- change - Mailing Lists

John Tippett and David Hutchful on the Grameen Foundation's MOTECH platform
by Nicola Dell 06 Dec '11

06 Dec '11

This Thursday at Change John Tippett and David Hutchful will present an overview of Grameen Foundation's Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) platform. MOTECH is powering health interventions in Africa and Asia focused on maternal and child health, HIV/ART compliance, TB treatment, and more. We'll discuss the motivation for MOTECH, give an overview of what the system can do, discuss the realities of delivering an ICT system with examples from MOTECH Ghana (where David works), and talk about the next steps for MOTECH features and applications. *David's bio* David is the program manager for MOTECH Ghana. He has background as a user experience researcher with experience in software development and the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for socio-economic development. Prior to MOTECH, David spent a year developing a scalable model and software platform to support the production of open educational resources at higher education institutions. He has also spent two years with the Technology for Emerging Markets (TEM) Group at Microsoft Research in India, where he conducted research and published on the design and use of technology in the areas of education and financial services. David received a B.A. in Computer Science and Philosophy (minor) from Calvin College and a master’s degree in information with a specialization in human-computer interaction from the University of Michigan. *John's bio* John is the program manager of MOTECH, Grameen Foundation's open source mobile health platform. In that role, he defines and delivers releases of the MOTECH system which meet the needs of mobile health deployments from Grameen and other partner organizations including CARE, Johnson & Johnson, and the BBC World Service Trust. Prior to his work at Grameen Foundation, John led teams which shipped consumer and corporate software applications at Microsoft. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. *What:* John Tippett and David Hutchful from the Grameen Foundation *When:* Thursday, Dec 8th at noon *Where:* Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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Three UW Change Projects Awarded For mHealth Innovations
by Yaw Anokwa 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

The mHealth Alliance and Rockefeller Foundation’s "Top 11 in 2011 Innovators Challenge" has awarded 11 individuals who have contributed innovations to the mHealth field. Of the 11 individuals that were recognized, 3 are UW-affiliated. Below are the projects and a short description about their connections to UW. Derek Treatman: CommCare-Sense UW-CSE’s Brian DeRenzi led much of the original field work to develop CommCare. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElXk_SZS6f4 Joaquín Blaya: MiDoctor MiDoctor uses Open Data Kit for their interactive voice response functionality. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRjr5X519gY Martin Were: AMPATH’s mHealth Programs UW-CSE’s Yaw Anokwa and Carl Hartung work closely with AMPATH. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skV25YchXlE These three projects are due to a close collaboration with the Change group and we are excited to see Derek, Martin and Joaquín recognized for their work using mobile technology in innovative ways to improve health systems and outcomes. Congratulations to Derek, Joaquin and Martin and thanks to all who voted! http://change.washington.edu/2011/12/three-uw-change-projects-awarded-for-m…

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Slides from Bill Lober's presentation
by Nicola Dell 04 Dec '11

04 Dec '11

hey everyone I am attaching slides from Bill Lober's presentation from Thursday. Enjoy! Thanks Nicki

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Fwd: Winter 2012 Course Offering: Gaming for Global Development
by Yaw Anokwa 01 Dec '11

