Final Course Reflection - Brad

Brad Holland

Final Reflection

            The rise of information technology must be accompanied by a push for ­­evaluation on its uses and accompanying societal consequences. As an educator and peer participating in the Community Technology Literacy & You project, I must regularly stop and reflect on community informatics topics including digital divides and identity within communities. Over the course of the last ten weeks, these are the two topics that I found myself reflecting upon most. Likewise, I was consciously aware of them during classroom discussion and community service learning.  

            In a society that is rapidly becoming more dependent on technology, there exists a digital divide between people with tech-prowess and those without. This division has an important role in determining the economic and social position of people in developed nations such as America, where most white-collar jobs require rudimentary computing skills. The digital divide is strikingly similar to the cycle of poverty. People who are digitally literate can use information technology as a tool to gain further knowledge, advancing themselves economically, intellectually, and technologically further ahead of the digitally illiterate. The digital divide is apparent to me during my daily life when I interact with people of different generations. Older generations that did not grow up using information technology have a much more difficult time understanding the potential of technologies such as the internet, mobile computing, and social networks. People like my parents often ask me questions that I simply Google to provide an answer. My first reaction when encountering a problem is to look it up online, whereas they usually ask their immediate peers for information. To take it one step further, my parents’ parents would most likely would have scoffed at the idea of an internet search, because their generation is even less digitally literate and cannot comprehend the scope of online information. I feel it is important for the digitally literate to help teach and encourage those who lack similar skills; digital literacy opens up a whole new world of information and opportunity.

            This course’s focus on identity made me think about how I perceive myself within the mix of thousands of individuals that I interact with on a daily basis. There exist countless forces in the world that try and sculpt or mold our characteristics using outward social pressures. It requires immense strength to be an individual and think freely. How we perceive ourselves affects how we interact with others. This became important during our workshop sessions, because we as volunteers were not present to simply instruct from a top-down hierarchy. The bi-directional learning goals of this course required us to perceive ourselves as community members on the same plane as the women in our workshops. This train of thought is radically different from my other university courses, and is especially liberating when I began to consider the inclusiveness of our efforts.

            Our workshop sessions were not the only inclusive community in this course. Thanks to a welcoming classroom environment, my classmates, instructor and I felt comfortable discussing personal matters as they relate to our cohesiveness as a group. I can confidently say that I am comfortable with my identity among these people, which allows for more wholesome and meaningful interaction. There are countless things we can learn from each other if we allow our individuality to flourish and use technology to support the communication process. This course is certainly a step in the right direction, but we have much more work to do.

Reflections from Class

Looking back on this quarter and my experiences working with Casa Latina, the two themes that stuck out to me is digital divide and women leadership. Digital divide is something I have always had an interest in. I even thought of incorporating it into my CHI Competition submission, for the theme this year was "Appropriating Technologies for New Cultures". The project asked us to “showcase your best abilities of "maker cultures" to build new connections and to make less-voiced cultures be better heard.” Although it isn’t entirely related to the Casa Latina work we were doing, a reading that I did for this class highlighted some aspects of the competition.

Author Alysa Hullett of “Why more women in leadership will mean few women in poverty” emphasizes how the spreading of resources among underrepresented communities is important for giving a voice to communities and organizations such as Casa Latina. She states how people have “failed to speak up about wage theft in the past due to fear and a ‘lack of power’.” Some things can be improved though by informing workers of their labor rights in the United States, and letting them know that claims can be filed. This is just one example how resources can be a game player in giving the voice necessary for change.

From here you think about the “digital divide” notion in America, and wonder how this plays a role in being a barrier to that voice that is needed. How prominent is this digital divide within various communities in America, not just Casa Latina? This class has left me wondering about other identities that face a digital divide. What about people with disabilities, or those within the LGBTQ community? What about someone who is a minority and a citizen versus someone who is a minority and a non-resident, or undocumented?

There is also the questions I have about women leadership in America. The same author, Alysa Hullett, brought up some interesting statistics about women leadership and women poverty in America. She also popped some questions in my head, such as who is responsible for this poverty? Who can change this? Are they groups, or are they individuals? Surely there are some solutions (which would take time to implement), but what solutions or action steps would be right ones?

