Note: this is part of a series of posts in our Connect Chicago program where we describe in detail digital skills learning environments throughout the city.
We conducted our Youth-Led Tech 2015 program in a portion of this community center in the Roseland neighborhood. The space was large, cool, and well-configured for group learning.
The youth were able to make the space their own:
And the parking lot was good for breaks:
See a complete set of photos here:
As part of our Youth Led Tech Program, we’re teaching youth digital skills. We’ve open sourced our curriculum in a series of blog posts. This particular lesson plan was adapted by Christopher Whitaker from the “Brief History of The Internet” from the Internet Society.
Introduction to How the Web Works
This module will teach students the basics of how the web works including the concept of ‘The Cloud”, the World Wide Web, DNS/Web Addresses, and how content appears in the browser.
Part One: The History of the Internet
Let’s say you wrote a really cool song on your computer. Without the internet the song would just stay on your laptop. To share it, you’d have to have somebody come over and look at your laptop – or you’d have to download it onto a floppy disk (What they had before USBs) and physically carry it over.
This is how computers used to work. And it was a bit of a problem for scientists trying to work collaboratively. Instead of shipping documents from universities on the east coast to the west coast, it would be a lot easier if one computer could just pick up a phone and call the other.
Which is exactly what they did.
In 1965, a professor at MIT used a phone line to call up a computer at UCLA and send information back and forth. This was the first (very small) network. The government saw value with this and funded an experiment called ARPAnet. Computers from across the country were added to the network becoming a ‘web’ of computers.
But, this network had a problem. It began to grow large enough to where one computer couldn’t find another specific computer. Imagine that you’re wanting to visit a friends house for the first time, but there are no street numbers. You’d get lost pretty easily.
To solve this, Vincent Cerf and Robert Kahn created the TCP/IP protocol. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It had four ground rules:
The protocol also had a system for giving each device connected to the network an address called an IP Address.
Activity
Everyone take out their phones or laptop. Google “What’s my IP address”
Now, notice that if you’re not on the wifi your address is different from the one on your computer. Every internet connection has it’s own address. Every website also has an address too.
Now, go into the address bar and enter 173.252.110.27
See, it really works – that’s Facebook’s address on the Internet
DNS
The problem with the IP address is that nobody can remember all the numbers needed to get everywhere on the web.
So, they developed services called “Domain Name Servers” that give addresses like 173.252.110.27 names like “Facebook.com”
DNS servers act like Google Maps for your computer. It works like this:
Web Hosting
The other problem with the early network is that those computers had to be on and connected all the time to work. It also became hard for a lot of people to try to access the same file on a single machine all at the same time.
Could you imagine 500 people trying to call you at once? Doesn’t work that well.
The people who were building the Internet needed a way to serve the information to a lot of people at once. The answer became dedicated computers that would ‘serve’ people information called servers.
YouTube has hundreds of server room that hold thousands of cat videos. When you point your browser to the funny video of your choice, the server ‘serves’ your video to your web browser.
Not everyone has to have a server room to host their websites. Expunge.io uses a service called “Amazon Web Services” to borrow their server. (Yes, you really can order everything from Amazon.”
Conclusion
This should give you a basic idea of how the web works. There’s a lot more complexity to it, but for those interested in learning more should check out these resources.
Note: this is part of a series of posts in our Connect Chicago program where we describe in detail digital skills learning environments throughout the city.
Association House of Chicago at 1116 N. Kedzie Ave. Chicago IL 60651 is a large connected complex of services in the heart of Humboldt Park.
Here’s how they describe themselves:
Association House of Chicago serves a multi-cultural community by providing comprehensive, collaborative and effective programs in English and Spanish. We promote health and wellness and create opportunities for educational and economic advancement.
Service areas include El Cuarto Año High School, a technology center (run by longitme Conenct Chicago member Stephen Pigozzi) with classes in English and Spanish, and a comprehensive Family Literacy Program.
The Smart Chicago Youth-Led Tech program is run from the large cafeteria of Association House. It’s a huge area set off from the rest of the building, which gives us lots of bust-out room for creativity and learning.
There is lots of space to store food, which makes it easier to manage breakfast and lunch five times a week.
The chairs and tables are easy to move. Lots of instruction occurs in presentation and discussion format. We have our own projector. 
The Association House partners with Americorps to deliver all sorts of digital skills training.
They run dozens of programs throughout the year:
The enormous park across the street provides lots of bust-out room when it’s time to turn off computers!
Bonus: here’s a video I made of my visit:
Note: this is part of a series of posts in our Connect Chicago program where we describe in detail digital skills learning environments throughout the city.
Chicago Youth Centers ABC Polk Bros at 3415 W. 13th Pl. Chicago IL 60623 is a bustling place with meeting rooms, a gym, a stage, a computer center, a community garden, and a world of joy inside and out.
