Sustaining Switched On Communities

Do you provide ICT services to your local community? Do you have learners who find it difficult to use a computer, operate a mouse, keyboard or struggle to view the screen? Do you have learners with disabilities?

AbilityNet are looking for voluntary and community organisations to join the Sustaining Switched On Communities project within the East Midlands in 2009. Eleven VCOs will each receive a mini kit of adaptive hardware and assistive software worth over £500.00. Up to two of your representatives will receive training on using the kit, plus the opportunity to receive further training on specialised subjects such as supporting learners with dyslexia, visual impairments, physical disabilities, etc.

You will receive support from AbilityNet and the East Midlands Community Partner, Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL), Leicester.  This includes advice, full assessments for individuals who need more specialised support and access to AbilityNet’s equipment loan bank. We aim to increase the capacity of your organisation, your services, your staff and volunteers to better support your local community.

If you would like to join the Sustaining Switched on Communities project or would like more information, please contact:

Alan Rowsell on 0116 222 5005 email alan.rowsell@lcil.org.uk or David Peake on 0116 222 5005 email david@lcil.org.uk alternatively the contact at AbilityNet is Vihing Lee email vihing.lee@abilitynet.org.uk on 0800 269545.

An example of using Open Source

A great (if slightly long) video of a talk given by Robert Simpson, Director of Ecomoney Systems ltd, about the difference free Open Source software has had to the charity, community and voluntary sectors in their local area. It describes how to go about volunteering for IT in your area, what to expect, and the advantages of open source software into this unique sector. Also included are descriptions of local projects that Ecomoney has been involved with, including a ten-PC learning suite and cybercafe that was setup for just £30!  Worth a look…

Web 2.0 and other Tin-Ter-Net stuff – training at VAR

Today the Regional Champion roadshow (that’s me) was at Voluntary Action Rutland delivering a session on web 2.0 – and other Tin-Ter-Net stuff  -info and discussion about blogs, wikis, podcasts, youtube, social networking and the like.

The session seemed to be well received go (well, I enjoyed it). As promised to the lovely delegates I’ve posted the presentation on slideshare and embedded it here:

 

Photos and a video clip will be posted later – please check back.

Podcasting: South Lincs CVS goes web 2.0!

Congratulations to South Lincolnshire CVS have just produced their first podcast – a really good use of web 2.0 tools to get their message across. Have a listen, and let them know what you think.

 Local IT social enterprise Digital Umbrella have recently produced a short guide to podcasts, which is available here as a pdf, for those organisations that are considering it.

 There is also some really good stuff about podcasting on the ICT hub website

More news from ITEM3

The September editition of News ITEM3  is now available (word doc, 85kb). Hopefully it will be of use – feel free to pass on to groups you work with, or to “cut and paste” bits into your own newsletters.

Help with google docs

We’re increasingly using googledocs at High Peak CVS, and a new ‘plain English’ short online video from Commoncraft explains why GoogleDocs is a great way to collaborate on producing material (articles, spreadsheets, presentations) especially compared with email.

Worth a couple of minutes viewing – http://www.commoncraft.com/video-googledocs.

(Source: Laura Whitehead/UKRiders list)

Intranet advice

 A new feature article from Idealware, ‘Behind Closed Web Sites’, takes a look at three nonprofit intranets – web sites set up for internal use. Apart from saying that these are ‘staff only’ when in our view there should be some access for trustees too, it gives a helpful practical view of how intranets are used. (source: Volresource)

New “Guide to Managing ICT in the Voluntary and Community Sector”

And the new publications and resources keep coming!

“Guide to Managing ICT in the Voluntary and Community Sector” is an in-depth publication covering all aspects of managing information and communications technology. It contains over 100 pages of accessible information that is useful for anyone, whatever your level of technical knowledge. Written by fellow ICT Champion Mark Walker (who works in the South East), it really is good!

It is available to download from the ICT Hub website, or you can order a hard copy. I’ll be making sure I take lots of them to give to groups at conferences and events over the next few months.

Green Computing

A couple of useful resources to help us think about “going green”:

The ICT Hub are urging charities and community organisations to use technology more efficiently to save money and reduce their carbon footprint. Read the green computing feature on the ICT hub website, alongside an article about how ICT Hub partner, AbilityNet use greener technology.

I met Adam Clamp of the Green IT Company at a conference recently – they are a small social enterprise, and will offer advice and support for organisations looking to “go green” – including an audit of your organisation.

I’m not an expert, but at the very least remembering to switch off monitors and peripherals when we leave the office is a step in the right direction. A simple powerdown or intelliplug will do it for you when you switch off your PC.

  

News from ITEM3

I’ve started a new newsletter, “News from ITEM 3“, to help promote resources, events in the region etc. As well as being for frontline organisations to use, infrastructure organisations can “cut and paste” bits out of it for their own newsletters, use it in its entirety, email it out etc. The idea is that it is a flexible resource to help groups find out more about what IT can do for them. First edition can be downloaded here:

News from ITEM 3(as word doc, 65Kb)

Feedback welcome.