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Tigrean Lab
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Bad Ad Contest
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Techtip: Cleanup
Calendar
Linkage
LIHI Resource Fair and Free Tax Preparation Event
Event to help households maximize the use of available community resources. Childcare, food and prizes will be available.
Date: Saturday, January 27
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Sand Point Community Technology Center in Magnuson Park
Who: Anyone
Contact: Register by calling (206) 595-4048
Washington State Workforce Development Summit
Date: January 29
As part of Microsoft Unlimited Potential and the commitment to advancing economic opportunity through IT skills training in Washington State, Microsoft is hosting a Washington State Workforce Development Summit on January 29, 2007. This summit will bring together workforce development professionals and practitioners from across the state to examine the challenges and opportunities in preparing workers with the skills necessary for success in the global economy.
Through the Unlimited Potential program, Microsoft is committed to providing IT skills training to underserved individuals, broaden digital inclusion and improve job skills and economic opportunities for a quarter billion people around the world by 2010.
Register now. Get more info on the Unlimited Potential program, please click here, or email here.
2007 Summit Conference
Stragetic Use of Information and Communication Technology for Communities.
Date: February 23-25
Where: Vancouver, BC
Communities around the world are taking advantage of the Internet to improve people's lives. Strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is helping create social and economic change in health, education, culture, and to increase civic engagement. But the benefits are not evenly distributed. "Digital divides" persist in urban and rural communities, among First Nations and others. The 2007 Summit will focus on how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can be used in a strategic fashion by communities.
CTC Peer Networking
Date: January 17
Time: 11:30 a.m - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Sand Point Technology Lab
6940 62nd AV NE
Cost: Free; open to all community technology programs!
Topic: Work Force Development
Contact Janel Fox for more info
C4All Accessiblity Institutes
Learn the essential information, tools, and resources you need to make your programs more accessible to people of all abilities.
Dates:
Los Angeles, CA Jan 9 -10
Baltimore, MD Jan 16
Oakland, CA Jan 18 - 19
Nashville, TN Jan 23
Boston, MA Jan 30
Black history links:
Escape to Freedom
Read an online interactive comic about the Underground Railroad.
Black History Quiz
If you want to test your knowledge of African-American history, try this Interactive Treasure Hunt & Quiz.
History Channel- Celebrate Black History
Get short bios on many prominent African- American figures in history.
From ironing boards to x-rays, links to info about famous Black inventors:
Famous Black Inventors
A list of African American patent holders and inventors.
Another site about Black inventors geared to 2nd and 3rd graders.
MIT inventor trivia and games.
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q&a
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Don't miss Ask the Mayor on the Seattle Channel. It's a Q&A show featuring host C.R. Douglas and callers in local issues discussion with Mayor Greg Nickels. Next taping is January 10. Email your questions in advance to askthemayor@seattle.gov.
CITY OF SEATTLE
Greg Nickels, Mayor
Department of
Information Technology
BILL SCHRIER
chief
technology officer
BUSBONG SEARS
acting director, office of
electronic communications
DAVID KEYES
manager, community
technology program
staff
D.H. CASS MAGNUSKI
editor
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Tigrean community members gather in the new technology lab
Tigrean Ethiopians in Seattle have a new place to learn about computers and the Internet. The Tigrean Community Association now offers technology training and assistance as part of their services to immigrant and refugee families.
"We are excited to help our members gain access to important online resources, such as housing services, immigration forms and local government information," said board member Asfaha Lemlem.
The computer lab opened in November, 2006 with four new computers funded by the Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund. Staffed entirely by volunteers, the lab offers one-on-one assistance to help their members navigate the Internet and learn about technology. Many of the organization's members come to the lab to read newspapers from their homeland and connect to friends and family via email.
Located at 19th and Yesler, the Tigrean Community Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to responding to the needs and improving the quality of the lives of Tigrean/Ethiopians in Seattle. Founded in the early 1990's by a few individuals, the organization now has more than 500 members. It assists Tigreans/Ethiopians in becoming fully absorbed in their communities as quickly as possible, thereby enabling them to live and work to their full potential. In addition to technology training, the organization provides academic support for school age children, Tigrinya language classes and educational and preventative services to second generation Tigrean Ethiopians who face intercultural adjustment problems. For more information on the Tigrean Community Association, contact Asfaha Lemlem, or call (206) 324-2190.