It was great to looking around and seeing the women leadership happening in Casa Latina. It was also great seeing the true meaning of “community” and “family” take place right in front of you. I remember at one workshop, one of the women’s husband ended up joining us and that was awesome! I didn’t expect a husband to want to be a part of the workshop, and for him to be interested and a part of the conversation was great. It reminded me of a conversation I had with a couple of the women on a different day. We were talking about how it would be great if some of the men joined us. It is much more about the women at the workshop, it is also about their allies, their supporters, their family, and their friends. Together, change can happen. Together we can holistically look at what is going on around us and understand what can be done to change current situations. I would be interested to see how support networks vary from community to community, and what happens if there is no personal support network available.

Walking away from this I am left with so many questions. It was a great experience overall, and the stories that were shared allowed me to understand the articles we were reading even more, and see the power that exists in available resources and support networks.

2/25/15 Federal Way Branch Library Workshop Ivette

Describe Context –The youth and adults were all in the same room today.  We had 4 adults and and a total of 8 pre-teens and a one year old.  Library staff were Edna, Jennifer, Teresa and David (translator).  Sonia was there to provide bilingual storytime the last 30 mins (this time instead of the storytime starting at 6:00 - Sonia waited til 6:30 to do the storytime).  Brad, Klarissa and I were there on behalf of the class.

           

Date:2/25/15

Name: Ivette Bayo Urban

List things that happened today:

Sarah and Willa were not going to be joining us today as both had other personal items to tend to.  

The library was planning the full two hours.  First hour as demonstrate e-readers and the final hour as exploring time and 1:1.

In the news:

Today was our last day at the Federal Way Regional Branch.
For March we will be at Casa Latina.

List Action Items from workshop:

• Sarah updating the March Flyers
• Once she does Ivette to print and bring to Casa
• Brad to upload them to latinatech website

  Things to look up, check out and explore:

•  Prepare for Latina Tech to be at Women Who Rock  
• Coordinate Month of April activities at Douglass-Truth
  

Describe an important an evocative social interaction that happened today:

One of the youth, who attends middle school, reached out to me to ask about some math homework.  I felt this was an amazing thing because even though I had only interacted with her briefly in the previous two weeks, she recalled me saying I had taught math.  I felt this was one of those unanticipated wonders that can happen when you get people from different backgrounds together conviviendo.

Describe successes.

At the end of our time Edna did an oral assessment.  Her question was on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 being least comfortable/knowledgeable and 5 being the most) - how would you rate what you knew about the library before these workshops.  On average  (including the students, youth and adults in the room) the pre workshops rating was like 2.  She then asked the question again now that we have gone through the LatinaTech workshops at Federal Way branch and all the people rated they had increased in knowledge of information resources the library offers.  I would say on average they went up 2 points in feeling they had a better idea of what libraries and libraries could assist with. 

A few things to note.  The UW students that present today were not in the MLIS program.  Two of the women attended all 4 workshops at the federal way library.  One woman attended 3 of the 4 workshops at federal way and serves as our Casa Latina mentor/leader.  The other woman was new but had participated in the women's advisory at the start of this project.  

I feel additionally that I feel the program was successful because outreach was more than bi-directional.  Students engaging with community and libraries, libraries engaging with community partner and UW, UW engaging with youth/pre-teens.  The space was full of talking, laughing, questions, trouble shooting, movement, food and in a word comfort.  I feel that very quickly we all felt welcomed and at home at the federal way library with the resources, space and people. 

Describe a failure.  What fell through the cracks?

Failure to follow up with the women from Casa Latina in a consistent manner.  I had not emailed or phoned the women from Casa Latina - the forms of outreach I have been using (because of time constraints) has been promoting it on the Latina Tech facebook and the CL fb site.  While Casa Latina members have been promoting it with members.  Library also did promoting to their outreach sources. 

What surprised me the most?

How having a dying phone (that needs to be recharged) really impacts our abilities to explore in an environment that is comfortable to us. 

Reflections

“Because there is more information on any given topic that anyone can store in their head, there is added incentive for us to talk among ourselves about the media we consume…consumption has become a collective process…. None of us can know everything; each of us knows something; and we can put the pieces together if we pool our resources and combine our skills (2006a: 3-4)  
(Jenkins, H. as cited in Balsamo, 2011)".    ------> I added emphasis.

