May 2012 - change - Mailing Lists

Fwd: [dub] Summer Social Webshop for PhD Students
by Yaw Anokwa 17 May '12

17 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Charlotte P. Lee <cplee(a)uw.edu> Date: Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:39 AM Subject: [dub] Summer Social Webshop for PhD Students To: "dub(a)dub.washington.edu" <dub(a)dub.washington.edu> Possibly of interest. - Charlotte --------------------- Summer Social Webshop http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/webshop2012/ Sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Social Media Research Foundation Doctoral students in computer science, iSchool, sociology, communications, political science, anthropology, psychology, journalism, and related disciplines are invited to apply to attend this summer’s 4-day intensive workshop on Technology-Mediated Social Participation (TMSP). Technology-Mediated Social Participation includes social networking tools, blogs and microblogs, user-generated content sites, discussion groups, problem reporting, recommendation systems, and other social media applied to national priorities such as health, energy, education, disaster response, political participation, environmental protection, business innovation, or community safety. During the 4-day workshop, students will attend presentations from an interdisciplinary group of leaders in the field and engage in other research and community-building activities like working on short-term projects, sharing research plans, developing new research collaborations, learning relevant software, analysis methods and data collection tools, and meeting Federal policy makers. Accepted students will receive financial support. We will provide suggested places to stay, but students may arrange to stay with friends or relatives in the area. _______________________________________________ dub mailing list dub(a)dub.washington.edu http://dub.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/dub

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BitMate: BitTorrent for the developing-world
by Yaw Anokwa 16 May '12

16 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Umar Saif <u...@lums.edu.pk> Hi - I am not sure if I have sent an email regarding our BitTorrent client designed for low-bandwidth nodes in the developing-world. We released BitMate almost a year ago -- to date, it has been downloaded more than 35,000 times by users from 173 countries. It is fully compliant with the BitTorrent protocol and compatible with existing BitTorrent clients. BitMate is implemented using azureus (Vuze) code base. We have subtly changed the underlying mechanism (GPL'ed) without changing the UI or the codebase that deals with the Vuze platform. BitMate is designed to specifically improve the performance of low-bandwidth peers (5-20 KB/sec); in our target conditions, Bitmate can almost double your download performance. At the same time, it performs at least as well as the traditional BitTorrent clients for high-bandwidth peers (but you'll see most performance benefit for low-bandwidth peers in the developing-world). Importantly, it improves its performance without cheating (strategic behavior). Instead, it actually improves its download performance by improving its upload contribution (by as much as 1000% !) More info: http://www.dritte.org/bitmate.html Code + download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitmate/ ( https://github.com/umairwaheed/BitMate) Our ACM HotNets'11 paper: http://people.csail.mit.edu/umar/hotnetsX-final40.pdf Cheers, -Umar

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From SMS to Smartphones cfp special issue of JCMC (due 30 June 2012)
by Yaw Anokwa 16 May '12

