Fibre to the gate is only half the story. How about affordable high-speed Internet?

Access to the Internet appears to be one of the key sticking points for those students who are based in the lowest socio-economic communities. While this factor seems to be pretty logical, maybe it is less obvious that low decile schools and/or small rural schools would also struggle to access affordable high-speed Internet. Rachel Roberts comments "I know there are lots of issues around equity and access for RBI though I had never considered decile rating to be part of the digital divide ...", and shares Cost bar keeps fibre dream out of classrooms(written by Kirsty Johnston).

 

Internet Penetration (% Population). Red indicates no statistics available. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A couple of highlights from Kirsty's post include:

Schools in underprivileged areas are struggling to benefit from the Government's ultra-fast broadband scheme, with high prices and unfair distribution creating a rich and poor “digital divide”, Labour says. Figures show the scheme remains behind schedule, with 176 schools connected to the fibre but only eight actually using the high-speed internet Figures show there was a relatively even split between schools in rich and poor areas getting high-speed internet access. For example, there were about 45 decile one schools in the rollout so far, and 58 decile 10 schools. Wall said decile 1-3 schools should have been a priority. “Strategically, they are depriving children who live in communities like mine. The parents of my kids are more worried about putting bread and butter on the table than having internet.” (source)

So - what's the solution? What have your experiences been? Ideas?

The Digital Divide: Agree or disagree?

I found this video quite thought provoking, although I'm not sure I agree with all of the major points made (especially the broad brush 'false' statements, as I think much of what was being stated is way more sophisticated than indicated here). However, well worth watching, and reading alongside the blog post The Digital Divide: Issues And Possible Solutions. Would be good to hear what you think - do you agree or disagree with the major statements made here? Are you facing issues, and what solutions do you have to address them?

The description on the site reads: "Using a compilation of outside video and photos along with original text this video addresses the social problem known as the Digital Divide. After introducing the topic, we attempt to clear up any misconceptions about the issue. We then go on to label the three pressing aspects that must be overcome in order to bridge the technology gap: access, ability, and empowerment. We illustrate how different groups are working towards a solution and encourage individual involvement."
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An evolving relationship – data and privacy

In the last week or so a conversation has been underway in a listerv of which I am a member, related to the gnarly question of where the data about students is stored. Should it be locally in schools or cloud computing?

There has been a full on discussion of the ethics of a school using cloud computing services that may well have blanket policies (often underpinned by US law, rather than a specific country's law), as well as around what happens to the data once it is in the cloud. The members of the listserv unpacked the pros and cons of cloud computing, the fuzziness of the policies often used in relation to data stored in the cloud, and their own responsibility.

I've included below my contribution to the conversation, as the subject is of concern to a wide range of people...in fact, pretty much anyone who has data stored in the cloud. One of the key strategies I'd like to suggest is raising awareness so that folk know the questions they need to ask to find out about what is happening to their (or their child's) data, and do not abdicate responsibility to 'someone else'...or at least are given the choice to abdicate this responsibility (see this Educause initiative for example). Informed consent seems to me to be the way to go, but sometimes you may need to ask for the information to inform your decisions, and may also need to ask for assistance in figuring out what that information actually means in practice.

There seems to be a couple of underlying assumptions that I'd like to look at...

Absolutely - young children should have parents involved in decisions around where their data is shared, and have a say in what data is collected. This is in my mind the responsibility of the school policies to ensure that this communication happens. However, who decides on what data is 'essential' to be kept about a child attending a school? And who can guarantee absolutely that, even if kept on a local server, the data won't be hacked or lost? Perhaps it feels safer as their is a sense that there is greater control...but is there?

To step back, there appears to be a 'myth of privacy'. What is privacy? Good old Wikipedia has the following:

"The right not to be subjected to unsanctioned invasion of privacy by the government, corporations or individuals is part of many countries' privacy laws, and in some cases, constitutions. Almost all countries have laws which in some way limit privacy; an example of this would be law concerning taxation, which normally require the sharing of information about personal income or earnings. In some countries individual privacy may conflict with freedom of speech laws and some laws may require public disclosure of information which would be considered private in other countries and cultures. Privacy may be voluntarily sacrificed, normally in exchange for perceived benefits and very often with specific dangers and losses, although this is a very strategic view of human relationships. ....Privacy, as the term is generally understood in the West, is not a universal concept and remained virtually unknown in some cultures until recent times. Most cultures, however, recognize the ability of individuals to withhold certain parts of their personal information from wider society..." (source).