Despite the logistical challenges (and granted opportunity - thanks Pipeline for offering the vehicle) of driving to Federal Way and coordinating people - I am going to miss going there.  Edna (and all the staff, translators, and volunteers that attended the Fed Way sessions form KCLS were enthusiastic, welcoming and greeted all of us with love and humility while sharing an understanding of additional resources.  

Anne Balsamo in her book designing culture writes:

“knowledge creation happens across diverse settings including formal institutions,  and through informal social and technological practices.” (p. 154)

“A successful project of transformative research (....I would add of community/convivencia...)  involves creating the conditions whereby participants explicitly understand and commit to the goal of creating shared rules, beliefs, and norms.”

I feel that for our time at Federal Way regional branch, we were successful in creating shared rules, beliefs and norms and ensuring that everyone brought something to the table.  We made learning a collective process.  Additionally, each of the partners pooled our resources together to combine our skills to make this experience worthy of the investment.  

 

2/18/15, Federal Way Library, Freddy Mora

Location: Federal Way Public Library
Date: Feb. 18th, 2015
Time: 5: 00 PM-7:00 PM

 

Reflection:

It was nice to be back at the Federal Way Public Library. As always, the staff members were very welcoming. Edna goes out of her way to make everyone feel at home there, and I notice how this branch is a community of its own.  It was great talking to Edna and hearing more about her background. Also nice to hear she is a UW alumni, and from the I-School! She sounds like she identifies well with the work that Casa Latina is doing, and I am sure she is one who would love to keep on partnering with this project.

 Throughout the work shop, I walked around and observed how people were interacting with one another, and with the resources that were available. Edna was working with a mom and daughter in ensuring she was knowledgeable of the free resources available to her, form scholarships to academic tutoring. The mom was very excited to hear all of that, especially. It was nice to see the kids playing on the tablets and interacting with the games. They really enjoyed a counting game that had you count the ingredients you needed (mushrooms, carrots, etc.) and upon getting a math problem right, you completed the recipe. Then they headed over to story time, which they were hesitant at first, for they were having too much fun with the tablets! It was a good chill day where people got to do their thing and ask any questions they had, and have us come in and help them find an answer J

DATE Thanksgiving technology Klarissa

In the spirit of the past weekend, I'll start by saying I'm thankful to be a part of this great project!

I didn't get to attend the last workshop, but it sounds like it went wonderfully and I'm excited to be a part of the next one. Over the weekend, as my husband and I were spending time with family, I had an aha! moment that I'd like to share, which was mostly seeing familiar situations in a different light. 

After hellos, hugs and how are you?s with the family when we arrived at the Thanksgiving dinner, it was time, as usual for one of my husband's aunts or uncles to approach him with an IT issue. This time, his aunt was trying to save photos on her new tablet so she could share them with her grandson who is stationed in another country. I observed, and interjected a bit, as they discussed what she wanted and decided she didn't need to mess with an SD card, she could use Facebook and he showed her how to download the app, take selfies and send photos from her camera app to Facebook. Like I said, this isn't an unusual situation, as a computer programmer, the family usually will have something they've "been waiting to ask him about." But after this class, I saw this situation slightly differently, maybe more analytically. I think this interaction was a good example of some of the discussions we've had of about technology and different ways it could be used. He could have just showed her how to use the SD card, but it turns out that would not really what she wanted to do. Maybe she just thought that she needed to use it because it was there, or because that's how things used to work, but since she was asking about storing things in the cloud and sharing photos with her grandson- and she had already started to learn Facebook to communicate with him, we showed her how to post photos to Facebook instead. She was happy, and trying to get the right light for a selfie for a little bit after, too. 

I thought this was a touching moment, as well, seeing how technology could bring us together, even social media which can create more distance in some ways. It was not only bringing his aunt and her grandson closer but it brought my husband and his aunt closer together, too. It was a more meaningful interaction than the usual small talk. 

I'm excited to be at the next workshop to share in learning and conversation!

DATE Reflection #2 Tess

We are currently in the Latino literature section of my Multicultural Resources for Youth class, and one discussion topic that was generated made me think of something that could correlate with this class: the reluctance of those from certain backgrounds to use the libraries. More specifically, a question was posed by our instructor about how immigration laws may affect an undocumented person using the library or other information resources/institutions. The discussion churned out one very important open-ended question: how can we, as information professionals, use outreach to these communities as a means to foster interest?

