Month: February 2016

Come to the February 2016 Connect Chicago Meetup: Chicago Public Library’s Internet to Go Program

Denise Linn

Our next Connect Meetup will feature the Chicago Public Library’s hotspot lending program, Internet to Go.

At the event, the Connect Chicago community will learn about Internet to Go, hear about the program’s goals & impact, and have a larger discussion about 21st Century Library resources addressing digital equity. Lunch will be served.

Event: Chicago Public Library’s Internet to Go Wi-Fi Hotspot Lending Program

Where: The Chicago Community Trust

When: Friday, February 26th from 11am to 1pm

RSVP at this link.

Our special guest will be Michelle Frisque, the Chief of Technology, Content and Innovation at the Chicago Public Library.  

You’re invited to join this cross-sector discussion on libraries and Internet access projects. Come meet and network with computer trainers, nonprofit professionals, and fellow residents who care about the digital lives of Chicagoans.

LearnReadDiscover

About Internet to Go

Chicago Public Library’s innovative Internet to Go program lets patrons check out a Wi-Fi hotspot for three weeks. Launched in 2015, the lending program targets neighborhoods with low Internet use and adoption, giving patrons in that neighborhood free access they can take outside of the library’s walls. Supporters of the programs include the Knight Foundation & Google.

“To increase engagement with the Internet in communities with extremely low Internet use, Chicago Public Library will test Wi-Fi hotspot lending from six neighborhood libraries in combination with robust digital skills coaching. Laptops and tablets will also be available. Devices will be loaned for three weeks, and digital and information literacy services will be made available to patrons at checkout. Internet to Go will allow the library—already the city’s largest provider of free Internet access—to test the idea, refine it and ultimately expand the project.” – The Knight Foundation

Hotspots are available for check-out at the following Chicago Public Library branches:

  • Austin
  • Brighton Park
  • Daley Richard M.-W, Humboldt
  • Douglass
  • Galewood-Mont Clare
  • Greater Grand Crossing
  • Legler
  • North Pulaski
  • Vodak-East Side
  • Woodson Regional Library.

You can read more about the Internet to Go Program here. You can access the program’s FAQs here.

Austin

The Launch of the CUTGroup Collective

Sonja Marziano

Today, three years after we started the CUTGroup, we are announcing a new initiative called the CUTGroup Collective where we will convene organizations who are interested in our CUTGroup model to connect with each other, share information, and collaborate to improve what we know and the work that we do.

If this is something you want to be a part of, please fill out this form.

CUTGroup Test Discussion on Digital Skills

Smart Chicago started the Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) to engage with residents around technology, build digital skills, and conduct usability testing to ensure that technology being built for people, actually worked for the people they tried to serve.

We think this is a great step in establishing sustained, meaningful collaboration with residents around the data and technology. CUTGroup is a lightweight way to get people involved. The hope is once everyone is involved in this world, we’ll find new ways to innovate that we can’t possibly conceive at this time. 

-Dan O’Neil from the launch blog post for the CUTGroup, February 1, 2013

Over the last few years, the CUTGroup grew to over 1,300 testers, extended from Chicago to the rest of Cook County, and our twenty-fourth test will happen early next month. While we are growing in numbers, we continue to reflect and develop this program and our processes to be accessible to more people and have a greater impact in the technology we test.

The CUTGroup has been a leading example of civic engagement through UX testing, and many cities have expressed interest in our model or started their own CUTGroup. Chattanooga Code for America Brigade started one in May 2014, Open Oakland began a CUTGroup in December 2014, Code for Miami was recently announced as a Knight Cities Challenge finalist for their Civic User Testing Group, and KC Digital Drive announced the start of their own CUTGroup just a couple of weeks ago!

It’s exciting when groups in other cities see the value in the work that we do and replicate it. Being open is a leading principle at Smart Chicago:

We are open. In the technology industry, the primary manifestation of that is the use of open source code. We have dozens of repositories on Github, for every piece of software we’ve made over the last three years. But being open means more than using a particular license for our software. It means having open processes, so that people know what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and how they can affect it. This is about allowing others “in”, wherever that may be in any particular situation.

For the CUTGroup, the first part of this was easy. The code for our website and management tool are on GitHub. We share all of our test results, our tools, the questions we ask, and the responses from our testers. We wrote the CUTGroup book in September 2014 as a resource and set of best practices to run a CUTGroup. These steps were crucial, but we wanted to find a way to allow more people in—to engage directly with workers in other cities not to only to replicate our model, but also establish a network that helps create sustainable and successful CUTGroups. 

CUTGroup Collective

Smart Chicago’s goal for the CUTGroup Collective is to convene organizations and institutions in cities to help others establish new CUTGroups, create a new community, and share and learn from one another.

First, we will broaden the ways we communicate by having a Slack channel dedicated to CUTGroup work. We will also host monthly calls to discuss processes, successes and challenges. This will lead to even more documentation that will be useful to other cities.

We will promote a system for sharing information and stories from before, during and after the test so we can learn about the different technologies being tested and what is and isn’t working for residents.

