Title: Sri Lanka launches national IT literacy initiative
Author: Clarice Africa
Source: FutureGov
Date (published): 12/12/2011
Date (accessed): 13/12/2011
Type of information: news
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"As part of the government’s effort to foster an IT literate society, the government launched its “e-diriya” national IT literacy initiative which aims to provide basic computer knowledge to 50,000 “samurddhi” recipients and school children.
…
Meanwhile, Professor P.W. Epasinghe, Chairman of the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, pointed out that the widespread availability of ICT equipment such as computers and mobile phones should be accompanied by equally widespread availability of facilities to use them.

“Through the launch of “e-diriya”, we have taken steps to provide information technology knowledge to a segment of society that had not been covered before. From today we begin providing IT training to especially to 20,000 Samurddhi recipients in the first round. "

Title: Evaluating ICT Adoption in Rural Brazil: A Quantitative Analysis of Telecenters as Agents of Social Change
Authors: Paola Prado, Mauro A Câmara, Marco A. Figueiredo
Pages: 25 pp.
ISSN: 1712-4441
Source: Vol. 7 Nos. 1 & 2 (2010/2011) Special Double Issue: The Internet and Community Informatics in Brazil
Publisher: Journal of Community Informatics
Date (published): 26/08/2011
Date (accessed): 19/11/2011
Type of information: peer reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"This quantitative study surveyed 538 adults in isolated rural settings in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, to examine whether telecenters operated by the non-profit organization Gems of the Earth improve digital literacy and promote social change. Using multivariate logistic regression, the study examined how individuals use information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the telecenter, and tested for predictors of their use. The findings confirm that these rural communities use ICTs for entertainment, to engage in civic participation, and to practice professional skills. The findings suggest that digital inclusion impacts these isolated communities by creating opportunities that may foster human development."

Title: Agricultural Information, the Global Food Crisis, and Effective Use
Author: Michael Gurstein
Source: Gurstein's Community Informatics
Date (published): 25/07/2011
Date (accessed): 25/07/2011
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Community Informatics colleague Ajit Maru, in a posting on the Community Informatics Research elist suggests some disturbing questions concerning the relationship between “Information Access” and “effective use” and its possible links to the rising food crisis globally.
He comments on the increasing shift of governments to making agricultural information available primarily in electronic form via the web or through mobile access. This is inevitably linked to declining support for the provision of agricultural information through the more traditional face to face connections of agricultural extension...
...
To add to these very important comments… There is currently an overwhelming pre-occupation of donors and those concerned with ICTs and development with “mobiles for development” that is with additional means for the infrastructure for “accessing” information. However, there would appear to be little or no related concern (or resources) for ensuring that the pre-conditions for ensuring the effective use of this information particularly by rural small-holders—that the information to overwhelmingly non- or only marginally literate end users is in the multiple languages of the end users, is accessible on devices available to end users a, provides sufficient information context to be usable by end user, is structured in such a way as to enable necessary collaborative action by small-holders and so on."

Title: A Data Divide? Data “Haves” and “Have Nots” and Open (Government) Data
Author: Michael Gurstein
Source: Gurstein's Community Informatics
Date (published): 11/07/2011
Date (accessed): 12/07/2011
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Researchers have extensively explored the range of social, economic, geographical and other barriers which underlie and to a considerable degree “explain” (cause) the Digital Divide. My own contribution has been to argue that “access is not enough”, it is whether opportunities and pre-conditions are in place for the “effective use” of the technology particularly for those at the grassroots.
The idea of a possible parallel “Data Divide” between those who have access and the opportunity to make effective use of data and particularly “open data” and those who do not, began to occur to me. I was attending several planning/recruitment events for the Open Data “movement” here in Vancouver and the socio-demographics and some of the underlying political assumptions seemed to be somewhat at odds with the expressed advocacy position of “data for all”.
Thus the “open data” which was being argued for would not likely be accessible and usable to the groups and individuals with which Community Informatics has largely been concerned – the grassroots, the poor and marginalized, indigenous people, rural people and slum dwellers in Less Developed countries. It was/is hard to see, given the explanations, provided to date how these folks could use this data in any effective way to help them in responding to the opportunities for advance and social betterment which open data advocates have been indicating as the outcome of their efforts."

