The Future of Technology for Good

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

This is when things begin to get real.

In my first post, I shared my original research question: “How might the boys perceptions of technology change after using technology for good to create meaningful opportunities for underserved populations?” After completing a few literature reviews and much deliberation, I’ve slightly modified the original question to the following: “How might perceptions of technology amongst St. Albans boys be influenced after using a community developed technology product?”

Literature review:

Theme 1 — Impact of service learning projects on students

• When students are provided with authentic learning opportunities, in this case, the application of technology skills, projects tend to be more impactful to the student

Theme 2 — The Future of Technology for Good in Communities

• The notion of “social good” will be dependent upon the community. Communities have to be able to identify what social good looks like for them.
• Identifying needs would come through a series of empathy-building activities and interviews posed by groups attempting to address these problems.
• In any service project, student reflection is required in order to deepen learning
• Product design and development should be localized and pushed far down the line in order to address “hyper-local” needs. Creating products for localized environments. Developing adaptive, flexible solutions around a localized community environment should be a priority when creating for a community.
• Small-scale efforts and pilots are increasing and able to provide efficiency of service and quality of care (PLOS One Article)
• To test send out to group of 2–3 people for a first localized push during methodology
• Text-messaging, alert-messaging reminders to improve malaria care

Theme 3 — Using technology to mitigate accessibility barriers to treatment and care

• Policy development
• Infrastructure enhancement
• Open up and broaden lines of communication for service providers and data-sharing
• Open up possibilities for interstate social work practice and online service-delivery

Limitations:

• Not being able to find enough information on educator perceptions of technology programs and integration
• Need to look for more research on technology and aging populations

Resources:

1. Is the Digital Divide between Elderly and Young people increasing?
2. The effects of empathy skills training on nursing students’ empathy and attitudes toward elderly people
3. https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/tech4good-awards/
4. Harnessing Technology for Social Good:
5. Out of the Classroom and into the Community
6. Community Health Workers and Mobile Technology
7. https://www.raisingdigitalnatives.com/student-activists/
8. 25 Tech Ideas that Might Solve a Community Problem
9. The Future of Social Good
10. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTS/Summer-Fall-2003/pdf/hansen.pdf
11. https://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/About-JPMC/technology-for-social-good.htm