As information professionals in the library system, it is a huge part of our job to serve the demographics of the communities that surround us. In the context of people who are reluctant to use libraries (either due to bad associations with institution-like entities or fear of negative consequences), there are two ways that I feel could help put them at some semblance of ease: 1) make sure they can see themselves in the staff and the collection, and 2) bring the library resources to them (via book mobiles, "in the field" programming, etc.). Ultimately, I feel that establishing a rapport with our patrons is vital to meeting goals of community engagement and providing a comfortable user experience. If we can create a more welcoming space, perhaps we can more easily demystify libraries for those who may have a hard time trusting organizational entities.

Reflection Domonique

As we get deeper into this project I begin to realize and fully understand that it is much bigger than just technology. While I have always known that, even here on campus I am constantly reminded of the struggles one faces here in Seattle. While I feel technology can add a lot to society and can help individuals in more ways that one, I also understand it is not the end all be all. It is important to me that my part is done correctly as well as other parts of this project. More than just doing a good thing, I hope everyone involved understands that we must give tools, and resources for our handwork to continue even when we are gone. 

Domonique

11/20/14 Daily Log Post Workshop Ivette

Empezando Donde Estamos Casa Latina 11/20/14 

List things that happened today:

Ivette, Sarah and Freddy participated in the first tech workshop from 5-7 on 11/19/14.  We had 7 participants in the workshop.

Shared the FemTechNet fem(manifesto) with the women, read aloud then broke out into 3 small groups and discussed and shared experiences and which sections of the manifesto we identified with and why.  This then led to a conversation about if we agree with the manifesto and we want to be inclusive, open and accessible, how do we balance that with providing a format (structure) that is responsible and transformative while accessible.  

There was positive response from the women about identifying with the manifesto and having that be the starting place for framing our workshops and reframing the conversation about technology as tools.  

Additionally, shared some information about the larger project, what what was taking place with the story time and activities with the kiddos and about the library partnership.    

Martha identified that she would be our leader for the Dec 10th workshop and help with topic and guidance.

Jen, Xochitl delivered storytime and craft time, Tess helped out.  

In the news -  11/21 Casa Latina is hosting a vigil to hear what the executive action is going to be from President Obama.  

List Action Items from workshop:

• Create a schedule of themes to share with the community look at list previously identified in the women's advisory meeting as well as the topics that came up today (organizing information, antivirus, working with powerpoint, backing up computer, navigating excel, formulating an agenda, adding apps to tablets). Ivette and Sarah will work on setting the schedule and sharing it w Mujeres Sin Fronteras and the format for the workshops.
• Add to flyer:  Language around bring your own technology or "ten confianza de taer tu propria tecnologia".  
• Have a conversation with Emily and Ricardo and see about contracting someone from MSIM to check out computer lab computers and get them up to speed as they have some issues and need to be looked at. 
• Talk with Araceli and figure our logistics for entering and exiting Casa Latina, keys, alarms, etc..
• Figure out where we will store our resources.
• Have mujeres lideres sign up for topics of interest to partner with us as we move forward.  Mujeres lideres will be compensated for their time when they step up as well as for those that participate in the women's advisory meetings.  
• Post information in multiple locations, flyers, social media (fb) and email (for the women to practice using this as a means of communication - some said this is a more professional way to communicate but there is a disconnect between that and actually using email).
• Tracking participants for the workshops for reporting purposes.
• Discuss with Tiffany and Emily about purchasing equipment once contract is signed.
• Revisit structure for the storytimes and see about inviting guests to lead the craft as this requires a different level of expertise.  
• Think about Profirio, Christine, Sandra, others inside and outside the UW community.
• Make a handout with 4 agreements on 1 side and the FemTechNet (fem)manifesto on the other to side to provide at every workshop to participants.  DONE.

  Things to look up, check out and explore:

• Seconduse is a website for items look to see if there is an artifact we can find here that would serve for our little free library.  The person from Seattle Times called and gave me this as a place to check out.  Also we may be able to request for it to be donated - there is a form.  
• Collecting Data for the grant and tracking - how do we want to do this?  Last go around with the grant, Casa used a dropbox document that volunteer leaders were inputting?  We should discuss a process.  Same thing with finances.  
• Partnering with other organizations doing great work, no need to reinvent the wheel, but at the same time, being cautious of keeping our work centered with and around the women's needs.  

