The Post-Course Post

The semester is over and it is time to tie up loose ends. Final examinations and papers have been turned in. The only item left is to write a final blog post for UAPP 689! With that note, let's get a-bloggin'!

The Information Technology Skills for Planning and Administration course has been a relatively informative experience. Before starting the course, I had assumed that this class would concentrate on the use of technology in the public sector, broadly interpreted. From my perspective, I was thinking of technology as a production and measurement tool. For example, using computers and software to produce presentations. Also, the use of technology to measure data to better inform decision making (i.e. real time traffic counters).

Instead, this course concentrated on the communication aspect of technology. Throughout the course we discussed various ways that technology can be used to improve communication to and from the stakeholders affected by a particular public or non-profit agency. Different social media tools and their applications were a major focus of the course. Through the use of group projects, individual assignments, lectures and readings we were able to discover and discuss social media applications from both a theoretical and real world standpoint. The use of social media for communication was the most important lesson that I learned from this course.

My generation grew up with the computer. American Online, BuddyChat, AngelFire Websites, Xanga, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are all phenomenons that my generation experienced. I did not use all of these online "tools", but I am certainly an avid Facebook user and a former MySpace user. To me, these websites were just ways to connect with friends and family. I did not see any more value in these websites.

The topics we discussed in this course, in tandem with the research I am conducting with the Institute for Public Administration, have enlightened me to the importance of social media tools in the public sector. As an aspiring transportation planner, social media tools will be especially useful. For example, Facebook and Twitter could be used to inform local transportation users of road construction and traffic jams. These same tools can be used to inform public stakeholders of meetings, workshops, policy changes or a myriad of other important events.

The theories and real world applications discussed in this course will be invaluable to me in the years to come.

Grade This Blog! #6: Integrated Transportation Management Systems and Social Media

On April 20, 2011, I had the opportunity and privilege to participate in a public policy forum concerning Integrated Transportation Management Systems (ITMS) in Delaware. The forum brought together various public stakeholders to discuss the current state of ITMS in Delaware and to determine how ITMS strategies and technologies can best benefit Delaware residents.

A key part of the forum was a presentation by Gene Donaldson who directs Delaware’s Transportation Management Center in Smyrna, Delaware. Mr. Donaldson’s presentation explored the current state of the transportation management system in Delaware. His presentation included copious amounts of information concerning traffic recorders, automatic vehicle locators, highway speed E-Z Pass lanes and computerized signal timing. The subject matter was a transportation nerd’s dream. Although extremely interesting content (to me at least), for the sake of this blog and its reader(s), I will only discuss the Social Media Aspect of the system.

In his presentation, Mr. Donaldson repeatedly stated that the main objective of Delaware’s ITMS initiatives was to provide information to Delaware’s transportation system users in as many ways as possible. For example, Mr. Donaldson explained that Delaware owns an AM Radio State to disseminate traffic and road construction information. In the next two years, this information will also be available through a voice activated phone number so that traffic information data can be accessed for specific areas. This is just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Mr. Donaldson also discussed the importance of smart phones and social media in providing traffic information to transportation system users. Currently, DelDOT is developing an “App” for smartphones and tablets to access real time information. For GPS enabled phones, the data transferred to your mobile device will be ‘tailored’ to your current position.

Another branch of the Transportation Management Center’s data dissemination effort is the use of Facebook and Twitter. Facebook Friends of DelDOT and DelDOT Twitter Followers have access to the most current traffic and road construction information available. This is already in “up-and-running”.

The efforts of DelDOT and the Transportation Management Center result in one overarching goal: to get traffic information out to as many people as quickly, as up to date and as accurately as possible. By disseminating this information, transportation system users will be able to make more informed choices in the route and the timing of their travels to decrease the risk of being delayed by traffic. Technology, especially social media technologies like Twitter and Facebook, is the tool for meeting this goal and creating a more efficient and effect transportation system for all.

