E inclusion

E-inclusion Focus group with Can Brians inmates: using an e-book within a prison context Pablo Rebaque Eva Gil Eines per a la Comunitat

1. History Office of Learning Technologies · learningtechnologies.uoc.edu 0 UNIVERSITAT OBERTA DE CATALUNYA
The UOC lent e-books to Can Brians women’s unit library in order to be used by inmates at the book club.
Book club users read “El libro rojo de Carlota” with an iLiad.
Cristina López and Elisabet Cervera (from the UOC’s library), Eva Gil and I went to Can Brians in order to carry out a focus group with 8 book-club women users

2. Objectives Office of Learning Technologies · learningtechnologies.uoc.edu 0 UNIVERSITAT OBERTA DE CATALUNYA
Finding out how the experience of using an e-book was for reading a novel within a prison context.
We wanted to know things like:
Reading habits
Previous experience of using ICT
General experience of using an e-book
Advantages and disadvantages
Main difficulties using the e-book (usability)

3. Main results Office of Learning Technologies · learningtechnologies.uoc.edu 0 UNIVERSITAT OBERTA DE CATALUNYA
Reading habits , those who read before, keep on reading, and those who didn’t read before, now devour books.
Regarding ICT experience: there is a lack of experience using ICT (eg: Facebook is unknown)
At prison :
PC for those studying a degree, Office and Internet courses
No Internet or peripheral devices, old PCs…
Inmates want more ICT

General experience of using an e-book to read a novel was bad , basically because “ it isn’t a book”.
Inmates involved in the book club commented more or less the same advantages and disadvantages, their likes and dislikes using an e-book as any other user (weight, size, storage, comfortable position, notes, underline…)
They found it difficult to use , but finally they learned how to use it (asking other inmates, investigating by themselves).
All agree that previous experience in technologies helps in the use of e-books.
All inmates used the scroller to pass the pages, although it was very “sensitive”.

But there are some differences regarding the context
 elements related to senses are important in a place where the senses are limited: lack of light, short distances, sight loss
Taking a book from the shelving may depend on
Book cover colors
A well-thumbed appearance (“ a well-thumbed book means that is a good book, because a lot of people have read it”)
Font size (“ books with a small font size are not requested”)
Zoom : useless at the book club
Light : devices with own light to read at night, when the light is turned off in cells

4. Conclusions Office of Learning Technologies · learningtechnologies.uoc.edu 0 UNIVERSITAT OBERTA DE CATALUNYA
Inmates consider that learning content is the most suitable content for e-books
Other “didactic” content is also highly valued: Wikipedia, dictionaries, pseudo-scientific journals (History, Quo…), press, etc
E-books most probably don’t foster inmates to read more.
Most inmates are considering to buy one, but
Contents should be updated and renewed
Don’t know where and how to charge content and battery, etc.
Using e-books and other types of ICT devices at prison can help inmates not to be excluded from the technological world that predominates our society
Having children helps and motivates inmates to adapt and learn to use new technologies

Thanks Gracies

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E inclusion

by Office of Learning Technologies, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya on Jan 18, 2012

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E inclusion — Presentation Transcript