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Special Topics in Communication StudiesIntroduction to Community Informatics
Michael Gurstein, [email protected]
Centre for Community InformaticsResearch, Development and Training
Vancouver, BChttp://www.communityinformatics.net
Instructor
Bio: Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. – Bio
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Gurstein is currently a Director of The Information Society Institute, Cape Town South Africa; Executive Director of the Centre for Community Informatics Research, Development and Training (Vancouver BC),; Research Professor in the School of Management at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark); and Research Professor in the Faculty of Management at the University of Quebec (Ouatouais).
A Canadian, he completed a B.A. at the University of Saskatchewan and a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Cambridge. From 1995 to 1999 Dr. Gurstein was the NSERC/SSHRC Associate Chair in the Management of Technological Change at the University College of Cape Breton, where he pioneered in the development of sustainable community-based technology applications.
His edited book "Community Informatics: Enabling Communities with Information and Communications Technologies: (Idea Group, 2000) provided a focal point for the development of “Community Informatics” as the discipline concerned with enabling communities with Information and Communications Technologies. Dr. Gurstein has served on the Board of the Vancouver Community Network, the British Columbia Community Networking Association, and Telecommunities Canada. He is currently on the Steering Committee of the Global Telecentre Alliance, and on the High Level Panel of Advisors of the United Nation’s Global Alliance for ICT for Development. He is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Community Informatics http://ci-journal.net and Foundation Chair of the Community Informatics Research Network. He currently has a continuing Advisory relationship with the (Canadian) Northern Indigenous Communities Satellite Network in the creaton of its Research Consortium.
He has consulted to the governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Nepal and Jordan and to the Ford Founation, the UN Development Program, and the European Union among others.
His most recent book is "What is Community Informatics (and Why Does It Matter)?", Polimetrica, Milan (2007) http://eprints.rclis.org/12372/1/WHAT_IS_COMMUNITY_INFORMATICS_reading.pdf
Additional information may be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gurstein
Office Hours:Via email: [email protected]
Assignments and Assessment:Project 30%Mid-term (three exercises) 20%Final (three exercises) 20%Presentation of project 10%Case 10% On-going class participation 10%
Description This course will provide a student with an overview and introduction to the emerging field of Community Informatics (CI) which is concerned with the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to enable and empower local communities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_informatics. The course will present CI in its larger theoretical, technical, social, economic and policy contexts and will link the discussion into current examples and on-going developments in the Canadian, OECD and Developing World contexts. Among the topics which will be covered are CI and Community Networking in Canada and globally, CI research and CI practice, CI and the Digital Divide, CI in Less Develop Countries, CI in the context of social networking and CI and public policy.
Learning Objectives: Students completing the class will: 1. be able to use and apply the concepts of Community Informatics2. have an understanding of CI in relation to other areas of Information
Systems and Organizational use of ICTs3. have an appropriate background should they wish to pursue
additional studies, research or practical activities in Community Networking or Community Informatics
4. have an introduction to the community use of ICT for application in such areas as International Development, new media, or not for profit organizations.
Project:The project to demonstrate that the learner has acquired the capacity to integrate and operationalize the concepts acquired from the discussions, text and readings. Ideally, the project would apply the concepts and language of “Community Informatics” to an analysis of a specific implementation or practical application. It is expected that the project will have as its output a “research paper” with appropriate referencing, a document describing a specific application or some other written text or other output to be mutually agreed upon between the learner (or learner group) and the instructor. In addition, it is expected that each project or project group will provide an outline for comment by the instructor at the end of week 4 presenting a brief but comprehensive outline of the project’s along with a summary during one of the final two sessions presenting the overall results of the project. The project will be assessed on its demonstration of an understanding of the concepts and strategies of Community Informatics, the excellence of execution of the research and its presentation, and originality in theme, content or execution.Learners will undertake individual projects or with mutual agreement, be allowed to choose their own project groups for a collaborative project. An individual (20% of overall) and a group (10% of overall where appropriate) grade will be assigned to the project where appropriate. Learners will be expected to identify their contribution to the overall project for individual assessment unless this is waived by mutual agreement. The project may consist of the design of a specific system, an implementation process, an assessment of a specific project, or a literature based analysis of a specific area of interest to CI among other areas. The project will be in the 5-8000 word range. Some examples of possible projects are:
Designing a support system for a youth multi-media development project
A project plan for an ICT project to link Sri Lankan residents of Toronto with a Sri Lankan community to support disaster relief
A policy assessment of the provincial broadband policy An analysis of the possible local economic impact and
opportunities for communities of the development of a community WiFI implementation
An assessment of the role of libraries in bridging the digital divide
Exercises:An exercise has been assigned for each class/module. They are to be no more than 1-3 pages in length unless by agreement. The learner will be required to present three exercises for on the first 5 modules for the mid-term grade and an additional 3 exercises for modules 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11--grading as indicated above. Completed exercises should be sent to gurstein at [email protected] .