When have we ever really had privacy (in a western construct of the term)? Once you are living in a society things will come to the fore that you have preferred not to share...images someone else takes, letters removed from your post box or rubbish bin, eavesdropping on your conversations, etc etc.

I am most definitely not an advocate of putting it all out there for everyone to access, unless you have made a (informed) choice to do so. However, I do feel that some reactions are underpinned by media hype and scaremongering.

"How many of us have paused during conversation in the past four-and-a-half years, suddenly aware that we might be eavesdropped on? Probably it was a phone conversation, although maybe it was an e-mail or instant-message exchange or a conversation in a public place. Maybe the topic was terrorism, or politics, or Islam. We stop suddenly, momentarily afraid that our words might be taken out of context, then we laugh at our paranoia and go on. But our demeanor has changed, and our words are subtly altered" (source)

So, back to the students in our schools. The government already has access to a raft of information about those students, purely by them being born in NZ, much of it I am sure parents are unaware of, and much is already stored on computers / networks / databases / emails / documents. This data is will sometimes be shared in a collated format in reports etc... So, is it a case of 1) educating and empowering parents about issues around cybersecurity, data sharing, transparency, and their rights? 2) Where the parents and community ask for it (after being included in a consultative process) could a selective process be put in place whereby more sensitive data is kept on a local server in a school??? (or wherever is deemed most 'safe')...but it should be an informed decision made by parents?

Would be great to hear your thoughts :-)


Images

• Privacy by Alan Cleaver
• Cloud Computing Image - Photo credit: Wikipedia

Learners' Participation, Retention and Success in e-learning: Some findings

Rachel Roberts shared the following post in another community, and I felt it was too valuable a resource not to pass on...and thanks, Rachel :-)

"By way of Michael; DEANZ - this elearning report out on Education Counts. Though this is tertiary research there is much of relevance for the schooling sector.
"Peter Guiney (Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis) has released an annotated bibliography of literature related to participation, retention and success in e-learning. The key finding of this annotated bibliography are:

• E-learning provides additional flexibility to traditional delivery by allowing students to study at a time, place and pace of their choosing.  E-learning can also reduce isolation by better connecting learners to their peers, teachers and institutions – especially for learners studying part-time or through distance education.
• E-learning can provide greater access to a wider range of resources and experts than is available through traditional delivery.  The fact that all students can equally access these experts and resources is of benefit to non-mainstream learner groups e.g. disabled students.
• Teaching practices and pedagogies, institutional support and student characteristics and attitudes are all critical in tertiary learners’ retention and success in e-learning.  Of particular importance are appropriate teacher-student interactions.  Courses need to be designed to incorporate e-learning’s strengths.  This includes selecting appropriate technology and ensuring that e-learning is linked to assessments and authentic learning experiences.
• For best results, institutions need to provide ‘user-friendly’ systems, processes and appropriate pastoral and technical support.  Students also need motivation, self-direction and independence as well as having prior experience in e-learning.  Students with positive attitudes towards technology tend to do better in e-learning than learners with negative attitudes towards technology.
• The evidence supporting younger learners being more successful than their older peers in e-learning is inconclusive.  While some studies support the assertion that younger learners are more effective in e-learning, others do not."

Great news for the deaf and hearing impaired communities in NZ

This post was shared by Eddie Reisch in early January - a great start to 2012

Sky launches captioning on 13 channels

The post reads

"It’s a giant step forward for the deaf and hearing impaired communities on February 1st 2012, when SKY Television launches closed captioning on 13 popular channels.


SKY has been working on the launch of captioning for several months; the project required considerable technical design as well as investment in hardware and software to enable closed captions on the following 13 channels:

• Animal Planet,
• Disney Channel,
• Disney Junior,
• TCM,
• TV1,
• TV2,
• TV3,
• Cartoon Network,
• Crime & Investigation,
• Discovery Channel,
• Nickelodeon,
• UKTV
• and National Geographic.