01 Dec '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lindsay Michimoto <lindsaym(a)cs.washington.edu> Date: Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 19:15 Subject: [Cs-grads] FW: Winter 2012 Course Offering: Gaming for Global Development To: cs-grads(a)cs.washington.edu From: Ellen Weinstein [mailto:ekwein@uw.edu] Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2011 3:46 PM To: ravena(a)cs.washington.edu; ceney(a)uw.edu; lindsaym(a)cs.washington.edu; rispoli(a)cs.washington.edu; elised(a)cs.washington.edu; pl(a)cs.washington.edu Subject: Winter 2012 Course Offering: Gaming for Global Development Greetings, Can you please communicate the following course information to Computer Science and Engineering students? We thought the students in your programs would be particularly interested in this course. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you, Ellen Weinstein Director of Academic Services Evans School of Public Affairs University of Washington, Box 353055 Seattle, WA 98195 Phone: 206.685.8983 Email: ekwein(a)uw.edu www.evans.washington.edu Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ellen Weinstein <ekwein(a)uw.edu> Date: Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 12:30 PM Subject: Winter 2012 Course Offering: Gaming for Global Development To: evansgrads(a)u.washington.edu The Evans School of Public Affairs is pleased to announce an exciting course offering for Winter 2012 . . . Course: PBAF 599D: Prize Philanthropy and Innovation – Gaming for Global Development Instructor: Ann Bostrom Dates/Times: Please see attached syllabus and slides for additional details Course Description: Join the X PRIZE Lab@UW for a one-day Workshop winter term, to test the waters for a Spring interdisciplinary course on incentivizing massive global engagement through gaming and prizes. · Learn the principles of open innovation · Dive deep into the ways in which gaming and social media are solving real world problems · Address pressing issues in global development · Design a global scale incentive competition · Pitch your ideas to leaders in innovation In 2004, the Ansari X PRIZE for suborbital spaceflight captured the public's imagination, leveraging a $10M prize into over $100M in innovation. Now the X PRIZE Foundation is developing new prizes to focus innovation around other "Grand Challenge" themes, including genomics, energy, health care, and education. Around the world, prizes are gathering steam as tools for public policy, as well as philanthropy and corporate innovation. Our special Winter 2012 workshop and interdisciplinary Spring X PRIZE course challenge you to apply the tools of gaming and social media to develop revolutionary breakthroughs in global development. This is not a theoretical exercise, but a real opportunity to design a $10M prize for incentivizing high-leverage breakthroughs while adding essential tools to your innovation toolkit. Together with industry leaders and maverick innovators, we will examine the intersection of incentives and innovation, drawing on economic models, historic examples, and analytic tools, and pitch your ideas to members of the X PRIZE Foundation. This is not your usual lecture course. Through interactive projects, high profile panels, and class discussions, we will explore cross-cutting themes in technology policy, behavioral psychology, gaming, social networks, pattern recognition, global development, entrepreneurship and innovation. Graduate students with diverse backgrounds welcomed. Advanced undergraduates with permission of instructor. The course will meet three Friday afternoons Winter 2012, one of which will be an all day workshop. Enroll winter term for 1 credit for the workshop alone, up to 5 credits for the workshop, readings, discussions and preliminary prize design development. Questions? Email evansreg(a)uw.edu. Course information is available at: http://evans.washington.edu/courses-degrees/pbaf-599d-special-topics-prize-… Thank you, Ellen Weinstein Director of Academic Services Evans School of Public Affairs University of Washington, Box 353055 Seattle, WA 98195 Phone: 206.685.8983 Email: ekwein(a)uw.edu www.evans.washington.edu Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter

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TASCHA Winter Quarter Research Seminar
by Melody Clark 01 Dec '11

