TeleCommons Development Group (TDG) and the Kuh-Ke-Nah Smart Community Project

The TeleCommons Development Group (TDG) is supporting KNet in the implementation of the SMART project by facilitating community engagement workshops and developing and implementing a monitoring and evaluation methodology.  This report addresses both of these activities. The following summary describes how these two components belong together. The monitoring and evaluation methodology includes three levels of analysis:

Level of analysis

Tools to track changes

Remarks

Community

This level will show how the community as a whole is using the technology; comparisons among communities, and through time will be possible.

·         Annual survey of all households (August 2000, August 2001)

·         Annual survey of all organizations and businesses (August 2001)

The surveys use standard indicators to track changes in the use of information and communication technology (ICTs). 

TDG and KNet chose the indicators.

Services

 

This level will show how community services have improved.

·         Community engagement workshops on Health, Education, Local Government and Economic Development to learn about communities' dreams and expectations of improved services

TDG and KNet to ask communities about what to measure to verify how services have improved.

Feedback from both providers and users of the services will be collected (and organized into a result based manaement framework)

People

This level will show how people's knowledge and skills using the technology have improved.

·         Needs assessment tools on applications

·         Self-assessment tools on knowledge and skills

TDG will provide the E-Centre managers with the tools, and will work with them to adapt them as necessary

The central theme in this effort is to document how ICTs hep communities achieve their own goals.

Purpose

Helen Aitkin, Galin Kora and Ricardo Ramirez of TDG traveled with Les Meekis of K-Net Services to Red Lake, Keewaywin, Deer Lake and North Spirit Lake, between November 18 and December 7th.  Several other K-Net and KO representantives joined the trips. The purpose of the trips was:

1.      To share information with the communities on the progress with the SMART project (KNet) and the monitoring and evaluation effort (TDG).

2.      To feedback the results of the 2000 and 2001 household and business surveys in each community, hear reactions and comments, and gather ideas about further data to analyze.

3.      To facilitate community engagement workshops on Health, Education, Local Government and Economic Development and learn about communities' dreams and expectations of improved services.

4.      To ask communities about what to measure to verify how services have improved.

5.      To provide the E-Centre managers with tools assess people's training needs and track how their knowledge and skills improve using the technology.

6.      To explore how to use audio-visual technology to make the SMART process known among the communities and elsewhere

7.      To discuss with Knet /KO about further activities that need to be planned in the evaluation dimension of SMART (re Schedule A).