2006 TMF grantee, Seattle MESA, Robotics Academy students
$150,000 available for digital
inclusion projects
The City is awarding funds to Seattle organizations to support the growth of a technology-healthy community through the Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund. The fund supports projects that reach technology underserved communities to address one or more of the following goals: 1) to increase technology literacy and access; 2) to provide residents with access to computers, the Internet and other information technology; and 3) to increase residents' use of technology for civic engagement and democratic participation.
The fund is currently seeking applications for the 2007 grant round. The deadline is Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. The application and guidelines are available here or at local Neighborhood Service Centers. The total fund was increased to $150,000 from $100,000 this year. The fund will award grants of up to $20,000 each.
Questions? Attend a TMF Grant Information Session. Program staff and current grantees will be there to answer any questions. Learn more about the application process and grant requirements, how projects get
funded and the experiences of successful applicants.
TMF Grant Information Session One
Wednesday, January 31 at 6:00 p.m.
Bitter Lake Community Center
13035 Linden Ave N, 98133
TMF Grant Information Session Two
Thursday, February 1 at 3:00 p.m.
Delridge Community Center
4501 Delridge Way SW 98106
For more information on the Technology Matching Fund, visit seattle/gov/tech, or contact Delia Burke at (206) 233-2751 or by email.
Frank Russell Company
Deadline: Accepting Letters of Inquiry January 1 - March 31
Provides grants globally to significant and innovative programs that address pressing needs in two areas: Children and Financial Literacy.
Social Venture Partners, Social Venture Kids
Deadline: Letter of Inquiry, March 14
Provides young people with an opportunity to impact their communities and develop lifelong philanthropy skills. The giving focus for 2007 is on programs addressing teen drug and alcohol abuse.
Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund
Deadline: March 7
Funds Seattle programs that reach technology underserved communities to address one or more of the following goals 1) to increase technology literacy and access; 2) to provide residents with access to computers, the Internet and other information technology; and 3) to increase residents' use of technology for civic engagement and democratic participation.
Neighborhood Matching Fund, Large Project Fund
Deadline: Letter of Intent, Feb 5
Funds a broad array of neighborhood-initiated improvement, organizing or planning projects.
bad ad contest
Bad Ads? January 15 is the new deadline for the 9th Annual Bad Ad Contest. The contest invites youth in grades 6-12 to speak back to ads. If you are concerned about the spread of advertising into every corner of our society or if you are upset about the domination of consumer values, then here is your chance. The contest sponsor, the New Mexico Media Literacy Project offers an excellent range of media literacy education materials and samples of deconstructed ads. See their site
here and contest rules here.
The site also features past winners.
In 2006, the City of Seattle was able to provide free surplus computers and equipment to 18 different Seattle organizations. For more info on how to obtain the computers, go here.
new year's cleaning
If you have had your computer for more than six months, now would be a good time to clean it up. There are several things to think about when cleaning up a computer:
Hard Drive: Delete or archive to CD, thumb drive or another drive, the files you don’t need or seldom use. Doing this will make your computer run faster. The best way to archive is to a CD drive; however backing up your data also works. Next, uninstall programs you don't use. After you have completed this, run Scan Disk and then Defrag.
Floppy and CD ROMs: You should purchase Floppy and CD ROM Drive cleaner to clean your CD, DVD and floppy drives. Drive cleaners are available for about $10 at a computer store.
Computer Cases: Clean the inside of your computer. Fans can get clogged up, overheating your computer and damaging the components. Use a vacuum cleaner to clean out all of the easy-to-reach places. After vacuuming, use a can of compressed air for the hard-to-reach places.
Keyboard and Mice: Use compressed air to clean in the cracks of the keyboard and mice.
Keeping your computer clean will add more life to it. Get more info
here.
Happy New Year!
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