Systemic Web 2.0 Applied Hyperlocally for Development
A Digital Literacy project combining organizations to network locally using Information and Communication Technology, New Media and Web 2.0 tools to create financial permaculture in the Lamoille region of Vermont. By contributing to Wikipedia, we are using the creation of the knowledge base as the method of providing workforce and business capacity building for a sustainable 21st Century Economy.
About You
Section 1: You
First Name
Jan
Last Name
Herder
Website URL
Organization
Johnson State College
Country
United States, VT
Section 2: Your Organization
Organization Name
Johnson State College
Organization Website
Organization Phone
802 635 1388
Organization Address
337 College Hill, Johnson, Vt. 05656
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
United States, VT
Your idea
Name Your Project
Systemic Web 2.0 Applied Hyperlocally for Development
Country and state your work focuses on
United States, VT
Describe Your Idea
A Digital Literacy project combining organizations to network locally using Information and Communication Technology, New Media and Web 2.0 tools to create financial permaculture in the Lamoille region of Vermont. By contributing to Wikipedia, we are using the creation of the knowledge base as the method of providing workforce and business capacity building for a sustainable 21st Century Economy.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Web 2.0 and new media technologies have not been applied directly to a specific region in a systemic manner. Taking the Lamoille region as a whole biome and developing a deep knowledge base of its culture, history, resources, ecology, businesses and individuals-- we can provide an invaluable methodology for developing 21st Century Literacy's. Currently the non-profit sector has some capacity building resources, but does not include the educational sector (even informal education) or for-profit enterprises. With this partnership a deep regional knowledge base building process brings the community the opportunity to increase its human potential and the region's economic prospects. With learned and intimate local contributions to Wikipedia, it becomes our assessment tool, where outcomes can be measured and evaluated readily.
Through the leadership of the Workforce Investment Board, The Chamber, local educational organizations and non-profits, this project will provide skill building and access to technology and training, to form a regional ecosystem. Efficiencies in micro grids, localvore, transportation and human capital can be leveraged. This project aggregates organizations, individuals and businesses regionally by exploring, cataloging and tapping the full range of diversity within the biome. By creating a participatory culture, exposing people to relevant training in ICT's, social and new media, a region becomes aware of its resources and potential. Local businesses and organizations learn to create a web ring. Through tagging and geo tagging the region augments reality, facilitating commerce and collaboration and digital literacy.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Separately the various partners have had little impact in workforce training for 21st Century Skills. Recent classes through the Workforce Investment Board at Green Mountain Career and Technical Center have had 60 participants and future classes are planned. River Arts has leveraged creative economy initiatives to provide part time employment to over 50 teachers and instructors, serving hundreds of young and elder community members. Dibden Center for the Arts has provided a showcase for creative economy initiatives. The Community College of Vermont and Johnson State College provide higher education options for many area youth--but no where are these efforts aggregated or focused on the wholeness of the region.
Problem
The Lamoille region of Vermont has an eclectic mix of resources, terrain and wealth distribution. In the town of Eden 85% of children are on the federal school lunch program. A few miles away, condos in Stowe sell out at $1.5 million. Lamoille High School and Johnson Elementary School just made the list of the worst 10 schools in the state. Many businesses here don't even have web sites. Young people are leaving the area, turning their backs on the regions rich diversity, history and culture--never really knowing what it is. Communication and collaboration are still isolated as if by geography in the emerging broadband age; businesses and individuals simply do not have the capacity to participate in the knowledge economy. When broadband was brought to the town of Wolcott--2 residents signed up to use it.
Actions
---Partnering. Each organization is reaching out to network and partner to establish a knowledge base for nurturing a hyper local ecosystem
--Contests and new media initiatives
--Establishing a regional brand "Lamoillevt" through a media ecology
--Delivering classes, training sessions and workshops on ICT and web 2.0 for personal, professional and business development
--Laptop/Notebook Innovation Incubator (100 notebooks a year for 3 years for qualified individuals at the Bottom of the Pyramid to start or improve a business using ICT4D. These folks would be our main focus cohort for workforce training and business creation.
--New Media incubator strategy with land grants in a virtual world augmented reality simulator for "lamoillevt."
--Paid Internship Fund. Survey results show a large number of businesses seeking employees, and students seeking internships--but both parties are unable to connect because the need to provide a paid internship.
Results
--Networks and hyperlocal cyber infrastructure based on 21st Century literacy's and realities
--Knowledge base of the region for cross sector fertilization and global recognition (the current wikipedia entry on the county is indicative of the lack of self knowledge and awareness, with our history beginning in 2008! I am making the assumption that in a knowledge economy, self knowledge would be the foundation of that wealth.
