Recent news from the Center for Civic Media

Using Tech to Improve Healthcare in Local Communities

Submitted by ckaman on December 12, 2007 - 1:57pm

In my work at the Center for Future Civic Media, I’ve been investigating ways that emerging technologies could be used to better the quality of healthcare in local communities. I’ve been particularly interested in exploring ways to improve the communication between doctors and their patients. I recently spoke with Jay Parkinson [no relation to the disease of the same name], a licensed medical doctor, who offers a creative approach to addressing some of these pressing issues.

In late September, Dr. Jay Parkinson opened an online medical practice in Brooklyn. Nearly every morning, Parkinson goes to what he calls “his office”–the neighborhood coffee shop. From there, he might communicate with his patients over cell phone, instant messenger, or email. He can rapidly access medical records using an online database. It’s idea that has gained considerable media attention since Parkinson offers personalized medical care to the young and uninsured through a mixture of electronic communication and old-fashioned house calls.

Ellen Hume Joins the CMS Team

Submitted by Henry on December 7, 2007 - 10:12pm

MIT's new Center for Future Civic Media (C4FCM) has announced that Ellen Hume will join the center as research director, effective Jan. 28.

A joint effort between the MIT's Media Lab and Comparative Media Studies Program, C4FCM, founded earlier this year with a $5 million grant from the Knight Foundation, develops new techniques and technologies to promote and enhance civic engagement in local communities, providing people with new means to share, prioritize, organize and act on information relevant to their communities.

As research director, Hume will collaborate closely with C4FCM principal investigators Chris CsikszentmihÃ¡lyi, associate professor of media arts and sciences; Henry Jenkins, Peter de Florez Professor of Humanities and co-director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program; and Mitchel Resnick, LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research and head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, to define the priorities and plans for the new center.

Ellen Hume Joins the CMS Team

Submitted by Henry on December 7, 2007 - 10:12pm

MIT's new Center for Future Civic Media (C4FCM) has announced that Ellen Hume will join the center as research director, effective Jan. 28.

A joint effort between the MIT's Media Lab and Comparative Media Studies Program, C4FCM, founded earlier this year with a $5 million grant from the Knight Foundation, develops new techniques and technologies to promote and enhance civic engagement in local communities, providing people with new means to share, prioritize, organize and act on information relevant to their communities.

As research director, Hume will collaborate closely with C4FCM principal investigators Chris CsikszentmihÃ¡lyi, associate professor of media arts and sciences; Henry Jenkins, Peter de Florez Professor of Humanities and co-director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program; and Mitchel Resnick, LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research and head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, to define the priorities and plans for the new center.

Youth and Civic Engagement: The Advocacy Project

Submitted by abhidas on November 23, 2007 - 1:52pm

A central aspect of the future of civic media is the induction of younger generations into the front lines of civic engagement. Numerous civic-minded organizations around the world exist in which training young people to work in this space is a top priority. An example of such an organization is the Washington-based Advocacy Project.

The Advocacy Project is an organization committed to supporting community-based initiatives by helping to integrate civic media technologies into their efforts. The initiatives they choose to support are largely geared to representing the cause of disempowered constituencies. Recent work done by the organization includes helping set up a community radio program in Nepal to further the participation of indigenous and minority populations in the Nepalese electoral process.

Communications Forum: "Games and Civic Engagement"

Submitted by Andrew on November 20, 2007 - 3:21pm

A generation of scholars, critics and political leaders has denounced videogames as a best a distraction and at worst a negative influence on society. Yet for a significant and growing minority of activists and researchers, games may also represent a resource for engaging young people with the political process and heightening their awareness of social issues. In what ways do young people use the online societies constructed in multiplayer games to rehearse and refine skills of citizenship? Can we imagine games as medium that encourages public awareness and citizenship? And what might it mean to empower young people to create their own games to reflect their perceptions of the world around them? This is the second in a continuing series from the new MIT Center for Future Civic Media.

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