TASCHA is hiring a Research Assistant

August 3, 2016

The Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) has an outstanding opportunity for a student to provide key support to TASCHA’s research communications activities. The student in this position will play an integral role by working directly with TASCHA’s Communications Specialist, along with the leadership and researchers at TASCHA. The student will have an opportunity to learn…

The future of libraries in the US & around the world

June 23, 2016

TASCHA’s work with public libraries is well-known throughout most of the world, ranging from the Public Access Landscape Study, which was the first attempt to identify and describe public libraries and other Internet public access centers and their services in 25 countries, to the Global Impact Study, which looked at the effect of libraries and other public access centers and their services on the users and non-users in eight countries. But with the selection of TASCHA as one of the three Legacy Partners by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Libraries Program, along with the United States Public Library Association (PLA) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), more work by TASCHA in the United States will be seen in the coming years.

Event: Towards a Mobile Information Literacy framework

May 12, 2016

iSchool PhD candidate and Technology & Social Change Group’s (TASCHA) Sheryl Day will be presenting at an iSchool Research Conversation about our Mobile Information Literacy work in Myanmar.

Ecologies of innovation and public libraries

April 23, 2016

Over the past couple of years, I’ve spent more and more time in the “innovation” space, attending conferences and workshops, speaking with leaders in the public library field, visiting innovation hubs from Africa to South America, doing a bit of research on innovation spaces, and otherwise trying to grapple with what this all means for international development generally (and as it pertains to all of TASCHA’s work), and public libraries in particular (for our public library research).

Event: Joyojeet Pal on Twitter and Political Rebranding in the Global South: The Case of Narendra Modi

April 15, 2016

Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) alum & current assistant professor at University of Michigan Joyojeet Pal will be back in Seattle for a few days in April. While he’s here, he will be giving a talk about uses of social media in “Global South” politics. Save the date, and see below for more details. We hope you’ll join us for this brown bag lunch discussion!

The past, present, & future of Making, the Maker Movement, & Makerspaces

April 12, 2016

TASCHA has begun looking at innovation spaces that support making activities and how they may provide communities with unique opportunities through fostering innovation and creativity, but there are challenges that must be addressed before “every child a maker” becomes a reality. Through a five-part blog post series, “Making and the maker movement: A democratizing force or an example of cultural reproduction?,” TASCHA research partner Lauren Britton critically examines the discourse around the maker movement and makerspaces, not in an attempt to discredit the movement and its supporters, but rather to draw attention to the issues and challenges of the maker movement and how these may be addressed.

New report: TASCHA study on MOOCs in developing countries reveals half of users receive certification

April 11, 2016

The Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) is pleased to announce the release of a new report, An examination of MOOC usage for professional workforce development outcomes in Colombia, the Philippines, & South Africa (download full report here). The report is a culmination of the research done as part of the Advancing MOOCs for Development Initiative.

Data for Democracy: New TASCHA project

March 28, 2016

The Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) is pleased to announce a new project, Data for Democracy. This new project is based in Myanmar in partnership with the Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMReF) and the Myanmar Book Aid Preservation Foundation (MBAPF).

Join TASCHA researchers to study ICTs & development in Southern Ghana

February 23, 2016

Interested in developing countries, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and culture? Are you a student at the University of Washington? If so, TASCHA Research Faculty Araba Sey and Researcher Chris Rothschild are leading a program this summer in Ghana that could be perfect for you and your education. This seminar focuses on research, development, communication, and technology.

Dr. Araba Sey selected as Mellon Senior Scholar in Residence

February 16, 2016

Dr. Araba Sey, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Information School and TASCHA, was selected as a Mellon Senior Scholar in Residence at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. Araba is spending three months working with faculty, researchers, and students at the university’s Africa Media Matrix School of Journalism and Media Studies.