CAST: Proximity broadcasting as a mode of news distribution in rural Armenia

CAST (DisCovery Amplification Sustainability and InTeractions) has trialled a new community communication network in rural Armenia developing models to emerge alternative news media in a highly politically pressured national state. The project was a collaboration between the Media Innovation Studio, UK, Impact Hub Yerevan and SMART Edge Platform provider WICASTR™, Yerevan. The project also ran with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, award-winning investigative journalism outlet Hetq, and Civilnet from the Civilitas Foundation. It was a three-phase year-long pilot that ran in 2016 and 2017, funded by the UK Higher Education Innovation Fund. The aim was to: Build a lightweight community connectivity system for content distribution Generate proximity insights: new data analytics that allow publishers to pinpoint what content is consumed where Facilitate novel approaches to digital literacy by creating engaged digital communities New knowledge and impact have been created around: How to build hyperlocal proximity networks using online to offline wifi technology Future scoping information systems for remote communities New hyperlocal news data analytics for publishers Novel methods to add to media plurality in a highly politically pressured environment Strategies to improve digital literacy and community communication that can challenge a digital divid

Co-designing a physical to digital experience for an onboarding and blended learning platform

'Children should learn to code', is a simple message that in recent years, has dominated the scene around the development of the computing and technology curriculum. A range of government, public, and privately funded initiatives have highlighted the value of introducing children to coding and computer science. Its role is the broader agenda of encouraging better engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). As a result of this increased focus, a number of products blending hardware, software, creative thinking and play have emerged onto the market. This paper introduces a codesign process of transforming a playful learning technology product, 'littleBits', into an online digital onboarding experience, to assist creative minds in understanding the technology