Don’t be a ToolEverything is a Technology Company but Not Everyone is Ready

#bcnXtool

October 15, 2016

Ivory Tower Digital Tower

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Digital Readiness: Skills

“Skills necessary to initiate an online session, surf the internet and share content online.”

0% 20% 40% 60%

Very

Somewhat

Only a litte

Not at all

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A Reality Check is Overdue

• 46% say they are only somewhat, a little or not at all confident in their digital skills

• 46% say the statement below describes them very well or somewhat well:

“When I get a new electronic device I usually need someone else to set it up or

show me how to use it.”

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…and that’s just the hardware

Huge implications for adults with limited education – high school or lower – in:

• Job seeking

• Learning for work or personal enrichment

• Social connections

• Health care access

• Mobile health app use

• Accessing public services and benefits

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Tech Use by Education

0% 50% 100%

Smart phone

Home broadband

Internet use

All

H.S. diploma

<High School

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Job Seeking Skills: A SnapshotNOT EASY TO… EMPLOYED UNEMPLOYED

Contact potential employers by email

9% 19%

Fill out application online 10% 22%

Find available local jobs online

10% 19%

Find online programs and services for job seekers

8% 19%

Create a professional resume

14% 28%

Highlight skills on social media

19% 27%

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Smart Phones Not the Panacea

• 13% of adults have smartphone but no broadband

• 15% have limited online options other than their phone

• 7% are totally “smart phone dependent”

• 15% of young adults

• 13% in poor income households

• 12% of African Americans

• 13 of Latinos

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Among U.S. job seekers using smartphones...TASK % WHO HAD

PROBLEMS

Accessing content that didn’t displayproperly

47%

Reading non-mobile optimized job content

47%

Entering a large amount of text 38%

Submitting required files or supporting docs

37%

Saving or bookmarking jobs for later 23%

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So what can we do?

Start here:

DON’T MOCK

or ROLL YOUR EYES

or SNICKER

or JUDGE

Your “baseline” is far from universal.

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Reach Across the Divide

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Give the Gift of Time

1 hour of Tech Help• Device, software or task

• Judgment-free

assistance

• Patience guaranteed

• Option to renew

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Become a Tech Ambassador

Offer BASIC lunch-and-learn or coffee-and-learn or beer/wine and learn sessions and help desks at:

• Your employer

• Coffee shops

• Workplace development centers

• Libraries and churches

• Community and senior centers

• Community ed programs

• Family visits

Go outside your zone of comfort.

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Examples of “Basics”

• Password creation, security and storage

• FB and Instagram use, privacy settings, private groups

• What is “the cloud,” really?

• What extensions mean; why they matter

• Creating a resume

• Uploading a resume

• Setting up profiles with health providers

• Accessing public library assets online

• Setting up useful smart phone apps

• Using Google Apps

• eLearning sites

• LinkedIn profile

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What if…

BarCamp Nashville expanded its mission to a year-round series of Help Desks for areas and populations with low digital literacy?

We went beyond hack-a-thons to help-a-thons focused on adults?

We took basic tech skills to the real people who may need it the most?

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Challenge: Be an AGENT OF CHANGE

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Thank You!

• @ContentRocks

• pcoyle (at) content-connects (dot) com

• 615-445-2333

• http://content-connects.com/

• https://content-connects.com/content-audits-special/

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Sources

Pew Digital Readiness Gaps (September 2016)http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/20/digital-readiness-gaps/

Pew Internet and Job Seeking (November 2015)http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/11/19/1-the-internet-and-job-seeking/

Pew Lifelong Learning and Technology (March 2016)http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/03/22/lifelong-learning-and-technology/

NY Times Interview with FCC Head on Digital Divide (June 2016)

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/technology/the-challenges-of-closing-the-digital-divide.html?_r=0

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