01 Dec '11

Are you interested in putting your research and analysis skills to use by engaging in a real project? If so, there is a seminar next quarter that might be right for you. In Winter Quarter 2012 the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA), in collaboration with researchers from Statistics Canada and the UW Statistics Department, will hold a seminar course utilizing comprehensive data from three surveys of operators, users and non-users of public access computing venues (i.e. libraries, telecenters, cybercafés). The surveys were conducted in Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, and the Philippines. The result is a richsource of data on demographics, usage needs/behaviors, and services in thesecountries. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to the research and learn and apply quantitative research skills in a variety of ways. Please see the attached course description (also pasted below) for more information. For questions or further information on the seminar, including registration, contact Araba Sey (arabasey(a)uw.edu<mailto:arabasey@uw.edu>) or Chris Rothschild (chriskr(a)uw.edu<mailto:chriskr@uw.edu>). ________________________________ INFX 571 C/D: TASCHA Research Seminar Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) research seminars at the Information School offer students an opportunity to gain practical research experience with one of our many projects investigating the design, use and impact of information and communication technologies in communities facing social and economic challenges. This Winter 2012 section focuses on the Global Impact Study of Public Access to Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs), a five-year, $7.2-million international research project sponsored by the Global Libraries initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The goal of the study is to generate evidence about the scale, character, and impacts of public access to information and communication technologies. Looking at cybercafés, telecenters and libraries, the study investigates impact in a number of areas, including communication and leisure, culture and language, education, employment and income, governance, and health. Seminar Focus: Analysis of Survey Data on Public Access ICTs The Global Impact Study comprises a variety of research activities, including a comprehensive set of surveys of public access venue owners/operators, users, and non-users at more than a thousand public access venues in Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, and the Philippines. The result is a rich source of data on demographics, usage needs/behaviors, and services in these countries. The seminar will focus on analysis of the survey data. This is a great opportunity to learn and apply quantitative methods in a real research context with real data. The seminar will be led by George Sciadas (Statistics Canada), Hil Lyons (UW Center for Statistical Consulting), and Araba Sey (TASCHA). Students may contribute to the research in a variety of ways including: review of literature on public access ICT use in a variety of social settings; data coding and recoding; exploring the data from different topical angles; identifying useful subsets of the data; learning about and applying appropriate statistical methods; and analyzing, summarizing and interpreting results. Students will work individually or in teams to do all of the above, carving out a well-defined project to be completed by the end of the quarter. Student Expectations Students will gain new skills in working on this project. However, the seminar is not intended to be solely a learning experience; activities are intended to feed into the project's survey data analysis strategy and produce tangible outputs for the project. Participation will involve an active application of the skills and knowledge that students already have. Necessary Skills for the Course A variety of skills and background will be useful for the course due to the number of components in conducting real research. Skills need not be uniform for all students, as diverse skills and backgrounds can complement each other. It is not necessary to be a statistics expert for this course, but familiarity with quantitative social science research and statistical software (e.g. SPSS) is a plus. Creative thinking, self-motivation, and the ability to thrive in collaborative settings are also highly valued. For questions or more information on the seminar, including registration, contact Chris Rothschild (chriskr(a)uw.edu<mailto:chriskr@uw.edu>) or Araba Sey (arabasey(a)uw.edu<mailto:arabasey@uw.edu>). -- Melody Clark Research Coordinator | Global Impact Study Technology & Social Change (TASCHA) melclark(a)uw.edu<mailto:melclark@uw.edu> | 206.685.7819 Twitter: @ictimpact<http://twitter.com/#!/ICTimpact> www.globalimpactstudy.org<http://www.globalimpactstudy.org/>

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CFP: NUIs4D workshop @ CHI2012
by Ed Cutrell 30 Nov '11