We will host a meeting in Fall 2016 that focuses on the intersection of UX testing, digital skills, and community engagement that is present in our CUTGroup model. More to come on this!

We are grateful to the Knight Foundation, which makes the CUTGroup Collective possible. They are funding this work through our Deep Dive, where we are part of a cohort representing a diverse set of approaches to expanding community information and increasing community engagement.

If you are interested in a model, or have already established a CUTGroup, we want to hear from you. Questions? Email me here:

Fill out the form below and let’s get in touch!

Connect Chicago January 2016 Meetup Recap: Co-Creating a Digital Access & Skills Ecosystem

Denise Linn

On Friday January 29th, trainers, program coordinators, and public sector leaders from all across Chicago came together to Co-Create a Digital Access & Skills Referral Network for Chicago.

We were pleased to see friends and collaborators from Chicago Public Library, Microsoft, Safer Foundation, Blue 1647, YWCA Chicago, Jane Addams Resource Corporation, Literacy Works, LISC Chicago, Chicago Housing Authority, and many other institutions in attendance.

Why build this network? First, there is obvious value in taking inventory of all of the digital/tech skill-building programs in the city. Second, after the inventory is taken, we, as a sector, can begin to understand how our work fits together. By simply knowing where Adler Planetarium can recruit new youth, or where the Cara Program can refer its patrons to next, we illuminate learning pathways for Chicago residents.

To see a growing list of Connect Chicago people and programs, see our Twitter list.

You can read about our inspiration for hosting this event here and read more about the taxonomy that organized the event here.

Discovering Learning Pathways Across Programs

This was a highly interactive Meetup. Every program in attendance had a poster complete with detailed program information (from this survey), a flyer, an envelope for business cards or feedback, and space for others to mark if:

“I would refer my patrons to this program”

– and / or –

“I would recruit patrons who completed this program”

See Career Transitions Center of Chicago’s poster for an example:

1_CareerTransitionsCenterofChicagoatOldSt.Patricks

This was a “low tech” method of getting rich, hard-to-collect data from scattered sources.

If you enlarge the image above, you’ll see a hypothetical learning pathway for a resident. A digital learner in Chicago might start at Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH). POAH might then might refer that patron to Career Transitions Center of Chicago for both emotion/professional support as digital skills are improved. Then, if that patron is interested in the manufacturing field, they can go from Career Transitions Center of Chicago to the Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC). That is just one route to a goal. We want to illuminate more.

At the end of the Meetup event, we raffled off funds to one of the participating programs. We were pleased to award $1000 in funds to the Jack Ehrlich Literacy Program at the Anixter Center – a training program that provides one-on-one mentoring to adults with disabilities. According to Anixter’s Digital Access & Skills Referral Network Survey Response:

“We have a general computer class to teach internet navigation, typing, mouse usage, etc. Learners can work 1:1 on any computer skills they wish. We have iPads and touchscreen computers, and accessible technology, all of which people can learn to use.”

The city is filled with programs like Anixter. These programs and training sites work everyday, playing their specialized role in strengthening the digital access & skills ecosystem of Chicago.

Resources from the Meetup

You can access all the resources from the January Meetup in the Connect Chicago Shared Google Folder. In this folder you’ll find:

  • A spreadsheet of the Digital Access & Skills Referral Network Survey responses. Note: If you are a participating program and see an email address or item that you would prefer not to be shared publically, please email
  • High resolution pictures of every featured program poster at the Meetup (including
  • Every program flyer featured at the Meetup
  • Notes from the Meetup. There is a section in the notes where organizations can post announcements and resources — we encourage everyone to contribute.
  • The presentation from the Meetup.

The work isn’t over. We plan to build on this material with your help. Digital/tech training programs or access programs can still fill out the Digital Access & Skills Referral Network Survey to be included.

Thank you to all of the training sites and programs that participated in the January 29th Connect Chicago Meetup! More data and tools will be released as a result of this great work. Follow the Smart Chicago blog for news and updates.

Meeting 1: Notes from Police Accountability Mt. Vernon Baptist Church JLM Life Center

Smart Chicago

The Smart Chicago Collaborative is documenting the four community forums hosted by the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force and held across the city in the month of February.

The purpose of the meetings were to provide residents the opportunity to speak or submit written comments on improving the accountability, oversight and training of Chicago’s police officers.

We sent a number of people to this first meeting, held at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church JLM Life Center at 2622 W. Jackson Boulevard:

Three text documenters: see their notes here

Screenshot 2016-04-12 22.07.25

Two videographers (Community TV Network, video here)

One photographer (Daniel X. O’Neil, images here, download them all here in hi res.

The meeting was conducted by the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force. The Task Force itself also videotaped this meeting — see that here.

All of this material is posted under Creative Commons 4.0 license. You are free to use it for any purpose, with attribution.

How we do it

Here’s a look into our documentation process.

CTVN mentor films the speakers:

24711699171_eaff97a42d_o

While an apprentice gets the wide shot:

24509672040_a57dc4c05d_o

Our documenters filled in a back row:

24778977826_e49d7c6d2a_o 24437555999_c28fdd58b7_o 24437552789_5d7143554d_o

And one also filled out a few comment cards that were read by the moderator.