Here’s how they describe themselves:
The mission of Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) is to empower children and teens to recognize and experience their possibility and promise. Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) is proud to be part of this community. Named after one of its largest supporters, the Polk Bros. Foundation, CYC – ABC Polk Bros. Youth Center was one of the original three centers to form CYC in 1956. Well-trained youth-development specialists give individual support to nearly 400 children and teens each year to help them reach their potential, academically, socially and professionally. The center also runs a food pantry on the first Saturday of each month in partnership with New St. John Missionary Baptist Church. CYC gives members the tools, support and guidance they need to reach their full potential through the following age-specific programs: Early Childhood Education, School-Age Child Development, Teen Leadership Development, and Summer Fun.
The Early Childhood program is of special interest to those of us at Smart Chicago, since we created and run the Chicago Early Learning portal.
Here’s their detail page, and an excerpt:
CYC ABC Early Childhood mission is to invest in youth in underserved communities in Chicago to help them discover and realize their full potential. Our program specialty is in the area of science. Children enrolled in our program will participate in a Green Living Recycling Project to protect the environment. Children will utilize their school readiness skills in all areas inclusive of math, science and literacy as they embark on creating and implementing a recycling station in their classroom community. Children will learn about how packaging waste, including glass, aluminum, plastics, metals and paperboard contribute significantly to annual waste totals, along with yard trimmings. Children will learn recycling involves taking materials that would normally be discarded as waste and giving them a new life. Children will use their problem solving skills to create their own toys and inventions through recycling. Family Engagement in the program supports the involvement of parents and community partnerships toward achieving the school readiness outcomes.
The Smart Chicago Youth-Led Tech program is run from a basement office that is cool and inviting when the hot summer sun is shining bright.
The 24 youth in our program gather around three tables and a bench. We have plenty of outlets and room for our daily breakfast and lunch deliveries. Each of the participants have their own brand-new laptop, which are secured each night in a cabinet we had delivered to the site. We try to be as self-sufficient as possible while using as few of the resources at the location as we can. The gym is a huge resource— the kids love it and they’re able to use it after their morning lesson and right before lunch.
There’s also a stage for performances.
Breakfast and lunch is delivered daily and any extra is shared with other programs in this busy facility.
There is a long, lush garden in the lot just to the east of the center, and some of the youth love to roam it over their breaks.
Chicago Youth Centers ABC Polk Bros provides a rich and diverse learning environment for digital skills in Chicago.
Bonus: here’s a video I took of my visit:
Caleb left his phone on.
Whew.
“I didn’t say anything”
The black eyes opened.
They close.
Their heads start shaking.
Screaming down the hall; yeah.
Running down the hall
and they fighting on the wall.
Illusions start to pop out.
There were creepy voices everywhere; and there it was.
Idris through the broken portal.
No one is safe; Caleb runs.
Tap, tap, tap.
There behind him.
The sound gets louder
BANG!
Chocolata
Baila
Hakuna matata
And they all lose wifi.
Copyright 2015 Roseland Youth-Led Tech
We like to have fun in the sun
Everyday is a gift because its a blessing to live
I love everyone and its crazy because a lot of kids are getting killed.
Its alot of talented people in englewood that they just have to prove their self.
Many don’t have a chance to reach their own goal.
Ancestors of ours are screaming from the grave cus physically were free but were still mental slaves.
Live a life of love.
Happy souls live.
freedom is a curse or a blessing.
we are happy to show our talents.
carpe diem.
life is a gift and everybody deserves a second chance.
you only live once
Together were trying to make it out this community but first we have to come together with unity.
so come together and do something good for the community.
you can’t change englewood you can only change the people in it.
live life to the fullest.
perfection is not attainable but if we chase perfection we can accomplish our goals and dreams.
this is a youth led tech program where everyone is welcome so don’t sit around make yourself welcome.#godsgift
If we are God’s gift, not to be taken.
we got to stay together we gotta stay golden we have to have trust before our trust is stolen.
This is smart chicago we stand as a family.
For all those who take life I hope their souls are forsaken.
I have to
there can be no surprises,
empathetic disrupters.
Are we writing this?
For the girls?
I want to be cared for; exceptional.
The odd monkey.
In my home.
In the wilderness.
There’s always someone who should have been there.
Give us meat that we may eat.
With a bang.
Copyright 2015 Humboldt Park Odd Squad
We’re in the second week of delivering on our inaugural Youth-Led Tech, and one of the most rewarding parts of running this program is working with our instructors. We assembled a stellar group of people in a very short amount of time.
At Smart Chicago, one of our principles is open. To us, that means publishing open source code, but it also means publishing step-by-step instructions on how we do less technical but often more sophisticated tasks like hiring a high-quality, diverse workforce for tech instruction in a short amount of time.
