter universities, remain economically viable in an era when people have access to so much free digital material? Do they, perhaps, give content away, and then sell added-value services? We can’t be sure what will happen next, but profound change to educational organisations seems inevitable. Dougald’s innovative work with School of Everything  shows one possible way ahead. Others are emerging all the time.

There are clearly many more questions than answers, and I would not attempt to address them here. However, I do plan to watch our journalistic colleagues closely to see how they adjust to the changes ahead, and how they exploit the new opportunities.  I may just learn something.