PoliceAccountabilityCommentCard

Smart Health Center Navigators Assisting in Nutrition and Weight Loss Programming at Fantus Clinic

Smart Chicago

328px-Seal_of_Cook_County,_Illinois.svgHere’s an update on our work at Cook County Health System General Medicine Center at Fantus Clinic over the last few weeks.

Health Navigator Zaundra Boyd has been helping nutritionist Carole O’Neil and Dr. Caroline Poku as they develop and deliver nutrition counseling to overweight patients with diabetes. She creates materials, interfaces with patients and shares her own story of health. She’s worked with dozens of patients who express a need for better self-management weight-loss tips because of their history of non-adherence to eating plans, contributing to their erratic blood glucose and pressure readings.

Americorps National Health Corps member Anne Lin is also helping out with this program. She teaches about weight loss apps like MyPlate for people with lower digital skills and helps build a weight history graph with each patient. The basic idea is to work with them to think back on their life, and try to identify factors that may have contributed to weight gain or loss in the past. This self-reflection helps them understand the program and feel a measure of control.

Americorps National Health Corps member Katie Reed does a cooking segment in the Diabetes class for Spanish-speaking patients at Fantus on Thursdays. She researches meals and demonstrates healthy eating. She works with Dr. Melody Christians and Dr. Martinez as they plan their lessons. Katie discusses whether or not they like the dish, if they can replicate it at home, and what they would want to add to or change about each recipe.

Health Navigator Planning Meeting led by Kyla Willams and Patrice Coleman

 

A Twitter-Based Review Crime & Punishment in Chicago

Smart Chicago

Introduction

This is the raw content for a set of tweets we published today about our Crime & Punishment in Chicago project.

Our April 2014 Crime & Punishment in Chicago project is an index of criminal justice data: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/

Crime and Punishment in Chicago

We partnered with @CJPJustProj and Supreme Chi-Town Coding Crew from @freegeekchicago. The code is on Github, but the research is what matters.

This was a classic ecosystem project— we provided revenue, tech, and training for important journalists, researchers, and developers.

The intrepid @CivicWhitaker served as project manager for Crime & Punishment in Chicago: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/

We tracked data sources into 8 stages, from commission of a crime all the way to prison. We aggregate sources & discuss collection of data.

Then we categorize the data as “Open”, “FOIA”, or inaccessible. We cover status in Chicago, and highlight the best practice nationally.

Sections

Victimization: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/ victimization.html. Many crimes go unreported. @TheJusticeDept made the NCVS to estimate the #s: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=245

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Victimization

Calls for service: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/callforservice.html. The @ChicagoOEMC1 publishes no bulk data about calls for service.

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Calls For Service

The @CJPJustProj has Chicago calls for service data from 2008-2012: http://chicagojustice.org/foi/data-sets-available-for-download/calls-for-police-service

Chicago Justice Project calls For Service Data

The @DallasPD releases comprehensive call for service data: http://www.dallaspolice.net/MediaAccess/Default.aspx. Includes units responding, link to map, and status

Dallas Police Calls For Service
Incidents: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/incidents.html. The @Chicago_Police crime incident data is exemplary cc/ @chicagocdo @CityChicagoCIO

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Incidents

Arrests: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/arrest.html. No info about arrestees is published in Chicago.

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Arrest

Henrico County @henriconews makes arrest data available online: http://randolph.co.henrico.va.us/public-data-access/searcharrest.aspx

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Henrico County, VA

Prosecute: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/prosecute.html. State’s Attorney publishes no data online and we do not know what data they collect.

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: State's Attorney's Office

The State’s Attorney’s Office has been ruled to be exempt from FOIA cc/ @KimFoxxforSA @DonnaMore + @SAAnitaAlvarez: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/prosecute.html

Jail: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/jail.html. Info on the 8,900 inmates in Cook County Jail cc/ @TomDart

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Jail

Cook County Inmate Locator (http://www2.cookcountysheriff.org/search2/). Some of this data is used by the 26th and California Project (http://26thycalifornia.recoveredfactory.net/)

Raw Cook County Jail API via Supreme Chi-Town Coding Crew: https://github.com/sc3/cookcountyjail/wiki/API-guide. Huge, important work.

Courts: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/court.html. The @CJPJustProj obtained 5 years of conviction data: http://www.chicagojustice.org/foi/data-sets-available-for-download/cook-county-court-data

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Courts

This @CJPJustProj data was used in our Convicted in Cook project: http://convictions.smartchicagoapps.org/, again on concert with @freegeekchicago

Convicted in Cook

Prison: http://crime-punishment.smartchicagoapps.org/prison.html. The IL Dep. of Corrections provides inmate search: http://www.illinois.gov/idoc/offender/pages/inmatesearch.aspx.

Crime & Punishment in Chicago: Prison

No bulk prison data is available in Illinois.

Oregon publishes prison data here: https://data.oregon.gov/browse?q=Prison%20&sortBy=relevance&utf8=%E2%9C%93. Includes forecasts & census of prison populations and admissions.

More work needed

If you are inspired by this project, or have any updates, please contact us.