30 Nov '11

(Yes, we're sticking the 4D suffix on yet another initialism! Please forward!) http://cs.swan.ac.uk/nuisworkshopCHI/ With the ubiquity of mobile phones, even in the poorest regions of developing countries, it is clear that now, and in the near future, these platforms will be the most influential platforms for ICT solutions in developing countries. Understandably, a good proportion of the work in HCI4D and ICT4D has focused on the technologically lowest common denominators to reach as many people as possible. Yet, there is also a need to look ahead to a near future that promises the widespread usage of increasingly sophisticated mobile devices. This trend is exemplified by the affordability of the so-called "low end smartphones" such as the IDEOS Android handset, which at the time of writing retails for ~US$60 in Kenya. Besides the increased processing power, memory and storage capability these devices feature a range of built-in sensors which opens new means of interaction. HCI research efforts in the developed world have spawned a new wave of mobile interaction forms and user interfaces based on embedded sensor and signal processing technology that will soon be economically available to people in developing regions. This has included context-awareness such as location, orientation and proximity; image recognition, augmented reality and geo-tagged information; and speech and language systems. Yet there is currently a limited research focus on how these can be made appropriately available improve mobile ICT solutions in the developing world. This workshop aims at identifying and discussing these new possibilities and matching them with existing unsolved problems. In doing so, we will create a roadmap for HCI research on how to proceed so that technological advances will also have a sustainable impact in the developing world. HCI Challenges When designing and implementing mobile solutions for developing countries, the interaction designers must consider a wide range of challenges beyond the technical issues, such as: * Illiteracy or semi-illiteracy among users. * Low computer literacy, i.e. no or highly limited knowledge prior knowledge of computer interfaces and established metaphors and paradigms like folders, drop down menus. * Language barriers and dialects. * Physical impairment of users. * Social and cultural differences resulting in different mental models and patterns. * Economic constraints. By creating more natural ways of interacting with mobile computers, we can lower the technical threshold and overcome semi-illiteracy for people in these places, and thus make new ICT solutions available to people for development in healthcare, education, conservation of indigenous knowledge, mobile banking, etc. These questions are timely. By focusing now on how the next wave of technology can address these challenges as it is becoming cheaper and increasingly available for developing regions, we will be better equipped to design, implement and deploy useful and usable applications and services when the technology reaches the intended users. Topics The workshop will bring together researchers and practitioners within HCI working on novel interaction and interfaces with those focusing on mobile innovations for developing countries. We aim to gather participants working in a broad range of developing countries. The topics and questions to be addressed in the workshop include: * Emerging technologies for mobile handsets that will gain widespread usage in developing countries in the near future * New interaction forms making use of interface gestures, gestures, speech recognition and synthesis, image recognition, augmented reality, location, orientation, proximity, geo-tagged information, and multimodal approaches. * Interaction techniques that acknowledge proximity of devices allowing the creation of ad-hoc services to support isolated communities. * New interaction metaphors and appropriation of previously proposed frameworks such as "magic wands" and data lenses. * Methodologies and techniques for designing and evaluating novel interfaces appropriated for developing world contexts. * New or improved applications and services for development that can be enabled through new interaction forms and interfaces within e.g. healthcare, education, payment and microfinance, indigenous knowledge conservation and environmental awareness. Important Dates January 13th 2012: Workshop submission deadline February 10th 2012: Feedback to authors May 5th or 6th 2012: Workshop at CHI2012 Submission We are looking for position papers and reports of research work addressing the themes of the workshop. Papers should be in the CHI Extended Abstract format and be between 4-6 pages in length. All papers will be reviewed by the organisers and additional external reviewers as necessary. Please send a PDF of your submission to leafcastle(a)acm.org<mailto:leafcastle@acm.org> by January 13th 2012. Organisers Kasper Løvborg Jensen Gary Marsden Ed Cutrell Matt Jones Ann Morrison

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Bill Lober from I-TECH
by Nicola Dell 29 Nov '11

29 Nov '11

This Thursday at Change Bill Lober, director of informatics at UW’s International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), will present an overview of I-TECH’s work in six countries, talk about what goes well and what doesn’t, and ask for some ideas on how to do it better. Bill Lober, MD MS, is an Associate Professor in the University of Washington Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, in health informatics and global health. In addition to his I-TECH role, Dr. Lober directs the UW Clinical Informatics Research Group (and is solely responsible for http://cirg.washington.edu being so out of date). His work in Global Health Informatics is primarily through I-TECH, where he directs projects in Haiti, Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Namibia, and Vietnam. These projects range from developing standards-based eHealth architectures (Kenya and Vietnam), through national surveillance and monitoring/evaluation systems (Mozambique), through support and/or development of facility level systems such as electronic medical record systems and laboratory systems (Haiti, Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire, and Namibia), to informatics training and local capacity development (Kenya and Haiti). His education and industry experience is in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and his clinical training is in Emergency Medicine. He appreciates a good sandwich. *What:* Bill Lober from I-TECH *When:* Thursday, Dec 1st at noon *Where:* Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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Re: [change] TASCHA Talk -- THURSDAY -- Developing a framework for Digitally Inclusive Communities to help improve access through collaborative action
by Karen Hirst 28 Nov '11

