SI 575 - Community Information Corps Seminar

Friday, September 10th: 
Short introductions to faculty doing social impact work across SI specializations, facilitated by
Dr. Dan Atkins.

• Michael Cohen
• Paul Edwards
• Steve Jackson
• Mick McQuaid
• Joyojeet Pal
• Paul Resnick
• Tiffany Veinot
• Elizabeth Yakel

Friday, September 17th:
Community Information Corps projects
Returning CIC students will present their projects and research.

Friday, September 24th:
Discussion session, Draft of topic for student presentation due
Moderator: Dr. Dan Atkins

Friday, October 1st:
Information Movements, Openness, and Social Change
Speakers: Lisa McLaughlin, Emily Petty Puckett Rodgers, Kathleen Ludewig

Friday, October 8th:
ICT4D
Speaker: Dr. Joyojeet Pal Moderator: Dr.
Stephen Jackson

Friday, October 15th:
Community Inquiry and Information Systems
Speaker: Dr. Ann Bishop Moderator:
Dr. Tiffany Veinot

Friday, October 22nd:
Information Policy and Social Media
Speaker: Lottie Spadie, on behalf of the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition
Moderator: Dr. Stephen Jackson

Friday, October 29th:
Discussion session, Finalize student presentation topic
Moderator: Dr. Dan Atkins

Friday, November 5th:
Sociology of Information
Speaker: Dr. Yuri Takhteyev
Moderator: Dr. Paul Edwards

Friday, November 12th:
Digital Media and Learning
Speaker: Dr. Kristin Fontichiaro and Dr. Chuck Severance Moderator: Dr. Dan Atkins

Friday, November 19th:
Student “Community Informatics” Pecha Kucha presentations

****Thanksgiving Break: No Seminar Friday, November 26th****

Friday, December 3th:
Social Entrepreneurship
Speaker: Center for Entrepreneurship, Dr. Moses Lee Moderator: Dr. Dan Atkins

Friday, December 10th:
Reflective papers due, discussion and reflections on seminar and course evaluations.

Course Overview

This course brings together students and faculty who are engaged in diverse community and public interest work to learn from each other and a wide range of guest visitors. Readings include those recommended by guests and a selection of articles focusing on core concepts of community information work. Students learn the roots of community informatics -- how it is practiced and where public interest information professionals work -- and consider citizenship, opportunity, and the public good in an information society.

This semester we will focus on six broad topics in the field of community information: 1) Community Inquiry and Information Systems 2) Social Change and Open Educational Resources 3) Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), 4) Sociology/Ethnography of Information 5) Digital Media & Learning 6) Social Entrepreneurship. Speakers will visit the U-M campus to share their experience in one of these areas of study and to discuss their profession with students and interested community members. Interspersed with these talks will be discussion sessions at which students are expected to participate in critical examination and dialogue with topics and issues presented in the assigned readings and to reflect on the speaker presentations. Additional fields of inquiry relating to the field of community informatics will be posted on the CIC website for further engagement.

Learning Objectives

During this course, students are expected to 1) Engage with core concepts and underlying theories of community informatics; 2) Develop a sense of the professional responsibilities for information and communication technologies and knowledge management in the public interest; 3) Connect with like-minded people and resources for doing community and public-interest oriented information work.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to identify community and social information practices, methodologies, professionals, and research that will inform their programmatic decisions while at the School of Information. This course is intended to propel student engagement in activities and with individuals at SI and beyond that will foster their growth and interest in public-interest information work.

Speaker Engagement

Enrolled students are expected to ask questions during or after any presentation, as the speaker designates. Speakers are invited to the School of Information to share their experiences and engage with students and the UM community. If you are interested in a particular speaker’s work, their background, the organization they work for, or any element of their presentation or publications, you are encouraged to contact Catherine Hong Le to set up a visit with the speaker during their visit to campus.

Course Requirements

Members of the U-M and local community are invited to attend any or all of the seminars and discussion sections. However, if you are a University of Michigan student taking this course for credit, you are required to complete the following activities and assignments to receive credit for the term.

Course Participation 85% 
Students taking this course for credit will be required to participate in reflective and critical engagement of the topics and information presented in this seminar over the course of the term. Two avenues for discussion are required: on-line discussions and in-class discussion.

To facilitate these activities, group leaders will be designated for each online or in-class discussion session at the beginning of the term using a randomized system. Group leaders are required to post their blogs by 5 pm on Tuesday with the goal of introducing self-designated topics or questions for the upcoming discussion session to prepare students for appropriate dialogues. Leaders are encouraged to examine links or discrepancies between readings, speaker presentations, or their own experiences and to discuss potential avenues for the development of community information in the week’s themes.

On-line and in-class Discussion 35% 
The purpose of these discussions is to allow students to engage with the topics, ideas, and theories presented by the speakers and by the material in class. Readings will be posted on the Ctools site in the appropriate folders. The purpose of this activity is to broaden the range of exposure students are given to the topics addressed in this seminar.

