Community Technology Centers Research Articles

The promise of public access: Lessons from the American experience

This essay surveys and synthesizes the academic literature, archival sources and interviews with key policy makers regarding the emergence of community technology centers in the US. Community Technology Centers (CTCs) came to the fore in the late 1990s through an activist nonprofit sector combined with federal government and private sector funding. Federal data indicates that CTCs now represent the most important access points to information communications technology for the poor in the US. This essay reviews the latest arguments for and against continued investment in CTCs and public access in general. In addition to providing access, which is often used beneficially for employment and education related purposes, CTCs appear to contribute to social capital as they become social gathering points. This paper concludes, that both government and nonprofits play a vital role in ensuring public access for the poor and that continued investment in CTCs is warranted.

Challenges of social good in the world of Grand Theft Auto and Barbie: a case study of a community computer center for youth

This paper presents a case study of a community technology center (CTC) located in a lower income neighborhood of a high-tech city. Participant observation and interview-based research determined that while the CTC was popular among its targeted constituents, its use was not consistent with what the center’s supporters and policymakers envisioned. The emergent discrepancy between policymaker rhetoric and actual use is analyzed in light of different understandings of how internet access is perceived as a social good by policymakers, funders, and among disadvantaged communities. The article raises questions and suggests policy implications regarding how those most at-risk use community technology centers, how those centers may be funded, and how the relationship of computers and the social good must be reconceptualized to better address the issues of the digital divide that extend beyond the technological realm.

Building Community, Empowerment and Self-sufficiency

Started in January 2000, the Camfield Estates-MIT Creating Community Connections Project, a partnership between the Camfield Tenants Association (CTA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has the goal of establishing Camfield Estates as a model for other housing developments as to how individuals, families, and a community can make use of information and communications technology to support their interests and needs. To achieve this goal, CTA and MIT have formed a unique partnership and an infrastructure that combines the three primary models for community technology - a community network where state-of-the-art desktop computers, software, and high-speed Internet connectivity have been offered to every family, a community technology center (CTC) located on the premises in the community center, and community content delivered through a community-based web system, the Creating Community Connections (C3) System - along with an agenda to build community, empowerment, and self-sufficiency amongst the residents. This paper is a case study of the Camfield Estates-MIT project to date, including the history and background of the project, the approaches taken to build community, empowerment and self-sufficiency, the methodology that has been employed, and early results from the initiative.

Public Libraries and Internet Public Access Models: Describing Possible Approaches

ABSTRACT Numerous approaches to providing Internet access to the general public are currently being implemented in the United States in an attempt to increase access to and use of networked services; however, research presenting an overview of these approaches is scarce. This article presents eight models in use–public schools, public libraries, cybermobiles, public housing, community technology centers, community networks, kiosks, and cyber cafés–and analyzes them using a common set of criteria to better illustrate the strengths and limitations of each. The article concludes by suggesting that public libraries may wish to develop collaborative strategies working with other organizations to increase Internet public access for disadvantaged groups.

Assessing community informatics: a review of methodological approaches for evaluating community networks and community technology centers

Community informatics can be defined as a strategy or discipline that focuses on the use of information and communication technologies by territorial communities. This paper analyzes the emerging community informatics evaluation literature to develop an understanding of the indicators used to gauge project impacts in community networks and community technology centers. This study finds that community networks and community technology center assessments fall into five key areas: strong democracy; social capital; individual empowerment; sense of community; and economic development opportunities. The paper concludes by making recommendations for future community informatics evaluations.

A technology crisis facing minority students

The digital divide is a commonly used term in today's society, but few truly understand the impact that it has on minority students. This issue is one that goes beyond access to technology, but encompasses issues of equity in use. This paper examines the data on home and school computer use by minority students. It discusses the College Reach-Out Program (CROP), a collaborative effort of 3 mid-Florida institutions of higher education; the CROP 2000 Technology Project, including some student feedback; and the Our Kids After-School Program at the Community Technology Center, Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, 2 programs which are giving minority at-risk students non-traditional experiences with technology. (Author/AEF) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

The California Wellness Foundation's grant making in work and health.

The California Wellness Foundation's grant making in work and health.

Community Technology Centers: Narrowing the Digital Divide in Low-Income, Urban Communities

As access to information technology (IT) and the ability to use it increasingly become part of the toolkit necessary to participate and prosper in an information-based society, many fear that the IT revolution is bypassing low-income, urban communities. In the absence of comprehensive public or private efforts to close the technology gap, community technology centers (CTCs) have emerged at the grassroots level. The purpose of this article is to describe the work CTCs are doing to address the economic and social impacts of the shift to an information society. In addition, we develop a typology of CTCs by organizational type and programmatic goal that is helpful in conceptualizing CTCs. This exploratory work is an important first step that must occur before answering tougher questions concerning their effectiveness, outcomes, and capacity.

Appendix A: Federal Programs to Increase Children's Access to Educational Technology

In society today, technology, education, and economic growth go hand in hand. Technological literacy is important not only to children's own future economic well-being, but also to the economic well-being of our nation. Technology can help expand opportunities for learners to improve their skills, maximize their potential, and ready them for the twenty-first century. Over the past seven years, the Clinton administration has focused on four goals for educational technology: (1) training teachers to use technology effectively in instruction, (2) ensuring that all teachers and students have modem computers in their classrooms, (3) connecting every classroom to the Internet, and (4) integrating high-quality software and online learning resources into every school's curriculum. [1] New federal programs inspired by these goals--along with changes in telecommunications policy, investments at the state and local level, and support of the high-tech industry--have resulted in great progress. For example, between 1993 and 1999, the percentage of classrooms with Internet access grew from 3% to 65%, and by the end of 2000, 100% of schools will likely be connected to the Internet. [2] Virtually all full-time regular public school teachers report they now have access to computers or the Internet in their schools, and about two-thirds say they are using the new technology for classroom instruction. [3] And yet, despite this progress, more needs to be done. Among classrooms in the poorest schools, for example, only 39% were connected to the Internet. And two-thirds of the same teachers who have access to technology also say they are not well prepared for the task. At the federal level, several programs have been introduced to help meet this challenge (see Table 1). A key program helping to reduce t he digital divide is the Education-rate (or E-rate) program. Under a provision in the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the Federal Communications Commission is empowered to use the universal service mechanism to provide E-rate subsidies for telecommunications services and Internet connections for schools and libraries. Subsidies provided through this program have benefitted more than 80,000 schools and thousands of libraries, with the greatest assistance going to those with the greatest need. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education's Community Technology Center program hopes to improve access to technology for both children and their families in underserved communities by supporting the development of 1,000 centers across the country. As of 2000, funding has been provided to develop 450 such community technology centers, and more are planned for the future. To support better use of technology in the classroom, several programs place a central focus on teachers. The new Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology program that supports partnerships among colleges, school districts, state educational agencies, and high-tech companies will reach almost one-third of prospective teachers, enhancing their technological literacy and enabling them to integrate technology in their teaching. The Department of Education has also urged states to devote at least 30% of their grants from the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund to train teachers on how to use technology effectively in instruction, especially teachers in high-poverty, low-performing schools. In fiscal year 2000, funding for educational technology through the E-rate and U.S. Department of Education technology programs reached an all-time high of $3 billion. Despite this significant amount of funding for technology, federal investment in education is small compared to the overall investment at the state and local levels. Thus, each of the Department's technology programs attempts to encourage a cooperative approach by supporting the involvement and investment of state and local school districts and the private sector with the knowledge and resources held at the national level. …