Case and Online Discussion:Each learner will be asked to prepare one brief 1-2 page document on one or another aspect of Community Informatics as applied to a specific organization or as agreed with the instructor. This case will link into a specific module and particular readings and is meant to illustrate how the more general concepts in that module and in the readings may be illustrated in specific real world contexts. The learners will be assigned a module and expected to review and summarize a body of readings and/or develop some experiences in a specific area.
These presentations will provide the basis for an online discussion concerning each of the modules.
Required Readings:Michael Gurstein – What is Community Informatics and Why Does it Matter, Polimetrica, Milan, 2007 http://eprints.rclis.org/12372/1/WHAT_IS_COMMUNITY_INFORMATICS_reading.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_informatics
Learners are expected to subscribe to the Community Informatics Research e-list by sending a message:to: [email protected]: subscribe CIResearchers
Week 1
HousekeepingThis module explores the conceptual and theoretical background to a “Community Informatics” and particularly discusses the concept of “community” both in the broader usage and in the specific use in a CI context. In addition the concepts of “informatics”, and “community networking” are introduced. The learner is presented with the terminology used and these are presented and reviewed as well in relation to roles and influences of Community Practice, Community Networking and Information Systems as the basis for a Community Informatics.
Topics: Conceptual/Theoretical Background— “Community”, “Informatics”, “Community Informatics”, and “Community Networking”Foundations of Community Informatics: As Community Practice, Community Networking and Information Systems
What is “Community”http://www.scn.org/cmp/whatcom.htmhttp://www.scn.org/cmp/modules/emp-com.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communityhttp://www.infed.org/community/community.htm
What is “Informatics”http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/overview/what_is_informatics.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InformaticsRob Kling 1999, What is Social Informatics and Why Does it Matter? http://www.dlib.org:80/dlib/january99/kling/01kling.html
What is “Community Informatics”Michael Gurstein 2007, What Is Community Informatics (and Why Does it Matter) http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0712/0712.3220.pdfMichael Gurstein 2008, Journal of Community Informatics, “Community Informatics: What is in a Name?” http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/521/433
Leigh Keeble and Brian D. Loader. (2004) A Literature Review of Community Informatics Initiatives, http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/584.aspWilliam McIver, Jr. A Community Informatics for the Information Society, pp. 33-64 in Communicating in the Information Society. Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). http://programs.ssrc.org/itic/publications/civsocandgov/mciver.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community informatics
What is “Community Networking”Doug Schuler: http://www.scn.org/commnet/Why Research on Community Networking Matters: A Practitioner's Perspective. Andrea Kavanaugh. 2001. http://www.bev.net/about/research/funded/docs/ICAPaper2001forBAA.pdfRandy Stoecker, Power or Programs? Two Paths to Community Development, 2001, http://comm-org.utoledo.edu/drafts/twopathsb2.htm Tony Salvador, John Sherry. Local Learnings: An Essay on Designing to Facilitate Effective Use of ICTs, 2004. http://ci journal.net/viewarticle.php?id=35&layout=html Wellman, B. (2001). "Computer Networks as Social Networks." Science 293: 2031-2034. Available at: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/science/science.pdf
Exercise: As a means to “enable communities” which should have the greatest priority: community practice, community networking theory and research or community informatics systems—Discuss?
Week 2: CI and Community TechnologiesThis module defines and identifies the range of community technologies currently being used and explores how these can enable and empower communities and their overall relationship to Community Informatics?
