Rural Connective Workshop

I was lucky enough to recently be invited to attend a workshop, which forms part of a series of workshops called Rural Connective http://air.falmouth.ac.uk/research-projects/rural-connective - a collaboration between BT, dot.rural at University of Aberdeen and University College Falmouth. The workshop was based in a great location - a lovely rustic pub in St. Agnes - a gorgeous fishing village in Cornwall. 

The workshop explored how the introduction of superfast broadband to communities in Cornwall is impacting on various aspects of community life. There were some presentations, including a fascinating project called University of the Village http://air.falmouth.ac.uk/research-projects/university-village  which worked with a community in the very pub we were "working" in, to make their own film about their village and community. The project outcomes were quite telling in how involving people in activities around what they identify with is a brilliant way to engage people with digital technologies. I came away from the workshop brimming with ideas and am really looking forward to the next one. Here's a picture of me with some dot.rural chums - Professor John Farrington, the director of our research hub (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cops/people/profiles/j.farrington), Dr. Lizzy Tait - who researches impact of technologies and digital political participation (http://www.dotrural.ac.uk/user/78) and Dr. David Beel who is researching cultural participation in rural communities (http://www.dotrural.ac.uk/user/125).