Describe an important an evocative social interaction that happened today:

As I was planning and thinking and reflecting to prepare for the day, I was torn between having a polished lesson plan together and really diving into FemTechNet (fem)manifesto as a starting place of transparency and reframing about the whole idea of the workshops.  During our time together there were a few instances of examples of the women placing an emphasis of how technology can do agenda's better or how because I am in this profession, I prefer to not use technology to keep my calendar (alluding the relevance factor).  It felt right to be able to, in that moment and in plain language, refer to stories and provide examples of imagining other possibilities and that just because something is "more efficient" doesn't mean that it is a) better, b) appropriate, c) universal and that we need to constantly push back and provide a space that recenters women and their lived experiences and allows for us to reframe technology as a tool with limitations.  

Describe a success.

I had envisioned that by the time that our first workshop was done that we would already have a singed contract and that all things would be nice and neatly organized and ready to move forward WITH technology.  While it is in part a failure of the process, I also see this an opportunity to ensure that dialogue comes front and center and being able to share the FemTechNet (fem)manifesto was an incredibly important part.  

Describe a failure.  What fell through the cracks?

There are logistics of space that need to be clarified, who will have access to keys, locking up, access code.  Make sure that before our next class on Dec. 10th that we have the conversation with Araceli and Emily.   

What surprised me the most?

Conversations about needing and wanting someone to talk about backup, antivirus and personal information management - while none of these is my areas of expertise I couldn't be at a better place to make connections.  How can we get students to be able to bring their technical expertise to the community?  

Reflection:  I am really concerned with making sure that while increasing educational opportunities, connecting with community and technology workshops that are decolonizing and utilizing feminist and indigenous pedagogies that are inclusive while also leaving space for being critical and push back.  It is a fine line but definitely worth the journey.  Today I am thankful and grateful that we were able to move forward despite the challenges and make space for dialogue in the process.  I am thankful that Tiffany's readings, conversations with scholars such as reminded me what we know about popular education, which is there must be space for dialogue.   This path is not without tensions, but as Antonio Machado reminds us "caminante, no hay camino/Se hace camino al andar." 

In the words of Freire I will conclude- "If the structure does not permit dialogue, the structure must be changed."  

10/4/14 Reflection Domonique

Last week one of my mentee's who is a senior here at the University of Washington came into my office wanting to discuss a trend that she noticed when speaking to young Latina's on campus. As a young Latina herself she found too often that these young women lacked confidence and she wanted to make an impact. Her first thought was that she wanted to become a mentor, but she also wanted to promote mentorship. She felt that if she could reach out to young kids in middle school and really start to build that confidence in their formative years that this would have the greatest impact.  

My response to my mentee was first letting her know that her cause was nobel and that she should definitely find a way to become a mentor. During her story I could not help but think about what we are doing with our grant. She was very intrigued with our project and I encouraged her to stay in touch so that I could give her updates. I also encouraged her to find out how she could assist the communities that surrounded her as to not try and reinvent the wheel. There are many organizations dedicated to simular issues, that would give her opportunity to learn and fine tune her mission

10/3/14 Mujeres Sin Fronteras Workshop Ivette

Last Friday, we attended the Mujeres Sin Fronteras group with Sarah, Klarissa, and Xochitl.  The theme was about personal care and how we can find balance in our lives.   In addition to covering the 4 toltec agreements, they added a fifth which was spaces for "listening with power" and the transformation that has.  Later the conversation was about comfort zone and moving beyond the spaces that we become comfortable in.  I found it interesting and needed to speak up after we were talking about an imaginary person and described strengths and attributes and then in the next sentence began being intolerant of this imaginary person who, despite 17 years in the US had not learned English.  For me this demonstrated how we are not separate of the mainstream narratives we hear of others and even when we are doing great work, we need to be cautious of not marginalizing people and making assumptions of their priorities, values, and lived experiences.  It was a vivid reality that our work will never be done but we need to start somewhere and starting where we are, is the best we can each do.