Blog
Digital Literacies Workshops and Conference
May 20, 2012
by Lisa Harris
There are still a few spaces available for staff and students on the following events. These are informal sessions run on behalf of the Centre for Innovation in Technologies and Education (CITE) by Fiona Harvey, Lisa Harris and the Student Digital Champions.
1. Online Identity Workshop: 22nd May at 3pm in 85/2207.
This is a chance for you to review how you appear online and take an active role in making deliberate changes. What you say and how you appear online needs to be consistent and professional in order to reflect you in the best possible light. The workshop will highlight good and bad examples to help you enhance your profile and promote yourself effectively. You can register for this event here.
2. Online Safety and Security Workshop: 30th May at 2pm in 85/2209.
Find out all about staying safe online – do you read Terms and Conditions, all the way through…really? Do you know who can access your private data on social networks and how you can stop them? You can register for this event here.
3. Developing and Managing your Professional Profile Workshop: 7th June at 2pm in 85/2207.
How well do you manage your online networks? Is your LinkedIn profile complete and working well for you? Would you like to increase your social capital and project a professional online profile to a future employer? You can register for this event here.
4. Digital Literacy Conference
Due to popular demand additional tickets have now been released for the Digital Literacy Conference in Garden Court, Highfield Campus all day on 14th June. There will be un-keynote sessions led by Steve Wheeler, Cristina Costa, Sue Beckingham and Doug Belshaw, as well as contributions from a number of Southampton University staff and students who are engaged in various Digital Literacy activities.
We hope to see you at one or more of these events!
Alison Simmance- new DE USRG Coordinator
by Alison Simmance
Alison Simmance, Nosy Hara Marine Park, Madagascar.
I am delighted to be the new Digital Economy USRG Coordinator here at the University of Southampton and to be involved in communicating the Digital Economy’s diverse and excellent research: the novel approach to influence human behaviour through mobile phone and social networking technology; bringing life to events; revolutionizing aspects of the humanities for our students and laying the digital foundation to tackle today’s complex problems such as the supply and demand of energy are excellent examples. But there’s more! Today, I have been seeing the diverse nature of research in the Digital Economy at the Creative Digifest #SxSC.
By way of background, I obtained my MSc here in NOCS many years ago in Marine Science, Policy and Law and I have worked for the UK Government’s marine science unit (Defra ) for over 3 years. Having obtained valuable experience in developing policy led marine environmental research, I was eager to develop a greater understanding of the global challenges facing resource management in developing countries. In response, last year I took a career break to work out in Madagascar on socio-economic research in marine resource management. Here, I lived with some of society’s poorest communities and the most diverse and remote islands globally. The global ‘South’ and ‘Digital’ divide was very evident!
Now, looking back, I struggle to believe the many amazing things I saw and experienced during my time in Madagascar: a Madagascar paradise-flycatcher ensconced in her nest deep in the mangroves; a trade between fisherman and collector of ornate spiny lobster, a creature of unimaginable beauty; the diverse seascapes and landscapes throughout Madagascar; the passive and warm nature of the Malagasy people; and the challenging primitive lifestyle with little access to clean drinking water, radios, telephones and the internet!. Through these experiences as well as time spent working with children in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya, I have come to understand the impact that the global economic crisis, fuel crisis, agricultural crisis and digital divide can have in influencing human progress!
In terms of the Digital Economy, I think the message is clear- advanced connectivity will deliver major economic benefits everywhere. As stated by ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré “Broadband is no longer a luxury…it is a core infrastructure of the modern economy. Those who have it will prosper, those who don’t will fall further behind.”
In my next blog I will speak about my excitement to work here in the University’s Multidisciplinary research team. I will provide my perspective on how I see the Digital Economy USRG and my other USRGs (Sustainability Science, Complexity in Real World Contexts, Ageing and Lifelong Health, Work Futures Research Centre) contributing to global dilemmas (international development, diversifying economies, creating wealth and pulling people out of poverty) and the impact of the research carried out in the Digital Economy here in the University of Southampton.
I look forward to meeting you all soon,
Alison.
Southampton hosts RCUK Digital Economy "IT as a Utility" Network+
by Graeme Earl
Many congratulations to Professor Jeremy Frey whose £1.5 million Network+ award has now been announced by RCUK.
“As part of a new way of better taking forward existing research and training investments the RCUK Digital Economy (DE) Theme has set up a network in each of its four priority challenge areas: IT as a Utility, Communities and Culture, New Economic Models and Sustainable Society.
“Each ‘Network+’ has received £1.5 million funding over three years, with a broad scope that goes above and beyond the standard network remit.
