Barbara CraigSchool of Policy and Implementation

Faculty of EducationVictoria University of Wellington

New Zealand

Windy Wellington

Wellington Capital City

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

Building community, providing digital opportunities, connecting home and school

Computers in Homes

• Education project that is ICT-based• Organised around families whose children attend

schools in low-income, geographically isolated, indigenous, Pasifika, refugee communities with low education and employment profiles.

• Intergenerational learning – parents, caregivers, grandparents, extended family to become involved in the education of their children or mokopuna

Family literacy• Books in Homes :

creating an environment rich in books

• Computers in Homes creating an environment rich in electronic reference materials

• Family activities

This has been an awesome , fun, ego boost for myself that I have enjoyed coming to each week at ….. school baby in tow nothing but support , help , kindness and patience from ….. and the other parents I have new friends to say hello to outside of this classroom it has been a win win situation all round for me thanks again for your computer in homes programme 4 weeks ago I wanted to go from this class but I feel the opposite now

September 21, 2005

Connecting FamiliesConnecting Families

Digital OpportunitiesDigital Opportunities

Connecting Home and SchoolConnecting Home and School

Context for Computers in Homes as a Project• A community informatics initiative• Focus of research on empowerment and

social inclusion through provision of ICTs to disadvantaged communities

Digital disadvantageDigital exclusion

ICT users• If you miss the evening

news you can go to the Website and download items of interest

• Best airline deals only available online

• TradeMe best deals• Help with health, education,

jobseeking

Non-users• Many live in communities with

fewer phone lines, no library, local bank or PO long since closed, no car or reliable, affordable transport

• Most don’t know anyone with a PC, no contact with PCs at work

• Low income and lots of demands on their $$, including supporting family abroad

Why do families join? opportunity to own PC

incentive to train

internet 6 months

relationship with school

technical support

entering world of ICT

further opportunity

The Structure

• Fulltime coordinator who sets up NetPod, PC’s, training, ISP, graduation, technical support & project management

• CIH manages projects, budgets, delivers programme & reports to sponsor

• 2020 administers the funds and budget• Trustees attend graduations and launches

School /Community Enquiry

2020 submission to MoE

CIH Information & Expertise

CIH Relationship & Commitment from School

Community

CIH Recommends Schools to 2020 Trust

MoE contracts 2020 todeliver CIH programme

CIH manages projects, budgets, delivers programme

& reports to MoE

2020 TrustAdministers funds

CIH sets up NetPod, PC’s, training, ISP, graduation, technical support &

project management

Policy recognition of ICTs for disadvantaged communities

Digital Strategy National vision• Crusade for Literacy• National’s vision is for ultra-

fast broadband for all New Zealanders. We want a fibre connection to every home, supported by mobile and satellite solutions where it makes sense.

The Scheme- local variationsThe Scheme- local variations

• Recycled computers

• Training at local school

• Technical support

• Internet access

for 6 months

• Internet safety and

computer security

• Family agreement

Recycled ComputersRecycled Computers

• CANZ• Computer Access NZ Trust

Technical support Technical support

Training at the schoolTraining at the school

GraduationGraduation

Cannon’s CreekCannon’s Creek

Tala’s Story

Tuhoe RoheTuhoe Rohe

Wireless

“This is a low socio-economic area. The lowest of the low socio. Limitedemployment opportunities. There’s no surplus income to go into debt to purchasesomething. Some families have thought about it, it’s something they want but it’s thatvicious kind of circle. They’re not in a position to do it, and they’re stuck wherethey’re at. Some families may group together and pool, do it that way. Other familiesrealize they can do it. I talked about it in depth. They’re going to have an opportunityto do online learning. Said that because of where we are geographically and thecommunity socially, the only way you are going to get ahead financially is to goonline and use your computer as a work tool and work from home online.

“Computers are essential for the future. We won’t need phone, radio, TV, not even buy a newspaper, don’t have to go to the movies. Good for someone in the country. You don’t miss out on things, get it at the same time as everyone else, don’t have to wait for the paper and TV news.”

• Some parents were creating their own webpages and content online, starting up businesses to sell local art. Another family created a database of their Whakapapa and a list of the lands that the whanau own and share this by email attachment. They also distribute a monthly family newsletter “Purongo’ which all whanau can contribute to. Several families wanted to download Maori script so that they could more easily write in the Maori language.

ConfidenceConfidence

Self-esteem of familiesIntergenerational learning

It has improved my confidence in actually reading a book. I mean now – before I wouldn’t – but now I would pick up a book and think I would like to read that story

“You need a computer to write essays. You get much better grades. With the course I am taking now everyone says how come your essays look like that. I say I have a computer in the home”

Education and training• “I did a lot of studies off it. I was getting a lot out of …

research for my assignments. Mostly the Wellington Public Library and the Turnbull Library in Wellington and the Auckland archives. Then there’s a lot of like university students who put their papers on the net. And they put more than you can use. During the weekends I sit there from Friday night to Sunday night”.

