Alison Kaye
I'm a Teaching and Learning Advisor at the University of York, specialising in digital skills development. I support staff and students at organisational, departmental, programme and individual level.
Location York
Activity
-
I've not used Kiddle either. I'll have a look as my son is now getting to the age where he'll start searching for himself soon.
-
Do you work for SCVO Maddie? Really interesting stuff
-
Mike B - ha ha, yes I must admit I've never watched the One Show. I remember Why Don't you though. I loved it though (I was quite young at the time)
-
Alison Kaye replied to gg poulloin
Hi. You can share the link to this one GG. In FutureLearn the 'Discussion' content is locked down but other pages are fine to share a link to.
-
Alison Kaye replied to gg poulloin
Hi GG. We haven't been able to get the authority needed to make all the content shareable en masse (the urls are locked down in some way) but I've checked with the author and she is more than happy for you to copy and paste the content of this article into something else and share it if you attribute her (Susan Halfpenny, University of York). I know this isn't...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
Despite the clip I have to admit I use Google a lot! I think it works really well when I'm looking for a specific site. When searching for information by topic in order to inform my understanding of a subject it becomes less effective. I use Scholar when searching for information for my job because I need to find scholarly sources of information and this...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
It's not just libraries that are trying to help people bridge the skills gap. For example, the Carnegie Trust has a project called #NotWithoutMe, which was launched in 2015 to improve digital inclusion and increase digital skills among vulnerable young people. Age UK have been supporting older people who lack the skills to fully participate in a digital world....
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
I think what's interesting about the pie chart is that it's not saying that this is the proportion of people that have those skills, it's saying that this proportion of people are in jobs where they need those skills to fulfill their roles. The problem is that despite the roles requiring these higher levels of understanding and skill there are big skill gaps,...
-
I've seen the Doteveryone test but haven't known anyone using it to measure people's skills at work. That's really interesting.
-
Agreed, 'what is it you're trying to achieve/do?' is a crucial question in order to save time and misunderstandings
-
That makes complete sense to me Maddie. I think it's that general awareness of how I.T. works and what is possible, that means you know the right questions to ask and the right information to ask for from technical IT teams.
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
Lots of interesting points here about balance, and being aware and mindful of the time you spend online and ensuring that you're doing as much as you can that is enjoyable in life both online and offline. I am a bit guilty of mindless scrolling at times when I should do something that gives me more joy. However, it's possibly no worse than watching mindless...
-
It sounds like you have a good balance Mike, which I think is the real key
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
As many of you have picked up on, recent elections and referendums have seen many people using social media to engage in mainstream politics. In the recent General Election in the UK it was interesting to see how the Labour party in particular made use of social media to engage voters. They not only had a social media presence but they had a plan for how to...
-
Alison Kaye replied to Judith Casselden
Yes, in the recent election it was very interesting to see how the Labour party made use of social media to engage voters. The content for this course was updated before the election so it doesn't take account of that. Labour not only used social media (the main parties all did) but had a plan for how to use it effectively to grab people's attention.
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
All three are very intertwined together. For example you can;t think about the future of the organisation (strategic planning) without having some understanding of IT.
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
Hi. I'm a Learning Advisor at the University of York. I work with staff and students in the area of digital skills development and I usually work either with groups of 20 or under or do one to one consultations and discussions. However, I do give some presentations to larger audiences too. I think it would be useful for me to have clearer strategies for...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
Free online resources continued ....
Richard K. continued...
https://support.google.com/sites/?hl=en#topic=6372850
https://youtu.be/0qO0-felZs4
https://alison.com/learn/information-technology
http://www.digitalbusinessacademyuk.com/coursesPatricia Miller
Are you familiar with the DO-IT Center? http://www.washington.edu/doit/
Wikipedia has a... -
Alison Kaye made a comment
Here are the free online resources that help people develop their digital skills that people shared in a week 1 post (split over two comments as there are a limited number of characters allowed).
S.G.
isafe.me.uk
In collaboration with Camden People First, we have created a free website catering specifically for people with learning disabilities:
It is... -
Alison Kaye replied to Richard K
This is really interesting. Thanks for sharing Richard K
-
Alison Kaye replied to Alison Kaye
Many thanks for sharing all these guys. I'll post again to share them with everyone who is following my posts and we'll see if anyone adds any more there.