Topics:Community Networks: Vancouver Community Net http://www.vcn.bc.ca Community portals: http://www.concordma.com/ John F. Patterson: The Carlisle Community Center: http://domino.research.ibm.com/cambridge/research.nsf/0/619729985d0a039f852569bd0067ac2f/$FILE/ccc-bit2.pdf (Robert Putnam does Community Networks!)Stephen James Musgrave, “Community Portals: A False Dawn over the Field of Dreams?” Journal of Community Informatics, vol. 1 issue 2. http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/182/128
GIS: Neighborhood Knowledge LA http://nkla.ucla.edu/Community Broadband: BC Networks http://www.network.gov.bc.ca/Community Wireless: NYC Wireless http://www.nycwireless.netCell phones: http://mobileactive.org/taxonomy/term/66Other
Exercise: Discuss a particular community technology application and how it is currently “enabling” that particular community.
Week 3: Design, Development and Implementation of CI SystemsCentral to the role of CI as a practice and as a discipline are the technical, social and organizational issues involved in the design, deployment and implementation of CI systems and services. This module will discuss these in several practical contexts.Topics:CI System DesignCI System DeploymentCI System ImplementationCI System Evaluation
Rory O’Brien, (2001) Research into the Digital Divide in Canada, http://www.web.net/~robrien/papers/digdivide.html
(Clement, Andrew and Leslie Regan Shade (2000) “The Access Rainbow: Conceptualizing Universal Access to the Information/Communications Infrastructure,”)
See (all these below were taken from the Journal of Community Informatics: either Volume 1 issue 1 or 2.) http://ci-journal.net Klaus Stoll: How Wi-Fi came to El Chacohttp://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/232/190
Geordi Kakepetum: Open letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin: Broadband connectivity in aboriginal communities http://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/235/196
Sascha Meinrath: Community Wireless Networking and Open Spectrum Usage: a Research Agenda to Support Progressive Policy Reform of the Public Airwaveshttp://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/233/192
Jean-Paul Van Belle and Jonathan Trusler An Interpretivist Case Study of a South African Rural Multi-Purpose Community Centrehttp://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/231/188
Laura Anna Ripamonti, Fiorella De Cindio and Mario Benassi: Online communities sustainability: some economic issueshttp://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/221/180
Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Anuradha Ramachandran and Alankar Bandyopadhyay n-Logue: The Story of a Rural Service Provider in Indiahttp://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/190/144
Exercise:Examine the practical implementation of a CI system from the perspective of either its design, deployment or implementation.
Week 4: CI Methods: Research, Practice and EvaluationA presentation and discussion on methodologies for Community Informatics research, practice and evaluation. Does CI lend itself to typical social science research methods or are other methods such as “action research” more appropriate?Topics:CI Research designCI Research practiceCI evaluationCI and social science research methodsCI and action researchCI and participatory research
Murali Venkatesh. (2003). The Community Network Lifecycle: A Framework for Research and Action. The Information Society (19): 339-347 http://www.indiana.edu/~tisj/readers/full-text/19-5.pdf
Nicholas W. Jankowski, Martine Van Selm and Ed Hollander. (2001). On crafting a study of digital community networks: theoretical and methodological considerations, pp. 101-117 in Community informatics: Shaping Computer-Mediated Social Relations. New York: Routledge.http://books.google.ca/books?id=UF64HYcds8sC&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=Nicholas+W.+Jankowski,+Martine+Van+Selm+and+Ed+Hollander.+On+crafting+a+study+of+digital+community+networks&source=bl&ots=h9ByfePJq9&sig=jDvm4jfkAwugKbyL7ePf2g-jNuw&hl=en&ei=oG0xStzNI5fIM_vW1coH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA114,M1
Dara O’Neil. (2002). Assessing community informatics: a review of methodological approaches for evaluating community networks and community technology centers Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy 12(1): 76-102
Jo Tacchi, Don Slater and Greg Hearn. (2003). Ethnographic Action Research. New Delhi: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.www.genderwsis.org/fileadmin/resources/UNESCOICTandpovertyreduction.pdf
Ricardo Ramírez, Helen Aitkin, Galin Kora & Don Richardson. (2002). Community engagement, performance measurement and sustainability: Experiences from Canadian community based networks. Paper presented at the GlobalCN Community Informatics Mini Conference, Montreal, October 2002. URL: http://www.globalcn.org/en/article.ntd?id=243&sort=1.21.10
Exercise: Formulate what might be a typical CI “research question” or “research activity” and indicate how (and why) you would execute it in the way you have chosen.
