SCC-PG: Revitalizing Rural - Equipping Rural Communities with Technology Literacy for Seizing Productivity

缺乏对数字经济的参与是社会福祉和生产的障碍，对农村社区产生了不对称的影响。文献表明，技术的可获得性(如宽带)只是问题的一部分：农村社区在技术采用方面不如城市社区积极。采用问题包括农村社区在多大程度上拥有财政资源和意识、技能和抱负(或集体识字)，以抓住智能和互联技术(SCT)提供的生产力机会。这一规划项目将进行一项试点研究，以确定提高技术素养如何影响农村采用小规模技术，以提高生产力，从而振兴农村社区。具体地说，该项目将探索开发一种新的技术素养教育工具，称为提高生产力技术体验工具包(Pete-Kits)。Pete-Kits将是利用WiFi、蓝牙和射频识别(RFID)等通信技术的微处理器和传感器等低成本设备的组合，可以与云连接相结合，支持高中生在农村社区开发创业SCT项目。这些工具包将由高中生和社区成员参与开发。高中教师和学生将接受如何使用这些工具包的培训，然后学生将被邀请开发他们自己的SCT创业项目，这些项目将在最终的社区竞赛活动中进行评判。研究将检验：(1)使用Pete-Kit的实践经验如何影响农村对SCT的认识，(2)通过与Pete-Kit的互动，使用SCT的基本技能提高到什么程度，以及(3)基于Pete-Kit的培训和竞争对农村参与者的生产力、他们对创业、远程工作和社区生活质量的渴望的影响。这些问题将主要通过在干预前后对参与者和社区活动参与者进行的调查工具来解决。还将举办社区论坛和研讨会，以审查Pete-Kit计划的优势和劣势，并发展与其他社区和部落国家的关系，以提高未来的可扩展性。该规划项目与智能互联社区计划的目标非常一致，即加快创建科学和工程基础，使智能互联社区能够带来新水平的经济机会和增长。该项目也得到了ITEST项目的资助，该项目的重点是(1)提高对STEM和ICT职业的认识，(2)激励学生追求通往这些职业的教育途径，以及(3)发展进入这些职业所需的学科内容知识和技能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Lack of participation in the digital economy is an impediment to societal well-being and production which asymmetrically affects rural communities. The literature indicates that technological availability (e.g., broadband) is only a part of the problem: rural communities are not as active as their urban counterparts in technology adoption. The adoption problem covers the extent to which rural communities have the financial resources and awareness, skills, and aspirations (or collectively, the literacy) to seize the productivity opportunities afforded by smart and connected technologies (SCT). This planning project will conduct a pilot study to determine how improved technology literacy can impact the rural adoption of SCT for building productivity to economically and socially revitalize rural communities. Specifically, this project will explore the development of a novel educational tool for technology literacy called Productivity Enhancing Technology Experience-Kits (Pete-Kits). Pete-Kits will be combinations of low-cost devices such as microprocessors and sensors that make use of communications technologies like WiFi, Bluetooth, and Radio Frequency ID (RFID), and which can be combined with cloud connectivity to support high school students as they develop entrepreneurial SCT projects within their rural communities. These kits will be developed with input from high school students and community members. High school teachers and students will receive training on how to use the kits, and students will then be invited to develop their own SCT entrepreneurial projects which will be judged in a final community competition event.The research will examine: (1) how rural awareness of SCT is influenced by hands-on experiences with Pete-Kits, (2) to what degree are the basic skills for using SCT increased through interactions with Pete-Kit, and (3) the effects are of Pete-Kit based training and competition on rural participants’ productivity, and their aspirations for entrepreneurship, remote work, and quality of life within their community. These questions will largely be addressed via survey instruments, administered both before and after the intervention, to both participants and to attendees of community events. Community forums and workshops will also be held to review the strengths and weaknesses of the Pete-Kit program, and to develop relationships with other communities and tribal nations for future scalability. This planning project aligns well with the Smart & Connected Communities program’s goal to accelerate the creation of the scientific and engineering foundations that will enable smart and connected communities to bring about new levels of economic opportunity and growth. This project is also receiving funding from the ITEST program, which has priorities for (1) increasing awareness of STEM & ICT occupations, (2) motivating students to pursue educational pathways to those occupations, and (3) developing disciplinary content knowledge and skills necessary for entering those occupations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.