1 00:00:39,414 --> 00:00:45,671 Good day everyone. I will be discussing the digital citizenship element "Digital access"

2 00:00:45,712 --> 00:00:49,758 which I consider to be Beyond the Physical Tools.

3 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:56,056 To many of us, accessing the internet and digital content is as simple and easy

4 00:00:56,098 --> 00:01:02,145 as opening our television set when we wake up in the morning or anytime of the day

5 00:01:02,187 --> 00:01:09,444 It is simply there, available when we want it, where we want it, and simply on our fingertips.

6 00:01:09,486 --> 00:01:13,532 Unfortunately, not many are as lucky as we are.

7 00:01:13,573 --> 00:01:18,120 If we are to look at the statistics of internet penetration in Southeast Asia,

8 00:01:18,161 --> 00:01:24,418 there are still four countries, Cambodia; Lao PDR; Myanmar; and Timor Leste

9 00:01:24,459 --> 00:01:26,795 wherein more than half of the population

10 00:01:26,837 --> 00:01:30,966 don't have access to the Internet and to the digital content.

11 00:01:31,008 --> 00:01:34,011 While the rest of the countries could already boast of more

12 00:01:34,052 --> 00:01:38,056 than 50% of the population having access to the Internet,

13 00:01:38,098 --> 00:01:42,185 still the fact remains the same: a significant segment of the

14 00:01:42,227 --> 00:01:45,689 population are still digitally excluded.

15 00:01:45,731 --> 00:01:50,694 Digital access is one of the nine elements of global digital citizenship.

16 00:01:50,736 --> 00:01:55,615 Digital access pertains to full electronic participation of the society.

17 00:01:55,657 --> 00:02:01,621 And technology users, like you and me, should be aware of the fact that not everyone

18 00:02:01,663 --> 00:02:08,128 has the same access to technology as reflected in the statistics that I have just shown.

19 00:02:08,170 --> 00:02:14,343 Working towards equal digital rights and helping provide and expand access to technology

20 00:02:14,384 --> 00:02:17,888 should be the goal of all digital citizens.

21 00:02:17,929 --> 00:02:23,935 However, in order for us to perform this expectation as digital citizens,

22 00:02:23,977 --> 00:02:31,026 we need to understand what hinder or prevent others to access the internet and the digital content.

23 00:02:31,068 --> 00:02:38,867 Digital access is beyond the physical tools - meaning it's beyond the access to computers or the internet

24 00:02:38,909 --> 00:02:45,248 although these are two major or primary aspects that define access.

25 00:02:45,290 --> 00:02:50,629 Access to physical tools or hardware, like computers or mobile phones,

26 00:02:50,671 --> 00:02:55,175 can be a function of several things, which can include among others

27 00:02:55,217 --> 00:02:59,304 their availability to the users where and when they need them;

28 00:02:59,346 --> 00:03:03,433 the knowledge and skills needed to access or use these tools

29 00:03:03,475 --> 00:03:08,188 and the associated software, and of course, navigate the internet.

30 00:03:08,230 --> 00:03:14,152 The cost to use the tools and access the digital content is one other component of access.

31 00:03:14,194 --> 00:03:20,283 In the Philippines, for instance, an hour of accessing the digital content in an internet cafe

32 00:03:20,325 --> 00:03:26,123 can cost the user something like PhP15.00 or US$0.29.

33 00:03:26,164 --> 00:03:31,878 Beyond these, access can also be defined in the context of other essential things

34 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:35,715 like getting hold of a digital content relevant to the user;

35 00:03:35,757 --> 00:03:40,262 the cost of the digital content itself like paying for the publication

36 00:03:40,303 --> 00:03:47,394 or the royalty to use part of the material, etc., and using the digital content productively.

37 00:03:47,436 --> 00:03:53,775 In many countries in Southeast Asia, language of the digital content has been identified

38 00:03:53,817 --> 00:03:59,823 as one barrier to access as most content are in the English language.

39 00:03:59,865 --> 00:04:02,868 How to promote universal digital access?

40 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:07,664 As digital citizens working towards universal digital access,

41 00:04:07,706 --> 00:04:10,959 there are some strategies which we can employ.

42 00:04:11,001 --> 00:04:16,840 First is anchoring the initiative to Open Education Practice or OEP.

