Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Crossing boundaries of knowledge domains relating to such areas as
culture, perspective, context (e.g. home, educational setting, place of em-
ployment), location, (e.g. private space or community-based) will demand
new ways of communicating to achieve real sharing of knowledge and per-
spectives. This is likely to be a necessary precursor to development of
mutual understanding and respect amongst participants.
Achieving all this is far from easy and will often require facilitation
skills and learning on the part of many of the participants. There are many
techniques for these processes, ranging from those used in conflict resolu-
tion processes (see Chapter 9) to techniques such as knowledge cafés,
which place emphasis on the active listening of the receiver to extract
meaningful knowledge from the source, rather on the more usual delivery
of information in a format planned by giver of information. These skills
need to be embedded in education and training at all levels in schools and
colleges, e.g. in the citizenship classes introduced in the UK. The impor-
tance of training in relevant skills for all professionals involved in ICT
development projects has already been emphasised. Creating awareness
and confidence of citizens in participation and engagement is a determin-
ing factor in the shaping of technology to achieve desirable digital futures.
This is therefore an essential challenge to meet!
10.6 Scaling the Process
As 'e-everything' prevails in the information society, everyone is a stake-
holder in our digital world. However, because of the scale of the potential
stakeholder population, the idea of designing whole global systems with
the participation of all citizens in one great collaborative endeavour would
be nonsensical. Achieving widespread participation will depend on, among
several other things, achieving the right scale for the process.
While the message is to involve and include citizens in ICT design and
development and appropriately use their unique contributions, there is no
single 'right way' to do this. Tailoring the approach to the context is essen-
tial for success. Applying the concept of information ecologies (Nardi and
O'Day 1999), described in Chapter 7 establishes the contexts in which is-
sues of real concern in communities throughout the world can be addressed
effectively and enabled by technology where appropriate.
Citizens can become involved in design and development activities at a
local level, and on a small scale, making it initially more manageable and
allowing citizens a voice. Some successful examples were reported earlier (see
Chapter 4) and demonstrate that citizens can contribute to novel solutions
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