Public Concerns and Values

Business and Economic Development

• What baseline competence is required by business? Are they willing to provide the training? (1)
• How do we provide the baseline skills? (1)
• Need to think holistic – housing , healthcare, etc. for "new" workers in training (1)
• What % of education (K-12) applies? (1)
• # of new businesses created and by whom (2)
• Government services available and what % available to start-ups (2)
• Extent of low-income businesses that have access: access, affordability, bandwidth (2)
• How is marketing done by IT? (3)
• How diverse is the marketing – is it by targeting? (4)
• Change is fast – what opportunities are there to upgrade skills? (1)
• reinvest in people (4)
• Free public education
• What penetration of IT into homes, especially lower income? (3)
• Work force development
• Small business development – Infrastructure, bandwidth, consumer demand side
• Content development (4)
• Problems that get in the way – legal, gov’t regulation, labor, intellectual property, OSHA

Business and Economic Development

• Cutting out local business (3)
• Opportunities for life long learning (3)
• Keeping up with emerging technology (1)
• Technology training for unemployed (4)
• Improving training for existing employees (4)
• Small business developing center for technology (3)
• Big increase in computer support work (1)
• We live in a company town (1)
• Human values (not commercial) and use of technology (4)
• Social indicators rather than economic (2)
• Work/life balance (4)
• Insufficient tech infrastructure for small business (3)
• Multimedia approach training for small business (1)
• Evaluate implications of technology on global business (1)
• Will technology rule our community? (2)
• Tech (computers) is too narrow – think more broadly (1)
• Arts and Humanity lab to fuse with technology (1)
• Balance of arts/human and emphasis on technology
• Increased bandwidth benefits

Ethics and Social Responsibility

• Electronic "green space" (like public access TV) free of commercial/political and special interests
• Sophistication of marketing as reinforcer of what we already believe in
• Marketing-based bargains for technology access
• Government information gathering on its citizens – proper use and privacy
• Myth of technology as a solution to social ills
• Commercialization of technology and role of government
• Inundation of commercial messages via technology
• Truth in "information" received via email and centralized rumor killing
• Public access to new technology (intellectual property, patents, etc.)
• Teaching critical thinking and evaluation of media
• Market segmentation vs. diversity of message
• Promotion of a new civic technology paradigm or reclaiming the paradigm
• What is controversy and how should controversial issues be discussed?
• Should every child have a computer?
• What should be a priority of technology in public education? A tool? An end in itself?
• Existence of commercial/special interest

Ethics and Social Responsibility

• Economic prosperity – are we ignoring underserved? What are our priorities?
• In front of computer – virtual vs. real – or in community – human contact
• Corporations socially responsible in technology
• Tools advancing but away from universal design
• Wisdom – how to cultivate in decision making with respect to ethics and social responsibility
• Disparity – are we learning about it? How does it impact society? Why is it important? Agree that disparity is an ethics issue
• From e-commerce to e-community and e-democracy – how to get there?
• Use creative ways to express the internet so that people can understand it
• Respect people first – what do people want? what’s best for them?
• Support for ethics for workforce in e-commerce companies
• Ethical task management, distribution of H.R.
• Expression of Internet (e-commerce) in arts

Final priorities:

• People first – technology follows (4)
• Needs of many outweigh needs of few (1)
• Incorporate wisdom (2)
• Ethics in workplace (3)
• Use arts as analogy to express internet (5)
• Human values and technology (1)

Community, Political, Personal

• Free email 24/7 everywhere non-commercial
• Free internet access +1 and maintenance
• Content – quality & relevance of information
• Literacy – integrate GIS into tech training
• City involvement in support of what is now working in communities
• Diversity/literacy/access/infrastructure – sustain IT, importance of RR
• Danger –isolation –within network
• Access physically, economically, equitably and appropriately
• Exchangeability of content
• Finding strong non-government source to pay
• Neighborhood based community telecom center with ongoing face 2 face outreach to business and residence
• Hosting sites maybe PAN maybe corporate partners
• Using city buildings for sites
• Accessible integrated technology
• Ownership of integrated access

What are priorities?