• “Computers in homes has given me the opportunity to finish my assignments when doing a social science course with the access to information for research when it was needed. It also cut library time for the kids with their homework”.

Employment• Helping find a job• A small number of parents (20%) say

they found employment through the internet.

• Many more are looking for a job through the internet.

• “It has helped me to get the type of job that I am looking for by being in the comfort of my own home and by saving me the money I would have otherwise spent on a newspaper to find the job”

• Self-employment• Online trading• “Buying games and trading them as

well and selling them on as people get in contact with me. I do a lot of bank deposits. Because on the trading sites its pretty secure. When a deal goes through you don’t pay out until you receive the goods”

• ‘One of the things I do is grow raspberries. The other night I got pages and pages on how to grow raspberries, different ways of planting the, and how to increase height of the cane and number of canes…”

• “we have our own farm out on lease. I’m learning to do the bookwork for both shearing and farming”

Helping with current job• “I’m an Avon rep and I do all the ordering and paying online and

this has made it so much easier”• Working as a teacher aide with special needs students• Before she had a computer at home this mother had trouble giving

support to her students because of her lack of knowledge of computers “Now I can take it all in – interpret the instructions – and help the child through it. I can also access resources and teaching aids through the internet”

• “Currently I am working at a rest home and found word processing great for keeping files on the residents there. Database is excellent for their personal information so it’s there for me at my finger tips”.

• I have more confidence with having to work on the computer in the library at work. Not so unsure about trying new things when it comes to learning a new programme on the computer”.

Volunteer work

• “I have volunteered my new admin skills of typing and word processing to community groups. I have got something from the community and it feels like it is good to be giving something back”.

• “Bot minutes. I am the secretary”• “I don’t know why they wanted me to be the

secretary of the church. I look at the minutes of the Board of Trustees and think that is how you do minutes. I have to do it all in Samoan”

Benefits for the childrenSocial and cultural

• Means of entertainment and a tool for self expression and communication

• Belonging to the Net Generation, creating an identity on Bebo and posting onto YouTube

• Positive Computer for Parents programme

Education• Parents speak the

language of the school• Homework, use internet

resources, email to school for printing

• AnyQuestions –online reference service from the National library

• StudyIt- NCEA students easy access to teachers across the country

Benefits for Whanau & family In their own words

Thank you very much for bringing this project to Nuhaka. I have 4 children at the school and it's just great that we've got a computer in the house which they can use. My 6 year old is quite the whizz kid on it and my 12 year old does alot of my on-line searching and e-mailing for me. I've only had to ban her from e-mailing once (questionable language!!!). As for the 3 boys well while they love the wrestling sites they do also check out the Encarta encyclopedia and a lot of the learning websites which they get referred to from the school. Me, well I love the ease of paying bills on line and I'm slowly learning more about the web and e-mailing. Thanks also for your online learning programs. We've continued on using Watchdog - it makes me feel safe.

Computer in Home mother

• It's hard to say but inside me I'm very happy of having the computer at home, because it really helps my children with their homeworks especially my big boy who is sitting his School Cert this year. I may say thank you very much for this chance that you gave to us. May God Bless you. I know some of the things in the computer because my kids teach me how to find out.

• Computer in Home father• Thing's are going really well I have a

Uncle who is really good with computer's and he has been helping me alot. I now have Internet banking and pay all my bills via net which a big step for me so thing's are great. Thank you again for giving my family and myself the chance to "move into the 21st century!

Local content and blogs – community benefit

Other 2020 initiatives grown out of the project

• Our WSIS commitment to Small Island Developing States - helping our Pacific neighbours

• 2 schools, 5 businesses, one island

• 9 Laptops, 2 Printers, free internet for schools, Samoan education content

• 2 Months to design and install

Refugee & migrant groups

Adult LiteracyComputers in Homes

Reading off the screen that’s been easy for me. But I mean think about a book - having to read a hardcover book. It just takes a while for it to sink in. But I can just sit here at the screen and keep reading. I can scroll down and I can scroll back up or whatever. I have always found it easier for me to read something off the computer than sitting reading a book. I don’t know why.

Issues

Technical• Part of the problem of

owning a computer is that it needs continual upgrading

• “It is very good to know that I can now use a computer and that it’s there to help me if I need it. We have just bought a new one as my one didn’t work. It was fixed but only lasted a week…”

We don’t succeed with everyone!!

Stepping Up – Launch at Parliament

Trustees and Local champions

Where to from here?100,000 families with school aged children still do not have access to the internet in their homes.56% of families with children in Opotiki do not have internet access, whereas only 13% of families on the North Shore do not.

2006 Census