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Breaking Barriers: Cybrarian - Bridging the Digital Divide for Internet Novices

Exploring the Cybrarian service aiming to empower non-internet users, building confidence and skills for online navigation. Feedback highlights the impact on user experience.

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Breaking Barriers: Cybrarian - Bridging the Digital Divide for Internet Novices

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  1. ‘Opening the Doors to Content….’ ICDL – New Delhi February 2004 By Atul Sharda, e-Learning Strategy Unit, Department for Education and Skills, England

  2. The big picture • Only around 600m of 6bn population wired up • Just over 50% of population in UK has accessed the internet • Issues around cost, security and usability • Globalisation v localisation

  3. Content Overview Popular Internet content Educational content Time-tables Basic Skills News IT skills Hobbies Sport Travel Further, Higher Education Banking, financial History Shopping Vocational Skills Life-stages Games Email, chat Evening Classes Informal Learning

  4. Key Barriers to progression: • Motivation • Confidence • ICT Skills • Relevance ….not for me

  5. Informal Learning Community Centred Practice Focused Organisational Learning Participants act as learners + Tutors Multiway transactions among participants Formal Learning Content Centred Activity Focused Delivery Focused Individual Learning Minimal interaction with tutor Informal to Formal Learning

  6. ‘Cybrarian’ - The Objectives • To close the digital divide • An opportunity for people to access the Internet through an accessible means • Removing barriers • Encourage people in to ICT • Accessibility AND USABILITY

  7. The Target Audience • The target audience are the 25 million people who do not, cannot or will not use the Internet • Proof of Concept addressed the over 60’s, and demonstrated a significant impact

  8. The Proof of Concept • The Proof of Concept was intended to hone the parameters of what the Cybrarian service is, or could be • Help to mitigate risk and provide insight • Provided a demonstrator for approach • Investigation of hypothesis

  9. System Screens

  10. User comments • ‘ I feel safe and able to explore Cybrarian – it gives me confidence to try other things’ • ‘I like the guidance that Cybrarian gives’ • ‘Yahoo is too confusing – there are too many pictures and flashing things’ • ‘Outlook Express is terrifying!’ • ‘I am about to become dangerously laid back’ • ‘Where can I buy this? How much do I owe you?’ • ‘The only reason I am able to make any sense of the Internet, Yahoo and Outlook Express, is because I have had Cybrarian as a training ground’

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