New Media and Social Change Summit and Digital Divide

I attended the New Media and Social Change Summit today as a scribe, which means that I got to do all the copying down for my table and helping to better synthesize what we reported out. I tried to take more of a backseat role, but as anyone who has ever encountered me in a classroom on a topic that at least halfway catches my interest knows, it's hard to get me to keep quiet. However! I am proud to state that the conversation at my table naturally evolved into discussions on the digital divide, barriers to access, and buy-in from marginalized communities, at which point I jumped in the deep end :)

Part of what we were discussing was thinking up action ideas of how to combat the issues surrounding the new media and social justice issues. I think that one of the ones with the most potential was to create hybrid virtual/physical networks of communities to facilitate the spread of information. (This would be a great opportunity to utilize more social network analysis (SNA) methods, actually). People, already connect with one another via informal or formalized networks. A formal physical network might be something like a civic organization or churches, while a virtual network might be a community blog or a Facebook group that functions much like older bulletin boards did to facilitate the spread of information but at a much faster rate. Aside from formal institutions that would serve as 'nodes' (to use SNA terminology), there may also be informal community leaders who unite networks. Connections that branch out from these 'nodes' are called 'spokes', with the idea that you even tually end up with something vaguely resembling wagon wheels as you have networks connecting to one another via overlapping individuals, etc. In the absence of actual increased access to technology on the part of marginalized groups, a hybrid approach would ensure that each type of member is not left out of important information loops.

In the second portion of the summit, we focused more specifically on action steps. We recognized that we have to go to the people most affected by the digital divide to find out both their wants and their needs (This is actually what I'm trying to do right now by assisting in the computer basics classes). From there, we can make sure that the issue is being framed in a way that is meaningful to the community. With that background knowledge, we would employ a three step approach to social reform:

1. Make our case to existing community organizations and other leaders of why access to technology should be important for the community. Engage in 'train the trainer' activities so that insiders can make the perpetuation of knowledge self-originating and self-sustaining within the communities as they spread the knowledge. These individuals would be recognized and credible leaders within the community.
2. Sponsor video game nights to address young people in the community to show how technology can impact their lives. Current generation console systems (Xbox 360, Wii, and Playstation3) are all equipped with internet browsers and wireless network adapters, so the need for separate computers just for social media and internet purposes is less important than it used to be. If youth in public housing projects own one of these systems, they are not getting the full functionality out of the machines without internet access. If events can show them how much consistent access could benefit their hobbies and interests, the next logical next step would be to show them additional things they may enjoy or how they can use technology in new ways to interact, innovate, and engage. For example, Netflix gets you unlimited legal movie streaming on the PS3 or 360 (and coming very soon to the Wii and is available on regular computers) for less than $10/month. Online streaming customizable radio stations (last.fm or Pandora) can allow people to discover new music and listen to current favorites without having to purchase expensive CDs or download content illegally. These services are not usable with dial-up, spotty wireless connections, or via cell phones.
   
3. With such a groundswell of interest in technology access and demonstrated digital literacy through the use of classes, the community could then make a compelling case to utility companies, such as Comcast and Verizon, to expand high speed, broadband internet access into public housing projects or other communities that have previously been deemed "not profitable."

In other news, this will be my last semester at VCU. I have been accepted to transfer into Virginia Tech's Public Administration and Public Affairs PhD program for the Fall 2010 semester! The faculty there have already begun connecting me with other Tech researchers who seem to be very interested in some of the digital divide research and library projects I'm working on this semester. The Center for Digital Discourse and Culture seems especially promising for continuing this work and expanding in new and exciting directions. Never fear, gentle reader, for I initiated this blog as a space to detail my academic happenings, both in regards to teaching and learning, and not to be ceased after mere months!

Research Updates

Before I go into the topic of course design, I thought I would provide an update on my research projects for this semester:

• The group work trying to assist the RPLS in exploring social media options is proceeding well, with an expected launch date for the first portion, a Facebook fan page entitled "No World without Libraries," to coincide with National Library Week. The goal will be to encourage people to be aware of the danger of budget cuts to the library and to recognize the continued importance of the library's services. An additional component will be to generate testimonials that will provide support to the library when they have to defend their budget and services provided. The second component of this project will be entitled "Richmond Loves Banned Books," and it will highlight the importance of intellectual freedom. By having a 2 pronged approach, it is our hope that we will be able to evaluate two different but related ways of using technology: generating a sense of urgency through a distopian vision of how the world could look without libraries and also doing an issue-based campaign that gives a concrete area (RVA) and topic (banned books).
• I have also begun working with the RPLS in assisting and observing their computer basics classes to get a better understanding of people who do not regularly interact with technology. I'm observing the class to get a sense of the demographics and the technical difficulties encountered by these individuals, and then I'll be engaging them in conversations to determine why they have decided to pursue these technology classes now, where they do or don't have access to technology, and what have been the most difficult things in their opinions when it comes to working with technology.
• I presented at my first conference panel at the end of February applying postmodern and feminist theoretical frameworks to 9/11. I got very good feedback from the audience afterwards saying that I made them look at things in a different way, I explained the theories, including traditional Public Administration theory, in a way that was very accessible to people from outside my discipline, and they could tell that I was really enthusiastic and interested in my topic. If I continue this work in the future, I think I will include more on social network theories in my discussion of non-hierarchical forms of leadership and to counter the Weberian bureaucratic system that is still regarded as so central to traditional PA theory.

A Black Box of Teaching?

The concept of the transition from inputs to outputs being a 'black box' is one that exists even outside the realm of teaching. Implementation of policies has been widely hypothesized and theorized within the field of Public Administration, but it has mostly been evaluated through a process of summative, or end-product, assessment that only evaluates products rather than the process.