Here’s how we did it:
We opened the application process on May 15, 2015 and closed it on June 4, 2015 at 8AM. The main instrument was through text on the project page. We promoted the positions via Twitter, email, Facebook, and other means.
On May 26, 2015, we had 36 applications, 3 of which were duplicates. We sent out this Mailchimp email to all 36 applicants, inviting them for interviews
We conducted 15 interviews on June 2, 2015 based on responses to this campaign. As three of us did the interviews— Kyla, Sonja, and I— we collected quantitative and qualitative information in another Wufoo form. We asked general, open-ended questions about why they were interested in the opportunity, and also checked their availability for the six-week course. We also gave each a rating in three areas: classroom management, tech knowledge, and teaching experience.
An additional nine people applied after this initial interview set. We arranged and conducted another 12 interviews with a number of these applicants, as well as people from the initial 36 who couldn’t make it on June 2. We communicated with these people by email rather than Mailchimp. We offered interviews to every applicant, and we interviewed everybody who responded to our offers.
We received 45 applications total. After background checks, consent forms, and consultant contracts, we hired this set of wonder-people:
Here’s an excerpt from our first newsletter for this summer program. If you’d like to get this to yer Inbox, sign up here.
Our first Youth-Led Tech program is off to a great start. This is our first weekly update made especially for the youth, parents, guardians, counselors, instructors, and everyone else who cares https://slack-files.com/files-tmb/T06U90JBB-F073DMAF7-ddc6f54633/slack_for_ios_upload_1024.pngabout the people in Youth-Led Tech. If you know someone who should be getting these emails, tell them to fill out this form.
Time to sign up is running out
For anyone still thinking about signing up for this program, the time is now. We are making a final push for enrollment and we need all eligible youth to sign up here. Visit the project page for full program information.
Keep in mind that this program is supported by Get IN Chicago and is run by theSmart Chicago Collaborative. Get IN Chicago has 18 target populations and communities and we can only serve students who come from those specific communities. You can see a complete map of these communities here.
You can determine eligibility by finding neighborhood names using this tool maintained by the Chicago Tribune. If you have questions, comments, or issues about an application that has been declined, please contact me directly at the information below.
What we’re learning
This week we’ve focused on lots of startup activities— forms, figuring out meals we all like, getting computers set up, doing team-building, and (yes) even starting to learn how to make websites. One of our principles at Smart Chicago is openness— we love to share exact details of what we do and how we do it. Here’s the complete curriculum for our first week: Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five.
The instructors at each location go at their own pace, add their own flavor, and respond to youth input, so there may be differences between this curriculum and what the youth are learning so far in your location. Please download, share, and try this out at home— even if you can’t make it to our sessions this summer, we hope you can get value out of our work.
At Techweek, City of Chicago Chief Information Officer Brenna Berman announced an 18-month update to Chicago’s Tech Plan.
Chicago’s first Tech Plan was first launched in 2013 and laid out a strategy to establish Chicago as a national and global center of technological innovation.
Since it’s launch, Chicago’s civic technology community has made significant progress towards the goals of the tech plan.
As a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology, Smart Chicago is proud to be heavily involved in the implementation of Chicago’s Tech Plan.
Here are some highlights from the update.
Chicago is working with internal and external partners to improve the speed, availability, and affordability of broadband across the city. The City is preparing to create a Request for Proposal for companies to design, construct, implement, and manage a gigabit-speed broadband network.
In addition to broadband infrastructure, the city is also working to digitally connect it’s infrastructure. Part of this includes the launch of The Array of Things project which will place network of interactive, modular sensor boxes around Chicago collecting real-time data on the city’s environment, infrastructure, and activity for research and public use. (You can listen to their presentation at Chi Hack Night here.) You can already get up to the hour updates on beach conditions thanks to sensors maintained by the Chicago Park District. The Department of Innovation and Technology has loaded the information onto their data portal.
One of the major efforts of the civic technology community in Chicago is closing the digital divide in every neighborhood.
Much of the work in the coming months will focus on Connect Chicago. This citywide effort, led by Smart Chicago in partnership with LISC Chicago, Chicago Public Library, World Business Chicago, and the City of Chicago’s Department of Innovation and Technology aligns citywide efforts to make Chicago the most skilled, most connected, most dynamic digital city in America.
Here’s more from the Tech Plan about the program:
As part of this initiative, program partners are creating a profile of a fully connected digital community that can be used as a benchmark and will provide best-practice toolkits and other resources to help all Chicago communities reach this benchmark.
If you’re interested in getting involved in – you should reach out or join the Connect Chicago Meetup!
Another big part of the City’s strategy to close the digital divide in Chicago involves the Chicago Public Library. Libraries around the city already function as public computing centers and now they provide Internet to Go – a program where residents can check out laptops and 4G modems so that they can access the internet at home.
