What follows is a summary of the work of four thinkers discussed in Community Informatics Studio and how their work

influenced the workshop outline.

Virginia Eubanks In her book Digital Dead End Virginia Eubanks details a popular education approach to technology workshops. The crucial difference between popular education and other forms of education is that popular education emphasizes the involvement of community members themselves as sources of information. Popular education emphasizes the knowledge that workshop participants bring to a workshop and seeks to help participants take control of the knowledge process and begin to see themselves as producers of knowledge and agents of change, if do they do not already see themselves this way. The examples of workshops that Eubanks describes in her book all involve a collaboratively determined course of action that seeks to remedy a community problem. Eubanks feels that learning about technology happens best when it takes place in a community setting and is tied to an issue of community importance. This, of course, differs greatly from the standard model of digital literacy instruction in which classes are oriented around a specific technology (e.g. HTML) but typically make no mention of how that technology may impact a community. The popular education approach to technology workshops works to build enduring relationships and increase awareness of social issues and ultimately empower participants to be critical technological citizens. Eubanks ideas are interwoven into several aspects of the workshop. The most prominent example is that technology tools are not considered until a goal has been collaboratively defined. This works to ensure that the workshop transcends the limitations inherent in individual use of technology, instead integrating use of technology with meeting community needs and promoting positive social change. Additionally, the role of the facilitator (as described on p. 1 of the outline) is Eubanks influenced. The facilitators role is not to impart specific predetermined knowledge but rather to act as a guide who helps participants articulate the unique knowledge that they bring to the workshop. In doing so the facilitator works to create a framework in which differences amongst participants are valued rather than problematized. This is accomplished through democratic discussion and consensus based decision-making, and will likely involve the facilitator listening as much or more than they speak.

John Dewey According to Dewey, learning is best achieved when we are actively involved in making sense of the world, as opposed to being passive receivers of information. Dewey felt that it is not enough for people to merely gather information; they need to be involved in interpreting for deep understanding to occur. Dewey wrote that only by participating in the common intelligence and sharing in the common purpose as it works for the common

 good can individual human beings realize their true individualities and become truly free. Dewey suggests that learning should begin with the interests of students and in doing so we should conceptualize the classroom as extending beyond the space in which the instructor and student meet to include all of our lived experience. Thus, for Dewey learning happens best when it includes evaluating real world situations. Given this, we can think of the classroom as a place where the community can become the curriculum. This form of learning necessitates that the facilitator acts as a guide on the side who listens as much as he or she talks. Additionally, deep understanding requires that opportunities for reflection are built into each stage of the learning process.

The workshop employs a Dewey-esque approach in its emphasis on providing opportunities for reflection, which are built into both the beginning and end of the workshop. At the beginning participants are asked to reflect on obstacles theyve faced and at the end they are asked to reflect on the workshop as a whole and whether they felt it was a meaningful learning experience and if so, why. In the workshop the community becomes the curriculum as it begins by asking participants to articulate their lived experience (What are some obstacles that youve faced related to creating and sharing your artwork?). It then proceeds to form learning experiences through the group collaboratively working to address a collectively defined goal. This process meets Deweys expectation that if learning is to have a lasting effect it must have direct personal relevance to the learner. The questions posed throughout the workshop allow participants to evaluate real world situations and bring their personal interests to the discussion. The workshops focus on community empowers participants by providing opportunities to learn more about themselves and their communities, which will potentially lead to the creation of new access points for information of interest and a rise in overall community knowledge. In the workshop, participants learning is enhanced through their involvement with a community of learners and learning that is tied to concrete issues of personal importance.

Diana Nucera Through her work with Allied Media, Diana Nucera has helped create opportunities for communities to use technology in transformative ways. One way in which this has occurred is through events called DiscoTechs, short for discovering technology. The events create a space for participants to explore ways in which media and technology can be used to form or reinforce communities and create new economies. At DiscoTech events, workshops are offered on different technologies and community members come together to explore ways in which technologies can be utilized to meet community needs, for example using twitter as a community watch tool and creating a neighborhood information channel through Facebook.

Nucera believes that communication is a fundamental human right and that media can best support this right when it is created through community collaboration. By showcasing a wide variety of skills, DiscoTechs work to enhance the likelihood of community members taking on leadership roles. Nucera asserts that the Discotechs involve teaching people to teach, as well as learn; to be entrepreneurs, and not just consumers; and to build their own communication networks that match the social networks in their neighborhoods. DiscoTechs work to move past an individual focus on technology and toward communities creating media together; utilizing media and technology as pathways for communities to learn together and to become connected with one another. The workshop was influenced by DiscoTechs in it emphasis on peer-to-peer learning (the suggestion of a skill sharing event near the end of the workshop and brainstorming activity prior to that) and the way in which the event is driven by participants needs and interests. Participants are involved in every stage of the learning process, from selecting what to investigate, to formulating a focused goal, to creating a new information resource through the class final product.

Randy Stoecker In Research Methods for Community Change Stoecker describes the research as action method Stoecker writes:
What are the components of research as action? A main goal of the process is to produce a larger, stronger, tighter-knit group or organization. When research is used as action it should not only involve community members in the research but, ultimately, bring them into the organization itself. Choosing a research question and the process that will inspire enough peoples imaginations is the main challenge here. Surveys may not be exciting enough, so many groups turn to community theater or arts projects, such as quilts and photography exhibits. A good community organizing process will also help people build a sense of empowerment by helping them feel successful at doing new things. Finally a good community organizing process will enhance the public presence of the group it will be seen as more competent, stable, and influential-which will attract allies and at least vie pause to potential adversaries (p 150).

There is much in Stoeckers approach as described above (and throughout Research Methods for Community Change) that can be effectively used in the context of popular education technology workshops. Utilizing Stoeckers approach entails thinking of the workshop facilitators role as being akin to that of a community organizer, as the workshop does. Like community organizers the facilitator helps participants define problems, develop strategies to address those problems, and supports a democratic, participatory evaluation of the successes and shortcomings of that strategy. The way in which the workshop has been structured: Workshop steps: 1. Addressing common obstacles 2. Identifying commonalities in the obstacles mentioned 3. Identifying confrontable issues and choosing specific goals 4. Identifying resources available to support those goals

 5.) Planning next steps for the project . . . was influenced by Stoeckers description of the Popular Education Process: Research question: Comes from peoples experiences Method: Process of collection and analyzing experiences Data collection: People share experiences and collect further information to better understand these experiences Data analysis: People reflect on commonalities of experience to develop deeper analysis Reporting: A plan for change

Both structures provide participants with the opportunity to share ideas, critically consider and synthesize those ideas, and collaboratively determine what the measures for success of the project will be. Overall, both help participants learn, contribute their own wisdom, and build enduring relationships. The research as action method isnt just about accomplishing measurable goals, its also about building interpersonal relationships and a sense of community.