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