It’s a service SKY is pleased to offer, Chief Executive Officer John Fellet commented: “This is a service we’ve long wanted to offer to SKY customers but have held off offering until now while we tried to gain funding from New Zealand On Air, as TVNZ and TV3 currently do.  I know this new service will be very valuable to the deaf and hearing impaired - while it is a niche audience, it’s a step towards more equal access and we are delighted to offer it”. Closed captioning information will be displayed on the on-screen electronic programme guide (EPG). Viewers can elect to enable closed captions for a single programme, or make a global setting to show closed captions whenever they are available. Viewers can even search for content screened with closed captions.

Last year a Captioning Working Group was formed, with members from the National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) and Deaf Aotearoa.  Louise Carroll, NFD’s Chief Executive Officer and Captioning Working Group Chairperson welcomed this initiative, saying;

Image via Wikipedia“We are absolutely delighted with SKY’s decision to provide captioned programmes on 13 channels. This is a huge step in improving access to over 700,000 hearing impaired and deaf people in New Zealand.

The limited number of captioned television programmes and movies, made internationally and in New Zealand, is an on-going access issue for people who are deaf and hearing impaired. We congratulate SKY Television in removing this barrier to access for many Kiwis and we strongly encourage broadcasters to consider the needs of all viewers equally.”

SKY will continue to evaluate the viability of providing further captions on additional content and channels as the information becomes accessible.     

youtube close caption (Photo credit: itjil)

Closed Captions are available on MY SKY decoders. SKY Digital decoders can display closed captions through Teletext if the television supports Teletext."

Blended learning, distance education & enhanced learning outcomes for Maori learners (Sir Mason Durie, DEANZ 2010)

Image via Wikipedia

Mason Durie, who has just been knighted, opened with a little bit of history around distance education, looking back to 1922 at Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu - The Correspondence School. In 1922 the school had 100 isolated school children from disparate locations around New Zealand. The roll is now 24,000. He went on to say that it is not just a question of the numbers increasing. Nowadays, distance education is a preferred option rather than a default option, and may lead to much better results than any other option. Distance education is being shaped by many influences including technology.

Tutoa (secondary school), Te rau puawai, and the Maori doctoral portal were the three case studies that Mason Durie explored.

The Tutoa project started in 2005 with 12 students (and expanded to 25 students in 2010). Following an integrated approach, students who were good at sports were encouraged to follow their skills, but were penalised for missing other subjects while participating in sport. As such, the group were enrolled in the Correspondence School, and were encouraged and supported to create a personalised curriculum. Excellence in sport is seen as playing at the national level, they are also high fliers in an academic sense, and all of the learning is couched in a Maori context to help with grounding alongside a sense of belonging. Each student has a plan of action. Student managers try to help mediate between personal, sporting, and academic goals. Regional subject specialists add value to the distance education by working directly with students in their geographical region. Families make quite a few sacrifices, such as relocating to support their children in their studies. Academic results have been consistently high, as has sporting performance.

Te Rau Puawai (the Maori Menal Helath Workforce Development) project was considered next. The project was started in 1999, through a partnership with Massey University and the HFA. The students are usually mature, doing part-time study, have little previous tertiary experience, are working full time, this may be their first qualification, some with go on the post-graduate qualifications, and only a few go on to doctoral study. Most (75%) in the programme were studying extramurally which added further challenges to studying. A fee bursary was given based on academic outcomes. To help students meet these challenges strongly, a series of support mechanisms are in place, includeing proactive outreach via mentors, a weekly telephone catch up, a proactive approach to learning support, and twice-yearly on-campus seminars.

The Maori Doctoral Resource Portal was developed to support students, encourage sharing, have interactive seminars with experts from a whole range of fields, and to set up professional and academic networks. The portal is linked in to doctoral study skills, expectations and requirements. Eight university campuses link up once a month.

All of the studies illustrate opportunities around distance education as a preferred option that would not have been available with a more traditional programmes. The description of the studies definitely gave and insight into how programmes can truly be flexible, malleable, and truly meet the individual needs of students. This approach to learning enables learners who may otherwise not have the access or opportunity to enhance their skills and be able to follow their long-term plans and dreams.

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