While there has been increasing literature in various fields on the importance of formative evaluation, which can help to catch problems as they develop rather than only learning about them after the fact, it seems that there has been increasing focus in the actual field on summative assessments. We have become hyper-focused on end products, whether they are grades, standardized test scores, or other arbitrary numbers that are deemed telling of the successes of implementation. They do nothing to tell of the quality of the inputs or what factors during the implementation process caused the success or failure of implementation, leading to outputs that meet or fail to meet expectations.

Perhaps one of the reasons why we have become increasingly focused on output measures rather than process measures is because of the costs involved in measuring the process at multiple points rather than measuring outputs at a single point. There may also be a lack of desire to have one's process evaluated because a lack of willingness to have their process critiqued. It's certainly something that's worth some degree of consideration in the discussion of evaluating summative and formative assessments.

Instruction versus Facilitation

Having enjoyed the privilege of a classic liberal arts education at the University of Richmond for my undergraduate experience, I approach the institution of higher education differently from many others who have not had the same privilege. In my experience, interacting with the material and discussing it leads to a much more complete understanding of a topic than sitting in a lecture. Lectures do not engage the student and make them feel responsible for learning to the same extent that a class discussion can. Of course, class discussions require a group of students who are willing to take on their share of the responsibility for their learning, but that is something that is cultivated over time. As a result, I feel that learning takes place the best in institutions that fully facilitate the learning process across the curriculum, as UofR does. While professors may attempt to engage students on a class by class basis at other, less supportive institutions, this approach may not always prove effective if students have been socialized into the passive "learning" experience.

Interestingly, while we discuss this phenomenon in terms of helping international students adjust to the American educational system, we don't see this discussion taking place as often when comparing different educational systems within the U.S. There are several distinct models of teaching/learning occurring across institutions that are leading to large differences in the types and quality of learning going into the same diploma title. While some of these distinctions are good because of students' individual learning styles, others are harmful because they do not focus on the critical thinking piece of education, leaving students, future employers, and society shortchanged as to the long-term benefits of a college education. If the K-12 system has devolved into one that focuses on the regurgitation of information rather than the creation of knowledge and the postsecondary system is moving in similar directions, then this is a failure of the educational system. The numbers may show "efficiency" in how much money is being spent per student, education cannot accurately be evaluated in terms of dollars alone or by standardized test scores that do not evaluate critical thinking skills.

Research Interests

While I have studied a variety of topics throughout my academic career, the unifying theme to date has been technology. Some of my recent work has included ways that technology may be changing the debate surrounding the legitimacy of sex work, the aftereffects of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. and the U.K. in terms of surveillance technology and citizens' rights, and investigating the barriers that continue to perpetuate the technology/digital divide in terms of citizen engagement in political processes and access to services.

While technology may be an ongoing theme in my research, my background in Sociology and feminist theory provide the lenses through which I interpret the world. I see the area of Public Administration/Affairs as being the site for transforming theory into practice and action. A continuing aspect of my work, both inside and outside of academia, is social equity. I look at the ways in which race, class, and gender, in addition to other categories, interact within society, often stratifying it according to the "matrix of domination," which denotes the ways in which these classifications interact to privilege certain groups over others. The term 'matrix' is used here because it indicates that these categories do not simply have an additive effect of discrimination and oppression (or conversely, privilege), but instead, they affect different people differently depending on other circumstances. Without more knowledge of how these interactions occur, we will not be able to better tailor public policy decisions to help more groups in society, nor will we be able to understand the ways that the government and nonprofit sectors may be reaching or not reaching these populations in effective ways.

My current research for this semester centers around three main projects:

1. I am working with a group of classmates to assist the Richmond Public Library System in determining how to continue making the library a relevant source of information in the age of technology. In this, we will be exploring ways to position the library as a leader in the community to better effect social change through increasing access to technology and facilitating improved use of technology.
2. Continuing my research from last spring comparing the reactions of the U.S. government following 9/11 with the U.K. response following the 7/7 London bombings, I will be comparing the approaches that both the U.S. and the Spanish governments took following so-called "fourth wave" terrorist attacks (foreign attacks by non-state actors) of 9/11 and the 2004 Madrid train bombings, both believed to be perpetrated by al-Qaeda .
3. In late February 2010, I will be presenting a paper that applies postmodern and feminist theoretical lenses to the 9/11 Commission Report's analysis and recommendations and illustrates how approaching a global event from a single perspective, in this case the Public Administration field, will only provide limited understanding of events.
   

The Relationship between a Student and a Teacher

During my high school, undergraduate, and graduate years, I have been lucky to have teachers with whom I felt a connection and rapport. A successful classroom in my experiences has been a cooperative experience in which the teacher has not presented xyrself (gender-neutral pronoun) as an absolute knowledge source. Similarly, we do not learn in a vacuum in which we have never encountered or learned anything outside of the classroom setting. Students are not blank canvases or ducklings on which we can imprint ourselves and our ideas without taking into consideration what images or ideas are already there.

Looking back to Socrates and his disciples, we see that even he understood that there was still a great deal that he did not know. As such, he learned from his disciples at the same time that they learned from him. This was primarily accomplished through a dialogue in which questions were asked and answered so that individuals could flesh out their beliefs and address any flaws in logic.

Aside from the personal benefits of applying this method in the classroom, it also demonstrates to students that there is no point at which you can just stop learning because you have learned everything. If teachers show they are engaged with and interested in the material and field, then I think that students can detect that interest and are more likely to engage with the material as well.