BBC raw computers

Until last year I worked in BBC Factual and Learning as a Senior Content Producer for the Adult Learning team. One of my final projects was BBC raw computers; an interactive, immersive website aimed at complete computer beginners. It was an intensive two-year project for which we created interactive Flash videos with a presenter Tom teaching basic computer and internet skills.

As Senior Content Producer it was my responsibility to manage the project, including working closely with an independent production company RedNomad. In addition, due to having a teaching background, I took on the role of editor for scripts, wrote factsheets and managed user testing.

From the start of the project it was imperative that we put the user at the centre of the design process and brought in subject matter experts to provide critical reviews of scripts and factsheets.

raw computers is split into two main sections; Getting to know your computer and Introducing the internet which are then split into smaller sections, such as The mouse and Using email. Originally we had planned a separate section on health and safety, but I decided that as it should always be part of computer use, instead we covered key issues throughout raw computers.

In Computer basics we introduce the user to the computer's hardware and explain the importance of using equipment safely; adjusting seating and lighting appropriately, taking breaks and avoiding hazards. The presenter, Tom, explains this to the user on screen and there is also a factsheet they can print off and refer to, which I wrote.

In Registering on a website we explain about ensuring a website is secure and only providing the personal information users want to. We also cover security questions, usernames and passwords. With passwords we advise users to chose one that mixes letters and numbers, to use different passwords for different websites and to NEVER give your password out to anyone as no legitimate company will ever ask for it. There is also a Password checker game where you can test your password’s strength.

Screen shot from BBC raw computers

In Using email we advise users to treat attachments from unknown sources with caution and explaine how to manage and file emails in folders.

The website has a range of accessibility options; all audio has subtitles, text on screen can be changed to three text sizes and six colours are available and there are text versions of the content for those who didn't want to use, or have, video on their computer. Also, we wrote the script with our target audience in mind; sentences were short, words with few syllables - making the content accessible for a low literacy audience.

BBC raw computers ended up being a lot of hard work, but it’s something that I’m very proud of. I hope users and practitioners have found it a useful tool for learning about using computers and the internet.

Being online 247

Though I may moan a bit about Mac hardware (obviously it's the machine's fault I can't always get it to work... not the operator's!), I am quite addicted to being online 247. My main partner in crime is my iPhone which I've owned for over a year so it's starting to look a bit sorry for myself.

My partner, family and friends make jokes about how I have to be constantly plugged in and to some extent they're right.. but I have been known to leave technology behind (occasionally, with some disgruntlement). Though, the internet has also been my salvation.

At the end of January I made the mistake of going ice-skating... a whole fifteen minutes in I fell over and fractured my tibia and fibula. The break is what Plymouthians would call 'a proper job'. Originally it had been expected I'd be in hospital for only a few days, before coming home with a cast and on crutches. But, what is known as 'Michelle luck' kicked in even more and I ended up being in hospital for four weeks, on a ward that was closed to visitors for three of those weeks. Life was not fun.

My salvation, and I really do mean this, was the internet on my iPhone and later on my Mac. Luckily, at the start of my stay, my mum had brought in my Mac with tv programmes and films loaded onto it (thanks awesome bro). As my hospital television did not work, it's all I had entertainment wise.

My iPhone was used by doctors to take photos of my leg (to see how the skin was progressing), people sent me pictures of the outside world, I emailed people tales of woe, updated the world on my progress via Facebook and received encouragement and support. And, I even made phonecalls. Luckily my iPhone contract had unlimited data (though recent news reports suggest this is all about to change), but frustratingly I could see numerous wireless networks no-one had the password to!

After two weeks - with no obvious 'escape' date scheduled, my mum posted me my broadband dongle. I loaded it up with credit and soon could chat with and see (hurrah!) friends and family via Skype, browse the web and generally keep in touch with the world.

I really believe that if I'd not had the internet the ordeal would have been far worse. Having technology and the internet to hand, be it accessed over 02's 3G network on my phone, or the Vodaphone's 2G network on my internet dongle, meant I could stay in touch with the people that mattered.

Talking with a user about their experiences

Due to being at home with a mending leg (I'm trying to be positive, I don't like to call it a broken leg!) I'm not in direct contact with any of the students I normally support. As part of this course I had hoped to speak with them about their experiences of using technology, in particular if they had any accessibility issues.

Today my uncle popped round to give me a lift to the hospital and we got chatting about his use of technology and being dyslexic, how he adapts his computer to suits his needs. My uncle was diagnosed late in life and it's something we've never really spoken about, even with my background in this area. It was interesting to find out how he's come up with his own method of getting round 'annoying' websites that just 'flash and distract' him. Sometimes, he finds these animated adverts so distracting he can't read the information on the page, so he copies the main text into Word so that he can focus on just the text.

Another strategy he uses is for spelling, over time he has built up his own spelling dictionary which he has saved in a Word document. When he's composing some writing he keeps this document open as a reference, as he knows he has already found the correct spellings of such words. His approach suggests he'd find using a standard dictionary quite difficult. I'm thinking of buying a copy of the ACE Spelling Dictionary to see if he'd find that any easier to use.



I've used the ACE Spelling Dictionary with dyslexic learners before and to be honest I've found it quite useful myself. To find a word you need to listen to how many syllables it's broken up into and listen to the first syllable and what sound it makes. Then you find that sound in the dictionary and the word by the number of syllables. To be honest it's a bit difficult to describe and much simpler to show! If you ever come across a copy of this book, do take a look.

Next our conversation led onto colours, he's found that using a green colour scheme makes it easier to read text and wishes that there was some magic way he could make web pages green. I was able to tell him there is, in the form of an application, I just need to first learn how to use it on this course! So now I have even more motivation to get me going with this, over the next few weeks I'm planning to show him how to create templates in Word and Excel, amend fonts sizes and colours in his browser and look at cover overlay tools.

Instead of looking to my learners for feedback, I should have looked closer to home.

P.S. I've decided I quite like adding images into these blog posts. I'm quite a visual learner, for example I could remember what an ACE Spelling Dictionary looked like, but not what it was called.