43 00:04:16,882 --> 00:04:21,511 With the increased engagements in open education practice by academic institutions

44 00:04:21,553 --> 00:04:27,851 and increasing number of educational resources or OERs developed by other digital citizens

45 00:04:27,893 --> 00:04:33,315 who are advocating for open learning that can now be accessed in the world wide web,

46 00:04:33,356 --> 00:04:37,235 translation of relevant OERs into the local languages

47 00:04:37,277 --> 00:04:41,448 or even contextualizing them to local culture and dynamics

48 00:04:41,490 --> 00:04:48,788 and sharing them alike is a very important move to eliminating the barrier of cost of digital content.

49 00:04:48,830 --> 00:04:50,624 Another strategy is

50 00:04:50,665 --> 00:04:58,423 tapping the Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR of companies and organizations like telecommunications companies

51 00:04:58,465 --> 00:05:05,972 or the universal social responsibility of academic institutions or even government institutions

52 00:05:06,014 --> 00:05:12,729 so that training on digital literacy can be done especially for the marginalized sectors of the society.

53 00:05:12,771 --> 00:05:18,610 In the Philippines, for instance, there is the government-academe-industry partnership

54 00:05:18,652 --> 00:05:22,531 or collaboration which aimed at providing digital literacy

55 00:05:22,572 --> 00:05:28,495 training for grassroots women, out-of-school youth, elder persons, even prisoners,

56 00:05:28,537 --> 00:05:33,375 to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to access digital content.

57 00:05:33,416 --> 00:05:39,172 One example of this is the collaboration among the University of the Philippines Open University,

58 00:05:39,214 --> 00:05:44,511 the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, which is the leading telecommunications company in the Philippines,

59 00:05:44,553 --> 00:05:48,098 and the Department of Information and Communications Technology

60 00:05:48,139 --> 00:05:53,061 to implement the Infoteach Project, a digital literacy training program.

61 00:05:53,103 --> 00:05:58,650 Under this project, the academe develops the training curriculum and train the trainers;

62 00:05:58,692 --> 00:06:02,445 the private company provides the needed financial resources;

63 00:06:02,248 --> 00:06:07,617 and the government provides the facilities, called community e-Centers

64 00:06:07,659 --> 00:06:14,666 which can serve as the venue for internet access for free to the members of the community.

65 00:06:14,708 --> 00:06:19,921 The initiative made possible the reduction if not total removal

66 00:06:19,963 --> 00:06:26,011 of two other barriers to accessing digital content: skills needed to access and the cost

67 00:06:26,052 --> 00:06:30,181 associated with the use of the hardware and the Internet.

68 00:06:30,223 --> 00:06:34,561 One other aspect to ensure universal digital access

69 00:06:34,603 --> 00:06:39,482 is to consider the needs of the physically challenged individuals which may mean

70 00:06:39,524 --> 00:06:43,403 making digital content available in various formats.

71 00:06:43,445 --> 00:06:50,410 An example of this is the integration of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG

72 00:06:50,452 --> 00:06:56,541 in the design of websites, video materials, and online course sites.

73 00:06:56,583 --> 00:07:02,255 The role of the government cannot be undermined in putting in place this element of digital citizenship.

74 00:07:02,297 --> 00:07:06,593 This can be in the form of policies that can mobilize resources

75 00:07:06,635 --> 00:07:09,846 and facilitate implementation of concrete programs

76 00:07:09,888 --> 00:07:13,558 that would remove the barriers to accessing digital content.

77 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:17,562 Again, I would like to cite the Philippines as an example.

78 00:07:17,604 --> 00:07:22,734 The establishment of the Department of Information and Communications Technology or DICT,

79 00:07:22,776 --> 00:07:25,820 and its implementation of Technology for Education,

80 00:07:25,862 --> 00:07:30,784 Employment, Entrepreneurs and Economic Development or Tech4ED project,

81 00:07:30,825 --> 00:07:38,124 made possible the establishment of more than 2,000 e-Centers in the far flung areas of the country.

82 00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:44,714 These e-Centers provide more than 90,000 Filipinos the means to access digital content

83 00:07:44,756 --> 00:07:49,594 and other ICT-enabled services and opportunities.

84 00:07:49,636 --> 00:07:55,141 These examples and strategies show that we, as digital citizens,

85 00:07:55,183 --> 00:08:00,981 can do something to make universal digital access a reality to many.

86 00:08:01,022 --> 00:08:02,774 Thank you.