Citizen professional toolkits: empowering communities through mass amateurization

Wolske, Martin; Johnson, Eric; Adams, Paul

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/16299 Copy

Description

Title

Citizen professional toolkits: empowering communities through mass amateurization

Author(s)

• Wolske, Martin
• Johnson, Eric
• Adams, Paul

Issue Date

2010-01

Keyword(s)

• Prato
• CIRN
• Community Informatics Conference 2009
• Community Informatics Conference
• Martin Wolske
• Eric Johnson
• Paul Adams
• University of Illinois
• Toolkit
• Photovoice
• Inquiry
• Digital storytelling
• Portable
• Community Technology Centers
• CTC
• Telecentres
• Information and Communications Technology
• Communities of Practice
• Palestinian refugee camps
• Ultra-mobile PC
• Citizen Professional Toolkit
• Graduate School of Library and Information Science
• GSLIS
• Community Networking Initiative
• Youth Community Informatics
• Mobile Media Toolkit
• Teen Tech Team
• Flip Video Ultra
• Flip Video
• Geotagging

Abstract

Community Technology Centers (CTCs) and Telecentres provide critical access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resources where inequities exist. Additionally, a range of examples exist in which such centers are used by those who may have access elsewhere, but especially value the social interactions found at these community centers. Indeed, these facilities sometimes become meeting places for citizen professionals to participate in Communities of Practice working towards common goals. But while numerous paid professionals find laptops and mobiles the platform of choice for their daily work lives, many CTCs are still built using an impersonal closed room model which is restricted to mass implementation of non-flexible technology directed at no more than basic bridging of the digital divide. Emerging technologies such as low-cost ultra mobile personal computers and smartphones, cloud computing, geographic/neighborhood information systems, and personal webs are revolutionizing how professionals work. High functioning communities are finding ways to take advantage of the mass amateurization brought about by these emerging technologies to engage community members in community development goals, using the diversity of input to enhance the overall quality of outcome. The challenge remains how to empower more communities through access to, and training with, citizen professional ICT. This paper will describe our early experiences using customizable citizen professional toolkits to empower members from economically disadvantaged communities to work as citizen journalists and citizen planners.

Publisher

Centre for Community Networking Research, Coulfield School of IT, Monash University

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/16299

Owning Collections