September 24, 2008 at 10:53 am · Filed under Uncategorized and tagged: BBC, childline, MSN, NEC, next generation world, NSPCC, online, text
At NEC we’re very interested in the concept of a Next Generation World (NGW), looking the future applications of current and evolved technology and our demo room at the O2 Arena is a key demonstration of the investment that NEC is placing in this area.
As a side point, we’re always interested in providing tours around the facility to interested parties, please leave a comment if you’d be interested inbeing shown around . Photos of the demo room are available here.
I’ve already written in a few posts this year about how the education sector is looking at engaging with teenagers through the use of mobile phones and other technology and it’s fantastic to see that the charity sector is also travelling in the same direction. A recent article on the BBC’s website has announced that ChildLine has begun to integrate online and mobile technology into its strategy for protecting vulnerable children.
Today ChildLine struggles to answer more than 67 per cent of the thousands of daily calls made to the organisation by children trying to find someone to speak to. To counter this shortfall. the charity is recruiting more telephone operatives whilst developing a broader spread of communication channels. Now children will be able to find the help they need by text message and via online portals such as MSN.
Through the roll-out of this service ChildLine has become aware of the different ways in which boys and girls are preferring to get in contact. Boys it seems are far happier discussing their problems via text message and are less likely to call help-lines, an audience that would not perhaps have previously benefited from ChildLine’s activity. It’s great to see such a worthy cause making its presence and impact even greater through the sensible utilisation of technology and the charity is a good example to many other organisations without such forward thinking strategies.
September 2, 2008 at 8:51 am · Filed under Uncategorized and tagged: education, mobile phones, NEC, O2, roundtable
I wrote recently about an NEC-led future of education roundtable which took place at the O2 in July. At the event we discussed how teachers can better engage with students and how technology could and should be integrated into the teaching process to recognise the shift in this new generation of digital natives.
Strangely enough, this topic was at the heart of a recent BBC article, covered as part of the BBC’s School Report project.
Pupils at Marden High School in Tynemouth were surveyed about their mobile phone use, with the final results demonstrating just how pervasive technology is amongst today’s youth. Out of a survey group of 520 pupils only three didn’t carry mobile phones and most were using between £10 and £40 of credit each month.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction of teachers to this mobile phone epidemic was to err on the side of caution. Most teachers were concerned about the dangers of bullying, happyslapping and the inappropriate videoing of teachers and this seemed to be supported by anecdotal evidence provided from the pupils. As a result, at Marden High mobile phones are banned on school premises but even the Head Teacher David Stainhope was convinced that mobiles were still being used and that there was little that could be done to hold back the tide.
Funnily enough however, the school has realised that rather than adopting a see no evil, hear no evil approach and ignoring technology it needs to better integrate it into school life to manage the risks.
Children are being given advice on how to act if they are the victims of a mobile bullying campaign and most impressively teachers are even beginning to look at ways that mobiles can be used as educational tools.
What a remarkable and innovative approach. All hail Marsden High.
