GET THE WORD OUT
Volume III Number V

1.) Upcoming CTCNet Delaware Valley Regional Conference
2.) Come to the’ hive at the Zone!
3.) 2003 RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONGRESS
4.) Report Announcement: CTCs as Catalysts for Community Change
5.) Technology Curriculum Listserv
6.) Asian Youth To Bridge Digital Divide
7.)Applications Invited for Gates Foundation Access to
Learning Award
8.) Job Opening at YMCA

1.) Upcoming CTCNet Delaware Valley Regional Conference
Date: Saturday, September 13th
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Event: Delaware Valley CTCNet Regional Conference

Title: Curriculum Strategies and Resources: Teaching Technology and Using Technology to Teach

Location: Community College of Philadelphia – Winnet Student Life Building, Great Hall (S2-19)
1700 Spring Garden St.
Philadelphia, PA 19130

The Winnet Student Life Building is located on 17th Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill Streets. The building has a rounded front and is connected to the College’s parking deck.

Who should attend: staff of Community Technology Centers (CTC’s), libraries, after-school programs, teachers, churches and other groups who are teaching technology or using technology to teach.

Registration: This conference is free. Please email ctcinfo@ctcnet-philly.org to register. Go to www.ctcnet-philly.org for more information. Hope to see you there!

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2.) Come to the’ hive at the Zone!
Find out what’s the buzz – come to the ‘hive at the Zone!

Event Location:
The IBM Zone
30 South 17th St. - 14th Floor

Date and Time:
September 16th, 2003, 4:00-6:00

United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania's Teaming For Technology is having an open house and you're invited! You can find out about the following:

· The Beehive Philadelphia: the Beehive is a web portal that serves as a one-stop shop for resources that can be applied towards improving one’s quality of life. You can learn more about the Beehive, how to get involved with opportunities for content development, and ways to introduce this important resource to your organization.
· Teaming For Technology’s Assistance Program: if you’re not already a T4T member, find out about membership benefits and what the assistance program has to offer. T4T staff will be available to answer all of your questions.
· Community Impact Training Institute: are you, your colleagues, or the community members that you serve interested in improving your computer skills at an affordable cost? Our skilled instructors and consultants will be available to answer your questions and give you a glimpse of this fall’s upcoming trainings.
· More sessions to be announced.

There will be door prizes, refreshments, and more to come!

Please contact Lorelei Narvaja at lorelein@uwsepa.org with any questions, and check out www.thebeehive.org/philly or www.uwsepa.org/team4tech

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3.) 2003 RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONGRESS
Sept 28-Oct 1
WASHINGTON, D.C.
www.ruraltelecon.org/conference/index.php

If you're concerned about rural vitality and rural-urban partnerships in
the Internet Age, don't miss the third annual Rural Telecommunications
Congress and conference, entitled "Rural Broadband: A Recommitment to
America's Heartland" - Sept 28-Oct 1, 2003 at the Hyatt Regency
Washington, just down the street from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

To get more information and to register, go to
www.ruraltelecon.org/conference/index.php

Register soon, as the cutoff for reduced rate hotel rooms at the Hyatt
Regency is August 28, and the early-bird registration discount ends on
Sept 1. Fall is a busy time in D.C., so rooms will go fast.

This is the third annual Rural Telecommunications Congress (RTC)
conference and the first to be held right alongside the national
policymakers in Congress. It is co-sponsored by the Appalachian Regional
Commission and the Rural Broadband Coalition. One of the greatest draws of
the RTC conference is the extensive connections that attendees are able to
make with each other because such a broad range of parties attend:
community advocates, elected officials, broadband providers, regulators,
and broadband users (including tele-medicine, e-government, education, and
economic development).

This year's RTC conference is organized into tracks based on the
following communities of interest:

* Infrastructure
* Policy and Regulation
* Tele-Health and Tele-Medicine
* E-Government
* Education
* Community and Economic Development

Keynote Speakers include
* U.S. Senator Conrad Burns from Montana
* Michael Copps, Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission
* Robert Atkinson, Vice-President of the Progressive Policy Institute
* Alan McAdams, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

In addition, we have scheduled over 16 general and concurrent sessions on
topics ranging from e-government to tele-health and telemedicine. A
sampling of sessions includes:
* Andrew Cohill on community networking
* Harry Roesch on demand aggregation strategies
* Judith Sparrow and U.S. Dept. of Commerce Technology Opportunities
Program grant recipients

