DAIN at The BBC

On several occassions we have been invited to give our expert opinion on the current trends in technology. Recently, Annie Bethell, our DAC for Chesterfield, was interviewed by BBC Radio about a new PC that is aimed at people over 60 who are unfamiliar with computers and the internet. Annie commented, “...anything that helps digitally excluded people to access computers is great... also there are many other groups of people that are excluded and must not be forgotten”

Documenting DAIN

A unique movie has been produced documenting the launch of the DAIN Project. It features Michelle ‘The Mother’ Hubbard performing a new poem commissioned for the recent launches. There is also footage of the various activities, interviews and images captured at all the events.

This movie and several small animations made by participants at the launches can be found at:

youtube.com/user/Dainproject

Your DAC !

Chesterfield:

Annie Bethell

0781 0831516

abethell@wea.org.uk

Leicester:

Angelique Bodart

0782 5934105

abodart@wea.org.uk

Lincoln:

James Moran-Zietek

0782 5934106

jmoran-zietek@wea.org.uk

Nottingham:

Sofia Crawford

0781 0834539

scrawford@wea.org.uk

DAIN Manager:

Andria Birch

DAIN Project

Unit 10

The John Folman

Business Centre

31 Hungerhill Road

Nottingham

NG3 4NB

0115 933 9022

dain@wea.org.uk

www.dainproject.org.uk

Digital Exchange

NIACE, as one of the UK DAIN project partners are currently working with several transnational organisations including Institut fur Lern-Innovation

(Germany’s Institute for Innovation in e-learning),

to identify a shortlist of the most useful potential locations for the volunteer study exchange trip planned for spring 2010.

The trip will be an incredible opportunity for a group of DAIN volunteers to go and learn about good practice first hand from a successful digital inclusion project somewhere in Europe.

This will offer the volunteers a possibilty to further enhance their technology skills. Following and potentially during, the volunteers will be able to report their findings to other partners and volunteers back in the East Midlands via online workshops, short films, blogs and much more.

High Tea and IT ....well almost !

Angelique Bodart, DAC for Leicester, and Sofia Crawford, DAC for Nottingham, have recently held Coffee Mornings for their Digital Activists. During these meetings everyone had an opportunity to reflect on how they were first introduced to technology and discussed what piece of technology they could not live without, which instigated some intriguing discussions !

These meetings have proved to be a great success and have acted as a perfect opportunity to allow the Digital Activists to get to know each other and familiarise themselves in depth with the project and the work of the WEA.

...Which gadget could you not be without?

Trailblazing Tackling Technology

The past couple of months have seen a great deal of activity within the DAIN Project. October and November saw the whole team touring the East Midlands with a rolling roadshow of project launches. Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham & Chesterfield played host to a series of events that demonstrated imaginative uses of technology to potential volunteers from a large cross section of local communities.

At each event people were invited to try their hand at a variety of activities using different technologies. Desktop publishing, graphic design and printing of t-shirts, digital photography, animation and movie editing were amongst the inspirational activities on offer. In addition, a wide range of the latest ‘gadgets’ were on display in order to demystify the belief that some of it is just too complicated for everyone to use

Wole, an enthusiastic attendee from Lincoln said: “ There are many, many things you can do with these technologies, WE have to look into what WE can get from them !”