A whole load of selected software built around particular tasks. This is a great way of trying Open Source - I especially like the How to Guides, that you can donwload as a pdf. All software is also available to download in a bundle.
technorati tags:ICT champion, scipmark, FOSS
This may be worth a look - don't know how much the paid for sessions cost though...
+++Techshare Expo 2007
- The biggest ever European exhibition on access to the information society by people with disabilities
- Free entry for all, pre-registration now open
- Runs 4-5 October 2007 at award-winning London venue
- Please promote to your public networks http://www.techshare-expo.com/
Techshare Expo 2007 is a new showcase for products and services helping people with disabilities participate fully in the information age.
From the internet to home computers, educational technologies, video games, digital TV and mobile phones - Techshare Expo 2007 will be a showcase for products, services, tips and techniques.
Entrance is absolutely free and open to all, and E-Access Bulletin readers are urged to pre-register today for this event. And if you are an organisation with communication channels to the public and people with disabilities who are your service users, please do promote the exhibition widely - everyone is welcome.
Pre-register today at:
http://www.techshare-expo.com/
PLEASE NOTE: this exhibition is running alongside the revamped, comprehensive Techshare conference, hosted by the RNIB for professionals in the field, which does have an admittance charge: for more information and a full speaker programme for the conference see www.techshare.org.uk
If you are attending the Techshare 2007 conference, there is no need to separately pre-register for the free 'Techshare Expo 2007' exhibition.
We're finalising details of categories and sponsors but you can already nominate your site for this year's Brighton & Hove Web Awards. These are organised by SCIP as a showcase for lcoal web sites, helping to raise awareness across the community of just what's on the web.
See www.brightonwebawards.co.uk for more details
Community-based ICT projects and contacts I've found so far, shown on a Google Map
Link to my Google Map
technorati tags:ICT Champion, scipmark, ICT South East
Good meeting with Juliet and Chris at the Friends Centre in Brighton. We talked about the FC's current strategy and I explained some of what is going on at SCIP. We also covered some ideas about links which could be useful in my Champion role.
In particular we discussed the continuation of the current contract SCIP holds with Friends Centre, which ends at the end of the month. We've been struggling to hit targets, and had considered stopping this work.
Luckily FC is interested in use the money to do some other work, especially if it helps develop their partnership with us and Working Together Project. Suggestions included:
Have now contacted Sarah Bridgeman at UK Online - she's the regional coordinator and I've bumped into her a few times in different projects.
I'm keen to get SCIP set up as a net:gain centre, so I'll be applying for UK Online Centre status. She handles the process and seemed confident we'd get through it okay, so that's great.
And we're meeting up next week to talk about regional connections.
Prepare to say goodbye to hubs, and hello to national service centres - and ICT no longer out on its own but part of the performance theme. Capacity Builders has reviewed the current Hubs and proposed new themes and a new way of encouraging joined up working.
Click here to download the document
technorati tags:ICT Champion SE, changeup, scipmark
Worn Again make recycled trainers and other products, put together in China using ethical methods - some nice designs including some made form firemean's trousers...
technorati tags:social enterprise, trainers
technorati tags:ict champion se, ict hub, nfptechuk
Report about ICT Support Services for vol and comm orgs produced by East Kent CVS in January 2006.
Useful insight into common problems with one or two suggestions that caught my eye:
- engaging with businesses at a local level
- buying in bulk via infrastructure orgs
- need to build knowledge of ICT strategy at CVS level
Available from theRAISE website at http://preview.tinyurl.com/2y268f
technorati tags:ICT champion SE, ict hub, scipmark, nfptechuk
kat.pearce@capacitybuilders.org.uk
in case you didn't know, it's currently:
email: kat.pearce@capacitybuilders.org.uk
tel: 07789 171631
technorati tags:scipmark, ict champion
Directory of Social Change Editorial
The Directory of Social Change remains unconvinced by the achievements of ChangeUp so far, as well as challenging the processes and assumptions that have underpinned it.
The article refers to the Capacity Builders consultation process that is now underway and hopes that it may help formulate a considered review of the successes and faiilures of hubs, infrastructure and all the other jargon that dominates a certain layer of the voluntary and community sector [hint: it's not the layer that that delivers the servcies and support in our communities].
A good example of taster courses runing in a community IT centre in Hangleton & Knoll, in north Hove. NB includes creche places.
HAKIT COMPUTER COURSES
The following two hour taster courses will take place during July
Digital Art
This course concentrates on the manipulation of graphics and digital images to produce designs for any project – from calendars to book covers.
Hangleton Community Centre, Thursday 12 July 10-12
Introduction to Digital Photography
This course will give you an idea on using a digital camera, how to take photos and put them on the computer ready for printing and editing.
St Richards Church & Community Centre, Friday 6th July 10-12
Keyboard
Learn how to find your way around the keyboard and use the mouse effectively.
Hangleton Community Centre, Wednesday 4th July 10-12
Internet & Email
Is aimed at people who have used a computer before and are able to create and manage files and folders. It is for anyone interested in learning about sending and receiving emails, attaching files to emails and being able to find information on the World Wide Web for a work or home situation. This is complementary to Genealogy.