28 Nov '11

Sorry for the typo folks. Thursday, December 1. From: Karen Hirst Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 1:07 PM To: 'istaff(a)uw.edu'; 'ifac(a)uw.edu'; 'iphds(a)uw.edu'; 'imlis(a)uw.edu'; 'imsim(a)uw.edu'; 'imajors(a)uw.edu'; 'tascha-uw(a)uw.edu'; 'iworld(a)uw.edu'; 'change(a)change.washington.edu' Subject: TASCHA Talk -- THURSDAY -- Developing a framework for Digitally Inclusive Communities to help improve access through collaborative action TASCHA TALK Developing a framework for Digitally Inclusive Communities to help improve access through collaborative action<http://tascha.uw.edu/2011/11/december-1-developing-a-framework-for-digitall…> Rebecca Sears & Samantha Becker Thursday -- December 1, 2011, from 3:45 to 4:45 pm Roosevelt Commons Building Rebecca Sears and Samantha Becker will discuss TASCHA's new project to develop a framework for digitally inclusive communities<http://tascha.uw.edu/2011/11/research/inclusionframework/>. In cooperation with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and as part of the U.S. National Broadband Plan, this framework will provide communities with a resource for assessing and building the capacity of public libraries and community-based organizations to meet the public's information needs. In this talk, Rebecca and Samantha will discuss the process and substance of the project, including: * Who is involved and how is the project engaging a broad range of stakeholders to shape the framework? * What are examples of different types of frameworks, and how did the project determine an appropriate structure for the digital inclusion framework? * What are some of the contents of the framework and why are they important? TASCHA Talks are bi-weekly sessions to share, discuss, and advance new ideas around topics related to technology and social change. Learn more at tascha.uw.edu/tascha-talks<http://tascha.uw.edu/what-we-do/tascha-talks/> .

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TASCHA Talk -- THURSDAY -- Developing a framework for Digitally Inclusive Communities to help improve access through collaborative action
by Karen Hirst 28 Nov '11

28 Nov '11

TASCHA TALK Developing a framework for Digitally Inclusive Communities to help improve access through collaborative action<http://tascha.uw.edu/2011/11/december-1-developing-a-framework-for-digitall…> Rebecca Sears & Samantha Becker Thursday -- December 3, 2011, from 3:45 to 4:45 pm Roosevelt Commons Building Rebecca Sears and Samantha Becker will discuss TASCHA's new project to develop a framework for digitally inclusive communities<http://tascha.uw.edu/2011/11/research/inclusionframework/>. In cooperation with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and as part of the U.S. National Broadband Plan, this framework will provide communities with a resource for assessing and building the capacity of public libraries and community-based organizations to meet the public's information needs. In this talk, Rebecca and Samantha will discuss the process and substance of the project, including: * Who is involved and how is the project engaging a broad range of stakeholders to shape the framework? * What are examples of different types of frameworks, and how did the project determine an appropriate structure for the digital inclusion framework? * What are some of the contents of the framework and why are they important? TASCHA Talks are bi-weekly sessions to share, discuss, and advance new ideas around topics related to technology and social change. Learn more at tascha.uw.edu/tascha-talks<http://tascha.uw.edu/what-we-do/tascha-talks/> .

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neal lesh on phone-based tools for community health workers
by Yaw Anokwa 27 Nov '11

27 Nov '11

i think most people on this list know (or know of) neal. he's an all around great guy and a big reason why we've been successful at much of the health work we do in uw-cse. neal gave a good talk on his work at the ict4d seminar at penn. you can find the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJeVwc6bK_k. if you haven't seen neal speak, it'll be well worth your time. you can find more videos from the penn seminar at http://www.youtube.com/user/ICT4DatPenn.

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