• Integration of telecomm technologies
• Buildings in communities with computers, phones, fax, video, real time broadcast
• Funded by? Neighborhoods, corporate, government
• 3^rd places – where people gather
• Exchange of information without technology
• Removing barriers, generation, cultures, class
• Relevant content
• Content used to drive integration
• Develop interactive sites

Community, Political, Personal

• How to get internet to connect very locally – within walking distance – access is the base
• How can government make this (above point) easier and coordinate talent, resources, and funding?
• How can tech strengthen local community/neighborhood?
• Technology as enabling and or isolating
• What content will increase participation
• How do we include everyone?
• Simplify ability to participate
• How does government get appropriate info/services to citizens and at what cost?
• Ease of use – time required to use technology – information overload
• Creating and promoting understanding of society model and IT within it –the big picture

• Require IT competencies K-12
• IT and Vocational training (internships, apprenticeships) – coordination, job training/readiness systemic in educational process
• Community partnerships in education
• Access in education and workplace for people with disabilities (understanding of assistive technology resources)
• Access – in general, across boards with a purpose
• Teaching Training – in-service, pre-service, competencies for teachers
• Engagement of parents – school to home cycle
• Parent classes anytime, after school
• Kids as "instructors"
• Technology as a tool (make it disappear) vs. subject to teach (other interpersonal/soft skills)
• Global orientation – education and economic impact
• Diversity of issues around technology literacy
• "Technology" as a subject/career option – open to more diverse groups
• Different levels and degrees of technology literacy
• The human side of tech (fears/expectations)
• Basic skills
• Uses within education
• Uses across the board
• Industry skill standards for Info. Tech
• Where is and who set the bar?
• Vocational ("techie") vs. creative sides
• Critical thinking skills – especially in light of the volume of "info" on the net

Summary:

• Educate people to work as volunteers and give a benefit for doing so
• Require/define IT competencies for K-12
• Universal access, within and across educational boundaries – parents, staffing issues, people with disabilities
• Diversity of issues around tech (one size does not fit all)
• Parent training and involvement

Education and Employment

• Training - Certification (3)
• Lack of Educators in High Tech (2)
• Community Education (3)
• Resource Development (1)
• Effective Partnerships (1)
• Curriculum Development – relevant speed (up to date) (2)
• Start-up business support (3)
• Community College Involvement (3)
• School system – seamless technological infrastructure (3)
• Language/Economic Barriers (3)
• Strategic Alliance (1)

Summary:

• Needs assessment
• Community
• Schools
• Business
• Strategic Alliance
• Resource Development
• Partnerships
• Curriculum
• Design
• Training
• Development
• Implementation

Social Services, Health and the Environment

• Getting technology into the individual’s hand (access, training, basic knowledge, technical literacy)
• Identify who is left out (ideas for community building, how to include "off-line" communities and their needs)
• Address issues of suspicion and skepticism in social service delivery information gathering
• Look at new economic/business models to support improved social services and their funding/access
• Collaborative community consortiums needed - new models and community based models that link into larger networks
• Sharing information and share info of models that work
• Sustainability as concept should be considered from start
• Whole systems design
• Who is served?
• How best to serve them?
• How to provide sustainable aspects?
• What are cultural issues, challenges?
• Creating content platforms that share "best practices"
• "Disturbing the peace"
• Information dissemination
• Full public access to relevant and fundamental information
• Teaching practice of democracy
• Providing tools to self-advocate

Social Services, Health and the Environment

• Motivation to join IT Culture
• Include "non-econ" indicators in measuring progress – (tech is tool)
• Expand outreach and involvement in community settings (within one month)
• Use technology to solve problems/meet needs (outside econ-only indicators)
• Getting info out to people
• Civic sector involvement in front end development of IT to social equality end (local level – look at tech role – tool)
• Bottom-up approach
• Establish link between seniors and youth on IT use
• Temper and manage "marketplace" to serve human needs (action business support)

This project is part of the City of Seattle Citizens Technology Literacy and Access initiative in cooperation with the volunteer Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB) and Sustainable Seattle. Additional assistance for the forum is being provided by Progress Project of the Evans School of Public Affairs and the Glaser Progress Foundation and Seattle Community Network.

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