Category Archives: New technologies

Screens and Pages – new book is doing well!

Literacy, New technologies, ,
Screens and Pages

George Cole‘How do you like your books – dead trees or digital?  Printed books are being challenged by a new generation of electronic books – e-books,’ so says George Cole, in his review of technology on MJ online (ebooks).

He includes some comments about my latest book Screens and Pages which looks at how technology is changing the face of reading for pleasure. I am pleased to report that Screens and Pages has been well received. Lars Helljesen Senior Adviser with Vox,  the National Institute for Adult Learning in Norway, said, ‘I found the chapters on the publishing revolution and digital fiction especially interesting, and use them as a sort of a “handbook” concerning social media and reading.’   What a very perceptive man he is!

Order a copy of Screens and Pages from http://shop.niace.org.uk/screens-and-pages.html

Truetube

New technologies, youth and community, ,
My piece about the visit to Wolverhampton has gone up on Merlin John Online, the url is http://www.agent4change.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=403:truetube-hits-the-road&catid=63:innovation&Itemid=433which is not that snappy.

It was a great visit. Heath Town is like so many areas in Britain today. It has a legacy of past violence which still casts a shadow but has changed in all sorts of ways. It is much more multi –ethnic than it used to be but also has increasing unemployment, drink and drugs problems. The youth work team does a good job in trying to provide a community focus but the people who are the hardest to reach are probably the ones most in need of help. In Heath town they had 3 days with the Truetube team and made films about local issues- chavs v Goths and a tribute to a mate who died.

Truetube is well worth a look. They make and post videos online but even better they show people how to make, edit and post their own. It doesn’t have to be expensive kit and an editing suite, you can make great movies with a mobile phone, flip video cameras or a digital camera. It is a good way into community action too. Have a look at the results on http://www.truetube.co.uk/. Once you get past their annoying little survey there is plenty to see.