16 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Call for papers: Special Issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication From SMS to Smartphones: Tracing the Impact of the Mobile Phone in Asia Publication date: October 2013 The mobile phone has had a discernible impact on Asia, given its affordability, versatility and ubiquity as the key platform for computer-mediated communication. It has been widely deployed in virtually every aspect of everyday life, be it in commerce, politics, governance, education, religion, entertainment or recreation. The diversity and complexity of this fast-growing region has birthed innovative and ground-breaking applications of the mobile phone. While basic feature phones are already a mainstay in both rural and urban Asia, the smartphone is now rapidly diffusing through the region at a rate exceeding the rest of the world. Bringing the idea of the ubiquitous web to fruition, the smartphone's heightened connectivity and thriving app market are enabling yet more revolutionary uses of the mobile phone. While the rising adoption of the smartphone burgeons with potential for civic action, commercial enterprise, employment and educational opportunities and social service provision, challenges are also emerging for consumers, industries and governments alike. The early phase of mobile communication research was influenced by studies and theorization from North America and Europe. Spurred on by the wide diffusion of mobiles globally, research is now very much seeking to understand the international underpinnings of this form of mediated communication, especially as it increasingly blurs the lines between computers, Internet, and phones. Over the past decade, Asian research has been important in addressing the rapid diffusion, transformation, and shift in mobiles. Such research is growing, but is still relatively incipient. Against this backdrop, this special issue seeks to bring together the latest research findings, regional understandings, conceptualizations, and theories of the mobile in Asia. Article proposals are sought for topics including but not limited to the following: * does a digital divide exist in Asia with regard to mobile phone penetration and usage trends and if so, how can and should they be remedied? * what are the implications of the development of mobiles - especially smartphones and mobile Internet - for contemporary media in Asia? * how is the growing proliferation of the smartphone facilitating unprecedented forms and scales of communication? * how do issues of broad infrastructure provisions and market pricing influence the behaviour of mobile phone users? * how are the location based services offered by smartphones altering user behaviour and lifestyles? * how does mobile Internet use complement and possibly complicate fixed location Internet use? * what implications does the growth of smartphone apps have for the cultural complexion of Asian countries? * how is the mobile phone serving the needs of marginalised communities in Asia? * to what extent do smartphones and the behaviour which they enable test the boundaries of existing regulatory frameworks? * how does the rising ubiquity of the smartphone and by implication, that of always-on, always-available Internet access challenge prevailing theoretical frameworks relating to inter alia, technology acceptance, mobility, communication, social influence and identity? Please submit an 800 word abstract and a 100 word biographical note to both special issue editors as an e-mail attachment no later than 30 June 2012. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by 15 July 2012 and invited to submit a full paper. Manuscripts should be no more than 8,000 words, including notes and references, conform to APA style, and submitted by 30 October, 2012. All papers will be subject to anonymous peer review following submission. Important dates Deadline for abstracts 30 June 2012 Decisions to authors 15 July 2012 Full paper submission 30 October 2012 Decisions 30 January 2013 Revised paper submission 30 April 2013 Final proofs 30 June 2013 Issue publication October 2013 Special issue editors: Sun Sun LIM, National University of Singapore, sun...@nus.edu.sg Gerard Goggin, University of Sydney, gerard.goggin@<gerard.gog...@usyd.edu.au> sydney.edu.au

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CfP: Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries
by Yaw Anokwa 15 May '12

15 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- http://www.ifipwg94.org/ifip-conference-2013 1st Call for Papers: WG 9.4: Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries 12th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries Conference Theme: Into the Future: Themes, insights and agendas for ICT4D research and practice Ocho Rios Jamaica, 19-22 May, 2013 Submission Deadline :November 23, 2012 The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) invites you to the 12th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries. The conference will be held in Jamaica, on 19-22 May 2013. The Working Group 9.4 of the International Federation for Information Processing gathers scholars and practitioners that deal with the issue on how ICT affects social development. In the last three decades this issue has been attracting scholars from information systems and a variety of other areas such as development studies, political science, political economy, social anthropology, and sociology. The theme of the 12th International Conference of the IFIP 9.4 Working Group 2013 in Jamaica is “Into the Future.” The importance of this theme is fundamental to our research domain, namely how might information and communication technologies shape the future of development within developing counties. At the conference we seek to not only present scholarly conference papers in and around the different tracks but also to provoke thought and discussion in and around how we might set the agenda for the future for ICT4D research and practice. Thus we seek to problematize the past, present and the future of ICT4D. To do this we welcome contributions from a wide range of perspectives. We want to think through the future agenda in the area of ICT4D for theory, methodology and practice. This requires us to not only make clear our own positions but to encourage us to actively question them. The conference thus will seek to promote critical debate across a range of perspectives. In order to organize the discussion, we propose 16 different tracks, listed below: 1. Applying systems thinking in ICT4D<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-1-systems-thinking-in-ict4d> 2. Caring for a Connected Humanity: eHealth, and the Transformation of Healthcare in the Global South<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-2-caring-for-a-connected-humanity> 3. Designing Applications, Services, Systems and Infrastructure for Development <http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-3-designing-for-development> 4. Early Childhood and ICT4D: Promises and Perils<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-4-early-childhood-and-ict4d> 5. How ICT Frame Development Goals<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-5-how-ict-frame-development-goals> 6. ICT’s, Collaboration & Service Innovation: Bridging Boundaries and Cultures<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-6-icts-collaboration-a-service-innovation> 7. ICTD in the Caribbean - Articulating Unique Challenges and Solutions<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-7-ictd-in-the-caribbean> 8. Infusing Gender into ICT4D: Innovating Research, Practice and Policy<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-8-infusing-gender-into-ict4d> 9. Open & Inclusive Development<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-9-open-a-inclusive-development> 10. Open Source for Public Health Systems: Making them work<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-10-open-source-for-public-health> 11. Organisational Applications of Web 2.0<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-11-organisational-applications-of-web-20> 12. Sen’s Capability Approach and ICT4D<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-12-capability-approach-and-ict4d> 13. Social Media and Development<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-13-social-media-and-development> 14. Understanding the Actors: Actor-Network Theory in ICT for Development Research<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-14-understanding-the-actors> 15. University-Community Engagement<http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-15-university-community-engagement> 16. Into the Future: Themes, insights and agendas for ICT4D research and practice <http://www.ifipwg94.org/track-16-into-the-future> In addition to papers from the field of information systems, we also welcome multidisciplinary papers. Who Should Attend The conference will bring together academics, practitioners (from the private sector, NGOs, and public sector), and policy advisors who are involved with ICT and development in developing countries. Conference Papers and Submissions All papers will be double blind reviewed. Note that in case of acceptance, at least one author must have registered for the conference by March 1, 2013 for the paper to be included in the electronic proceedings. We look forward to welcoming you to IFIP 9.4 in Jamaica!

