Big Thinking on digital inclusion by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada

Actualité
18 novembre 2016

“There’s an App for that?” Addressing the policy challenges of digital inclusion

WHAT: Big Thinking lecture

WHEN: Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 7:30 am – 9:00 am

WHERE: Delta Waterfront Hotel in Kingston (Grandview Room) Kingston, ON

Click here for location details

We are often told, “There’s an app for that” when trying to do something. But for many, the “app for that” is inaccessible, too expensive, unusable, or simply beyond our experience. Yet businesses, governments and even our friends and relatives frequently assume we all have some capacity to use the digital technologies that have become pervasive in society – smartphones, apps, social networking, the cloud – capacity that allows us to be included in today’s society. This Big Thinking lecture challenges assumptions about digital literacy across all segments of the population and outlines policy actions needed to advance digital inclusion for all.

Catherine Middleton holds the Canada Research Chair in Communication Technologies in the Information Society at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. Her research focuses on policy making that enables affordable access to, and encourages effective use of, mobile devices and fixed and wireless broadband networks. Middleton and her colleagues are frequent contributors to government and regulatory consultations on the development of Canada’s digital infrastructure. Middleton was named to the inaugural cohort of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2014.

This Big Thinking lecture will take place at the Royal Society of Canada's Annual General Meeting.

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About the Big Thinking lecture series

Presented by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Big Thinking lecture series is committed to bringing big ideas in the humanities and social sciences to new audiences – creating opportunities for researchers to challenge and inspire policy makers, citizens, academics, students and community members on the critical questions of our time.

About the Royal Society of Canada

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, as well as Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership, The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The RSC’s mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world. For more information about the RSC, visit www.rsc-src.ca.

About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences promotes research and teaching for the advancement of an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. With a membership now comprising over 160 universities, colleges and scholarly associations, the Federation represents a diverse community of 91,000 researchers and graduate students across Canada. The Federation organizes Canada’s largest academic gathering, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing together more than 8,000 participants each year. For more information about the Federation, visit www.ideas-idees.ca.

NOTES

  • Free admission for media.
  • Speaker is available for interviews before and after the event.
  • This event will take place in English.
  • To register your attendance, please email Erika Kujawski

Media inquiries, interviews,

Nicola Katz

Manager of Communications

Federation for the Humanities and

Social Sciences

C: 613-282-3489

nkatz@ideas-idees.ca

Follow us @ideas­_idees  #bigthinking

 

Erika Kujawski

Manager of Communications & Publications

The Royal Society of Canada

T: 613-991-5642

ekujawski@rsc-src.ca

Follow us @RSCTheAcademies