Grassroots: Supporting the

Knowledge Work of Everyday Life

Amy Diehl, Jeffrey T. Grabill, and William Hart-Davidson
Michigan State University

Vishal Iyer. AOL

Teddi Johnson and Val Henley, Presenters
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Audience: Individuals and
community groups

Location: Online

MSU Unit/Partners: College of
Arts and Letters at MSU
For more information:
Jeff Grabill
Email: grabill@msu.edu
Web:
http://www.wide.msu.edu/abo
ut
Web:
http://grassroots.wide.msu.edu

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WRITING EDUCATION: Grassroots: Asset-Based Mapping Software Program
Description: MSU's WIDE Research Center in the College of Arts and Letters offers Grassroots:
Asset-Based Mapping for Community Change, a community writing software program born out
of the need for community members to be able to make compelling visual arguments, such as asset
maps, to promote community change. In response to that need, the center created a mapping tool
that allows individuals and community groups to create maps highlighting the assets they perceive
as valuable to their communities. Using Grassroots, users can create maps showing important
features of their community; save and share the maps they create with others; create new,
specialized maps by starting with any map that is already shared; and find maps by searching by
geographic region, users, groups, or tags that identify a map's purpose, features, or other
characteristics. Work on Grassroots is ongoing as WIDE finds new uses for the software, receives
user feedback, and learns of new community needs.
What is Grassroots?
Grassroots is an asset-based mapping tool
made possible by the Web 2.0 movement, a
movement which allows for the creation of
more adaptable interfaces by making data and
underlying database structures more openly
available via syndication and open source
software.
Grassroots is a simple tool.
Grassroots is writing software.


Three Arguments Forwarded in the
Article
Argument 1
. An argument about the nature of the
knowledge work of everyday life or about
the complex technological and rhetorical
tasks necessary to solve commonplace
problems through writing.
Argument 2
Argument about specific technologies and
genres of community-based knowledge
work, about why making maps is such an
essential genre, and about why making
asset maps is potentially transformative.
Argument 3
An argument about the making of Grassroots
itself; a statement about how we should best
express, test, and verify our theories about
writing and knowledge work.
Knowledge Work

A key focus of the WIDE Research Center at
MSU has been an effort to understand
knowledge work; more precisely, to
understand writing as knowledge work.

A concept with considerable
cultural capital right now.
Analytical activity requiring
problem solving and abstract
reasoning particularly with and
through acts of writing.
Symbolic production (Johnson-
Eilola, 2005) or the making of
largely discursive performances
that literally do work.
Capital Area Community
Information (CACI) project
CACI is a project focused on
designing with users information
communication technologies that
will support their knowledge work in
communities.
Steps of the CACI Study
The CACI study established
baseline data on local
information technology
capacity and use and
identified potential
usablity problems with
CACVoices
Researchers conducted a
formal usability test
evaluation of CACVoices.
They developed a new
version of CACVoices.
They ran another iteration
of our usability evaluation
on a redesigned
CACVoices. Then spent 3
months following how two
community-based
organizations wrote and
training people to work
with the new system.
Year One Year Two
Year Three
Arguments in Making
Grassroots
The focus in this article is on the development of a specialized writing tool
that the writers think supports some aspects of knowledge work in
communities. They call the tool Grassroots.
Arguments
1. The argument about the nature of the knowledge work of everyday life,
or an argument about the complex technological and rhetorical tasks
necessary to solve commonplace problems through writing.
2. The argument about specific technologies and genres of community-
based knowledge work, about why making maps is such an essential
genre, and about why making asset maps is potentially transformative.
3. The argument about the act of making Grassroots itself; a statement
about how we should best express, test, and verify our theories about
writing and knowledge work.
The Rhetoric of Maps and
Mapmaking
Intersection of writing and civic activity
Writing
C
i
v
i
c

a
c
t
i
v
i
t
y

The powerful rhetorical implications of creating visual
arguments and constructions of reality
through maps have long been known (Propen, 2007;
Monmonier, 1996; Barton & Barton, 1993; Wood, 1992).
The power of visual and spatial analysis
through mapping techniques can guide decision making on
issues ranging from the location of parcels and property
lines, to the environmental impact of proposed
developments, and to the worth or recognition of objects
based on whether they are viewed as relevant enough to
be mapped (Wood, 1992; Scott, 1998).
Problems with Mapping Use in
Communities
the groups know that the most significant
challenge they face in pursuit of their goals is
persuading people to consider walking.
Therefore, the maps are far more than data
displays or guides. They are primarily
arguments. They are visions of a different way
of living.
Continued Work for Grassroots
The writers maintain that they will pursue the
following work:
1) Explore how and why community members
use and value a tool such as Grassroots.
2) Examine the rhetorical nature of asset
maps, and
3) Assist users to become producers of maps

Grassroots: Supporting the Knowledge Work of Everyday Life

Discussion Questions

1. What is the basic definition of Knowledge Work ? How do the
researchers of this article define it? Compare their definition with
that of Johnson and Eilola.
2. Explain the CACI project and how it relates to this article. What is
CACVoices? What types of information were established in the
three years during which the study was conducted?
3. What are the 3 arguments forwarded in this article?
4. In what ways can maps be used as argument pieces? How might
we explain the rhetoric of mapping?
5. Define Grassroots as discussed in this article.
6. What is asset mapping? What are the 3 approaches to asset
mapping that the authors hope Grassroots will support? Give a
brief description of each.
7. Discuss the Web 2.0 movement and how Grassroots fits into
this framework. Knowledge