Easton residents network- project appraisal
From: Sam Rossiter <ozzysamuk@yahoo.com>
As some of you will be aware I writing an evaluation of the project that you are running with the Easton Residents Network (ERN).
My methodology for doing this has been one of action or participatory research; what this means is that I have come to the project with no pre-determined theory that I’m out to prove or disprove.
In this style of enquiry there is no real distinction between the researcher and the researched (subjects in conventional research speak). The idea is that we are all defined as participants, and that we all have equal footing in determining what questions will be asked, what information will be analysed, and how conclusions and courses of action will be determined. The thinking is that you will know more about the project and the constraints that you are operating under, and so will know what kind of questions it is useful to have asked and answered.
This quote kind of explains what I’m trying to do.
One of the central goals of qualitative evaluation is to provide detailed descriptions of programs through the eyes of stakeholders, along with the insights of the evaluator, the place of the evaluator is to integrate the views of many stakeholders providing
feedback on those views so that everyone understands the program better than before. (Posovac and Carey, 1989, p. 236)
So far what I have done is to go and speak to the people who are receiving the computers in the ERN project and tried to get their take on what they will actually use the computer for, what they feel about the ERN project, and what kind of training they might want.
It seemed that this was the most basic level at which to begin my enquiry.
Where I have found uncertainty or scepticism I have tried to enthuse people about the advantages of Linux and of the potential of the internet generally to provide information and communication possibilities and I hope that in so doing I have already made a small contribution to the project.
What I’ve found is that most of the computer recipients already have some considerable computer experience and that there is a certain amount of (understandable?) resistance to using a completely new operating system. Although it should be noted that these are generalisations and some people are open to the idea of Linux and some have little or no experience with computers.
I have noted that the computers in the three sheltered housing schemes (Greenhaven, Millhouse, and Baynton) have a potentially larger user base than the other computer locations. The benefits for the elderly residents are likely to be significant if they are able to make full use of the technology. Some possible uses that have been raised by the
wardens or myself include:
- Researching genealogical information
- Locating friends or relatives
- Contacting friends and relatives who are geographically distant
- Making cheap voice calls overseas (is this possible on the wireless network?)
- Recording personal histories online
- Contacting or making friends in other supported housing blocks
- Ordering shopping online
- Finding medical information
- Finding information about council services
- Contacting service providers
Once the Greenhaven node is in place, I propose to spend some time speaking to and coaching the residents there in order to find out what kind of questions they have, and what they find the most interesting applications are. Hopefully this will lead to the development of a programme that can be applied to other sheltered housing schemes, as they become part of the network.
I realise that it is no small task just to get the technical details of a project such as this resolved and equally that most of the time that is committed is on a volunteer basis. Neither do I underestimate how many hours have been committed to the project as a labour of love and I hope that my questioning is taken in the spirit that it is intended – to prompt friendly debate and useful analysis rather than as any implied criticism.
Questions that have occurred to me whilst talking to people or hanging around in the lab have included:
- Are the three partners (Bristol Wireless/ ERN/ Linux IT) working well together?
- How could the information sharing between them be improved?
- Would a project e-mail list be useful?
- Have ERN got clearly defined project aims?
- Is Bristol Wireless in a position to try to clarify what it is trying to achieve?
- Who is providing training and help for these new Linux users?
- If training is not available can they use the more familiar windows operating system- or will this mean they are not allowed to use the wireless network?
- Can they help each other, if just a few champions are trained?
- Are there enough volunteer hours available to support the ten groups?
- Or do funding sources need to be found for trainers?
- Do you need to stimulate demand for internet connectivity?
- Or just service a pre-existing demand?
If you feel you have answers to any, or all of these questions, then please let me know your thoughts. Equally if you can think of better questions that I could spend my time investigating, then please let me know.
Thanks Sam
Hi Sam,
I am very interested and encouraged by your research and would like to give you a few thoughts of my own: I am involved in community computing with CISC at UWE and have some concerns over Wireless broadcast and its use in Easton
Firstly, the most important question is what do the users want to use this facility for. They don’t care about Linux or the ability to stream video or music. What will it do for them.
Secondly most of the people involved in this project have a lot of computing knowledge and set themselves up as experts in their field, becoming exclusive and not inclusive. How are ordinary people (with no computing experience) going to be taught / encouraged to use this system.
I found it daunting entering the mail lists as it is a tecchie environment speaking a tecchie language not in use by ‘normal’ people.
If there was an initiative for example to make some of the flats wireless, so that single parents could communicate with each other when stuck in their flats at night, I may become interested. At present as a woman, I see no advantage in entering into this very male technical environment – what is in it for me.
Finally what about the truth behind wireless technology and what the effects are of trying to maintain a good signal in different positions within a house let alone across a street.