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Call for Proposals: mEducation Alliance 2012 International Symposium
by Yaw Anokwa 15 May '12

15 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- We would like to pass on to you some information about the upcoming Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance International Symposium, to be held Sept. 5 – 7 in Washington, D.C. The Call for Proposals<http://www.meducationalliance.org/docs/Call_for_proposals-mEducation_Sympos…>for this year's is now open. The deadline for submitting a presentation, open session, demo or poster is May 25. The mEducation Alliance embraces a broad definition of mobile devices including, but not limited to: phones, e-Readers, tablet computers, flash memory, radio, micro projectors and other audio/visual devices. For this year’s mEducation Alliance International Symposium, we want to highlight your experiences and insights on partnership. What does a successful partnership mean for your work? What are the challenges and opportunities evident in partnerships designed to improve learning outcomes through the use of mobile technologies? What kinds of additional or expanded partnerships could your work benefit from, and what could the mEducation Alliance do to support this? The event is the preeminent forum for exploring the intersection of mobile technologies (broadly defined) and improved learning outcomes in developing countries. It is an intimate and intensely productive gathering of the world’s leading donors, researchers, implementers, and leaders from the public and private sectors. The event showcases the world’s finest cutting-edge research and project work pushing the field forward for delivering appropriate, accessible technologies and high quality, relevant content through innovative technological solutions. The Alliance was recently highlighted at White House event on science and technology with recognition of the notable ambitions of this group and diverse Steering Committee including USAID, US Department of State, Peace Corps, World Bank, IDB, UNESCO, UNICEF, ISTE, World Wide Web Foundation, MasterCard Foundation, GSMA, and World Vision among other organizations. Please contact us if you should have any questions about the mEducation Alliance generally or the Symposium specifically. More details will be coming soon to www.meducationalliance.org. Regards, mEducation Alliance

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Design Tools to Spark Social Change - Catapult Labs
by Yaw Anokwa 15 May '12

15 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tyler Valiquette <ty...@catapultdesign.org> All, For those of you in the Bay Area I would like to share a bit about Catapult Design's upcoming Catapult Labs: Design Tools for Social Change<http://catapultlabs-2012.eventbrite.com/> - a full day of workshops lead by local design experts from a variety of cutting edge design fields. The idea is to offer the audience a hands on opportunity to learn and practice new tools and methods in design that can spark social change. There are only 125 seats so grab a ticket whilst you can! 100% of proceeds will go towards supporting design work in marginalized communities. This is happening in SanFrancisco (CCA, 1111 8th St) this Saturday, May 19, from 9:30am to 5pm...and should be all kinds of excellent. Please forward this far and wide to students, groups, and professionals you think would be interested. Catapult Design is a nonprofit design firm focused exclusively on developing products and services for low-income people around the world. We work with organizations big and small to help make their transformative ideas a reality. If you can't make it to our labs, learn more about us on our website <http://www.catapultdesign.org/>. Hope to see you there, Tyler -- Tyler Valiquette +1 415.846.7093 | @catapult_design 972 Mission Street Suite 500 San Francisco CA 94103 catapultdesign.org | Billions of people lack access to life's basic needs. We design and implement human-centered products to help them thrive.