Grade This Blog! #5: Vimeo

For one of our class assignments, we were asked to pick a Social Media tool or website and to discuss this with our classmates. For this assignment, I chose to discuss and present on the video sharing website Vimeo.

Vimeo is a video viewing and sharing website similar to YouTube, but with several key differences. First and foremost, Vimeo strictly prohibits content that is not user made. For example, the site does not allow videos to be posted that are not original content (i.e. Reposted music videos). Commercial, gaming and pornography videos are also prohibited from Vimeo. Another interesting feature of Vimeo is that it was the first video sharing website to support HD-quality videos.

The restriction of commercial videos is loosely interpreted, as I have been able to find various videos that may have artistic merit, but were still created to promote a product. For example, see this VIDEO for the Vandal Bookbag by Mission Bags. The video is very entertaining, but nonetheless an online commercial.

The Vimeo video-sharing service has many uses in the public and non-profit sector. The site can be used to upload videos to keep an organization and its supporters/followers up-to-date on current events. For example, the Semester at Sea organization uploads videos and slideshows (created as a video) from the various countries the organization visits. The White House also uploads videos on Vimeo to ensure that information and news is spread to as many mediums as possible.

Grade This Blog! #4: The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008

One of our assigned readings was a survey findings report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project entitled “The Internet’s Role in Campaign 2008”. The survey findings report was released in April of 2009 and outlined several major trends that have developed among ‘online political users’.

The report starts by defining ‘online political users’ as any person who used the internet to access news about politics and the 2008 campaign, communicated with others about politics, shared campaign information and/or received campaign information. The survey found that nearly 74% of internet users could be categorized as ‘online political users’. (Smith 2009) In more general terms, the report extrapolated this statistic to state that this represented over 50% of the entire adult population. (Smith 2009) After establishing this fact, the report summarizes various other findings from the survey. For example, the report notes that as ‘online political users’ has increased the relevance of the internet as a news source has increased, relative to other news sources.

Another interesting finding of the report was that ‘online political users’ are increasingly turning to websites that match their political point of view and moving away from unbiased news sources. Over 30% of surveyed ‘online political users’ stated that they mostly visit political websites aligned with their views. (Smith 2009) The report also notes that both Republican and Democrat ‘online political users’ are following this trend. (Smith 2009) Interestingly, the report also noted that this trend is most predominant among young voters, aged 18-24. (Smith 2009) I found this survey finding to be the most interesting and relevant. I also related to the findings considering I am far more likely to visit a very liberal website, like MSNBC, for political news and information. Correspondingly, I rarely (if ever) access the Fox News website for political information.

The remainder of the report outlines the other findings and conclusions of the survey report. Although significant, I thought that the findings that I discussed above were the most relevant. Increasing access to online political information is a great trend which allows internet users to access information and a diversity of viewpoints quickly. The flip side of the coin is that more and more online users are turning to biased political coverage, which may only further develop the current polarization in American politics.

Grade This Blog! #3: State of Delaware E-Portal

One of the suggestions in the syllabus was to visit the State of Delaware Website and explore. While exploring, it was suggested that we attempt to find information concerning various tasks that a Delaware resident would need to complete at one point or another. As a Delaware resident, I have used the State of Delaware Website many times to access information on various programs, with varying success.

For the sake of this post, I will concentrate on one hypothetical task and the amount of ease or difficulty resulting from my information search. In this situation I will use the State of Delaware website to determine which information and/or documentation I will need to acquire a Real-ID Driver License.

After entering the Delaware.gov website, I was greeted with a lot of information! The majority of my first screen view consisted of a scrolling slide show of current news or programs in Delaware. Among the slide show were images and links for helping Delaware’s “sister state” in Japan, information on Boating Safety and promotional materials for incorporating in Delaware. Toward the bottom of the page were several windows devoted to social media. The official State of Delaware Twitter, Facebook, Wordpress Blog and YouTube Channel were viewable from the Delaware.gov homepage. The Twitter Feeds were especially interesting as they provided information about road construction and traffic delays in Delaware.

