Vicnet News

We're preparing to engage in some Spring cleaning and remove some out of date website content that may be found in our community hosted websites at home.vicnet.net.au.  On Monday, 30th September 2013 we will be removing sites that have had no apparent changes to their content since 1 January 2009.

We are aware that over time your organisation will undergo changes that mean that content is outdated and new web sites are created, so with this in mind, please contact us if there is content that you wish to retain or if you need assistance to update your web site.

Contact the team on 8664 7001 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Vicnet's new training workbooks!

Following the success of our introductory Easy English computer and Internet training workbooks, Vicnet has released six new workbooks in the series:

• Skype
• Online radio
• Working with pictures
• Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Images
• YouTube
• Websites in my language
  

The Age Technology editor, Gordon Farrer, has highlighted some of the great work Vicnet's Andrew Cunningham does under the Open Road project in his Untangling the Web blog. Andrew is working with Keh Blut to create software tools to help native speakers of S'gaw Karen (a minority language used by the Karen communities of Burma and Thailand) to use computers in their own language.
Read the full article at theage.com.au.

To learn more about the Open Road project, go to http://www.openroad.net.au/.

Vicnet was recently announced as the winner of the Best Diversity Intiative for the inaugural Australia & New Zealand Internet Best Practice Award. This prestigous international award recognises a significant body of work that the State Library of Victoria through Vicnet has done to promote and facilitate use of the web by the many communities that have a limited presence on the web. As part of its activities Vicnet has identified the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to be of particular concern, with seniors and new and emerging communities recognised as some of those most vulnerable to digital exclusion.

Research has shown that speakers of languages other than English have great difficulty navigating sites when they must first negotiate in another language. This is particularly the case for new users of the internet. Vicnet has been recognised for significantly improving the online experience of CALD communities through:

• The development of online programs to facilitate access and delivery of multilingual content (MyLanguage, Open Road and CALD Senior Surfers); and,

• The development of research aimed at raising the access to multilingual web content (Community Languages Online, New Communities Emerging Content Report and the Vicnet/ Monash University Translation and Technology Project);

• The delivery of social inclusion ICT projects for government including community training and internet access. (CALD Senior Surfers, Skills.Net Roadshow, and PIAP.).

For more about the AuDA Best Practice Awards, visit http://bestpracticeawards.org.au/.