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Journalism Innovation Fund Offers $1m for African Projects
by Yaw Anokwa 15 May '12

15 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- *For Immediate Release: May 09, 2012 Contact: Sonja Matanovic, Communications Director Telephone: 202.349.7624 Call for Entries: $1 Million African News Innovation Challenge Africa’s first major contest designed to promote the development of digital media products and innovations is now accepting applications. African News Innovation Challenge <http://www.africannewschallenge.org/>(ANIC) will provide grants from $12,500 to $100,000 for the best projects aimed at strengthening and transforming African news media. The contest is modeled on the highly successful Knight News Challenge<http://newschallenge.tumblr.com/>in the United States. Grantees will also receive technical advice, startup support and one-on-one mentoring from the world’s top media experts. Of particular interest are proposals that improve data-based investigative journalism, audience engagement, mobile news distribution, data visualization, new revenue models and workflow systems. The African Media Initiative <http://www.africanmediainitiative.org/>(AMI), Africa’s largest association of media owners and operators, announced the contest last November as part of a pan-African initiative to spur digital experimentation and technology-driven projects and startups. “African media have a tremendous opportunity to leapfrog the business disruption faced by media in Europe and the U.S.,” says AMI chief executive Amadou Mahtar Ba. “The growing reach of mobile networks and improving Internet access is beginning to reshape the media landscape in Africa. We believe this competition will help African news organizations stay ahead of the curve.” Contest partners include Omidyar Network <http://www.omidyar.com/>, Google<http://www.google.com/>, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation <http://www.gatesfoundation.org/>, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation <http://www.knightfoundation.org/>, the U.S. State Department <http://www.state.gov/>, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS)<http://www.kas.de/wf/en/>and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)<http://www.wan-ifra.org/> . “Omidyar Network is delighted to be supporting the African News Innovation Challenge,” said Stephen King, partner at Omidyar Network. “Across the continent we are seeing innovative ways in which technology is providing people with greater access to information. This challenge is a great opportunity for journalists, entrepreneurs and technologists to join forces and help enable the African media to hold their leaders to account.” Digital strategist Justin Arenstein<http://www.icfj.org/about/profiles/justin-arenstein>is managing the initiative as part of his work with AMI and the International Center for Journalists <http://www.icfj.org/> in Washington, D.C. HOW TO APPLY: Entries must be submitted to the ANIC website<http://www.africannewschallenge.org/>by midnight (Central African Time) on July 10, 2012. WHO CAN APPLY: Proposals may be submitted by news pioneers from anywhere in the world, but entries must have an African media partner who will help develop and test the innovation. Projects that are designed for Africa will stand a better chance of receiving support. PROJECTS OF GREATEST INTEREST: ANIC is seeking new ways to create, discuss and share news and make quality journalism sustainable. This could include new revenue or production models, new ways to gather, produce or distribute news. Ideas that can be scaled up across the continent or replicated elsewhere are of particular interest. Preference will be given to ideas that solve bottlenecks facing Africa’s media. THE JUDGING PROCESS Winning projects will be selected by an ANIC panel of judges, following public voting and a review by an international jury. About ICFJ The International Center for Journalists is a non-profit organization that advances quality journalism worldwide. Its programs combine the best professional standards with the latest digital innovations. ICFJ believes that independent, vigorous media are crucial in improving the human condition. About AMI The African Media Initiative is the continent’s largest umbrella association of African media owners, senior executives and other industry stakeholders. AMI’s mandate is to serve as a catalyst for strengthening African media by building the tools, knowledge resources and technical capacity for African media to play an effective public interest role in their societies. This mandate includes assisting with the development of professional standards, financial sustainability, technological adaptability and civic engagement. About Google Inc. Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top Web property in all major global markets. Google's mission in Africa is to make the Internet an integral part of every day life in Africa, by increasing its relevance and usefulness, eliminating access barriers for potential users, and developing products that are meaningful for countries in the region. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.google.com/africa, see our Africa Blog, http://google-africa.blogspot.com/ or follow us on Twitter twitter.com/googleafrica About Omidyar Network Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $500 million to for-profit companies and non-profit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple investment areas, including financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, property rights, consumer Internet, mobile and government transparency. To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com.

