community technology

Digital equality. Digital excellence. Community technology. Digital literacy. Community media. The terminology has changed. The end goal has not.

My personal historical view of digital equality and its terminology:

1996-1997
As a grad student at the University of Toledo, I helped create the Coalition to Access Technology and Networking in Toledo. We had asked community organization what they were struggling with. Their answer - technology. The computer labs we supported were focused upon computer access and training with one or two Internet enabled computers. And there began work I would continue to this day.

2000-2006
When I was executive director of the Ohio Community Computing Network, the use of "community computing center" was dated. OCCN's mission statement: "Ohio Community Computing Network is committed to creating a society in which everyone has equal opportunity to gain access to computer and network technology for life-long learning and personal and community empowerment."  I was told (more than once) that there would soon be no need for public access computer labs since everyone would have a home computer. My response - There would always be group of folks left out and even those with computers would need trainings helping them figure out what to do with those computers.

2005-2006
While the board president of CTCNet (Community Technology Centers Network), I advocated for defining membership as community technology (without the centers) to broaden who we served since we were seeing stand alone community technology centers close and organizations open computer labs to support their particular missions. Perspective article published in Community Technology Review Spring/Summer 2005. 

2006
My blog was called Diary of a Community Technology Advocate with a byline of "Broadband, Media, Internet, Community Technology".  The OCCN Board and I had become convinced we had to broaden our focus to include broadband access.

2008
Began using Twitter, defining myself as a digital equity activist.

 
2009
On the ShinyDoor website, stated my vision for "a world in which all members of society have the tools and the resources to use the Internet for the betterment of themselves and their communities."

2009
Joined the Alliance for Community Media believing community media could become the umbrella for all programs encouraging online content creation and distribution.

2009
Assisted OneCommunity with a grant proposal for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) funds. In the proposal we referred to community technology practitioners, mostly due to the lead of that project, Bill Callahan, and I recognizing community technology practitioners have existed for over a decade and we should make use of their experience.

2010
Assisted the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Center (GPUAC) submit BTOP proposals for a Public Computing Center and Sustainable Broadband Adoption. The federal government defines public computing centers as public access Internet computer labs. They define broadband adoption as computer and internet training, possibly including programs to get computers into the home.

2010
Working with Central Ohio organizations drafting a call for action to define the information needs of residents, how residents currently receive and share information and then fill in the gaps. The draft calls for an information needs assessment and notes we expect some of the solutions to include: nonprofit journalism, experimentation with online journalism monetization models, partnerships with existing information providers, public access computer centers, digital communication trainings and citizen journalism trainings.

The terminology has come full circle. The end goal is the same. The why and the how have changed. Whereas the focus used to be on workforce development and the underserved populations of low income, disabled and senior citizens, we now throw into the mix media creation and sharing, citizen journalism and civic engagement. I'm sure as technology changes and how we use that technology changes, we'll adjust again. I am also certain there will always be a need for digital equality efforts as there is likely to always be folks left out of the equation.

Back when I was Executive Director of the Ohio Community Computing Network, I would visit Community Technology Centers often. I knew they were underfunded and understaffed.

It all came flowing back to me when I found myself helping set up a public computer lab last night. The lab is a project of the University Area Enrichment Association, with lots of involvement by FreeGeek Columbus. The lab will be staffed by volunteers and mostly available as an open lab. They are looking for volunteers to monitor the lab and answer questions.

FreeGeek volunteers and OneWebDay Columbus volunteers (including my kids!) set up the lab last night so we can use it for OneWebDay today. Its not fancy. Every machine, monitor, keyboard, mouse combo looks different. And used. Because they are. All are refurbished. A volunteer found the tables on CraigsList. And the chairs are of the metal variety so common in church store rooms (which is exactly where these came from).

When I was in grad school, working toward a Master’s in Sociology, my dad would ask “What are you going to do with that?" -- a very reasonable question. As part of my studies, our research team conducted a project in which we asked the nonprofit organizations in the region what types of assistance they would like from the University.  Technology was consistently one of the major issues for which community and regional groups needed help.

Tech training for the under-served is crucial to our society - economically, socially and politically.  I have spent my entire career working toward digital equity.  As we see each segment of our lives integrated into the online world, it is becoming more important for EVERYONE to not only have access to the internet but to know how to engage in online activities safely and productively.

CTCNeT is the national organization that has traditionally provided support to community technology centers (ie, nonprofits that provided tech training to the under-served).  The initial focus for community technology centers was job training and teaching basic computer usage in low income communities.  That evolved over time to include youth media, PC repair, online safety, online job searching, in home computer programs, IT support for nonprofits and online organizing.  The target market expanded to include all technologically under-served communities, meaning not just low income but also senior citizens and the disabled.

On the drive back to Columbus from the Cincinnati One Web Day event, I was not only trying to figure out the best way to present the event in my blog post but also the best way to answer questions from my eleven year old.  I brought my son with me to the event.  I let him miss school (not a minor decision) in order to expose him to a situation where he could ask a question of a representative of a presidential candidate and to talk with others about the importance of technology in our lives.  I also wanted him to understand how the event came to be and why it was important.   Ultimately, those are the same things I want to convey to you. 

We did not have a representative of McCain participate.  Gigi Sohn, founder of Public Knowledge, represented Obama.

I should define the process for invitations.  I emailed invitations to both campaigns.  Through my involvement with the Obama campaign I was given a good email address for requesting a McCain rep.  The request was forwarded twice.  We landed with an individual who tried his best to get us someone.  Unfortunately when it turned out Michael Powell was not available in the morning, the McCain folks were unable to find us someone who a) wanted to participate and b) made it through their vetting process.   Very unfortunate.  Also important to note, we did invite the Nader folks.  No response.