Week 5: CI, Virtual Communities and Social Networking SoftwareThis module will explore virtual communities as examples of CI and the relationship between social networking software and CI. As well the module will examine the relationship between virtual communities and physical communities in the context of social networking software and CI.
Topics:Virtual communitiesSocial networking softwareM. Gordon Hunter, Rosemary Stockdale, "Taxonomy of Online Communities: Ownership and Value Propositions," Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, pp. 1-7, 42nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2009.
http://www2.computer.org/plugins/dl/pdf/proceedings/hicss/2009/3450/00/10-07-03.pdf?template=1&loginState=1&userData=anonymous-IP%253A%253A127.0.0.1
Clay Shirkey, Second Life, Games, and Virtual Worldshttp://many.corante.com/archives/2007/01/29/second_life_games_and_virtual_worlds.php
Michael Beiber, Richard Civille, Michael Gurstein and Nancy White. (2002). A White Paper Exploring Research Trends and Issues in the Emerging Field of Community Informaticshttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fis.njit.edu%2Fvci%2Fvci-white-paper.doc&ei=oCV1SNiWJJHSggKZk7iaDQ&usg=AFQjCNFdxjbkagQ9wfpfUgkVdZ6KK_7Fag&sig2=4ySytQE6aPR7kCVrZqp0IQhttp://www.3mfuture.com/e-business/relationship_network_social_networking.htm
Exercise:Examine one of the common social networking software systems (Facebook, Myspace, Youtube) from a CI perspective.
Week 6: CI: Presentation of Project ProposalsInterim presentation of project proposal including “question” and information source—data to be collected. Submission of 3 exercises for mid-term grade.
Week 7: Community Practice/Community Development, Community Learning, and Social Capital Formation What is the relationship between Community Informatics, Community Practice and Community Development and Social Capital Formation and what role does community learning play in this?
Topics:CI and Community practiceCI and Community developmentCI and social capitalCI and community learning
Randy Stoecker, Primer on Community Organizing, 2001, http://comm-org.wisc.edu/cr/crreporta.htm
Kenneth E. Pigg and Laura Duffy Crank, Building Community Social Capital: The Potential and Promise of Information and Communications Technologies, Journal of Community Informatics, vol. 1 issue 1. http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/184/132
Lyn E Simpson, Community Informatics and Sustainability: Why Social Capital Matters, Journal of Community Informatics vol. 1 issue 2. http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/210/170
Kate Williams and Joan C. Durrance, Social Networks and Social Capital: Rethinking Theory in Community Informatics, Journal of Community Informaticshttp://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/465/430
Exercise:Describe how a Community Informatics implementation could directly contribute either to community development or social capital formation at the community level or both.
Week 8: CI and the Digital Divide DiscussionCI as a practice is closely identified with economic and social development, both “community development” and “development” in Developed Countries. This discussion will explore the various dimensions of the Digital Divide in relation to this.
Topics:Defining the “digital divide”CI and marginalized populations in Developed CountriesCI and economic and social development among marginalized populations in Developed Countries.The future of the Digital DivideMichael Gurstein, Effective Use: A Community Informatics Strategy Beyond the Digital Divide. 2003. http://www.ccnr.net/prato2003/papers/gurstein.zipPeter Day, Building and Sustaining Healthy Communities: The symbiosis between community technology and community research. 2004. http://www.ciresearch.net/conferences/viewabstract.php?id=92&cf=4 (this is a zipped file, so you will need to know how to unzip it).Virginia E. Eubanks, “Trapped in the Digital Divide: The DistributiveParadigm in Community Informatics”, Journal of Community Informaticshttp://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/viewFile/293/353Peter Songan , Khairuddin Ab Hamid, Alvin Yeo, Jayapragas Gnaniah, and Hushairi Zen, Community Informatics: Challenges in Bridging the Digital Divide, Work with Computing Systems 2004.http://www.unimas.my/ebario/eBarioOrig/output/056.pdf
Exercise: Discuss how CI might fit into a development strategy in relation to the Digital Divide.
