Building 21st Century Connected Communities - Connecting the Human and Technology Infrastructures

Program Curriculum

Information technology has the potential to let people live and work where they choose to, rather than where the jobs are. Outsourcing jobs to rural communities in the United States could increase dramatically if these places have both the infrastructure and the human capital necessary to participate in the information economy. Human capital is the strongest asset in any community and identifying and increasing human capital is fundamental to vital and sustainable communities. Technology infrastructure, while not an end result on its own, can be a powerful tool for increasing the human, social and economic capital in communities.

This 90 minute hands-on workshop introduces a facilitator guide being developed through a grant from the SRDC. The guide introduces tools and processes that enable extension educators to facilitate community driven projects that improve community connectivity, including assessment, visioning, planning and implementation tools.

This is a quick-start resource that provides community leaders and organizations with tools that enable them to identify their assets and needs and learn the process for guiding themselves towards their futures. The facilitator guide is user-friendly and written in non-technical language to the extent possible and provides the core materials necessary move a community into the Information Age.