e-VT Newsletter ~ November 2011 edition

Conference: e-Communities in a Digital Age

e-Communities in a Digital Age: e-Vermont’s third regional day-long workshop is coming to Lyndon State College on November 19th. Anne Galloway of VtDigger.org will be the keynote speaker. Session topics include mobilizing community resources during emergencies, a hands-on lab about digital tools for business, a showcase of how technology is expanding the classroom for 4-6th graders, and a preview of how town meetings can engage a wider audience. Register today!

Helping the Public Get Online

The goal of e-Vermont is for every home to have high speed subscriptions, but sometimes the infrastructure isn’t available, the subscriptions cost more than a household can afford, or computer users are simply on the road and don’t have that home or office access! e-Vermont communities have found lots of different ways to help people find high speed Internet access. Here are some of the ways e-Vermont is helping:

• In partnership with the Vermont Department of Libraries we bring funding for computer equipment to improve public access to local, public libraries in e-Vermont towns.
• Library regional consultants have built recommended specifications for their libraries’ public computers. Some libraries get creative with the equipment they bring in. Bristol, for example, built a mobile lab to take advantage of wireless connections around town and Arlington created an entire classroom learning environment for their library.
• Four communities in the first round of towns have chosen to build public Wi-Fi zones, three of which are modeled off of Wireless Woodstock. Read about Poultney’s successful launch here.
• Digital Wish’s approach to computers in the classroom embraces a school-family-community connection that lets students bring Netbooks home for a shared learning experience. After school programs and, in some schools, open computer lab hours allow for Internet access beyond the school day.
• Comcast has made free Internet subscriptions available to qualifying non-profits in e-Vermont towns, including places such as community centers and senior meal sites that then help community members get online.

At the e-Communities in a Digital Age workshop, a morning panel will take interested participants through the many options for improving public Internet access in their own towns. Click here for details and to register.

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In This Issue:

e-Communities in a Digital Age Conference

Helping the Public Get Online

An Exciting New Webinar on Your 24/7 Public Library

What Does Your Business Need to Know About Broadband?

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Upcoming Events:

e-Communities in a Digital Age Conference: Saturday November 19th, 8am - 4:30pm. Register today!

Your Public Library – 24/7
Nov 8, noon
Nov 10, 6pm
Nov 15, noon
Click HERE 10 minutes before the start time to join.

Community Events: See the FULL CALENDAR of e-Vermont events.

For More Information about e-Vermont

Contact Helen Labun Jordan, Program Director, at 802-225-6091.

An Exciting New Webinar on Your 24/7 Public Library

We all know that public libraries are vital sources of information, but how much do we know about the online information they make available 24 hours a day?

As part of our webinar series, e-Vermont is offering Your Library Presents: Information 24/7 on November 8th, 10th and 15th.

Find out how your library is offering resources for job seeking and career exploration, lifelong learning, genealogy, and creating and maintaining small businesses that are available to you 24/7 from any computer with internet access. We’ll take a brief tour of Career Transitions, Universal Class, PowerSpeak, HeritageQuest Online, and Small Business Resources Center.

To attend, go to the webinar link at www.e4vt.org on the date and time of your choice from any computer with a high speed Internet connection. Free. No pre-registration required.

We encourage you to log in 5 min. before the session begins. You will need to turn on your computer’s sound/speakers.

Webinar Dates (same webinar repeated):

• November 8th 12:00 - 12:30 pm
• November 10th 6:00 - 6:30 pm
• November 15th 12:00 - 12:30 pm

If this webinar interests you, also check out the Public Libraries in the 21st Century session at the e-Communities in a Digital Age regional workshop. Click here for details and to register.

What Does Your Business Need to Know About Broadband?

e-Vermont business adviser Pat Ripley has worked with a wide variety of Vermont’s small businesses over the last year – in fact, he has provided one-on-one advising to 75 businesses and had almost 400 people attend his 30 workshops. This business advising is possible through e-Vermont’s partnership with the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC).

The e-Vermont website has recently made some of Pat’s information available to anyone interested in learning more about Internet basics for businesses.

• A new business toolkit has launched with information on basic business tools, tips on website design, an introduction to social media marketing, and overview of free online tools for business applications.
• Three businesses are featured in our new line up of Community Stories: Waiora Valley Farm / Gallup Brook Fencing, JPW Accounting Services, and Poultney Small Business Center.
• A short webinar on Facebook Marketing is now in our archives, and we hope to offer more of these virtual learning opportunities in the upcoming months.

An important component of the VtSBDC approach to working with businesses on effective use of the Internet is that everything ties back to their fundamental business goals and strategies. The many new tools available online don’t replace the need for strong business basics. Find out more about VtSBDC’s statewide resources for business planning at their website vtsbdc.org.

If you haven’t been to an e-Vermont business workshop yet, check out the business sessions available at the e-Communities in a Digital Age regional workshop. Click here for details and to register.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Do you want more than the occasional newsletter update? E-Vermont has a Facebook Page (/e4vt.org) and Twitter Account (@eVermont). If you aren’t following us, here are some of the things you’ve missed in the last few weeks:

• In the introduction to a working day on technology in education last week, we watched a short, but fairly elegant, video explanation of the importance of online tools in the classroom. Scroll down to "A Brave New World Wide Web" (or browse all the linked presentations) www.davidtruss.com
• Where to put tweet links for top impact? http://danzarrella.com/new-twitter-data-optimal-link-placement-for-clicks.html There, according to new study from Zarella who analyzed 200,000 messages....
• e-Vermont partner Digital Wish was recently featured in the national media (EdNET Insight) with some really interesting stats on the impact of their 1:1 computing work. http://www.ednetinsight.com/news-alerts/technology-headlines/digital-wish-1-1-computing-initiative-spans-27-vermont-schools.html
• e-Vermont partner Front Porch Forum recently appeared on Across the Fence for a great discussion that included Town Meeting expert Susan Clark - whose VPR commentary was posted here last week. http://blog.frontporchforum.com/2011/10/27/video-across-the-fence-examines-front-porch-forum/
• TEDx is coming to UVM tomorrow! (Oct 28th) Sponsored by the Complex Systems Center you can watch talks on everything from the robot revolution to measuring happiness. Everything will be live streamed. http://www.uvm.edu/~tedxuvm/
• The "Internet Safety for Parents" Webcast #education #technology
• Vermont's small and micro #rural #businesses are growing together as #broadband expands. Interview here http://www.uvm.edu/extension/atfblog/?m=20111005 The 10/5/11 show

. . . and more. Follow us today! Facebook Twitter