Finding and sharing information

Keep a journal

The term "journal" is used here in the sense of "a daily record of events". Keep track of events, policy announcements, announcements of partnerships, funding allocations and so on, as they appear in newspapers, newsletters, electronic bulletin boards, and maintain a clipping file of those that are of most interest. One way to make this more manageable is to identify areas of interest among a group of people and set up a system in which each person keeps track of one area and keeps others informed of relevant items of interests. Develop a mechanism for sharing information, perhaps by preparing summaries of recent events and comments that can be circulated by letter, fax, computer mail, notices in relevant locations, and so on.

Keep in touch with the local picture and maintain a local perspective

As Menzies, Innis and many others have pointed out, the local picture is our ground, our touchstone for reality, against which we can test the outcome of strategies and initiatives. It is important to maintain a "local reality file" to document and share experience and information on the local level, both to support local initiatives and to contribute to the bigger picture.

For example, if your community has a learning centre, collect information about how it is used, by whom, and when: find out who is not using it and why, and assemble information that can support recommendations for improved access and usage. If there are initiatives that may affect your local access to learning, for example on the part of telephone or cable companies, or of educational providers, begin with local representatives to explore the potential impact on learners in your community, and follow up, if necessary, to identify the level at which decisions are made.

Use the local picture to contribute to a big picture

Information assembled from a number of locales provides a sense of the impact in the long run on large numbers of people of particular initiatives. Build connections with people in other parts of the country and other parts of the world to exchange information and observations. In the period before and since the Beijing Conference, there has been a significant development of connectivity - human and technical - among women, and this can provide a basis for continuing linkages that can enable people to contribute their reality and experience to the big picture.

For example, people in the far north of Canada can indicate how satellite and various radio and telephone transmission systems serve their needs for communication and information, and provide information about cost, reliability, appropriateness for learning, and so on, to those in other countries whose governments may be considering similar systems. There can be honest exchange of information about the appropriateness and usefulness of various technologies in particular contexts, based on the experience of users," and this information can used to analyze proposals to import technologies or systems from another county or region.

Find out what the true costs are

The costs of specific application of learning technology should include initial investments, capital and operating costs and time, The costs of staff time and learners' time are not always considered, yet represent important factors in accessibility and usability. Another often overlooked area of costs is what can be termed displacement- what cannot be done or paid for because the investment of time and or money is going into a technology based program. For example, find out if staff levels will be maintained, especially in important areas like counselling and student support, after new learning technologies are introduced.