I am currently at the UCISA Spotlight on Digital Capabilities event here in Birmingham. I will be live blogging here on elearningstuff.
Sue Watling from the University of Hull kicks off the second day of the conference.
Her session is titled: Finding and minding the gaps; digital diversity in higher education
She describes the session in the following abstract:
Digital diversity can lead to digital divides. Digitally shy staff are less likely to read the education technology literature, apply for TEL funding or attend conferences on digital capabilities. As interest in blended education increases, promoting digital ways of working for staff who teach and support learning may need to be reconsidered.
Sue initially covered her own background, where she has come from, what she has done, providing a context to her views on digital capabilities.
She did bring up the medieval lecture painting that gets around a bit, but recognises the cultural, historical and social significance of the lecture which is often why we still use and appear to be stuck with them.
Maybe after five hundred years of digital it will be embedded into education?
She discussed the fear of change, which is more prevalent in my opinion than the fear of technology.
People like what they like, they like what they like doing. Sometimes change can disrupt this, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. The key appears to be trusting that the change will be positive. The only real consistent in life and work is change.
She reviews Dave White’s 2011 article on Visitors and Residents and decides to extend it to those who aren’t on the continuum. This I have seen before and disagree with, if they aren’t on the continuum then that’s the issue. No need to extend the spectrum. I also wonder if these really exist in a modern university with all their digital systems in place already, even if that is just e-mail and a USB stick?
Sue asks are we finding the gaps in capability and skills. Sue does make the valid point that basic ICT proficiency is a core capability that needs to be addressed. We need to fill those gaps.
She also makes the point about not making assumptions, something I said in my own presentation yesterday.
There is something about spreading the message to all aspects of the university and working partnership.