-
Thanks for the link to this article Clara
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
It's been great to see your thoughts whilst considering these two ideas/models. Models are unable to accurately categorise people and practices, life is more complex than that. But they can act as tools to aid reflection and it's good to see so many of you enjoying thinking about your practices by using the V&R lens. For what it's worth, I enjoy the new links...
-
It's so interesting to hear about all the different levels and contexts of information and technology use and expertise, even within one family. I think you're definitely exploding the native and immigrant myth
-
Thanks for this Cathy. Yes, I agree that someone's willingness to adapt and change is an important factor. Good point.
-
Agreed Seyed :-)
-
Soon, many thanks for the Loon Project link. Very interesting.
-
Yes, Seyed, I think some people believe it is a "need" and others feel it is not important to them at all. I guess for those whose livelihood depends on it. for example, it is far more crucial. Interesting to think about the balance between online and real world interactions in different people's lives too, as you say.
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
Request to share resources
We've mentioned libraries in particular in this section but does anyone know of any online resources that help people develop their digital skills, whether free or paid for. Please share any you know of here and we'll collate them and share them with everyone. Many thanks -
Alison Kaye made a comment
For those of you who took the test, I hope you enjoyed it. Digital competency and behaviour is obviously more complex than a tick-box set of skills, and it is not mandatory by any means to be proficient in all of the practices listed (I'm certainly not), but hopefully it helped you think about some of the capabilities that are considered to be digital skills...
-
Let me know if this is still a problem Michael-Kurt and I'll put you in touch with FutureLearn to solve it.
-
Thanks for the links. I'll take a look
-
But if you don'tr know you have a particular lack of skill or that there is anything better, i.e. there isn't a specific problem that you're aware of that leads you to do a Google search, how do you find out about things? Professional networks that share ideas?
-
I love this! Thanks Elena. I'm going to look into this village further.
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
The meme above, of course, is not something we should take too seriously. It's a very famous meme that strikes a chord with people (hence they share it) but as most of you have said, the world will not stop without wifi access, and other considerations (food, shelter, etc.) are far more crucial to our happiness and survival. It's a fun illustration though to...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
There have been some really interesting discussions going on this week and this is no exception. It's great to see people from different countries sharing their experiences so that we really appreciate the differences that exist globally. As we have seen, access is a real issue for many people. Which means that there are voices and stories not being...
-
Alison Kaye replied to Richard K
Thanks for the link. I'll take a look
-
All good points. As the week progresses we'll look more at information skills such as sifting and evaluation of sources.
-
Alison Kaye replied to Robin Rudra
All good points. As the week progresses we'll look more at information skills such as sifting and evaluation of sources.
-
Thanks Hanny. You have summarised quite a few of the challenges here.
-
I think this may depend on where you are. But its great to hear that in Melbourne libraries are evolving and thriving, as they are in many cities in many countries. I'm a librarian myself and so far, in the University context, books continue to have their place, especially for subjects where older non-digitised material is important. Interesting discussion....
-
Thanks for sharing this link Patricia. Sometimes it's best to use whatever works for you - I also find myself turning to pen and paper for some things. For me, awareness and knowledge is probably the most empowering thing and you are clearly continuing to develop yours. It's a very interesting point you make about dementia and other conditions that may make...
-
Alison Kaye replied to carlene barton
Thanks for sharing these links Carlene.
-
Alison Kaye replied to Robert Roe
Robert, I love this idea of being an "informed paranoid". I think it's probably a very sensible approach. Being able to think rationally about the risks and challenges as well as the advantages.
Eileen, I agree that the cyberworld challenges are very complex, and perhaps even more complex than in the real world. -
Alison Kaye replied to Lucy Harris
Towards the end of this week there is a section called 'This is an article about Wikipedia [citation needed]' where Steph Jesper talks about why wikipedia links are included in this course. Hopefully you will find this interesting. We will also look much more closely at information evaluation towards the end of this week. Your points about using your judgment...
-
Alison Kaye replied to Nina R
It's something I struggle with myself. I have small children and I try to ensure they spend the majority of their time in the "real world" and lots of time outside, but I'm sure it will become more challenging as they get older! Interesting to think how relationships may (or may not?) change over the coming decades
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
It's great to see so many really interesting discussions going on here exploring what digital citizenship may mean and what its advantages and challenges may be. For example, what is the tension between freedom (of speech, and of behaviour) and control, regulation and censorship? How can we have rights, duties, and responsibilities and behave ethically but...
