Search Results for: literacy

Back in April, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics issued its Fifth Report, entitled “Privacy and Social Media in the Age of Big Data“. Among its recommendations was a soft one on Digital Literacy: “The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada continue to provide support to digital literacy programs.”

Last night, I saw the government’s response to the report:

Digital literacy and skills are at the core of what is needed for individuals to succeed in today’s online economy. In this regard, the government makes significant investments in skills development programs, including those that target digital literacy. For example, Budget 2011 announced that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) would reallocate $60 million to support digital skills and enrolment in key disciplines, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

A number of important initiatives arise from the Budget 2011 reallocation. For example, Skills Link is dedicating up to $10 million annually over three years (2011–14) for projects to support digital skills development among disadvantaged youth. Digital Jobs of Tomorrow has received nearly $1 million for a project carried out by the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills, a group of information and communications technology (ICT) industry leaders, in conjunction with the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). In 2011, the project launched the CareerMash website and career awareness activities for schools and students to promote ICT career awareness. HRSDC also provided both core and project-specific funding to the ICTC to contribute to the development of a digitally skilled workforce and improved ICT labour market intelligence.

As well, up to $4 million over two years was committed for a digital skills competition to improve awareness of ICT-related education and training programs, while $9 million of the HRSDC Skills and Partnership Fund is being invested over three years to encourage and support the training and employment of Aboriginal people in the ICT sector.

In its March 28, 2013 Response to the Report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled Labour and Skills Shortages in Canada: Addressing Current and Future Challenges, the Government of Canada stated that ensuring that Canada has the skills and labour force it needs now and in the future is one of the greatest socio-economic challenges facing the country. It further recognized that this will require not only concerted action, but also innovative thinking, approaches and partnerships. In view of this, as announced in Economic Action Plan 2013, the government is taking steps to address these labour market challenges by partnering with provinces and territories, employers and other stakeholders to target skills development investments in high-demand areas.

The Response also recognized the shared responsibility for Canada’s labour market success, which requires multiple stakeholders to play important roles in this respect. Provinces and territories, which are responsible for education, have a central role to play in developing digital literacy and skills. The government will continue to work with its provincial and territorial partners to develop tomorrow’s digital workforce.

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the privacy of Canadians and fostering an environment that will enable individuals and businesses to participate, innovate and contribute to the growth of the digital economy.

Are we making progress on the release of a comprehensive digital strategy?

To date, most government broadband initiatives have focused on subsidizing infrastructure, intervention to stimulate the supply and lower costs for one or more service providers – ultimately in the hopes of local stimulation of demand through lower prices.

Such programs have had mixed results and have generally looked solely at rural and remote areas, providing a supply-side subsidy regardless of the ability to pay.

Unfortunately, we typically ignore the broader issues associated with the demand-side. It is not just rural and remote households that need attention. Many households in urban centres still have not signed up for internet access. Many households still don’t have a computer. For these people, computers and tablets are simply not on their list of priorities.

Yesterday, the FCC in the US announced an expansion of the Connect2Compete program aimed at addressing the digital literacy gap among low income households.

Currently one-third of Americans don’t subscribe to broadband services at home and more than 60 million Americans lack digital literacy skills, which are the basic skills needed to use a computer and the Internet. Connect2Compete is a national nonprofit coalition dedicated to helping narrow the digital divide by making high-speed Internet access, computers, educational and job content, and digital literacy training more accessible for millions of Americans without home connectivity.

Yesterday’s announcement brought the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authority into the coalition, to work with local public housing authorities and other HUD-funded organizations to encourage eligible families to access resources available through Connect2Compete, including digital literacy training opportunities. Connect2Compete and Best Buy are launching a national digital literacy training program at partner facilities, including HUD Neighborhood Networks Centers, United Way, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

As FCC Chair Genachowski observed in his remarks yesterday:

The costs of digital exclusion are rising. Offline Americans are missing out on opportunities in education, health care, and employment. Over 80% of Fortune 500 companies post job openings exclusively online. Over half of today’s jobs require technology skills, and nearly 80% of jobs in the next decade are projected to require digital skills. Closing the broadband adoption and digital literacy skills gap is critical to the future of our economy.

