UBC Digital Literacy Centre & SFU Faculty of Education
Friday, May 15 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
Digital Literacy Centre (DLC). Ponderosa F, UBC
This colloquium gathers together researchers, teachers, non-profit agencies and community members to discuss how the digital inequalities of access and use in the Lower Mainland impinge on people’s daily lives, their access to services, knowledge, resources, and ultimately on their social and educational trajectories.
AGENDA
9:30 Registration and Coffee
10:00 Introduction
Expectation setting
10:15 Panel A: SFU, ACORN BC, UBC Learning Exchange
11:15 Research and Action: Group discussions
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Panel B: Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver Public Library,
Vancouver Board of Education, UBC Digital Literacy Centre
2:15 Research and Action: Group discussions
3:00 Digital equity: Pulling together a research
and action agenda
4:00 End
SPEAKERS
Suzanne Smythe,
Assistant Professor at SFU
How digital equity is more complicated, fluid and provisional than access to an internet connection
Marcos Gomez,
A lead organizer of ACORN BC
Issues surrounding affordability and barriers to digital access for low-income earners in Canada
Dionne Pelan,
Coordinator of the Computer and Drop-In Program of the UBC Learning Exchange
How “Contributing Through Computers”, a community-university exchange program, supports marginalized citizens
Davina Gallagher,
Associate Manager in Clinical and Systems Transformation of Vancouver Coastal Health
How digital inequalities can affect access to health services
Karen Sharkey,
Public librarian
Barriers faced by library users to gain adequate access, skills, and knowledge to overcome digital inequality, and what libraries are doing to address these challenges
Esaine Mo,
Settlement worker for the Vancouver Board of Education
How digital inequalities affect immigrant families and their access to resources
Ron Darvin,
Co-coordinator of UBC Digital Literacy Centre
How learner differences in home digital access and role models can shape unequally valued digital literacies
Organizers: Suzanne Smythe (SFU), Ron Darvin (UBC), Theresa Rogers (UBC)
Please note that slots for this colloquium are limited. If you wish to participate, email Ron Darvin at ron.darvin@alumni.ubc.ca by Tuesday, May 5 and wait for a confirmation email.
Follow this link to read Suzanne’s blog: https://digitalequityinbc.wordpress.com/