“In line with the DE Theme objectives, each Network+ will focus on harnessing digital technologies to bring about transformational impact on community life, cultural experiences, future society, and the economy. They will co-create Grand Challenges, engage with and build communities, and inform the research agenda. A series of initial networking events in January 2012 specifically focused on the instigating the Network+ activities.
“The Network+ will:
- Hold ‘standard’ networking activities, including workshops, meetings and interactive forums
- Support N+N activities to bring together people and foster best+best interactions with UK and overseas groups
- Link to other RCUK-supported initiatives such as the AHRC-led Connected Communities Programme and the AHRC KE Hubs
- Make and maintain links with the full spectrum of industry and users, including the third sector
- Identify and prioritise the research and societal challenges in the appropriate DE Challenge Area and develop future Grand Challenges in the DE area. They will generate various reports and other outputs – for example, working with Government departments may help to inform and influence policy.
- Develop placements/secondments, a big feature of each network, which will encourage ideas-generation and knowledge exchange between users and the knowledge base.
- Support up to 10 ‘scoping study funds’ per network, for prioritised activities at up to £50,000 each. This should help in the creation of higher quality research proposals.”
Network+ holders are:
Sustainable Society; Dr Cathy Mulligan, Nottingham
Communities and Culture: Dr Helen Thornham, Leeds
IT as a Utility: Professor Jeremy Frey, Southampton
New Economic Models: Professor Roger Maull, Exeter
Sponsored Digital Economy PhD Opportunity
May 10, 2012
by Lisa Harris
Funding available to support PhD research into small business and cultural heritage interpretation partnerships in the Digital Economy
A team of Digital Economy members have just been awarded a Vice Chancellor’s Award to recruit a PhD student who is interested in researching this topic. A grant of £7K p.a. for 3 years (or pro rata for part time work) will be available to cover fees and contribute towards living costs. The project needs to begin before 1st December 2012.
This project provides an opportunity for the successful student to provide significant practical value to local heritage sites and representatives from the creative industries, while drawing upon multi-disciplinary academic perspectives such as:
- Digital marketing and online community development
- Innovation and creativity in high tech firms
- Archaeology
- Visual communications
The successful applicant will develop a project to manage new digital communities around local heritage sites. The objective is to encourage visitors to engage more specifically with these sites and appreciate the stories they have to tell, by updating what are often rather old fashioned displays with creative applications of digital technologies. This might involve, for example, partnering with small businesses with expertise in augmented reality, virtual worlds, video, touch screens, mobile apps, serious gaming etc. Technologies such as motion capture allow sophisticated approaches to the 3D reconstruction of heritage sites, and when taken together with augmented reality applications, they provide new opportunities to enhance our understanding and appreciation of what living at these places must have been like for the benefit of both visitors and scholars.
The project will explore mechanisms for building industrial/ cultural heritage partnerships to increase footfall, improve visitor experience and engage new demographics. Southampton’s unique expertise at the interface of the web, design, HCI, marketing and innovation and cultural heritage will enable an innovative piece of work to be completed while stimulating new collaborative research across the faculties. The topic is one which has considerable public, industrial, academic and third sector impact potential.
If you have any queries about this application or if you can recommend a student who might like to apply for this role please contact Lisa Harris (l.j.harris@soton.ac.uk ) for more information. The email address for submission of applications on the standard University PhD application form please is PGapply.FH@soton.ac.uk
#PianoHAWK on YouTube
by Sotonde
You can view a #PianoHAWK video clip here: University of Southampton Youtube Channel
#PianoHAWK conversation on Yammer
by Sotonde
Login to join the #PianoHAWK conversation on Yammer. Note: this is currently only available to University of Southampton Yammer group members. You will need a Yammer username and password.
It’s not just technology
by Karen Woods
Are today’s laws adequate for the digital economy? Roksana Moore from the University of Southampton is looking at privacy, IP and regulation across international boundaries as part of her lecturing duties.
She’s teaching students about these matters both within the Law School and in the Doctoral Training Centre for Web Science as part of ILAWS, the Institute for Law and the Web at Southampton.
Roksana told me her students are interested in issues surrounding open sourcing regulation, patent protection and DNA computing.
Link
sotonDE on Weibo
by Sotonde
DE lunch 30th April #sotonweibo
April 30, 2012
by Lisa Harris
Here is the first Storify from today’s event and the slides are below:
Social Network Analysis Event
April 28, 2012
by Lisa Harris
Great event in London yesterday – details and useful links (especially for Digital Marketing and Web Science MSc/PhD students) can be accessed from the Storify below. Web access was limited at the venue (I *love* Eduroam!) so comments from other attendees would be most welcome (it wasn’t just me there, really…)
Read my #Storify story: “#SocialNetworkAnalysis Event” sfy.co/rRP #storify #socialnetworkanalysis
— Lisa Harris (@lisaharris) April 28, 2012