IDIA2009 Conference
The Digital Doorway--A university challenge
Larry Stillman
Centre for Community Networking Research, Faculty of IT, Monash University, Australia
Abstract
Adopting a socio-political viewpoint, this presentation discusses the South African Digital Doorways (DD) project in relation to an Australian university's increasing engagement in social change projects.The DD project is described in terms of concepts drawn from Community and Development Informatics, including the significance of consultation and collaboration to ensure effective design, adoption and use in tribal and indigenous communities. Based upon the conceptual framework described, consultations for project development with Meraka and most recently, Monash staff will be summarized. The early form of a proposal for extending the project in the East Kimberleys region of Australia through a pilot is also outlined. All these needs to be considered in light of ideas about 'community based research' for universities and traditionally bureaucratized forms of social research.