The City of Chicago and the civic tech community is also heavily focused not only access, but on digital skills. The Chicago Public Library’s Cybernavigator Program is set to be expanded and Chicago Public School is working on implementing computer science curriculum at all schools.
On our end, Smart Chicago is working with Get In Chicago to run a youth-led tech program this summer. The conceptual model for this program is “youth-led tech”, which means teaching technology in the context of the needs & priorities of young people. Youth will learn how to use free and inexpensive Web tools to make websites and use social media to build skills, generate revenue, and get jobs in the growing technology industry. They will also learn about all sorts of other jobs in tech— strategy, project management, design, and so on.
The City of Chicago’s Department of Innovation and Technology is also making great progress in using data to help city government be more efficient and effective. One of their first projects, WindyGrid, is a geospatial Web application designed by the City’s Department of Innovation and Technology that strategically consolidates Chicago’s big data into one easily accessible location. WindyGrid presents a unified view of City operations—past and present—across a map of Chicago, giving City personnel access to the city’s spatial data, historically and in real time, to better coordinate resources and respond to incidents.
The City of Chicago will be open sourcing the project later this year on their Github page.
That’s not the only open source project that the city has on the books. Chief Data Officer Tom Schenk Jr recently spoke at Chi Hack Night to talk about their new system to predict the riskiest restaurants in order to prioritize food inspections. The system has found a way to find critical food safety violations seven days faster. Aside from the important aspect of less people getting sick from foodborne illness in the City of Chicago, there is another very important aspect of this work that has national impact. The entire project is open source and reproducible from end to end.
Since the release of the Tech Plan, Smart Chicago has been working with the Chicago Department of Public Health on the Foodborne Chicago project. Foodborne listens to Twitter for tweets about food poisoning and converts them into city service requests. The Tech Plan update has some results from the project.
A study of the system, published by the Centers for Disease Control, found that during March 2013 – January 2014, FoodBorne Chicago identified 2,241 “food poisoning” tweets originating from Chicago and neighboring suburbs. The complaints identified 179 Chicago restaurant locations; at 133 (74.3%) locations, CDPH inspectors conducted unannounced health inspections. A total of 21 (15.8%) of the 133 restaurants reported through FoodBorne Chicago failed inspection and were closed; an additional 33 restaurants (24.8%) passed with conditions, indicating that serious or critical violations were identified and corrected during inspection or within a specified timeframe.
Chicago’s open data portal is also getting expanded as part of the updated Tech Plan having grown by more than 200 data sets over the last two years. Chicago was the first City to accept edits to select data sets through the City’s GitHub account.
Open311 is also getting an upgrade with the city undergoing a procurement processes to build a new 311 system. As part of the process for upgrading 311, the new system will go through user testing through the Civic User Testing Group.
A big part of the city’s strategy around civic innovation is supporting the work of civic technologists here in Chicago. As part of the Tech Plan, Smart Chicago will continue to provide resources to civic technologists like developer resources, user testing, and financial support to civic technology projects.
The Tech Plan also calls out our work with the Chicago School of Data. The two day experience was wholly based on the feedback we received from dozens of surveys, months of interviews, and a huge amount of research into the work being done with data in the service of people. If you missed the conference, here are some of the key takeaways.
The Civic User Testing Group also plays a part in the Tech Plan and has recently been expanded to include all of Cook County.
Chicago Chief Information Officer Brenna Berman stated that Chicago has the strongest civic innovation community in the country. A large part of that community has been the Chi Hack Night, now in it’s fourth year with attendance now reaching over 100 people regularly.
One of the most thorny issues for civic technologist is the issue of government procurement. One of the things that the city has been doing is meeting with different groups to talk about ways the city can make it easier to buy products and services from smaller business and startups. (You can see Brenna Berman’s talk at the OpenGov Chicago Meetup here.)
As part of the Tech Plan, the City of Chicago is taking this on directly. Here’s the quote from the Tech Plan:
This summer, DoIT will release a Request for Qualifications for start-up and small-sized companies to join a new pool of pre-qualified vendors eligible for future City procurement opportunities. Companies who are deemed qualified will be placed into a pool and receive access to City contract opportunities in the areas of software application development and data analytics.
To further decrease the barriers facing smaller-sized companies in competing for City business, the City has modernized its insurance requirements to allow for pooled insurance plans. Start-ups that are members of an incubator, such as 1871, or smaller companies that come together for a group insurance plan, may now meet the City’s insurance requirements as a group. Insurance requirements were identified as a barrier to conducting business with the City in a series of listening sessions conducted over the past year with these companies.
This is a huge opportunity not only for civic tech companies, but it will enable the city to take advantage of the innovation coming out of these companies.