The digital component of jobs has been identified here before in my post called “Menial no more.”

In Canada, the numbers are close 1 in 5 households lacking computers and connections, compared to 1 in 3 households in the US, but that number is way too high. A little over a year ago, I wrote that more than 600,000 households in Canada’s 3 largest cities don’t have a computer, let alone a broadband connection.

It is time for Canadians to turn our attention to closing our own broadband adoption and digital literacy gaps.

On Wednesday June 5, we will be looking at “Building an Innovation Economy” at The Canadian Telecom Summit, one of a number of sessions related to our overall theme of “Defining our place in a digital world.” Early bird rates expire February 28. Have you registered yet?

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is an advisory group of leading scientists and engineers in the US who advise the President. Last week, PCAST released a report [full report (pdf)] providing an updated assessment of networking and information technology (“NIT”) R&D activity under the supervision of the US Government.

the report cites notable steps forward in multi-agency work to advance “big data,” health IT, robotics, and cybersecurity, and calls out significant progress toward creating infrastructure for network scaling and NIT testbeds.

The report also notes that many important areas have received less attention and investment than is needed, making recommendations for stronger coordination among agencies to meet continuing NIT challenges in educational technology, data privacy, energy, transportation, and other important sectors.

Cynically, one might expect a report to call for more investment in a number of areas. After all, acceptance of such recommendations will direct funds to the types of institutions that employ the members of the advisory board.

However, there was a recommendation that caught my eye. Under the heading of Government Leadership, the advisory board called for the National Science and Technology Council “to lead in bringing about the education of more children and adults in NIT [Networking and Information Technology], both through the efforts of its Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education in multi-agency programs to provide workers with skills in topics of importance to national priorities and in the creation of opportunities for high-quality continuing education in NIT.”

Getting more children and adults educated in digital technologies is part of developing the leadership of the future.

Skills development is a critical piece of a digital strategy. Nearly every job has a digital component – or it will soon – as I wrote in a blog post called “Menial no more“.

A digital strategy is more about setting our sights toward a better future. Will Canada ever see a statement setting out a national digital vision?

I wrote a guest post for the expertIP blog entitled: “Canada can’t afford a digital divide.”

The message is familiar to my frequent readers: providing refurbished computers and low cost internet connections into low income households with school aged children. Develop a network of partners to provide technical support and digital literacy skills development.

The programmes that we have been proposing don’t need government money as much as they need leadership.

Is anyone hearing the call?

Media Awareness Network (MNet) released a thought provoking report [report pdf, press release] yesterday.

It is worth looking at.

The report found there are still significant challenges to overcome before digital technologies can succeed in enriching students’ learning – one of the main barriers being students’ lack of digital literacy skills. Interestingly, the report says that typical school filters and policies banning or restricting networked devices in the classroom may take away opportunities needed to help youth develop digital literacy skills, such as good judgment and responsible use.

These are among the findings in Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Teachers’ Perspectives.

In the study, MNet sought to better understand how digital technologies are being integrated into classrooms, enhance learning, and examine the impact on the teacher-student relationship.

Digital literacy has been a frequent issue raised on these pages – although I had focused on Canadians that are not yet connected, Canadians who do not yet have a computer.

MNet’s report examines the need to improve skills among kids who may be competent at using and navigating, but not necessarily digital literate.

All of the teachers we talked to indicated that their students loved working – and playing – with smart phones, iPods, iPads, computers and networked devices of all kinds. But they also agreed that simple access to networked technologies has not made their students better learners. In spite of the fact that young people demonstrate a facility with online tools, many students lack the skills they need to use those tools effectively for learning. There is also a real propensity on the part of students to take what they find online as “given”.

Improved digital literacy is a critical element in building Canada’s information economy. In the absence of a National Digital Strategy, where will we find leadership in developing these skills?