--100 Business start ups/ business growth over 3 years. Alternately, 100 internet and computer savvy and employable residents.
--wide dissemination of classes and training for ICT skills
--Increase in traffic --physical and electronic-- and commerce in the Lamoille region.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
Year One: Broad outreach to constituents and residents of Lamoille, Vt. Training in basic computer skills, networking and content creation. Begin Knowledge Base, and curators for Wikipedia entries. Select residents willing to start web based businesses, begin training. Exhaustive assessment and transparent measurement and evaluation processes for the project. Showcase and market content. Establish base line categories for assessment.
Year Two: Deepen data and construct digital stories of residents, culture, businesses, the environment, etc. Select and network businesses and individuals for Certification, Interns and direct business support. Expand Wikipedia entries. Evaluate, asses and adapt. Establish focused incentives for quality improvement. Continue to showcase and popularize digital literacy’s.
Year Three: Establish sustainable practices and formalize local knowledge base and global connections. Celebrate successes and continue to assess, monitor and evaluate. Verify changes in base line categories.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
The greatest threat is a loss of momentum to keep pace with the emerging global knowledge based economy. Sustainable jobs must be created and residents must find work in order to validate the effort and continue to engage residents in digital literacy.
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$100 ‐ 1000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
No
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
In what country?
United States, VT
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
Lamoille Workforce Investment Board
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
The cross sector make up of the partners reflects a strategy to create local economic permaculture by engaging constituents reflecting the full diversity of the region.
The Workforce Investment Board (WIB)
By focusing on workforce development we hope to provide the nucleus for a viral networking of organizations galvanized by our web 2.0 initiatives. The WIB is best poised to leverage state funding with access to the Chamber of Commerce and the Green Mountain Technology Center.
Johnson State College
-Dibden Center for the Arts, providing a high profile venue for showcasing local international content and a workforce training site for many creative industries.
-Business Department, providing best practices support and Interns.
-Fine Arts and New Media Department, to support creativity and New Media development.
-Environmental Sciences, to provide detailed scientific data of the region.
Community College of Vermont, Career Readiness Certificate,
River Arts, of Morrisville, for disadvantaged populations.
Vermont Electric Coop, consumers and prosumers
News and Citizen newspaper
Green Mountain Public Access TV
The Mountain Ear Magazine
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
--Build a creative community who can contribute content using a variety of digital literacy’s.
--Build a detailed knowledge base of the region as a method for training residents in digital literacy.
--Jump start a variety of web based business’ and create employable citizens for the 21st Century workforce.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
I recently completing a project in the Dominican Republic using virtual worlds and web 2.0 for human development in a multi-sector project. When I thought about the situation locally it struck me that many of the same ideas that are being applied using ICT4D in developing countries, and many of the ideas I had worked with in the DR--could be used here at home. What was missing was a systemic approach leveraging web 2.0 platforms to engage people across the spectrum. The moment that galvanized the idea was looking at the wikipedia entry for our county. The history started in 2008! This was shocking. While there isn't a causal relationship between the number and quality of entries in wikipedia and the wealth and self awareness of a region--there certainly is a correlation. Think of it as a region becoming aware of its self. Wikipedia’s accounting of entries, and the languages in which they were submitted in, clearly showed a correlation between entries and GNP. It requires a high degree of conscious effort and research to build out the entries for a given area or topic, to then be added to wikipedia. Clearly there was no one--or maybe just one!--person making these entries in Lamoille County. To me it reflected the local level of 21st Century literacy and consciousness, especially of web 2.0--in the sense of user generated content. As an educator I could see the brain drain occurring in Lamoille County, the flight of students and the drop out rates reflecting boredom. I could also see how social media and other ICT4D best practices could be used to quickly engage many residents of a community into a recognition of the value of digital literacy.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
Jan has been an educator for 22 years. He is fascinated with apply emerging technologies such as virtual worlds and web 2.0 platforms for full capacity human development. Jan is engaged in synthesizing a variety of organizations and efforts to bring digital literacy to Lamoille, Vermont. Leveraging partnerships, new media and creative economy techniques, he believes it is possible to transform a community from a carbon based economy to a knowledge economy.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Web Search (e.g., Google or Yahoo)
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
50 words or fewer
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Comments
Hi, obviously we are just beginning our project, but we have some really exciting partnerships and resources aligning. I would value your thoughts.
Jan
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