Again - register soon (www.ruraltelecon.org/conference/index.php)
and book your room now! Rooms in DC can be hard to find in the fall
season.
For more information visit the site:
www.ruraltelecon.org/conference/index.php or call Jane Leonard,
2003 Program Chair at 651-645-9403 or jane@communitytechnologyadvisors.com

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4.) Report Announcement: CTCs as Catalysts for Community Change
Community Technology Centers as Catalysts for Community Change
A Report to the Ford Foundation

By Project for Public Spaces, BCT Partners and New School University

ABSTRACT

This report presents the findings from exploratory research into how
community technology centers (CTCs) could function more effectively
as public spaces and as forces for positive social change at the
community level. In understanding the dynamics of their work at
present, it hopes to inform community technology researchers,
practitioners, and funders as to the ways in which the movement can
leverage its accomplishments of the past in order to serve
communities more broadly as it looks toward the future.

This research was initiated with funding and direction from the Ford
Foundation, in order to assess the situation in which CTCs currently
find themselves and make recommendations regarding whether and how
CTCs could be supported to take on broader community agendas. The
primary assumption driving this work was that CTCs -- most of which
are located in disadvantaged neighborhoods -- are important not only
because of their specific digital divide work, but also because they
act as key public spaces in areas where there is a dearth of such
community places. It is also hypothesized that there is a gap
between the community development and community technology fields,
and that this new perspective would help to bridge this gap, enabling
greater efficiency and effectiveness on both the community technology
and community development fields. The goals of this research were as
follows:

* Understand the extent to which CTCs already think of themselves and
act as public spaces in the communities they serve;
* Investigate perceptions of a gap between community development and
community technology work;
* Explore the ways in which CTCs, as public spaces, can catalyze
broader positive community change and the strategies they are
employing to do so;
* Identify the characteristics of CTCs that are most amenable to
carrying out this kind of work;
* Discern what specific kinds of support CTCs require in order to do
this kind of work; and
* Make recommendations regarding actions CTCs can take, and that
funders can use to establish priorities for CTCs.

The report summarizes the relevant literature on public spaces and
community change and documents historical and current issues facing
CTCs. It then examines these trends through the lenses of public
space analysis and community development theory, and identifies areas
for further research and action, with specific emphasis on
recommendations and a funding program for CTCs that would broaden
both their mission and traditional sources of funds.

The full report can be downloaded at:

www.bctpartners.com/comm_tech.htm

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Project for Public Spaces, Inc. (PPS) has an international reputation
for its work on the design and management of public spaces. A
nonprofit, PPS was founded in 1975 to continue the pioneering work of
writer-sociologist William H. Whyte. Using a unique community-driven
process that puts residents and stakeholders first, PPS has helped
over 1,000 communities improve their public spaces. PPS's
activities include: Research and advocacy programs in transportation,
parks, markets and public buildings, Publication of books and
monographs; Training programs and seminars; maintenance of a database
of success stories, a slide library of public space enhancements and
elements, and; an awards program designed to highlight the most
successful public places in the world. Andrew Wiley-Schwartz, PPS
assistant Vice President, Stephen Davies, Vice President, and Fred
Kent, President are all involved in the project.

Lisa J. Servon is Associate Professor of Urban Policy and Acting
Director of the Community Development Research Center (CDRC) at the
Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School
University. Servon is a leading community development scholar whose
work has focused on microenterprise development, capacity-building
strategies for community-based organizations, and the digital divide.
Her recent book, Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology, Community,
and Public Policy (Blackwell, 2002) explores the links between the
community technology movement, policy issues, and community
development.

Building Community Technology (BCT) Partners is a strategic
technology consulting and implementation services firm that works
with government agencies, corporations, nonprofit organizations,
educational institutions and foundations to improve organizational
effectiveness and support strategies for change. We combine industry
and sector-specific knowledge with a unique ability to translate
customer needs into innovative and transformative technology
solutions. Dr. Randal D. Pinkett, President and CEO, has led BCT's
efforts for this project with support from Lawrence Hibbert and
Dallas Grundy. An expert in the strategic use of technology, Dr.
Pinkett is a graduate of the renowned MIT Media Laboratory where his
doctoral dissertation focused on the role of community technology for
the purpose community in low-income communities. Dr. Pinkett holds a
B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University, M.S. in
Computer Science from the University of Oxford, England, as a Rhodes
Scholar, joint M.S. in Electrical Engineering/MBA degrees from MIT,
and Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Laboratory.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dr. Randal D. Pinkett
President and Chief Executive Officer
BCT Partners, LLC.
Carriage Office Building
900 Park Avenue
Plainfield, NJ 07060
908.754.9585 (Phone)
908.226.5412 (Fax)
rpinkett@bctpartners.com (E-Mail)