Week 9: CI as a Development StrategyCI as a practice is closely identified with economic and social development in Less Developed Countries (LDC’s). This discussion will explore the relationship of CI to economic and social development in LDC’s and introduce the overall field of ICT for Development (ICTD).
Topics:CI and economic and social development in LDCS’s.CI and overall “development strategy”CI and ICT4D
Michael Gurstein. Rural development and food security: A "community informatics" based conceptual framework for FAO. 2000. http://www.fao.org/sd/CDdirect/CDre0055c.htmCivil Society Statement to World Summit on the Information Society http://www.smsitunis2005.org/plateforme/pdf/civil-society-declaration-en.pdfCharles Kenny, Financing Information and Communication Infrastructure Needs in the Developing World: Public and Private Roles, World Bank, 2005 http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ict/resources.nsf/InfoResources/04C3CE1B933921A585256FB60051B8F5http://sdnhq.undp.org/it4dev/http://www.demo-net.org/news-and-events/archive/events/international-conference-on-ict-and-development
Exercise: Discuss how CI might fit into a development strategy in relation to a specific community or region.
Week 10: CI and Application AreasCI is of significance in enabling communities in a variety of specific application (topic) areas:Civic Participation: Graham Longford, Community Networking and Civic Participation in Canada: A Background Paper http://www3.fis.utoronto.ca/iprp/cracin/publications/pdfs/wips/CRACIN_CNCP_webversion.pdf
Community Learning:
John M. Carroll, Ann Bishop, Special Section on Learning in Communities, Journal of Community Informaticshttp://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/335/242
Economic Development: Michael Gurstein. Rural development and food security: A "community informatics" based conceptual framework for FAO. 2000. http://www.fao.org/sd/CDdirect/CDre0055c.htmBibliography: http://www.clemson.edu/uced/cir/3_ciet.pdfhttp://www.clemson.edu/uced/cir/4_icsci.pdf
Local media and content development: Grand Rapids Community Media Center http://www.grcmc.org/
E-health: Sandra Jarvis-Selinger, Kendall Ho, Helen Novak Lauscher, Brandi Bell, Tl’azt’en Learning Circle: Information Technology, Health and Cultural Preservation, Journal of Community Informatics http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/401/431
Geordi Kakepetum : Turning the Corner with First Nations Telehealth, Journal of Community Informatics http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/260/217
First Nations: http://www.knet.ca/
Exercise: Discuss a specific case of one CI application area that is enabling a remote and rural community or an underserved urban community.
Week 11: CI and Public PolicyCommunity Informatics, because of the central role of ICT’s and communities, finds itself (or wishes to find itself) playing a role in national development (and technology) policy. This module will discuss the issues involved in this role and its effectiveness to date.
Topics:CI and national policy in CanadaCI and “effective use”Specific CI initiatives in Canada—CAP, Smart Cities, BRAND etc.CI and broadband development
Michael Gurstein, Community Innovation and Community Technology: http://www.ciresearch.net/Innovation.doc
Brian Beaton, Jesse Fiddler and John Rowlandson (2004) Living Smart in Two Worlds: Maintaining and Protecting First Nation Culture for Future Generations, » in Marita Moll and Leslie Regan Shade, eds., Seeking Convergence in Policy and Practice :Communications in the Public Interest, Volume 2, Ottawa : Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 283-297.http://www3.fis.utoronto.ca/iprp/cracin/publications/pdfs/final/convergence_living_smart.pdf
Larkman, Janet (2004) The Western Valley Development Agency: A Backgrounder, edited by Ryan MacNeilhttp://www3.fis.utoronto.ca/iprp/cracin/publications/pdfs/wips/Backgrounder_WVDA.pdf
FCC report on a Rural Broadband Strategy
Rideout, Vanda N. and Andrew J. Reddick Sustaining Community Access to Technology: Who Should Pay and Why, Journal of Community Informaticshttp://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/202/162
Exercise: Construct a memo to the Canadian Minister of Industry outlining the reasons for (or against) providing public funds to support community technology.
Week 12: The Future of Community Informatics and Final Presentations
Week 13: Final Presentations and Wrap Up
