{"id":13554,"date":"2024-12-13T05:32:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T12:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/?p=13554"},"modified":"2024-12-13T05:32:08","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T12:32:08","slug":"michael-gurstein-the-edmonton-father-of-community-informatics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/eternal-michael-gurstein-the-edmonton-father-of-community-informatics","title":{"rendered":"Michael Gurstein: The Edmonton Father of Community Informatics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Edmonton is a unique city, home to many renowned inventors and scholars. One such individual is Michael Gurstein, a pioneer in community informatics who gained global recognition for his groundbreaking work. Read more about his contributions and achievements in the article on <a href=\"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/\">iedmonton<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37adcf36aa7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37adcf36aa7\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/eternal-michael-gurstein-the-edmonton-father-of-community-informatics\/#Career_Beginnings\" >Career Beginnings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/eternal-michael-gurstein-the-edmonton-father-of-community-informatics\/#Contributions_to_Technology\" >Contributions to Technology<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/eternal-michael-gurstein-the-edmonton-father-of-community-informatics\/#Legacy_Through_Writing\" >Legacy Through Writing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/eternal-michael-gurstein-the-edmonton-father-of-community-informatics\/#Notable_Facts_About_Michael_Gurstein\" >Notable Facts About Michael Gurstein<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/eternal-michael-gurstein-the-edmonton-father-of-community-informatics\/#Final_Years_and_Impact\" >Final Years and Impact<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Career_Beginnings\"><\/span>Career Beginnings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Gurstein began his career as a senior public servant in British Columbia and Saskatchewan before establishing and managing a management consulting firm, Socioscope. This firm focused on research in communications and information technology organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gurstein became well-known for his pioneering work in defining community informatics as a field of research and practice. His innovations expanded the capacity of communities to utilize information and communication technologies (ICT) for social change. For his contributions, Michael earned his first degree in philosophy and politics from the University of Saskatchewan, followed by a PhD in social sciences from the University of Cambridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a management advisor for the United Nations in New York, he was invited to serve as Deputy Chair of the Department of Technological Change Management at the University College of Cape Breton. While there, he established a center for community and corporate networks and a living laboratory focused on using ICT for social transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.iedmonton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/17092536\/1-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.iedmonton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/17092536\/1-1.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.iedmonton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/17092536\/1-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.iedmonton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/17092536\/1-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.iedmonton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/17092536\/1-1-696x392.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Contributions_to_Technology\"><\/span>Contributions to Technology<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Gurstein&#8217;s center was a pioneer in hosting online conferences and other technology-driven initiatives. It organized the first-ever online conference with simultaneous translation, ensuring accurate French transcription alongside the live meeting. His center was also the first to facilitate the placement of volunteers through NetCorps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Legacy_Through_Writing\"><\/span>Legacy Through Writing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gurstein authored an influential book titled <em>Community Informatics<\/em>, published in 2012. This work introduced key concepts and terminologies for the emerging discipline of community informatics. His book defined &#8220;effective use&#8221; and &#8220;digital divide,&#8221; establishing a framework for the study and practice of ICT in advancing social goals. It remains a cornerstone in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Notable_Facts_About_Michael_Gurstein\"><\/span>Notable Facts About Michael Gurstein<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He served as editor-in-chief of a prominent Edmonton journal and later chaired the Community Informatics Research Network.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gurstein became an adjunct professor at the School of Library and Information Studies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He was an active commentator, speaker, and blogger, particularly focusing on community informatics and its future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Years_and_Impact\"><\/span>Final Years and Impact<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before his death in October 2017, after a two-year battle with prostate cancer, Gurstein was widely regarded as a visionary in his field. His blog and publications provided invaluable insights to aspiring researchers and professionals. Michael&#8217;s work continues to influence the field of informatics in Canada, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edmonton is a unique city, home to many renowned inventors and scholars. One such individual is Michael Gurstein, a pioneer in community informatics who gained global recognition for his groundbreaking work. Read more about his contributions and achievements in the article on iedmonton. Career Beginnings Michael Gurstein began his career as a senior public servant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":519,"featured_media":13558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4819],"tags":[6169,6167,6157,6166,6162,6165,6158,6156,6164,6160,6161,6155,6163,6159,6168],"moimportance":[32,35],"motype":[4825],"moformat":[88],"class_list":["post-13554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-innovator","tag-canadian-ict-contributions","tag-canadian-researchers","tag-cape-breton-university","tag-community-informatics","tag-digital-divide","tag-edmonton-pioneers","tag-effective-use","tag-ict-innovation","tag-ict-research","tag-informatics-history","tag-michael-gurstein","tag-netcorps","tag-social-informatics","tag-socioscope","tag-technology-for-social-change","moimportance-golovna-novyna","moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory","motype-eternal","moformat-copywriting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13554"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13561,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13554\/revisions\/13561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13554"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=13554"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=13554"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iedmonton.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=13554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}