-
Thanks for sharing these Colleen. I know what you mean about getting sidetracked - so many rabbit holes!
-
Exactly Jeff. What does "engagement" really mean? Great points
-
Interesting point Joe. The size and scale of the audience and the ease of putting out a message means it can have a huge impact in a very short space of time. This can have implications for what we consider (or don't) before posting online
-
A really interesting point Paul. It's a global platform. Can we expect everyone to follow the same unwritten rules about behaviour and identity online?
-
Very interesting discussion about hacking and whether this can actually be an ethical activity. In week 2 we start to explore different identities and think about the hacker and hackers who are employed to do this. Thanks for sharing the TED talks Michael-Kurt. Cleopatra raises an interesting discussion thread here about digital behaviour and that what is seen...
-
As a librarian I have to agree with you all. I love the freedom of the availability of information (although not everyone has access of course) and the ability it gives me to learn about things much more quickly than before. Equally, though, not all information and data of quality is readily available from a Google search. But do people often go beyond the...
-
Thanks for sharing Bernd
-
A really interesting discussion here about citizenship and how that equates with behaviour online - e.g. following particular rules, using technology respectfully and responsibly, and legally. John, you hit on one of the challenges of the web as a tool - that organisations and individuals will use the tool for their own ends and respect could be the furthest...
-
Great discussion. You've identified one of the challenges of the digital age. That of the potential isolation or disadvantage of those who don't have access or knowledge or skills. There are no easy answers but we'll be exploring this issue more over the rest of the week.
-
It's great to see so much interesting debate here around freedom of speech, censorship, rules and respect. We'll be looking at some of these issues in particular in week 3.
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
I think that flipping classrooms and using technology so that face to face teaching time can be used more effectively is great. But removing teachers is not an option. Children will find information but they may be finding information that is out-of-date, incorrect or out of context and they may not be understanding it, but rather, regurgitating it. Professor...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
I have nothing against flipping classrooms and using technology to find information but as Lindsay says below, the children may be finding information that is out-of-date, incorrect or out of context and they may not be understanding it, but rather, regurgitating it. Professor Mitra's work is interesting because it shows how motivated children are by...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
The Khan Academy is a useful tool for teachers who want to flip the classroom as schools/individual teachers putting together the videos themselves isn't possible. It's a fabulous resource. The teacher training needs to be there to ensure that teachers then use the time in class to the best use for each child. The flipped method makes complete sense to me and...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
I'd love to have the images of the brain to show my children how sleep helps them. That would be fantastic. The children respond better to seeing something visually than me just telling them.
-
Alison Kaye replied to nicole Cook
I agree completely. It's about balance and not using them excessively. It can be irresistible to spend a lot of time on games and other multimedia technologies and young children in particular need parents to set boundaries and enforce them rather than just complain that their children are always using them. It was really nice to see some of the scientific...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
Like others have said, there are great benefits for young minds in texting. Problems would come only if children couldn't use formal written language if it was required of them in other contexts. I liked that the expert in the video raised the point that we have just the same issues that we always have - worrying that our children don't know how to 'write...
-
I have to agree. Parenting is so important because the internet and the devices we have now are in children's own homes and the temptation to spend all your time online doing easier 'consumption' based activities is high. The older they get the more they have to make their own decisions though. I like your idea of teaching them to be conscious about why they...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
I think that some of the speakers were very alarmist. If children spent all their time online (which perhaps some do), perhaps they would be less aware of real consequences and would be more detached from reality and meaning. Balance and education is important. Then people can make the most of the opportunities without succumbing to the pressures to be online...
-
I agree. It is divisive and can lead to children being over-confident in their online skills. Comfort with technology and immersion in technology is not the same as being skilled. And they don't know what they don't know. This can be dangerous as often they are not aware of how to be safe online, or how to think critically about the information they are...
-
Alison Kaye made a comment
I think there is a big role for schools here. Parents are not always experts in this area and schools can teach children to think critically about technology, and their use of it. As Sean Hampton Cole says, developing "digital citizenship" capabilities can really empower children to use technology well and effectively and, crucially, safely. However, I'm...
