Introduction to Eurolink
For a brief introduction to Eurolink 2011 in Deutscher Sprache, English, Français and ελληνικά please see links below:
For a brief introduction to Eurolink 2011 in Deutscher Sprache, English, Français and ελληνικά please see links below:
1.What is your definition of digital inclusion or e-inclusion?
Digital inclusion, digital literacy, digital participation: These terms are often used interchangeably and different people have different definitions for them. What is clear however is that digital literacy is not simply about going online once and never returning. It is about being able to exploit the technology to your advantage and being able to to progress from a basic skill level to one which matches your needs, from Digital Awareness to Digital Literacy to Digital Competence to Digital Expertise.
Although there is no single measure that currently exists to define digital inclusion, it is generally accepted the following factors contribute to the digital divide:
• Access to equipment or connections – This can be considered as ownership of technology or having a connection at home, availability of a connection at convenient locations in everyday life, or having access to the internet anywhere, including at public access points. Examples of barriers which inhibit take-up include affordability, lack of time, or lack of training and support.
• Skills, confidence and capability to use information technologies – Unmet primary needs may present barriers to effective use. Literacy difficulties, for example, make use of the internet problematic, and some disabilities may present challenges – for example visual impairments or dyslexia can make it difficult to read text on an ordinary screen. Low confidence is relevant particularly for those without supportive family members or friends they are able to learn from.
• Attitude – including perceptions of the relevance of ICT to individuals’ lives and expectations of what sort of interaction is possible. People need to be able to understand what the internet can do, and how that can be relevant to their everyday lives.
• Use of technologies – What people do with technology, how much of the functionality they use or understand, and how confident they feel using it. Functional capability is arguably even more significant than functional access in considering levels or depths of inclusion and exclusion.
What do others think? Do you have a better definition for digital inclusion?
In trying to encompass all the comments that you spoke of the following recollection immediately came to mind. As a person with an Education degree I embarked on a computer studycourse with Learn Direct about 6 years ago and was NOT astonished when the tutor told me that the number of people that have degrees who are NOT digitally included and not digitally savvy.
Take the attributes you described i.e. Skills, capability, attitude, (motivation). and then linking these to the essential requirements of access and actual use of technology it struck me that my own perceived definition of digital inclusion depended on ME having a top-down or bottom-up view of the problem. Without reinventing the wheel the baseline (starting point) of the problem depends on what extent or level of these attributes of the client
starts out with. That established, off we go.
Social inclusion for me implies that every individual person is accepted in his/her individuality by society and that every individual person is able to actively take part in society in general and social/societal activities in particular. Digital inclusion and/or e-inclusion in turn implies that every individual is able to actively take part in the information and knowledge society and fully use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This incorporates aspects such as access (A) to technologies, competence (C) or digital literacy to use those technologies, motivation (M), trust and confidence (T), individual needs (N) as well as experience (E). It is at least debated whether every citizen needs to use ICTs but in case they wish to do so they should have the right, the knowledge and the means to do so in meaningful way. Finally e-Inclusion or e-Exclusion should be allocated on a continuum ranging from excluded groups such as technophobes (e.g. because of religious reasons), uniformed or unskilled individuals on the one side to extremists such as ‘geeks’ or addicted online gamers or gamblers on the other side.
Klaus Heidrich
“Inclusion” and “Seniors in the Internet”, “Through Internet to equal opportunities.” – these are goals we have set for our association “Humanitas Müritz eV” (http://www.humanitas-mueritz.de/index.html). Carrying meaningful activities in their everyday life is a basic requirement especially for older people. In order to stay mentally fit at a ripe old age you have to do something. We have found that digital media are an excellent medium you can use in many variations.
Through various computer classes for seniors, where an individual support takes place, we have reached an enthusiasm that we didn’t anticipate. On the one hand, we want to achieve the social inclusion of older people, on the other hand, we support a learning process that keeps their minds fit. Spending time and learning together play a major role in our work that also promotes communication among the participants. Only those who master the use of digital media are also able to participate in the social life, what is clearly understood by the participants. The popularity of these courses is growing in our region because we are living in a rural area, where the distance plays a major role. We are volunteers. We finance the running costs through a small fee. Our problem is that we are a small organization with a small funding. This aspect reduces our possibilities to expand in order to extensively offer this service.