Two to three student leaders will be designated for each week. Student leaders will be expected to summarize the readings, engage fellow students in discussion of the topics through prepared questions or thought starters based on your experience, perspective, or online comments from your fellow students.

Students will be required to blog weekly on the class CTools discussion forum on the readings, speakers and topics presented in class. Blog entries can be short (minimum 1-2 paragraphs in length); commenting on and continuing other classmates’ discussion threads counts.

The purpose of blogging is to allow a platform for continued examination and discussion of the topics, research, viewpoints, and practices students and guests are exposed to during this seminar. It is also meant to:

1. Stimulate in-class discussion of core readings by generating questions and comments.
2. Host online discussion for core readings that extends this conversation beyond the classroom and allows for larger CI community engagement of community information related topics.
3. Generate questions and comments for the upcoming speaker.

Pecha Kucha In-Class Presentation 25% 
Seminar students (individually or in small groups of 2-3) will be required to present for 10 minutes on a “Community Informatics” topic of their choice on Friday November 19th. (A proposal for a topic will be due Sept 24th and topics are to be finalized on Oct 29th). The topic can be a more in-depth exploration of one of the seminar’s major themes or a theme that was not covered during the semester.

Each presentation should have 20 slides, each slide shown on the screen for 20 seconds. Each presenter has approximately 6 minutes 40 seconds to explain their ideas before the next presenter takes the stage. The remaining 3 minutes will be for Q&A. Additionally, please print out a one-page hardcopy summation of your presentation, including resources and works cited, for each member of the class.

For more information about the format: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha_Kucha

Speaker Q&A Participation 25% 
Enrolled students will be expected to actively engage with the speakers’ presentation if and when Q&A sessions are presented. You may post potential questions or comments for the speaker based on background materials on the class Ctools discussion forum in addition to being prepared to ask questions and engage with the speaker during their presentation.

Reflective Paper 15% 
Students will be required to turn in a 2-4 page single spaced reflective paper on the seminar at the end of the term, Friday December 10. This paper should reflectively examine one of the themes presented by a speaker, a discussion, or reading during the seminar that sparked your professional interest. This includes appropriately linking and synthesizing material presented in class including speaker presentations, readings or student discussions and can also include outside sources. Students should consider how the seminar has changed their perception of community information work and how they plan to use the knowledge and insight they have gained from the seminar. Students are also encouraged to suggest additional topics of exploration for future 575 seminars.

A NOTE ON THE READINGS: Some of the readings we assign to you are provided as background material to introduce to you to a speaker and their activities and work and to encourage student questions at the end of the speaker’s presentation. Please familiarize yourself with these readings before the speaker’s presentation. Please see the “Background Readings” folder in the Ctools site.

Academic Integrity

Unless otherwise specified in an assignment, all submitted work must be your own, original work. Any excerpts from the work of others must be clearly identified as a quotation, and a proper citation provided. Any violation of the School's policy on Academic and Professional Integrity (stated in the Master's and Doctoral Student Handbooks) will result in severe penalties, which might range from failing an assignment, to failing a course, to being expelled from the program, at the discretion of the instructor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Please see the Rackham Graduate School’s Policy on Academic and Professional Integrity and Procedures for Investigating Allegations of Academic & Professional Misconduct at:http://www.rackham.umich.edu/policies/gsh/appb/

Students with Disabilities

If you think you need an accommodation for a disability, please let Dr. Dan Atkins know at your earliest convenience. Some aspects of this course, the assignments, the in-class activities, and the way we teach may be modified to facilitate your participation and progress. As soon as you make Dr. Dan Atkins aware of your needs, we can work with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to help us determine appropriate accommodations. SSD (734-763-3000; http://www.umich.edu/sswd/) typically recommends accommodations through a Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations (VISA) form. He will treat any information you provide as private and confidential.

Week One: Introductions

Resnick, P. (2003) The CIC Canon. Version 1.01. (on CTools)
McLaughlin, L. & Puckett, E. Information, Development and Social Change Programs in Information Schools. http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/91307.

Week Three: Education and Media

The National Education Technology Plan. http://www.ed.gov/technology.netp-2010.
Digital Media and Learning Initiatives. http://dmlcentral.net/about/what-all-about.
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). (2010). Report to the President. Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America’s Future. Executive Report. Executive Office of the President. (on CTools).
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Report to the President. Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for America’s Future. Executive Office of the President. (on CTools).

