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Posts Tagged ‘digital divide’

IBM’s 5 in 5 and Future Technological Disruptions Effecting Mobile Ministry

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

It is that time of the year when predictions, resolutions, and trends-spotting makes the headline news. At the time of writing, I’m not sure that we’ll do too much (more) prophecying about mobile in ministry, but we will jump in with some of those putting forth some credible commentary towards activities, challenges, and advancements to come.

In this set of predictions, IBM looks at some technologies which are (definitely in development/testing now) which may play major roles in a majority of areas of society as we move foward in the next five years. This series, 5 in 5 has been done previously, and certainly deserves a look backward to see how accurate these proponents of a smarter planet have been in their views:

View all of the 5 in 5 videos on the IBM YouTube Channel

There are five aspects of technological/cultural change being talked about with 5 in 5:

Energy: People power will come to life
Security: You will never need a password again
Mind reading: Not just science fiction any more
Analytics: Junk mail will become priority mail
Access: Mobile is closing the Digital Divide

Read about these through the press release and blog posts from IBM which explain each of these in detail.

I’ve got my debates about the closing of the digital divide (it does, and then it doesn’t when actual costs are looked at), and think that we are well entrenched towards an analytical-driven future where recommendation engines and security becomes a more accepted norm of being in digital-enhanced spaced. The mind-reading is happening in kit projects now, that part will get fun (especially as AI and adaptive computing models become the norm).

I do wonder about the lack of seeing anything in these in respect to language and literacy, as I do think that we are getting into a time when language is no longer a barrier if connectivity is addressed (real-time, passive, and active translation protocols between service points). That’s just me though. I’m all aboard the energy idea (see my thoughts on kinetic energy for mobile accessories at Nokia’s Ideas Project). We definitely need to ditch the personal dependence on grid energy infrastructure, and make it more economical and environmentally sustainable in industrial applications. These are all addressable tennants of any mobile ministry efforts, and it would be nice to see this alongside other goals for mobile ministry.

What about you? Got thoughts on 5 in 5? You can also join in the global conversation about 5 in 5 via the following channels:

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, and seeing just how you see internet/mobile ministry efforts going forward around and through these changes.

Tags: 5 in 5, analytics, digital divide, IBM, metrics, mobility, nanotechnology, stats, tech, trends
Posted in Future Trends | No Comments »

Don’t Forget to Reach Across the Divide

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

It is always good to be reminded of what mobile can do, but also of what current technologies, especially paper, offer to those who cannot or make a choice not to be as technological:

…It is sometimes difficult for me to truly articulate my reaction to people saying that print is dead. I don’t want to be labeled a luddite, or anti-ebook; I love my computer, I love my smartphone, and I love the fact that I have the internet in my pocket. The existence of ebooks means that people who can’t store physical books can have more to read. It means that hard-to-find and out of print material is becoming accessible again. I means that people who have arthritis, or weak wrists, or other physical disabilities that make reading physical books difficult, can read again, without worrying about physical pain. I love that ebooks exist.

This doesn’t change the part where, every time a discussion of ebooks turns, seemingly inevitably, to “Print is dead, traditional publishing is dead, all smart authors should be bailing to the brave new electronic frontier,” what I hear, however unintentionally, is “Poor people don’t deserve to read.”…

Read the rest of this passionate and needed piece by Seanan McGuire.

What I appreciate about many of the people whom I’ve talked to over the years is that question of “why?” Why is this tech relevant in a world where people are struggling to have their basic needs met? I simply can respond that it’s an opportunity to those who have it to enable or empower themselves and the lives of others. Any tech should elevate the entire community, not just the privileged.

I am challenged after reading this to not forget that divides don’t speak towards unity of the faith (“men shall know you are Mine by the love you have for one another…”).

Tags: access, accessibility, digital divide, Seanan McGuire
Posted in Commentary, Devices and Software, Social Engagement | No Comments »

Retweets of the Week (Jan 23-29)

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Once again, here’s a listing of some of the items which we’ve found via Twitter which may or may not make it into future articles. These tweets are respective of some of perspectives and voices that speak to the mountain of relevant issues at the intersection of faith and mobile technology. Our sharing of them here is because its a good chance that you could have missed them, or that you might not be active on Twitter, but appreciate where our ears go in relation to content here.

With that said, here are our latest Retweets of the Week:

Ew4n - Our man @momchil_MIR drives a keyboard, mouse, USB hard drive, HD monitor and JBL audio from his Nokia N8:http://bit.ly/fX1YS0

dmlcentral – Teaching with a digital tablet: one educator’s story. “Students participate who did not participate previously.” http://bit.ly/gA6Hpj

disruptivedean – What is UK citizens’ backup plan to maintain Internet conx in Egypt-type scenario? Need a decentralised mechanism like non-telco WiFi meshes

PBSMediaShift – Why And How Digital Music Products Have Indeed Failedhttp://j.mp/hPrnlD by @Mark_Mulligan

kcambell – If Internet helps engagement, should NPs prioritize better digital comms or increase base by narrowing digital divide?http://bit.ly/eMEEZt

lifechurchtv – James 1:26 “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your… http://fb.me/ODxFiQAp

Padmasree – Hyperconnectivity is not just about connecting people – how does m2m connectivity change industries, govts?

