Category Archives: bbc

Nobles County adds hotspots and looks at broadband feasibility study with Blandin grants

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According to the Fulda Free Press…

Nobles County was named a Blandin Broadband Community in November 2014, one of 10 selected across rural Minnesota. The county took the first granting opportunity to educate and train a cross-section of the community, from teaching basic computer skills to diverse community groups to training small business owners how to better market online.

Awards from this grant round will address the community-identified priority of enhancing broadband access. *NEON Hot Spots: Project support to provide more accessible, reliable and affordable access to Internet services for the rural residents of Nobles County as part of the Broadband Program in Minnesota.

*Feasibility Study: Project support to conduct a feasibility study to gather information and provide a decision making path for local officials to meet the goal of ubiquitous broadband coverage across Nobles County as part of the Broadband Program in rural Minnesota.

Coordinating the Blandin Broadband Communities work is Nobles County Economic Opportunity Network (NEON).

PCs for People distributes 46 computers in North Branch

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Great to hear about PCs for People visit Blandin Broadband Community in North Branch…

Great “PCs for People” event in North Branch. We gave away 46 PCs to disabled and low income families. The PCs were paid for by grant from the Blandin Foundation. What a great way to spend an afternoon!

Blandin Foundation awards $35,000 to Central MN for network improvements and feasibility study

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According to the St Cloud Times…

The Blandin Foundation is giving $35,000 to the Sherburne County Broadband Coalition, part of $315,000 in 30 grants the group announced this week.

Brian Kamman, county information technology director, said $10,000 will fund improvements to the network at the Sherburne History Center. The building in Becker hosts outreach efforts for veterans, health and human services clients, and history enthusiasts. Kamman said with better wired and Wi-Fi connections, the facility will become much more usable for the community.

Internet service has been so poor it interfered with government services, according to Dan Weber, assistant administrator and economic development specialist for Sherburne County. Kamman said the new network will include private connectivity for county business in addition to public connections.

The other $25,000 from Blandin will fund a broadband feasibility study, which Weber said the county hopes to start within the next couple weeks and complete by 2016. He said work by Compass Consultants Inc. of Perham will inform the county of best methods for improving Internet infrastructure in communities along U.S. highways 10 and 169.

Videconferencing for intergenerational health – virtual workout buddies in Winona

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With funding from the Blandin Foundation, Friendship Forever has been able to create a project that connects older folks in Winona through a virtual exercise class. The Friendship’s Forever Project strives to create a healthier community by actively engaging older adults living at home with limited mobility, students from Winona State University and volunteers from the Friendship Center in a virtual outreach program that offers opportunities for socialization and learning through videoconferencing. (The grant provided portable connectivity which is a major obstacle for these older adult. The grant also provided rich programming while more free programs are developed for this population.)

The program reached 15 older, isolated local residents. It’s a one-of-a-kind project, although they are presenting to a group of Midwestern colleagues later this fall to help spread the word. It’s been a successful way to extend the value of the local senior center to former residents who have lost some mobility and have not been able to visit. It’s a great way to keep people moving, keep them connected to their friends and cohorts and provides a motivation to get online to a demographic that has been slower to get online.

See it in action…

Willmar Hack2.o – September 18-20: civic coding near the lake – not just for coders

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Hack2osocialmediaWillmar is hosting a hackfest next month. It’s a three-day event (Sept 18-20) for coders and non-coders alike. It will be hosted in the WORKUP co-working space located at MinnWest Technology Campus. The setting is beautiful. The opportunities are numerous.

I have attended a few hackfests. If you’re a coder (or wannabe coder) in the area, you should definitely think about going. It will be a chance to meet colleagues and maybe prospective employers. BUT the event isn’t just for coders. If you have an idea that would harness technology for a civic good, this is a good place for you too. And in my experience all talents are welcome – folks who are good thinkers, writers, project managers.

You are welcome to come to the event with a preconceived idea (or problem) and/or a team. You are welcome to come even if you’re not really sure what in the heck you’re signing up for – and every position in between.

Learn more.

PCs for People distributes computers in Sherburne County

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Digital inclusion has come up in a lot of meetings I’ve attended lately. One consistent roadblock noted by technology non-users is the cost of the equipment. PCs for People does a nice job getting computers in the hands of folks who need them so I’m always happy to share their story. The most recent chapter comes from the West Sherburne Tribune…

Last year, Sherburne County was one of 10 communities across the state selected by the Blandin Foundation to be part of the Blandin Broadband Communities. …

As part of that program, each member partner received 50 computers from PCs for People to distribute in its community. PCs for People is a non-profit organization that receives donated computers, refurbishes them then provides free or low-cost computers to different organizations and families in need.

Tuesday, those computers were distributed to Sherburne County organizations and individuals through the Workforce Center in Monticello.

Ten computers were given to Guardian Angels for the senior community in Elk River.

The Sherburne County Fair Board received one and other qualifying individuals who signed up through the Workforce Center received coupons in the mail to receive a computer.

Tuesday, as they arrived between 3 p.m and 6 p.m., they had a choice between a Hewlett Packard or Dell PC system, complete with tower, monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Sherburne County also recently donated 75 used desktop computers and 50 laptops to PCs for People to refurbish and distribute.

Free Blandin Webinar July 9: Creative Spaces, Creative Places

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Free Blandin Webinar
July 9 at 3:00-4:00
Register!

Does broadband promote creativity? Not alone it doesn’t but it can be an ingredient that spurs or supports a community effort. You also need people to make it happen. In this webinar we’ll hear from people who have promoted creativity in their community at least in some part through technology. We’ll learn about what they are doing, how they started it and what it has meant to the community.

Matthew Marcus and Aaron Deacon on Kansas City Startup Village: A community situated around the first neighborhood to get Google Fiber in KC but built by local entrepreneurs to be fertile ground to grow startups from KC and beyond. They community grew organically as if something was in the air. Hear their story and think about how we can replicate that here.

Fred Underwood on Duluth Maker Space: A sustainable multi-field community workshop for local artists, inventors, experimentors, teachers, learners (Makers!) of all ages. It opened last Fall. They have classes available and open space with cool tools for folks who want to use them.  Imagine a place in your community where makers can meet and collaborate.

[Just added 7/7/2015!] Carla Lydon on East Central Regional Library: The library offers a range of services that make the library building a place to learn and use technology such as popular digital petting zoos, where patrons can get a chance to use various tablets. They also provide a range of remote services that make everyone in the community more creative – no matter where they are locates.