Title: The IDRC and “Open Development”: ICT4D by and for the New Middle Class
Author:Michael Gurstein
Source:Gurstein's Community Informatics blog
Publisher:
Date (published):01/12/2010
Date (accessed):02/12/2010
Type of information:blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
„I’m interested to note that the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (or at least the Information and Communications Technology for Development—ICT4D—folks at the IDRC) have decided to hitch their wagon, and not incidentally their not inconsiderable resources to the “Open” movement and launch a campaign for an Open ICT4D meme.
The major document in this initiative defines “Openness” and “Open ICT4D” as follows:
…as a way of organizing social activities for development benefits that favour: a) universal over restricted access to communication tools and information; b) universal over restricted participation in informal and formal groups/institutions; and c) collaborative over centralized production of cultural, economic, or other content.
Certainly it is very hard to fault (or even disagree) with any of the above except that this definition and the following paper seem to not understand that lack of access in most developmental contexts isn’t simply a failure of reasonable people to understand that they should proceed in an “open” rather than a “closed/restrictive” fashion. The lack of access in many if not most cases serves the interests of some quite well including many who gain considerable advantage from lack of transparency, restrictions on use of government data, the use of security designations in inappropriate contexts. In these instances a lack of access is most frequently a function of a lack of power in a particular social and economic context and that articulating the good feelings attendant on an “openness” strategy are as unlikely to change those restrictions as were the thinking of good thoughts sufficient to stop the flow of oil from the BP Gulf catastrophe.
...
One of the significant difficulties of a “peer to peer” approach when linked organically to the “openness” standard is that those going into the peer relations have quite significant differences in power and prestige and access to resources. It is very difficult to conceive of a true “peer-to-peer” relationship as enabling or supporting “openness” when there are marked and systematic economic and social differences between the “peers” as for example, is pervasive within developing countries and particularly acute between developed countries and developing countries.”

Title: Technicians, Tacticians and Tattlers: Women as Innovators and Change Agents in Community Technology Projects
Author: Helen McQuillan
ISSN: 1712-4441
Source: The Journal of Community Informatics, Volume 5, Issue 3 (2010)
Date (published): 05/05/2010
Date (accessed): 23/07/2010
Type of information: peer-reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Dominant theoretical and policy perspectives on women and ICT portray women as passive, excluded, disinterested or disconnected from technology. This paper reports on a five year ethnographic study which explored women’s roles, experiences and contribution to a large-scale community technology project in Ireland. It discusses how feminist archetypes were used to develop an interpretive model which examines women’s engagement and agency in ICT, illustrates women’s diverse and active roles and offers a new paradigm for women’s ICT knowledge and expertise. In conclusion it discusses how this model could be applied to other settings to better understand digital inclusion and empowerment processes.

Title: The Last Quintile (20%): Doing Community Informatics for Social Inclusion in Hong Kong
Author: Michael Gurstein
Source: Gurstein's Community Informatics
Date (published): 17/06/2010
Date (accessed): 27/06/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Regulators, policy makers, access suppliers in Developed Countries have a considerable pre-occupation with how to bridge “the last mile” i.e. the gap between the common carrier and the end user’s premises. Here in Hong Kong, where I have been for the last few days at a conference, the concern on the part of regulators, policy makers and not incidentally civil society is how to bridge for the “last quintile” – that is the last 20% of individuals in Hong Kong who are not as yet using the Internet.

Title: Web Accessibility Policy Making: An International Perspective
Editor: Nirmita Narasimhan
Pages: 106 pp.
Publisher: G3ict & the Center for Internet and Society, Bangalore
Date (published): 15/02/2010
Date (accessed): 24/02/2010
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This paper seeks to identify some of the initiatives and best practices which have been adopted by countries around the globe as a first step towards policy formulation for countries. Many of the countries included in the study are developed nations since the aim is to look not merely at a collection of policies in place, but at a wide gamut of regimes where the principle of accessibility has taken shape in different forms, ranging from legislations and policies to directives and ordinances, and observe the efficacy of these forms in their respective national environments. It is hoped that the various frameworks embodying this principle illustrated in this study, would serve as an inspiring example to other developing countries in Asia and neighbouring continents to enact similar legislations and policies and help to build a more inclusive world. The paper explores 15 countries and the European Union as subjects of study. The countries include the United States and Canada from the Americas; the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Sweden in Europe; and Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Korea and Thailand from the Asia Pacific.
This document contains a detailed report on the initiatives taken by each country and concludes with a brief summary and a set of generic recommendations for policy makers.

Title: LAN Houses: A new wave of digital inclusion in Brazil
Authors: Ronaldo Lemos and Paula Martini
Source: Publius Project
Publisher: Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
Date (published): 21/09/2009
Date (accessed): 24/09/2009
Type of information: essay
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
The majority of Brazilians who access the Internet today do so through lan-houses. LAN stands for “Local Area Network”, i.e, computers assembled together to allow people to play multi-player games. Popular in Asia, in places like Korea, and previously existing only in the rich neighborhoods of Brazil, they have now become a phenomenon proliferating in poor communities, especially the favelas.