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Elsevier Foundation's Grants for Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries
by Yaw Anokwa 15 May '12

15 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kikandwa Rural <kruralcommunitiesdev...@yahoo.com> The next round of grants for innovative libraries in developing countries from the Elsevier Foundation is now open to support the efforts of libraries to enhance the quality of life in developing countries by advancing knowledge in science, the social sciences technology and medicine. The Foundation provides one, two and three year grants to libraries in the developing countries and supporting organizations: * Programs to enhance library infrastructure, technology or information services in ways that significantly expand their ability to make STM (scientific/social sciences, technical and medical) information available to those who need it — researchers, clinicians, students, policymakers and the wider public. * Programs that expand library information resources in the developing world through digitization or preservation of information that advances science, health, the environment, and indigenous knowledge. * Training and education programs for library staff, students or researchers, contributing to sustainable improvements in the library’s capacity to provide STM information in the developing world. * Partnerships between libraries in the developing countries and institutions in the developed countries to provide technical assistance or training. Developed country partner organizations include libraries, learned societies, universities, intergovernmental organizations and other non-profit organizations. Please note that in 2012 a new two step application process has been implemented to streamline the submission and review process. First round applications will be accepted through June 24th through the Foundation’s online application system. In early July shortlisted candidates will be announced and invited to submit a full proposal in the second round. Grant recipients will be announced in December 2012. Deadline: 24 June 2012 For more information, visit this link. http://www.elsevierfoundation.org/innovative-libraries/how-to-apply/ Source Link: http://www.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/elsevier-foundations-gran… ________________________________ Kibaya Robert Executive Director/ Founder Kikandwa Rural Communities Development Organization - KIRUCODO, Organization in Special status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN since 2011 P.O.BOX 494, Kikandwa Village, Mukono, Uganda. Phone: +256-712-848448, +256-414-670686 NGO Reg. No. S.5914/6476

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Job: How to get a Humanitarian Aid Job
by Yaw Anokwa 14 May '12

14 May '12

>From http://ict4djobs.com/2012/read-the-ebook-literally-on-how-to-get-a-humanita… "Humanitarian Jobs (https://humanitarianjobs.wordpress.com/) is about getting your first job as a humanitarian aid worker. Whether you want to run refugee camps, micro credit programs or health programs, this ebook is about ways to make the transition to international relief and development work. But who has time for a book? You can read career advice from people smarter than me (http://www.whydev.org/career-advice-from-people-smarter-than-me/) - a compilation of advice for young professionals and students in international aid/development. Or Alanna Shaikh and Chris Blattman's quick top 10 tips (http://chrisblattman.com/2009/04/20/getting-a-job-in-international-developm…) for getting a job in international development. No, these resources do not focus specifically on ICT4D (http://letter.ly/ict4djobs does), but their advice is spot-on for any international development sub-sector and you should be reading them if you are serious about your ICT4D career."

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Katie Curran on HIV prevention in Kenya
by Nicola Dell 14 May '12

14 May '12

This week at Change we will be hosting Katie Curran, a PhD student in epidemiology at the UW School of Public Health. She recently returned from Kenya where she spent 7 months collecting data for her dissertation. One part of her study involved using SMS to collect daily & monthly data on HIV risk behaviors from participants of a larger HIV prevention clinical trial. Mobile phone text messaging represents an emerging low-technology and low-cost option for data collection in Africa. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a novel HIV prevention strategy. Adherence to PrEP is key for effective HIV prevention, and understanding patterns of adherence related to sexual behavior may be especially important for PrEP efficacy. Katie conducted a study of daily Short Message Service (SMS) data collection among HIV-uninfected members of HIV serodiscordant couples to measure sexual behavior and PrEP use. Come to Change this Thursday to find out more! Before coming to UW, Katie completed her master’s in international health at Johns Hopkins and worked on HIV research studies in Tanzania and India. What: Katie Curran on HIV prevention in Kenya When: Thursday, May 17 at 12 noon Where: The Allen Center, room CSE 203

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