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5.) Technology Curriculum Listserv

Dear Members:

You are invited to Join a Discussion Group-Listserv called
TechnologyCurriculum, an online forum of technology professionals and
educators, working in technology, nonprofit, government, and education, in
crosscutting sectors and programs, to discuss:
Technology in the Classroom
Hardware and Software
Curriculum Development
WebQuests
Professional Development
Curriculum & Professional Development
Incentives & Funding
Technology Curriculum Best Practices
Success Stories
Conferences & Events
Leaders & Leadership in Technology Curriculum

To join send an email to TechnologyCurriculum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The moderated group will provide an opportunity to share experience, news and
guiding lights for technology curriculum use and development.

Melissa and Michael Granger
TechnologyCurriculum-owner@yahoogroups.com

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6.) Asian Youth To Bridge Digital Divide
HOPE FLOATS: ASIAN YOUTHS TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Fifteen projects have been selected to share a $1 million grant from the
Samsung DigitAll Hope program. The projects range from distance-learning
programs for the blind in Vietnam to helping young farmers in Malaysia
improve crops yields through information technology. In India, the Hope
grant will go towards funding 10 cybercafes in rural areas. This particular
project is part of a larger effort by Development Alternatives to spur the
setup of 48,000 cyber cafes in India over the next six years. Singapore's
Ngee Ann Polytechnic runs a program under its Business Information
Technology course to help young offenders from the prison's reformative
training center learn computer skills. Students develop a seven-week IT
curriculum for the offenders, ages 19-22, who attend classes at the
polytechnic once a week. Professor Leo Tan, who sits on the regional judging
panel for the awards, said hope floats when youths learn the need to help
others. "If I have the expertise, it's my duty, my responsibility, to bring
others along with me," he added.
SOURCE: The Straits Times; AUTHOR: Ho Ka Wei
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/techscience/story/0,4386,205457,00.html
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7.)Applications Invited for Gates Foundation Access toLearning Award

Deadline: February 28, 2004

The Council on Library and Information Resources is
accepting applications for the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation ( http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ ) Access
to Learning Award for 2004.

The award is given annually to a public library or similar
organization outside the United States that has shown a
commitment to offering to the public free access to
information technology through an existing innovative
program. The award includes a grant of up to $1 million.

Public libraries or similar organizations outside the
United States are invited to apply. Preference will be
given to institutions that the Gates Foundation has not
funded in the past. U.S. libraries are not eligible to
apply.

Under the terms of the program, a library offers "free
public access" if it allows all members of the public,
including children and young people, to use its facilities
free of charge (without membership or Internet fees).
Organizations should demonstrate how they make information
technology available to the public free of charge and what
kinds of technology training they offer to the public and
staff. Preference will be given to organizations that
reach out to underserved populations, such as poor or
disabled patrons, or those from minority groups. A
library's programs are considered "innovative" if they
provide access to information technology and services that
were previously unavailable to the community. The programs
could be relatively new, small ones or long-term, larger
initiatives.

The application can be downloaded on the CLIR Web site.
The forms are available only in English and must be
completed in English.

RFP Link:
www.clir.org./fellowships/gates/gates.html

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8.) Job Opening at YMCA
To all who may be interested,

The YMCA has a new full time teacher opening.

The requirements are as follows:

Professional requirements are college degree, 2 or 4 year. Prior experiences in education, computer instruction, or adult literacy a must. Sensitivity to and awareness of the special needs of adult learners and high school students is necessary. Knowledge of Microsoft Office family software required. Experience in teaching Microsoft Office, Internet, Web writing, and experience with the MAC platform essential. Previous experiences with lesson planning and working with young adults and adult students a plus. Interested canidates please fax resumes to (215) 751-1477 . If you have any questions please feel free to call.

Paul Asman
Director of Technology
YMCA of Philadelphia
Education & Technology Center
(215) 557-0082 Ext 5017
asman@ylit.org
(267) 767-1038
 

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