Decay
Organizational and mechanical decay are constant challenges in keeping
people communicating using computer technology. Organizations,
especially those in areas challenged by poverty, regularly lose
trained staff, while computer equipment breaks or needs servicing.
There
must
therefore be institutional
commitment on the part of a community institution or organization,
and the
supporting organizations, to keep people trained and machines working.
This means continuous commitment of training and support staff, along with
a flow of equipment. Both
networks, mechanical and human, must be maintained. Both the bosses and
the staff need to
understand and value the good that Internet tools can accomplish.
A
computer network only continues to work within a human
network.
It's About Communicating, Not Just Computers
Computer-based communication takes
place within a larger
arena of human communications. Whether in person, by signs, by e-mail, by
broadcast, by phone, by beeper, by
fax, or snail mail--all these processes can and should be used to improve
quality of life in our homes, schools, jobs, and communities.
Don't just think about computers, think about how computers can help
communication.
Technology is a moving target
Constant training and continuous communication are necessary, because the
most
useful technology is constantly improving, just out of reach of the
technology have-nots. More computing power and more bandwidth, with the
proper machines connected and run by people with the proper skills,
become an
ever more difficult target for organizations with few resources to hit.
Rising Expectations
A technologically empowered organization strives to climb to the next rung
of technology. Once an organization has a dial-up connection to the
Internet, they yearn for an entire local area network or laboratory all
with their own Internet connections, and for faster bandwidth. This next
goal requires yet another
investment in even more expensive equipment and in more skilled personnel.
That is why we in the UIC Neighborhoods and NonProfits Network continue to
work with organizations and institutions, especially schools, in the UIC
Neighborhoods
Initiative neighborhoods of Chicago's Pilsen and the Near West Side,
to assist these in working up to the next technological rung on the
ladder.
Right-of-Way Resolution
Government must set up some quick mechanism or authority to
definitively rule on telecommunications right-of-way problems which hold
back local educational progress and cooperation.
Sustainability beyond T1
By the time T1 lines are
installed in all schools, T1
lines will be inadequate. Funding strategies for continuous upgrades of
bandwidth should be built into education capital improvement plans.
Provide for Maintenance After Donation
Schools and other community institutions quickly outstrip their
ability to maintain the technology they receive through donations.
Network administrator staff positions and skills are needed at schools and
community institutions for technology advances to be sustained. Without
provision for maintenance of computers and networks, within a few months
they will not be working in the classroom.
Education for IT and Engineering
Contacts with university engineering and information technology
programs must increase among primary, secondary, and community college
teachers and counselors. Teachers must be better prepared to educate for
careers in information technology and engineering.
Educated Students as Regional Magnets
Graduate and undergraduate information technology and computer
engineering programs in the Chicago area should obtain increased public
and industry support and should grow in size. The students and graduates
of these programs provide important "magnets" which attract and keep firms
in the Chicago area.
Beyond Classroom Web-Browsing
More students must begin using their computers in such a way that would
prepare them for careers in information technology. Web browsing and
e-mail in the classrooms are not enough, no matter how high the
clock-speed and bandwidth. Unless built into new curricula, computers
face the danger of being in the classroom not so much as teaching tools
but as classroom activity devices for the instructors, who continue
teaching using sixty-year-old classroom methodologies.
A Lab Without Program or Staff is Not a Community
Resource
Community, library, and educational computer labs, even if well
equipped, often lack effective programs and adequate staff. Computers,
without proper staffing and programs, can become $3,000 decks of cards or
game machines.
No Quick Fix for Health Info Systems
Health information systems have solved neither the problems of
privacy nor that of accuracy and display of imaging across networks. It
is too early to establish rigid systems in this highly evolving area.
Public Information is Just That--Public
Public information must remain public, with increasing access by
citizens. Public databases, especially those keyed to maps such as
assessor and property tax information, should not be bound through
exclusive arrangements with firms which limit public access and control.
Public Information a Natural Resource
Public information should be managed as are other natural
resources. Whether a "public information authority" is needed remains to
be seen.
Limits to E-Rate
The proposed federal "e-rate" does not adequately subsidize
continuing improvements in telecommunications infrastructure and
accompanying training and maintenance that can sustain such improvements.
A great opportunity was lost when wavelengths were sold by the federal
government without directing more resources to educational
telecommunications infrastructure improvements. Such sales could have
followed the pattern of very early sales of federal land, which set aside
the proceeds from a certain percentage of available land for educational
use. As it is, the penetration of new technologies into schools and
communities will
continue to be a hodge-podge of numerous and overlapping efforts. It
remains to be seen whether this approach is the most beneficial.
You Can't Sustain a Plan around Heroes
Community computing is based on the heroism of many volunteers. We must get to the point where we move from the heroic to the ordinary, where computers that work and people who know how to maintain them and get the most information from them are part of the everyday way our schools and organizations work, and are budgeted for such adequately. Community computing will take hold, not when the president and vice-president pull the wires in a school, but when a community contractor drives up in a van, and, just like the local plumber or electrician who go about their business in terms of contracts under budget, gets the local connection working.
The Boss Makes a Difference
The executive director's commitment to community computing and Internet tools helps sustain these efforts within an organization. Without the boss's commitment, an organization gets disconnected as soon as the skilled, connected person leaves the organization.
Heroes--We Can't Plan for Them, But We Sure Need Them
The community lab, especially in the settlement house or the library, has an important place in making computer resources available to the community. Volunteers make a great difference here!
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