3GDoctor – “Household Penetration Rates for Technology Across the Digital Divide” http://t.co/3m3

Mobile_Advance – RT @kiwanja Nice Economist article on low-tech services on mobiles in the developing world. “Not Just Talk”. http://is.gd/udFTRv #mobmin

futuresagency – RT @MartinStrickman: Apps 2 help addicts disconnect from the web: MacFreedom, awayfind, rescuetime, getconcentrating via @loic #Davos #WEF

GordonMarcy – Is there a better way to keep up with rapid change? “The Great Church Run for Technology” http://bit.ly/f126F8

TrueConvert – Are Paper Books Going the Way of the 8-Track?http://post.ly/1Xdgm

CMAResources – The question isn’t where you go to church but where does your church go #missional #organicchurch (RT @Blackbirdnet)

anthonycoppedge – CHURCHES: Does your church use “QR” codes (barcodes) in any communications/formats? // Interested to hear your answers.

That’s just a few; I realize that this list gets a bit long, but we really do spend time looking at these and other links published at Twitter and via other outlets. If you’ve got something you deem worth sharing, be sure to point it out to us (@mobileminmag) or use the #mobmin hashtag if its directly related to mobile ministry efforts.

Tags: church, developing world, digital divide, digital music, education, engagement, internet addiction, iPad, James, mesh networking, mobile addiction, non-profits, QR Codes, Retweets of the Week, smartphone, technology adoption, Twitter, UK, Wi-Fi
Posted in Social Engagement | No Comments »

Wikileaks, Newspapers, and the Effect of Mobile in Media

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

The Harvard Business Review Blog recently posted a thought-provoking piece on the current Wikileaks situation(s). The thinking within this piece is that this kind of a break in traditionally secure or even private information is the most open challenge yet to the behaviors and thoughts that secrets will remain secrets.

Or, from the other side of the news delivery stream, what if newspapers were invented today? This isn’t as dissimilar a question as Google asked when inntroducing Wave (“what if email were invented today), but also asks us to think about media not just as a construct, but something that effects the context of life around us. There’s an implication to life that technologies always bring forth – and sometimes the questions and answers are easy to see, other times, they require the challenging or opening up of perceptions we’d not ordinarily consider.

Looking mobile in media [ministry], these kinds of situations not only offer a chance for reflection, but also ask of us to consider not just the consumption of media, but its effects in governed and non-governed contexts.

As we look at the ways mobile is pushing out various changes in our lives,* how do you expect the Body to adapt or resist changes which expose or break down barriers that once were (seemed) quite secure? If you will, disruption happens, but what also happens to secrets that are disrupted?

Or, are we making a mountain out of several molehills of compromised behaviors and information? Despite the changes happening in web, mobile, and the industries they touch, will there really be a change at all towards how we manage/secure data or how authorities govern the viewing of the decisions between that data?

*This article requires registration to be read in full.

Tags: accountability, data, digital divide, Google, Google wave, industries, media, mobile in media, multimedia, News+, newspapers, politics, stewardship, teaching, Wave, Wikileaks
Posted in Communication, Social Engagement | No Comments »

Mobility in the Midwest – If You Build It, They Will Come

Monday, November 1st, 2010

There are two parts of Kansas: the east and the west. The east in more populated and therefore has met and embraced the 21st Century. The west part of Kansas, is different. It is easy to suggest many of the things I have experienced personally in a more rapidly moving community, yet the reality is that those are just not going to happen yet. I have been to churches that have websites with services available on iTunes the next day. With over 20 churches in a population of 40,000, there is a exactly 1 church that has embraced this technology. I have been in churches that livestream services for people who are maybe home bound, or who maybe across country that service. There is no church that provides these services yet.

I have not counted all the churches here, but like I said just where I live there is a population of 40,000 and only a handful of churches have a web site. Five churches have a Facebook page and no one here is heard of Twitter. I mentioned my Twitter account in passing this week and someone passed my a tissue.

What can be done to close this gap between the east and west? The phrase keeps coming to mind “build it and they will come”. I didn’t coin it but I will explain what I mean.

I have had so much interest just in my every day life, keeping my schedules on my phone thereby eliminating the need for extra paper in my wallet. Online storage of my photos so that if and when my hard drive dies, I have back up of those precious moments. These are valuable, tangible services friends have seen and implemented in their own lives that they didn’t know existed. I am in the process of building a web site for the church I attend. I want to expand the services that will be on that web site, but just having a web presence is a nice start.

I’ve wondered if my presence in the plains is for the better and I have to believe it is. Bringing useful technology to people isn’t a easy process, but it is a satisfying one. I feel optimistic that “if you build it, they will come” philosophy will pay off.

Editor Note: Mobility in the Midwest is a weekly series looking at some of the mobile technology challenges presented in the Midwest US, and what the transition to mobile and connected communications means towards these communities.

Tags: community, digital divide, digital gap, Facebook, Midwest US, mobility, Mobility in the Midwest, Twitter
Posted in Commentary, Devices and Software, Social Engagement | 1 Comment »

Skills and Tech

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

For one reason or another, I have not been as aggressive in terms of finding and/repurposing mobile tech to people who not just have a need for access, but also a need to learn some tech skills. I will admit, part of the issue is certainly linked to current financial difficulties, but a more signifiant aspect of this is linked to motivations.

Now, I can clearly remember most of the people that have received something from MMM. From students, to parents, to missionaries, it is something neat to see and at the same time the kind of change that effects the ground-level needs of communities (which is one of the reasons MMM is designed for teaching and training over building products).

I think that is why this tweet about tech-skills enablement that is happening in San Francisco is pretty neat. Not only is it the case that generations of users are getting the skills, but that their success in the program merits them a physical computer. At a teen center that I used to work at, we did a similar program, and had mixed results. Still, it made for an accessible and cleaner way for companies to relieve themselves of older tech while enabling communities to grow along with the times.

Do you do this with your old tech, or, is the hardware likely to stay in a closet or drawer while your skills stay for you to hone and others to receive from?

Tags: access, digital divide, digital gaps, donations, education, Latino communities, San Francisco, skills-building, tech enablement
Posted in Communication, Social Engagement | No Comments »