<p> You can wear your “No, I won’t fix your computer” 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’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’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>
<p> <strong> Ellen Meier </strong> is co-director of the Center for Technology and School Change at Teachers College, and associate professor of practice, computing, and education. She also co-chairs the Regents-appointed Council for Technology Policy and Practice for New York. Her research examines the role of technology in creating more engaging learning environments and in catalyzing school change. She has worked extensively with metropolitan schools to study the integration of digital tools in ways that improve educational practice. </p>
<p><strong>Gillian “Gus” Andrews</strong> recently received her doctorate in Internet confusion, having completed a dissertation on why people show up on unsuspecting blogs and think they are writing directly to Oprah or Bill Gates. She has written about similar confusions for ReadWriteWeb, and previously investigated the suffering of first-time <em>Second Life</em> users for Linden Lab. She is a periodic commentator on <em>Off The Hook,</em> and writes, edits, directs, and puppeteers for <em>The Media Show,</em> an award-winning YouTube show about digital and media literacy.</p>
<p> <strong> Jessamyn West </strong> is a community technology instructor, writer, and public librarian in Randolph, Vermont. She is a community moderator at MetaFilter, runs librarian.net, and has been blogging since 1997. Over the years, she has campaigned for smarter library technology policies, having been an at-large councilor for the American Library Association and a co-editor on the book <em> Revolting Librarians Redux. </em> </p>