皇冠体育app

This week is and Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey, has showed his support for the initiative at a digital inclusion initiative in Erith Park, East London.

Get Online Week is the UK鈥檚 largest digital inclusion campaign, which is in it鈥檚 ninth year in 2015. Run by social enterprise , this year almost a thousand community organisations are running thousands of events to help people take their first steps to improve their digital skills.

It鈥檚 all about encouraging people to see how the Internet can make almost anything a little easier.

皇冠体育app housing association the Minister visited is part of Orbit Group, and they鈥檝e been taking an innovative approach to digital inclusion as Caroline Field, Regeneration Project Manager, explains:

We were interested in the potential of digital media to encourage residents to get involved in the community and build social networks. So we worked with Microsoft, University of Newcastle and University of Nottingham to develop these projects.

皇冠体育app projects include 鈥榃alk the Talk鈥�, which gets residents involved via a 鈥榙igital suitcase鈥�. Local people have uploaded stories about local history, which can be accessed via interactive plaques around the estate. 皇冠体育app suitcase was designed as a departure from the cutting edge look of kit that might scare off those who don鈥檛 regularly use new technology. 皇冠体育appre鈥檚 something weirdly inviting about an old fashioned telephone receiver!

Orbit Group surveyed the residents at Erith Park, and a familiar story emerged. 皇冠体育appy said they loved their homes, but had found it difficult to get to know their neighbours. Interactive screens have now been set up in stairwells, where neighbours take selfies, leave messages, introduce themselves and kickstart interactions.

Donna Wooton moved to Erith Park in the 1960s and, until recently, had avoided use of all things digital. She said:

I鈥檓 not usually a great user of new technology but I鈥檝e really enjoyed getting involved in capturing the collection of local stories. Now I鈥檓 looking forward to the other digital projects we鈥檙e setting up.

Donna is now a 鈥楥ommunity Buddy鈥� who welcomes new residents to the area and even teaches people how to use the tech.

Speaking at the end of his visit, the Minister for the Digital Economy commented:

皇冠体育app work being done in Erith Park is brilliant and it鈥檚 great to see Bexley taking part in the nationwide GetOnline week initiative. Getting online and embracing new technology is becoming more and more important in this digital age, and I congratulate all involved in this innovative scheme aimed at using technology to build community engagement.

As ever, with efforts to help people realise the benefits of technology and the Internet, it鈥檚 about finding the hooks that work for the user. At Erith Park they鈥檝e taken this idea and run with it. Yes, some of it might seem a bit left-field at first, but it looks to be working.

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