There are two upcoming conferences that I thought might be of interest to readers.
On December 1 there is an event in Washington DC that will also be broadcast online…
Technology, Social Innovation, and Civic Participation: What’s the Next Step?
Disaster, fraud and crime reporting sites provide information to civic authorities. AmberAlert has more than 7 million users who help with information on child abductions, and SERVE.GOV enables citizens to volunteer for national parks, museums and other institutions. These are just a few examples of digital tools — from social networking applications, to microblogging (e.g. Twitter), to recommendation sites like Ushahidi — that represent the new frontier of technology-mediated social participation. Whether dealing with a natural disaster, expanding health care coverage, or campaigning to make a forest a national landmark, governments and private citizens alike have found digital tools to be an effective means of reaching the masses.
But there are also clear challenges when using technology in this realm, including limited scale and potential privacy violations. Please join us as we build on two recent National Science Foundation workshops to discuss the advantages and pitfalls of social innovation and civic participation in this brave new technology-mediated world.
3:30pm to 3:35pm – Introduction
Tom Glaisyer
Knight Media Policy Fellow, Open Technology Initiative
New America Foundation
3:35pm to 4:10pm – Presentations
Ben Shneiderman
Professor of Computer Science
Founding Director, Human-Computer Interaction Lab
University of Maryland
Jenny Preece
Professor and Dean, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
4:10pm to 4:45pm – Panel Discussion
Ginny Hunt
Head of Public Sector Programs
Google
Ben Shneiderman
Professor of Computer Science
Founding Director, Human-Computer Interaction Lab
University of Maryland
Jenny Preece
Professor and Dean, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
To RSVP for the event, click on the red button or go to the event page:
http://www.newamerica.net/events/2010/technology_social_innovation
On December 6 in Minneapolis (they are apparently considering online options or archive)
Announcing PPL’s Digital Inclusion forum.
Our world is increasingly ‘digital,’ but thousands are being left behind, limiting employment opportunity, access to education, and stifling full civic participation.
Join us on December 6 as we develop an agenda to include everyone in the Twin Cities in a digital society.
December 6, 2010
Registration 3:30 p.m.
Program 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Refreshments and Networking 6:00-6:30 p.m.The Humphrey Institute University of Minnesota
Keynote: David Keyes, Community Technology Manager, City of Seattle
Emcee: Kit Hadley, St. Paul Public Library
Moderator: Catherine Settanni, Community Computer Access Network
Discussion: Panel of community expertsHosted by: PPL [Project for Pride in Living] and SPNN [Saint Paul Neighborhood Network]
Sponsored by: The Minneapolis Foundation, IBM and Geek Squad
Visit www.ppl-inc.org/forums for more info on the event.