Between the social media windows and the scrolling slideshow were several “tabs” related to government services, including a listing of popular pages and services. A link to the information and Real-ID was not readily available, but there was a link to the Department of Motor Vehicles. I clicked on this link.

From the Department of Motor Vehicles webpage, I was able to find the Real-ID information easily. The DMV webpage had a scrolling slide show representing frequently asked questions and current DMV programs. One of these slides was for the Real-ID system. Specifically, there was a link to a document guide that listed the required documents for acquiring a Real-ID.

In conclusion, the State of Delaware webpage was not the easiest website that I have ever navigated. There was a lot of information available, but this had to be “sifted” to discover the information that I was seeking. The homepage almost provided too much information. Despite the mild difficulties that I had finding information of the Real-ID requirements, I believe that the State of Delaware website does a good job of presenting/providing access to a very large amount of information.

Grade this Blog! #2: Pew Reports

Today's assignment: review several Pew Reports and write a very short summary of two reports. To be safe, I stuck to the links on the homepage listed under the "Reports" heading.

"Generations and Their Gadgets" by Kathryn Zickuhr

This report notes trends between different generations and the usage of various gadgets including cell phones, MP3 players, tablet pc's, laptops, desktops and e-readers. Although each gadget type had more specific trends, the overarching theme was these gadgets were most popular with members of Generation Y (born 1977-1993), with the exception of the desktop computer.

I found this report to be very interesting and relevant. As a member of Generation Y, I can relate to the gadgets indentified. For the most part I own and use each of the identified gadgets. If I do not own it, I am at the very least familiar with the device and how to use it (i.e. tablet pc and e-readers). I also found the statistic showing that Generation Y has essentially abandoned the desktop computer to be particularly interesting. I believe this fact highlights the every-increasing mobility that my Generation seeks in its electronic devices.

"The Social Side of the Internet" by Lee Rainie, Kristen Purcell and Aaron Smith

This report explores an interesting correlation between internet users and likelihood of involvement with a voluntary group or organization, as compared to no internet users (80% participation and 56% participation, respectively). This report also showed the internet users that frequently use social networking sites are even more likely to be involved in voluntary groups or organizations.

I also found this report to be logical and relevant. During my undergraduate and graduate careers, I have been involved in several organizations and volunteer groups. For these groups, information was almost always disseminated through the internet. Email, group list servers, Facebook and Twitter are some of the more popular methods for getting information to members of a volunteer organization. To access this information, one would need to be an internet user. The logic here seems relatively simple.

Grade This Blog! #1

I would recommend The Transport Politic to anyone interested in transportation. The blog's author, Yonah Freemark, posts a new entry every two to three days providing his input on the currents happenings in the field of transportation policy. While a lot of time is spent analyzing transportation policy at the Federal Level, Freemark also uses many blog entries to discuss recently released state and city transportation plans.

Through the blog, Freemark explores transportation issues at many levels. Due to the current political climate, his discussions have focused upon funding issues for current and future transportation projects. A large part of Freemark’s commentary covers the recent cancellation of projects that, in some cases, have been under development or planning for a very long time. Freemark also discusses land use issues in his blog. For example, several months ago, there was a very insightful blog post regarding growth in the northern Virginia area near Washington D.C. Freemark used data from the 2010 Census to identify major and minor growth areas in northern Virginia. The data showed a strong correlation between growth areas and D.C. Metro Stations.

Although The Transport Politic is a great resource for in depth coverage of current transportation policy news and events, I must admit that the blog is very biased toward “new transportation planning”. From this perspective, there is a large emphasis on promoting the development and expansion of public bus and rail transportation, pedestrian facilities, cycling facilities and essentially any transportation approach that does not focus on automobiles. I wholeheartedly agree with this perspective, but I do recognize this bias when reading The Transport Politic. Despite the bias, it is still a good source of information and perspective on current issues in transportation planning.