Week Four: Openness and Social Change

ISKME OER Research: http://www.slideshare.net/oercommons/iskme-cnx10-research-trajectory
Open.Michigan: http://open.umich.edu
OER Africa: http://www.oerafrica.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.oerafrica.org/healthproject
Video “Why Open Excites Students”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVkZL8fYxr8
Africa Health OER Network brochure (onCTools)
Additional Materials:
Audio file of a talk given June, 2010: http://www.archive.org/details/OpenEducationalResourcesInAfrica
African Health OER Network: http://www.oerafrica.org/healthoer
Open.Michigan wiki: /wiki/Main_Page
Presentations and Handouts for other Open.Michigan events:/wiki/Presentation,_Poster,_and_diagram_downloads
Educause issue devoted to OER: http://www.educause.edu/er
Open Access Week: http://www.openaccessweek.org/events

Week Five: Information and Communication Technologies for Development

Pal, J. (2008). Computers and the Promise of Development: Aspirations, Neoliberalism and ‘Technolity’ in India’s ICTD Enterprise. Presented at Confronting the Challenge of Technology for Development: Experiences from the BRICS, 29-30 May 2008, University of Oxford. (on CTools).
Fonseca, R., & Pal, J. Computing Devices for All: Creating and Selling the Low-Cost Computer. (on CTools).
Lakshmanan, M., Pal, J., & Kentaro, T. (2009). “My Child Will Be Respected”: Parental Perspectives on Computers and Education in Rural India. Information Systems Frontiers, 11: 129-144. Published online, April 2009 on Springerlink.com

Week Six: Community Inquiry and Information Systems

Bruce, B. C. (2008). From Hull House to Paseo Broicua: The Theory and Practice of Community Inquiry. In Bogdan Dicher and Adrian Luduşan (eds.), Philosophy or pragmatism (II): Salient Inquiries (pp. 181-198). Cluj-Napoca, Romania: Editura Fundaiei pentru Studii Europene (European Studies Foundation Publishing House).
Retrieved from: https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/13166/cluj.pdf?seq...
Addams, J. (1910). Twenty Years at Hull-House, Chapter 13 “Public Activities and Investigations.” New York, NY: MacMillan Co., pp. 281-309.
Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books?id=i3jaAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA281&lpg=PA281&dq=jane...
&sig=aTdlY2RHZmswhUB5atMjnYi5_p0&hl=en&ei=_1-
rTPnIHIL2swOKyaC0Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAQ#v=o
nepage&q&f=false
Berry, P. W., & Cavallaro, A. (2010). Sustaining Narratives of Hope: The Pedro Albizu Campus High School. Unpublished Draft Manuscript. (on CTools).

Week Seven: Information Policy and Social Media

The Allied Media Conference: http://alliedmediaconference.org/discovering_technology
The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative: http://oti.newamerica.net/home
Zero Divide: http://www.zerodivide.org
Detroit Digital Justice Coalition. (2009). Communication Is a Fundamental Human Right. Issue 1. (on CTools).
Detroit Digital Justice Coalition. (2010). Communication Is a Fundamental Human Right. Issue 2. (CTools).

Week Eight: Social Computing Applications for the Public Good

Putnam, R.D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Chapter 1 “Thinking About Social Change in America.” New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Resnick, P. (2001). Beyond Bowling Together: Sociotechnical Capital. In J. Carroll (Ed.), HCI in the New Millennium: Addison-Wesley.
Kiva: http://www.kiva.org
Pledgebank: http://pledgebank.org
NetSquared: http://www.netsquared.org
Apps For America: http://sunlightlabs.com/contests/appsforamerica/
 

Week Nine: Sociology of Information

 
Takhteyev, Y. (unpublished) Coding Places: Open Source Software Practice in a South American City. Chapter 0 “The Wrong Place.” (on CTools).
Takhteyev, Y. (unpublished) Coding Places: Open Source Software Practice in a South American City. Chapter 1 “Global Worlds of Practice.” (on CTools).
 

Week Ten: Digital Media and Learning

 
Fontichiaro, K., Moreillon, J. & Abilock, D. (2009). Our Student Learning Responsibilities and the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers: How Do School Librarians Fit In? Knowledge Quest, 38(2), 70-72.
Fontichiaro, K. (2009). More Than Friendship: Social Scholarship, Young Learners, and the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. Knowledge Quest, 37(4), 64-67.
The Community Informatics Toolkit: http://www.citoolkit.org/
Video: http://www.vimeo.com/10836699
Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org
Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute: http://www2.si.umich.edu/CHPI/
 

Week Eleven: Student Presentations

Week Thirteen: Social Entrepreneurship

 
Austin, J., Stevenson, H., Wei-Skillern, J. (2006). Social and commercial entrepreneurship: Same, different or both? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.
Dees, J.G. (1998), “Enterprising Nonprofits,” Harvard Business Review, January/February, 54-67.
Alvord, S. H., Brown, D. L., & Letts, C. W. (2004). Social entrepreneurship and societal transformation. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 40(3): 260–282.
Short, J., Moss, T.W., & Lumpkin, G.T. (2009). Research in social entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future opportunities. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 3, 161–194.
Center for Entrepreneurship: http://cfe.umich.edu/
Ross Net Impact: http://ross.campusgroups.com/netimpact/about-us/