Community Informatics Summer School July 4, 2011 / Day 1 What is community informatics?
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Transcript of Community Informatics Summer School July 4, 2011 / Day 1 What is community informatics?
Community Informatics Summer School
July 4, 2011 / Day 1What is community
informatics?
Agenda
• Getting started– Welcome from Professor Zhou, Vice-
Dean for Teaching and Research– Introductions of faculty and students
• Lecture (KW)• Small group discussions• Report-back and summation• Syllabus and assignment 1
What is community informatics?
Community informatics
Local, historical communities
Information and communications
technologies AKA
digital tools
CONTINUITY
TRANSFORMATION
meets
+
Social informatics
“The interdisciplinary study of the design, uses, and consequences of information technologies that takes into account their interaction with institutional and cultural contexts” Rob Kling, 1999
In US, military was first computer user
ENIAC: 1940s
Second science, third corporations
Auto workers in 1932-1933, robotic auto factory 1970s and later
Finally to local communities: for example 1989, Santa Monica PEN(Public Electronic Network)
• City govt information• Officials with email• Online discussions• 19 public terminals, in libraries and elsewhere• Much local homelessness, discussions began• Demand emerged: “SHWASHLOCK!”
(showers, washers, and lockers), govt agreed
More info at http://www.mckeown.net/PENaddress.html
What exactly is the digital?
Qiupu: 5000 B.C. to 1500s
Calculator: 1840s
First mouse: 1967 Memex: 1947
“Computers for the people”: 1974 IBM: 1954
hypertext + internet = WWW
• 1965: Engelbart coins the term hypertext
• 1970s: many versionsof hypertext
• 1989: Tim Berners-Lee proposes a World Wide Web
• 1970s: TCP/IP, sending data in redundant and reassembling packets
• 4 nodes in 1969,1B now 1038?
1895: Paul Otletstarts RBU,eventually15m cards
In popular imagination and useUS adults on mobile phones:73% talk while driving, 20% text
The digital divide, a useful term from the
1990s“A widening gap in access to and usage of computers and the Internet across the U.S. population and the concomitant exclusion from educational, economic, cultural, political, and social opportunity. … These populations are digitally divided: low-income Black or Latino or Native American senior in age not employed single-parent households those with little education those residing in central cities or rural areas.”
US Department of Commerce 1999
Gap still widening: Global data
US gap persists: CPS 2007Percent of households using broadband at home
By ethnicity
Latino 35.2
African American 36.8
White 52.2
Asian 60.2
By education of head of household
No high school 17.1
High school 36.8
Some college 56.0
Bachelors or higher 73.9
Many dimensions to digital inequality
• Technical means of access• Autonomy over the conditions of
access• Individual skill• Social support
– Technical– Emotional
• Purpose of use
What are the digital bridgesoutside the home?
From 32 DD surveys, three categories of questions emerged
– do you use a computer at home?
– do you use a computer at work?
– do you use a computer elsewhere?Elsewhere = adult education center … assistive center … cable access center … church … college or university … community network center … community technology center … copy shop … cybercafé … day care center … government office … hospital … housing development center … job training agency… laundromat … library … literacy center … mental health agency … multiservice agency … museum … national urban league … neighborhood based organization … rehabilitation/drug abuse center … school … senior center … settlement house … standalone computer center … youth organization … and more
Three realms of computing that offer different conditions of
access
US: Personal computing (at home)
US: Private computing (work) and public
computing
What can we learn about one city’s public computing?
Schools - K-12 public 92Public libraries 14Apartments, hotels, and other group residences - public 2Government offices 1
Total Government 109
Schools - K-12 private 29Schools - preschools and child care - nonprofit 8Schools - other 1Churches and temples 29Civic organizations - other 12Civic organizations - youth 4Civic organizations - seniors 6Apartments, hotels, and other group residences - nonprofit 4Civic organizations - unions 3Museums and parks 2Hospitals and health care centers 1
Total Community 99
Schools - preschools and child care - for profit 13Schools - trade - for profit 10Apartments, hotels, and other group residences - for profit 15Copy shops, cybercafes, stores 4
Total Commercial 42
Schools - universities and colleges 3
Total University 3
Grand Total 253
Toledo, Ohio
Group residence – Apartment complex
16Group residence – Hotel
16Preschool
9Copy shop
3Bar/restaurant/café
2Bookshop
2Computer-related
2Campground
1Group residence – Seniors
1School
1Tax service
1Business sites
54
Religious institutions
18Group residence – Greek association
17K-12 School – Private
12Association
9Social agency
4Preschool
2Adult education
1Group residence – Seniors
1Group residence – Students
1Group residence – Campus/religious
1Hospital
1Community sites
67
K-12 School – Public
33Library
4Park
3Group residence – Apartment complex
1K-12 School – Adult education
1Government sites
42
University
80Community college
1Seminary
1Higher education sites
82
All sites
245
Champaign- Urbana similar to Toledo, Ohio
Extrapolating…
Extrapolating from the Toledo numbers gives a national
estimateIf rural areas
have no public
computing
If rural areas have public
computing at same rate
calculating from 118 sites found in Toledo
84,662 93,580
calculating from 181 sites extrapolated in Toledo
129,863 143,542
(Estimates do not include schools)
Public libraries,an especiallyimportant form of public computing
Yet, still digital divides persist
Break time
Discussion groups
AA:
HS:
KW:
YH:
Yao Wei xi nZhou Li yi ngZhu Qi ngsong
Yu Bi yangYang ZhenduoPeng Ji nfang
Yu Ji eXu ZhenZhenHe Yi ngfang
Zhao Shenghui
Zhang Li l iWang Ri huaTeng Xi a
Zhang YuanruiYang Xuej i ng
Li RanYi Zhengyu
Chen Qi uti ngLi Ti ngti ngHuang Qi ng
Wang Hai yanSui Ji aj i aZhou Wenj i e
Zhang Xi aohuaWu Ji aoGao Ji nLi Li
Han Hongl iZhang YananWang Sufang
Wang Ji anghuaYuan XuSu Long
Cao Hai xi aFeng Si yi ngWang Ji ngZhao KangWang Li nMi ng FeiLi Peng
Discussion time
1. Tell a story about when you first used a digital tool. (What was it? What did you use it for? Who taught you? When was it and how old were you?) 2. What are some key moments in China’s digital revolution?
3. What questions do you have so far?
Break time (2)
Report-back from each group
Syllabus and assignment 1