I've just returned from a holiday in China where I tried a new experiment. I decided to take a basic mobile with me - no laptop, no tablet, no smartphone. Only books, and photocopies from a guidebook.

The idea was a proper break from work emails, to catch up on novels I'd bought but not read, and to have quality conversations with my wife instead of spending the time playing her at online Scrabble.

All that worked, it was a brilliant holiday. But boy was it like going back in time not having the internet at my fingertips. I couldn't discover the history of Chiang Kai-Shek when my interest was piqued by a place he'd visited, find out the address of a restaurant I'd heard about in Beijing, or even check in for our flight back to the UK.

The experience made me reflect on how much the internet has become part of the warp and weft of most people's lives, in work and play. But it is most, not all. That's why I am really pleased that the BBC is part of a new organisation, Go ON UK, which launched yesterday.

UK Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox introduced the Go On UK launch event on Monday 23 April 2012.

Along with partners Age UK, E.ON, Big Lottery Fund, Lloyds Banking Group, the Post Office and Talk Talk, we've pledged to work together to bring the benefits of the internet to every individual and organisation in the UK.

It's a really important endeavour, as there are more than eight million adults in the UK who are still not online. If you're not on the internet you're not just missing out on online Scrabble, but access to the information and education that can change your life - as well as a stack of cash savings you can increasingly only access online.

I think the BBC can play a really important part alongside its partners to help people get online, by raising awareness and giving a helping hand. This summer we'll be bringing back our successful Give an Hour campaign to encourage people to help others make the most of the BBC's Olympic coverage on the web. We want people to join celebrities from the world of sport in giving an hour of their time to help others enjoy the Games online.

But we don't want to stop at simply getting people online. The internet's more and more a place where the more you put in, the more you get out. So we want to help build people's skills to make the most of the web, whether it's helping them learn to shop online, participate in social networks, or make the kind of films that the BBC used to think only it could produce.

On that trip to China, I saw the incredible investment that is being made in 21st century infrastructure, and how it's driving the country's significant growth. The investment we can make in creating digital skills can be just as significant for the UK. By working with Go ON UK and partners, we hope we can reach every sector of society and help ensure the UK is truly the most digitally literate country in the world.

I had a moment of pleasurable serendipity last weekend. I was in Manchester with my wife and daughter as we prepare for BBC Learning's move to MediaCityUK in Salford later this month. As we walked through the city centre, I saw an interesting looking black tent pitched in front of Manchester's Town Hall. As we got closer I realised it was my very own Hands On History team, who'd rolled into town with their exhibition encouraging people to learn about their local history through Melvyn Bragg's new series The Reel History of Britain.

The exhibition was a delight, with ancient cine cameras, a mini cinema and experts you could chat to. BBC Learning runs dozens of these kinds of events across the year, part of our mission to inspire a life full of learning by letting people delve deeper into subjects they've been intrigued by on television, radio and online.

Many people will, like me, have the joy of coming across our events by chance but many others won't be so fortunate. To tackle this we've just launched Things To Do, a searchable website and mobile offer that lets people find learning and participation activities and events near them. Things To Do brings together all the activities and events that the BBC runs, linked to subject areas like Nature, History and Science into one place.

Importantly, everything on the site is linked to BBC content and involves real hands-on experiences - whether it's discovering more about the history of the local area, joining a nature treasure hunt or taking part in local stargazing activity. But it doesn't end with BBC-run events, we've teamed up with publicly funded and non-profit partners across the UK to showcase their related events and activities too. It's early days but we're gradually building and deepening the content, extending its geographical reach and bringing on board new partners, big and small.

All the activities and events on Things To Do are free for visitors or of minimal charge to cover costs. To ensure people are able to progress their interests and learning journeys, we've also built the system to encourage discovery of other areas, so you can come in through Nature but end up progressing through to Science or even Sport. We've also included links in every activity page back to the partner's event info.

I'm sure Things To Do is going to be a really popular part of the BBC Online Knowledge & Learning product and I think my teams and our partners are going to have to get ready for bigger queues outside Manchester Town Hall or wherever in the country they're creating activities and events that deepen people's experience of the best of the BBC's programmes.

You can find a more detailed description of Things To Do over on the Internet Blog.

Saul Nassé is BBC Controller of Learning

• BBC Things To Do
• More about Things To Do on the BBC Internet Blog

So the BBC set me on a journey of discovery that has shaped my whole life.  And there are tens of thousands of people all over this country who have similar stories - of how particular programmes sparked their curiosity, inspired a lifelong passion, gave them basic skills or kindled an ambition.  And today, when we launch the new strategy for learning at the BBC, it’s those stories that have inspired our vision.

We want everyone in the UK to have a story about how the BBC enriched their lives.  Which is why our new educational vision for the BBC is simple:  we want to inspire a life full of learning for all our audiences.

That’s because learning transforms lives, opens windows onto unfamiliar people, places and cultures, increases knowledge, expands the imagination, and nourishes communities. It changes people and makes the world a better place.

The BBC has been committed to learning ever since the first schools broadcast in 1924.  And the desire to inspire and help and increase understanding drives much of our output.  We already do a huge amount, but I believe we can do much more.

At the heart of our new strategy is the desire to unlock the learning potential that exists across the vast range of BBC output and activities – whether it’s on television, radio or online; whether it’s national, regional or local; using all of our specialist expertise, from News to Music, from Natural History to Sport, from Drama to Arts. 

That’s why today we’ve announced a range of projects that make the most of the BBC.  Wallace and Gromit inspiring people to create amazing inventions.  EastEnders heading into the classroom with E20 to get teenagers talking about bullying.  Michael Wood getting the UK to uncover its own history.  And the Bang Goes The Theory gang presenting their own special ‘do try this at home’ science demonstrations – that’s what I would truly have loved as a seven year old.

Saul Nassé is Controller of Learning at the BBC

Read more about the new strategy for learning at the BBC on the Press Office website