Sorry if this sounds like a rant, but I don’t believe that enough different types of people have been involved in this project – it appears as one for the boys by the boys! Clare Stephenson
On Tue, 2004-03-09 at 11:26, Clare Stephenson wrote
Hi Sam, I am very interested and encouraged by your research and would like to give you a few thoughts of my own: I am involved in community computing with CISC at UWE and have some concerns over Wireless broadcast and its use in Easton Firstly, the most important question is what do the users want to use this facility for. They don’t care about Linux or the ability to stream video or music. What will it do for them.
What will it do for them? Well, first and foremost, it will improve the quality of their lives.While not wishing to sound histrionic access to network technologies should be a human right IMHO. The digital divide we were all commenting on a few years ago is in danger of becoming a yawning chasm.
We have seen research that 80% of households in Easton don’t even have a computer let alone a connection, while most of the people reading thismail could not do their jobs or even organise their lives without access to the internet.
Bristol Wireless’ main purpose currently is to create an infrastructure that will allow the formation of community owned digital structures that enable the technologically poor and isolated in our comunities to interact as equals on the "network". By network I mean the global network, the place where more and more of us spend more and more of our time.
Why do we use the net so much? Because it enables us to communicate with people who share our interests, find out information we need faster than ever before possible, swap ideas, enjoy ourselves, save money, find bargains, play, educate ourselves, work faster and more efficiently and last but not least earn more money.
Basically new users will want to use the network for the same reasons you and I do, and a whole host of others.
You say people don’t care about Linux and I accept that, a lot of people don’t care
about the environment either or the war in the Gulf, and unfortunately I’ve got to accept that too. Bristol Wireless though was initiated and is dominated by people who care passionately about Linux.I’m not going to go into the myriad reasons why you should be using and promoting Linux and I’m not going to convert you into a Linux "believer"in a single email, but in essence we use Linux because Windows is a danger to our network and our community, in much the same way asMcDonalds is danger to our environment and our health. You might think that’s a bit strong but I’d be happy to debate it and show you how thisis so.
> > Secondly most of the people involved in this project have a lot of> computing knowledge and set themselves up as experts in their field,> becoming exclusive and not inclusive.> How are ordinary people (with no computing experience) going to be> taught / encouraged to use this system.
I don’t know about "set themselves up", some of them really ARE expertsin community wireless networks :). This is part of a movement that is global after all, but you make a good point, techies are not the best people at explaining their ideas as simple concepts or at making themselves readily understood by people very new to the technology, and are often happier talking to others who do understand what they are talking about. Unfortunate and difficult to overcome, but we are making attempts.
We’ve been running training courses at Easton Community Centre fornovices aimed at demystifying Linux and identifying recipients for therefurbished computers we are distributing. We’re attempting to create easy to use training materials and have plans to run a Community IT Festival in June that will showcase some of what we do and interest people in getting involved or simply introduce them to the technology.
We have lots of other projects in the pipeline that are aimed at putting computers and network connections in the h
ands of people we hope will benefit from it. Not giving them machines and access means they can’t benefit from this resource at all
.> I found it daunting entering the mail lists as it is a tecchie> environment speaking a tecchie language not in use by ‘normal’ people.
Me too, I don’t understand half the stuff about decibels and aerial design issues, but I’m sort of glad these people are willing to share their knowledge for all our benefits. I try to ask half sensible questions, but often come away more confused than when I started. Part of the reason for starting this Bulletin Board and the Wiki (http://docs.psand.net/twiki/bin/view/CLAN/WebHome) was to seperate out these kinds of conversations. I hope we can use them to continue this discussion.
> > If there was an initiative for example to make some of the flats> wireless, so that single parents could communicate with each other> when stuck in their flats at night, I may become interested.
Well that’s a very good idea, definitely something i would like to beinvolved in. There is an initiative to give the parents/carers of every child going into reception at Bannerman Road school in Sep 2004 a connection and if necessary a PC, so that they can connect to the network, communicate with the school and each other and support any technology teaching in the classroom.
> > At present as a woman, I see no advantage in entering into this very> male technical environment – what is in it for me.
That’s a shame, although at this stage you’re more likely to be asked what can you offer?! What is in it for me? Headaches, frustration,mountains of paperwork and administration, trying to make everyone feel happy and get along, but best of all the huge smiles on peoples faces when they walk away with their free computers, when I get my first email from them I’ll be even happi
er.
> > Finally what about the truth behind wireless technology and what the> effects are of trying to maintain a good signal in different positions> within a house let alone across a street.
er.. I’ll let the real techies deal with that, but needless to say I don’t think that’s been a problem.
> > Sorry if this sounds like a rant, but I don’t believe that enough> different types of people have been involved in this project – it> appears as one for the boys by the boys!>
> Clare Stephenson