Hangleton Community Centre, Monday July 2 10-12
Intro to Computers
Is aimed at people who haven’t used a computer before and want to find out the basics.
St Richards Church & Community Centre, Tuesday 10 July 10-12
Excel
It is aimed at people with some computer experience. The course will cover data entry; formatting; spreadsheet manipulation (i.e. column width adjustment); simple and more complex formulas and creating charts.
St Richards Church & Community Centre, Monday 9th July 6.30
Genealogy
How to go about tracing a family tree using the internet and other local resources, bring along family info with you to this session.
St Richards Church & Community Centre, Monday July 2 1 -3pm
Adobe Photoshop
is a professional digital editing program that enables the user to create and manipulate images on a computer in a variety of ways. You will learn skills such as re-sizing, cropping, colour correction, image repair, red eye correction and much more
Hangleton Community Centre, Tuesday 3rd July 6.30-8.30
MySpace
Finding out the different places to make your own website or community information space
St Richards Church & Community Centre, Wednesday 11th July 6.30-8.30
ENROLMENT DAY
Please let us know if Creches are needed
TUESDAY 5TH JUNE 10AM-MIDDAY AT HANGLETON COMMUNITY CENTRE, HARMSWORTH CRESCENT
TUESDAY 5TH JUNE 6PM- 8PM AT ST.RICHARDS CHURCH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE
The price for each session is £2 for more information call Ruth 821370
technorati tags:SCIP, ICT Champion
Google Co-op - Custom Search Engine to search health information in Brighton & Hove
The [relatively new] Google Coop brings the power of the Google Search Appliance into the public domain and can be used for free for not for profit purposes.
The Google Search Appliance [GSA] is the tool that powers the p2b.net search engine that I have helped develop in Brighton & Hove. It is a federated search tool that can be programmed to search specific URLs, down to docuent level.
The license for the GSA cost £60k for three years use, and when we bought in late 2004 it was the only real commercial option available from Google - athough others were beginning to develop similar products.
Now the Google Coop brings very similar power to your fingertips, for free. I recommend a tour to see what it can do.
technorati tags:scipmar, p2b.net, search engines, civic knowledge
Quintura for Kids
This is a search engine designed for children, with safe filters and an attempt at to ceate a child-friendly interface. Lots of nice features, especially the floating thesaurus that moves a you hover on keywords, but I really don't like the graphic style they use.
technorati tags:p2b, scip, scipmark, search engines
Submitted our bid to the ICT Hub yesterday to be the South East's regional ICT Champion. We've bid with Lucian Borcanescu, who is currently regional accessibility champion, which is one big advantage, and is based in Slough, which is another big advantage.
It means we'll each be able to cover more manageable patch. Given the size of the south east region it would be nigh on impossible to work on this sensibly without breaking it into sub-regional areas.
If successful I'll be working one or two days a week for the next year, creating links with other ICT-related projects and linking into local networks of frontline organisations to raise awareness of the support available from the ICT Hub [and others]. I'll also be trying to create an ICT Strategy for the region, building on the report published recently that evaluated the South East Regional ICT Demonstration Project, of which SCIP was a part. Hopefully that will appear on the RAISE site soon.
Will find out next week whether we're successful with the bid - got to have an interview first.
Picked up from a post to the SCIP email list - a neat take on voluntary work as part of a sustainable lifestyle..."Free Work 07
I'm doing a month of Free Work for organisations and companies in Brighton.
My background is mainly in magazine journalism, online campaigning and corporate copywriting.
This month, I've decided to only do Free Work. It's kind of an experiment. And probably a really bad idea.
David Wilcox, Simon Berry and a couple of other people I know are running an open source bid for government money:
"We are developing an "open source bid" to the UK Cabinet Office for a £1.2 million nonprofit innovation exchange - and offering a place for your ideas. More on the exchange, our first model, how to join in, and who is involved. If you like the approach (or not) please leave a comment. No need to register."
More info at Open Innovation Exchange
Not sure whether I can see any specific proposals emerging from the site in the next two weeks - but it's certainly a great way of puffing a bid before it hits the desk of the people who will decide who gets the cash.
I certainly intend posting ideas.
technorati tags:openinex, scipmark, nfptechuk, innovation
Great article about how Microsoft could transform Excel into a truly killer app - before someone else does. I love excel and using it always make me think I could rule the world.
"Paul Graham thinks Microsoft is Dead. Dave Winer disagrees. Sort of.The caveats don't matter. Graham's greater point is compelling. Microsoft don't really seem to be making it as an Internet Playa. They've neither come up with any really compelling or exciting software on the web-as-a-platform in the last seven years nor have they bought any of the interesting new web 2.0 companies. In fact, the last interesting thing MS did was buy Hotmail which was about 10 years ago.
Flickr/brightonmarkie
Facebook/Mark Walker
Twitter/scipmark
YouTube/scipmark
Last.fm/scipmark
Del.icio.us/scipmark
Skype/scipmark
GMail/Mark Walker