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Editorial
Academic Building Blocks Spur Software Accessibility |
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Editorial notes
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Monday, 09 April 2007 |
 IBM will work with colleges around the world to help student developers make software more accessible to the elderly and people with disabilities. Central to the program is the Accessibility Common Courseware Exchange for Software Studies (ACCESS). Professors will collect, store and share information around accessibility technologies to build this worldwide repository.
Between 750 million and 1 billion of the world's 6 billion people have a speech, vision, mobility, hearing or cognitive disability, according to the World Health Organization. In the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau, one-quarter of the population will reach 55 by 2008, and about half will experience a disability after age 65. Many college computer courses don't address accessibility, however.
"To create a truly inclusive society, all forms of information technology need to be more accessible," said Dr. Bonnie Jones of the U.S. Department of Education. "If we can't do this, people with disabilities land on the wrong side of the 'digital divide.' We have to capture the intelligence and imagination of our next generation of IT developers now. The work IBM is doing with universities is an innovative way to reach out to student developers early, and to equip them with the necessary accessibility skills."
The University of Illinois, California State University at Long Beach, Georgia Tech, University of Toronto and the Rochester Institute of Technology are some of the universities already working with IBM to amass learning materials that can be incorporated into computer programming classes. |
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Academic Building Blocks Spur Software Accessibility |
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Editorial notes
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Monday, 02 April 2007 |
IBM is sponsoring research and development that will make software more accessible. IBM will work with colleges around the world to help student developers make software more accessible to the elderly and people with disabilities. Central to the program is the Accessibility Common Courseware Exchange for Software Studies (ACCESS). Professors will collect, store and share information around accessibility technologies to build this worldwide repository.
Between 750 million and 1 billion of the world's 6 billion people have a speech, vision, mobility, hearing or cognitive disability, according to the World Health Organization. In the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau, one-quarter of the population will reach 55 by 2008, and about half will experience a disability after age 65. Many college computer courses don't address accessibility, however.
"To create a truly inclusive society, all forms of information technology need to be more accessible," said Dr. Bonnie Jones of the U.S. Department of Education. "If we can't do this, people with disabilities land on the wrong side of the 'digital divide.' We have to capture the intelligence and imagination of our next generation of IT developers now. The work IBM is doing with universities is an innovative way to reach out to student developers early, and to equip them with the necessary accessibility skills."
The University of Illinois, California State University at Long Beach, Georgia Tech, University of Toronto and the Rochester Institute of Technology are some of the universities already working with IBM to amass learning materials that can be incorporated into computer programming classes.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 April 2007 )
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Online Video Achieving Mass Appeal |
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Editorial notes
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Monday, 26 March 2007 |
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According to a study released by the Online Publishers Association (OPA), video viewing online has reached the point where it is a routine practice for many Internet users. "From Early Adoption to Common Practice: A Primer on Online Video Viewing" is the first OPA study to look at how the US online population perceives video and video advertising. The study's sample of 1,241 Internet users age 12 to 64 is representative of the US online population.
The wide acceptance of online video is one of a number of compelling findings from the OPA study, which was conducted in partnership with Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc. Other headlines include:
o News Leads: While humor gets the buzz, news/current events is the most frequently viewed online video category.
o From Ads to Action: The vast majority of video viewers have seen video ads and many are being driven to take action.
o Specific Destinations Popular. Visiting specific Web sites is a very popular way to find online video; general surfing is nearly as common.
"The OPA study makes it clear that online video viewing has become commonplace and that consumers often go to specific sites directly to watch video," said Pam Horan, OPA vice president of marketing and membership. "The video viewing boom has been propelled by rapidly expanding video content and consumers' increased reliance on the Web for news and entertainment. And while humorous videos seem to get the buzz, it's hard news that is most frequently watched by Web users."
The OPA video study found that 24 percent of Internet users access video at least once a week, while 46 percent watch video at least once a month. News leads the way in frequency of viewing, with 27 percent of online video viewers watching at least once a week, followed closely by funny videos (26 percent watch at least once a week). Online video viewing is very common at home (39 percent of those with home Internet access watch at least once a week) compared to 19% of those who watch at least once a week at work.
When it comes to finding the videos they watch, Internet users often rely on a handful of specific sites. Half of all video viewers go to a specific Web site to find video, and a strong majority of video viewers (58 percent) say they rely on two to five sites. Another popular way to find video is through random surfing, which is done by 48 percent of video viewers.
The OPA study found that online video advertising is being viewed regularly and leads to specific actions. Sixty-six percent of video viewers have watched online video ads, and 44 percent of those have taken action on what they've seen. Visiting a Web site ranks highest at 31 percent, while eight percent are actually driven to make a purchase. Video ad watchers generally prefer short ads, however 39 percent said they would watch ads lasting longer than 30 seconds.
Horan continued, "The OPA study makes it clear that online video ads are having a real impact. Viewers are taking action on what they watch, presenting very interesting and potentially powerful new opportunities for advertisers."
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