Steve ThompsonAdventures in Community Media

(Measure This)

I explained at the beginning of this presentation that none of the things I will show have happened yet. These are projects just beginning. To measure their success will be something for the future. However on one level their success is easily quantifiable and this is measuring up to the funders required outputs. However in most instances I wanted to explore new ideas and approaches that offer added value and potentially new solutions for future projects.

Any URL’s I mentioncan be found here:

www.tvcm.co.uk/cirn2011

I also explained that the slides might give the impression that I am in league with Google but as the next slide shows I use a who range of free, open source and web 2.00 applications

www.12villages.co.uk - a new project 12 former mining villages in County Durham. It all starts with the initial discussion. To discover what the participants need/ want and to introduce them to things the didn’t know the needed/wanted

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Digital Photography Field Tripswww.tvcm.co.uk/wiki - resources and guides to doing community media – past present and furture

www.myteesuni.com - a Google Apps account Education Edition with unlimited accounts. Provides the ability to pre-create multiple accounts for users in advance of sessions.

The ability to pre-create multiple accounts for users in advance of sessions makes for smoother first experiences. This may be time consuming to set up but the time is well spent as users without email accounts or the ability to get email verifications anywhere but their homes can bring a session crashing down. A common, memorable yet unique password is used throughout.

Adventurous ICTGoogle is enabling Google+ and therefore Hangouts (video conferencing) for Google Apps Education Edition opening up possibilities for distance learning and support. “Hangouts with extras” offers document sharing and collaboration but it’s not yet known if “extras” will becoem a premium product

12 Rural former coal mining villages joined by a network of (disused) railway tracks – now walking routes

1 Real visitors to the walking routes2 Design for virtual visitors3 Virtual visitors may become real visitors4 Real visitors may re-visit virtually at a later time

QR code scanning may be used to enhance traditional signage on walkways

Geo-located media from Smartphone adds to the experience.

www.dramadale.co.uk - “Occupy Stanhope 1819”

http://bit.ly/4libpub a project to introduce new users to ICT in unusual locations. The intention is to provide added value by using experimental approaches that may make libraries more viable.

Google Apps= 50 users

Friends of ******* Library – Affiliate Schemes

A project from 2001 we intend to adopt for the libraries

An online quiz when Skinninggrove beat the Trimdon Team which featured the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

This then led to a Euro-Challenge quiz.

And then led to ”Challenge The Nation”where 52 UK Teams across the UK competed

Possible online cultural exchangesWith other countries and communities

Proof of concept – Google Hangout

Using connections as a resource for cultural exchanges -Vikings and Pirates from Finland

And in a Library – obviously – Google Books

www.crane-news.co.uk - a network of 11 North East Community Radio Stations, a community of practice. Seeking to make stronger network ties and provide a way to share news items across the network. Excitingly this means that other community groups could provide items for broadcast

Groupspaces – free up to 500 members. At basic level an email list with sublists, but when logged on added functionality – forums, wiki, file sharing, archived messages. Seeking to use this assist with networking

Obscured for privacy

The means for sharing audio files is the Soundcloud “drop box”

Collaborating on Audio Austria, Finland Lithuania – the following two media examples show distant collaboration and the outcome

First there is an audio file recorded by Franz in Vienna

And then the completed collaboration using his voice

So, how will we measure how these projects shape up ? …………

Follow the projects on the CIRN Wiki.

http://cirn.wikispaces.com

“Technology helps me do things that would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible”

“And in the virtual world: I CAN EVEN FLY“

Mike Findley MBE“THE FLYING MAYOR”