Month: February 2014

OpenGov Chicago Live: IT Procurement & The City of Chicago

Christopher Whitaker

Tonight at 6:00pm Chicago time, we’ll be live streaming tonight’s OpenGov Chicago Meetup on IT Procurement and the City of Chicago right here on this blog post.

Procurement– the process through which a unit of government purchases goods and services– is a hot topic in open government. For our next meetup, we’ll cover the issue head-on with three of the most relevant officials from the City of Chicago.

Brenna Berman, Chief Information Officer and Commissioner of the Department of Innovation and Technology, James McIsaac,  General Counsel for the Department of Procurement Services, and Kate Yager, Deputy Chief of Policy in the Mayor’s Office will present.

They will review the current process, answer questions, and gather information from OpenGovChicago members on how the process can be changed to better interface with the developers and residents who seek to have an impact on City technology.

Hack Night Live: Expunge.io

Christopher Whitaker

At tonight’s Chicago OpenGov Hack Night, Cathy Deng will talk about Expunge.io, a guide to help youth in Cook County erase their juvenile arrest and/or court records through the legal process of juvenile expungement.

Mikva Juvenile Justice Council #CivicSummer Session at Tribeca Flahspoint

Mikva Juvenile Justice Council #CivicSummer Session at Tribeca Flashpoint

Our hack night coverage will start at 6:15 pm Chicago Time on this very blog post.

Benchmark: Chicago Public Library Cyber Navigator Program

Smart Chicago 1 Comment

“Establish a smart community benchmark and toolkit for broadband access and use” is Initiative Four of the City of Chicago Tech Plan. The Connect Chicago program is an essential component of that initiative. As part of this, we’re highlighting programs that are quintessential programs that we consider crucial to having a connected city for all.

One of the first comprehensive technology training programs in the city, the CyberNavigators program at Chicago Public Libraries has led the way in bridging the digital divide in Chicago.

Bessie Coleman

About the CyberNavigator Program

CyberNavigators are computer tutors that work in 44 libraries across Chicago, where they served almost 90,000 library patrons in 2011. Through technology training and mentoring, one-on-one assistance and public classes, CyberNavigators work with library patrons to teach computer basics, resume writing, word processing, internet searching and more.

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Connect Chicago Toolkit: USA Learns

Smart Chicago

“Establish a smart community benchmark and toolkit for broadband access and use” is initiative four of the City of Chicago Tech Plan. The Connect Chicago program is an essential component of that initiative.

Untitled

Stephen Alderson, Director of Adult Education at Instituto del Progreso Latino spoke at the last WeConnectChicago meetup to talk about their CYBER-ESL program, a blended online English as a second language  program for adult ESL learners.  One component of this program is the use of the USALearns website.

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