Are you ready to take Liberatory Tech Action? All you need to know about the 2nd Annual Civics of Technology conference!
by Dan Krutka, Marie Heath, and Jacob Pleasants
Conference Preview
We are humbled and honored that so many critical technology partners are joining us for the 2nd annual Civics of Technology conference this Thursday and Friday from 10am EST to 3:30pm EST each day. We want to start with our opening message to set the tone for our theme of Liberatory Tech Action:
Per our mission, the Civics of Technology project is committed to confronting systems of oppression—both inside and outside of the area of technology. While this conference occurs online, most of our participants reside in stolen lands of Indigenous nations. We should recognize the ways that Indigenous sovereignty are still at stake in the technological realm. Participants can support Indigenous people and nations by learning more about Kim TallBear’s (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) Indigenous Science, Technology, and Society work, or listening to the following podcasts discuss contemporary examples of ongoing issues: “Big Tech Won’t Revitalize Indigenous Languages with Keoni Mahelona” (Hawai'i), “An Indigenous Perspective on Generative AI” with Michael Running Wolf (Northern Cheyenne). We also recognize the ways that technology has been used in and out of schools to both extend and amplify systems of oppression that marginalize and surveil People of Color, queer people, people with dis/ability among other groups. Participants should respect the preferences and dignity of fellow conference participants, including at the conference. Please use pronouns if listed and respect the social media sharing preferences of presenters. Our conference also aims to be accessible and all sessions should turn on the option to “show captions.” Moreover, we hope participants will commit to advancing more just futures. Please contact Dan or Marie or use our contact form if you have any problems or concerns during the conference.
We welcome your critical thoughts, critiques, resources in the comments so we might highlight them during the conference.
The conference opens with a keynote from Dr. Luci Pangrazio of Deakin University (Australia) titled, “The importance of critical digital literacies: A manifesto for action.” You can read more in her recent blog post titled, “Are digital literacies becoming a ‘soft power’ for educational governance?” The conference closes with a keynote from Dr. Roxana Marachi of San Jose State University (USA) titled, “Breaking Free from Blockchaining Babies and "Cradle-to-Career" Data Traps.” You can read her blog post of the same name for a preview. In between, we have so many incredible sessions, including a return of sessions from students in the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab and an opening plenary panel on Friday facilitated by Charles Logan and Michelle Ciccone on “Practicing Everyday Resistance and Refusal of Ed-Tech.”
There are too many sessions to list here, so visit our Conference Page for more details, but here are few to give a taste of the good work of the presenters.
Ethical AI and the Construction of Dis/Ability
Exploring the relationship between EdTech Teacher Ambassador and Multi-level Marketing Programs
Resisting Algorithmic Harm: Community Mobilization in Labor, Criminal Justice & Education
The Drowning of Teacher Voices by means of Techno-solutionism and Neoliberal Interference
Black Life in the Age of AI
Throughout the conference, we hope participants will reflect on Dr. Ruha Benjamin’s (2022) words from her most recent book, Viral Justice,
…it may be tempting to dismiss these efforts as small, fleeting, and inconsequential, as we’re still taught to only appreciate that which is big and grand, official, and codified. But a microscopic virus has news for us: a microvision of justice and generosity, love, and solidarity can have exponential effects.
At the end of the day, I am a student of the late-great Octavia E. Butler, writer and builder of speculative worlds. To the question, What is there to do? she once responded, “I mean there’s no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead, there are thousands of answers--at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.”
We can be one of them, if we choose: vectors of justice, spreaders of joy, transforming our world so that everyone has the chance to thrive.
We hope you find opportunities in these sessions to create momentum for liberatory tech action in whatever ways, small and large.
Register now, so that you can join us in learning from these thoughtful educators!
Conference Logistics
In order to attend the conference, you MUST register. Registration is free! In an effort to avoid Zoom bombing, we ask that you use your institutional email address or provide a way of authenticating your identity (e.g. a link to your institutional web page or LinkedIn).
To access the conference:
Access the CoT Conference page (https://www.civicsoftechnology.org/2023conference)
The page will be password protected beginning Wednesday, August 2nd, at noon EST.
By Wednesday evening, you will receive an email with the password. Please take a moment to be sure you can access the website via the password.
Live Zoom links will be posted on the page the morning of the conference, August 3rd.
Critical Consciousness Study
We are conducting a research study that seeks to understand the ways that people have developed critical perspectives on technology. Critical stances toward technology are not common, and we want to know what leads people to take on such an outlook.
So, we are seeking participants who self-identify as holding critical views toward technology and are willing to share their stories via a brief written narrative that addresses the following questions:
1) To you, what does it mean to take a critical perspective toward technology?
2) How have you come to take on that critical perspective?
We will also be seeking volunteers to participate in follow-up phone interviews to further explore those narratives. The interviews are optional; if you only want to share a written narrative, we very much welcome that! By gathering these stories, we are hoping to gain insights into the kinds of educational experiences that might develop a critical stance towards technology.
If you are interested in participating in this research, please use the link below.
Please share this information with other individuals who might be interested in participating.
https://ousurvey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5osO8GhUQBx9UKq