Towards Open Libraries and Schools

<p> You can wear your &#8220;No, I won&#8217;t fix your computer&#8221; shirt, or you can try to make progress with the bureaucrats, teachers, bosses, and other tech n00bs who make maintaining the systems in your life utterly frustrating. In this panel, organized and moderated by <em> Off The Hook </em> participant Gus Andrews, two veterans of the battle to wire under-served areas talk about what works and what doesn&#8217;t when helping the uninitiate learn about the Internet, privacy issues, security, and proprietary software. Jessamyn West, blogger at librarian.net and a MetaFilter manager, will talk about her efforts to educate librarians and patrons about the PATRIOT Act and digital literacy, and her technology advocacy with the American Library Association. Ellen Meier, a professor at Columbia University Teachers College who presses for greater access to the Internet and more pervasive use of technology in classrooms, will talk about what works and what doesn&#8217;t when working with educators and with administrators in Albany. The panel will welcome discussion, questions, and frustrations from audience members dealing with similar problems. </p>

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