Inventory of Media in my life...

This is an explanation of media from Wikipedia.  "In communication, media (singular medium) are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data".  Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_(communication)

Digital alarm clock
food packaging
daughters weekly timetable
calendar
television
laptop
google maps
local newspaper
books
street signs
GPS
speedometer in the car
petrol station
school tuck shop menu
adverts on bus shelters
lecture material displayed in lecture
scanning books in library.
recording favourite programmes on television

It is only once you take the time to notice the media all around us that it becomes obvious.  As I have said in a previous post "The Study of Gamers and Gaming", how can something so pervasive be so unobtrusive?  I believe it is because it meshes within the environment around it that we do not notice its presence.  However, loose electricity for an hour and suddenly, some of the media that forms part of your life is made obvious and sorely missed.
Mark Weiser, chief scientist at Xerox PARC, coined the term "ubiquitous computing" and believed that "the most profound technologies are those that disappear.  They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it" (Rheingold, 2002, p. 88).

Reference:
Rheingold, H. (2002). Smart Mobs. The next social revolution. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Group.

Response to Jason Nelsons digital art.

Once I had got my head around the fact that there were no rules or conventions with digital poetry and accept it for face value, I think I began to cringe a little less when viewing Jason's work.  NOTE:  I did say, cringe a little less.  I still dont truly 'get' his work.  Perhaps I need to throw off the shackles of traditional poetic rules and just embrace the work as a cocophony of sounds, words, visions, colours, spaces and animation...the very 'artistic materials' that make a digital environment in the first place.

Responses to the questions:

How does it make you feel? Truthfully...."Grab your children and run for cover!"  However, i am all about unlearning and relearning.  So I have delved into videos of Jason explaining his work, reviews and discussed it with fellow students in order to make sense of my feelings.  Jason's work appears to have no point, theme or purpose.  It confuses, infuriates and mystifies me.  I see no inspirational words and much of the work is macabre - examples of such are "This is how you will die", "Pandemic rooms" and "Endings eventually end".  Yet one element of the work which I admire is the fact that he creates it and then hands it over to the public to manipulate and interact with it. 

In Jason's own words, he describes how a job description for electronic art writers may read:

"Bored and computer-tied public searching for writers to inspire, confuse and entertain them. Writers must be willing to experiment, to be perfectionists and awkwardly lost. Technical skills or at least the willingness to work with technically proficient others is a must. Additional skills of thinking spatially, seeing poetry as geometry and reading the narrative of images together with a non-linear understanding of world are encouraged. Applicants must also be willing to delete works soon after they are created and be able to moderate epic battles between gypsies, hobos and the occasional Bill Gates".Retrieved from:http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/writersguide/craft,_part_two/professional_profile_150_jason_nelson

What does it makes you think about?  If I were faced with work of this calibre in any format within my classroom, how will I respond?  If I assess students work without gaining an understanding of what they were thinking and what message they were trying to put across.  There are many works of great literacy merit that unless it was 'explained' to me or the premise behind it detailed, I would not have the same opinion of the work.  Only when I viewed videos of Jason online giving explanations of some of his work, did I begin to appreciate what he was doing.  Once again, I cannot say I like it, BUT...I can appreciate his talent. 

What are the other media forms that it uses, or is similar to?  Computer games, music dvds, Wii.  Basicly anything interative.

If we accept that Jason's worksre poetry -  How do you "read" digital poetry like that?  I don't believe you read it in the true linear, non spatial manner that is characteristic of traditional poetry.  Rather it is non linear, spatial and needs to be experienced by all the senses. 

It is best summarised in a quote I found on blog called "Digital Dada" where digial poetry is compared to Dadaism (a post World War I movement of 'artists' protesting against the barbarism of the War).  

"As more poets begin creating works incorporating such rich media, the dream of digital dada everywhere will soon entrance the sleeping public. The boundaries between different forms of creative expression, between the visual, the cerebral and the audio is becoming ever more blurred as the new digitalogists begin exploring new ways to create provocative virtual experiences".  Retrieved from: http://www.poetscoop.org/dada/blog/2007/01/concept-of-digital-creation-in-terms-of.html

If you are interested in finding out about Dadaism - click this link The Dada Movement

I am on my soapbox...

Photo - Shuttleworth Foundation (Flickr)

Today's lecture really got me thinking...for a change AND got me really really fired up.  It was interesting to learn the history of the current governments attempts to provide all of us with a 'clean feed' internet.

"What this means is that Australian Internet Service Providers (ISP's) will now have to filter the Internet to block access to websites that would be "Refused Classification" under Australia's classification laws.

The filter will be based on blocking a list of between 1,000 and 10,000 web page addresses (“URLs”). That list is called a ‘blacklist’.  This list of URLs will be maintained by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and will be added to by lists from overseas groups that make their own lists (such as the Internet Watch Foundation)."  Electronic Frontiers Australia.

I am of the opinion that EVERYONE has the RIGHT to choose....anything!  The only people this does not technically apply to are my two gorgeous daughters...sorry girls - perhaps when you are older!  I extend this belief to fluoride in the water, abortion, religious beliefs, sexual preferences etc etc.  Who am I to make those type of decisions for people.  The same can be said for the 'clean feed' internet.  I have a list an arm long of reason why this should not be allowed and here are the main reasons.

• First and foremost, it is a violation of MY right to parent my children as I see fit. 
• If this were to go ahead, many parents would be lulled into a false sense of security as they believe that the internet is safe as it has a filter on it and therefore not take due diligence when their children are using it.
• As the list is secret, how do we know the content that is being placed on it?
• We are violating the right of those without children as this is all been packaged in order to 'protect the children'.
• Who is paying for this?  Me as a taxpayer!  Who is to say that the ISP providers will not put their prices up to accommodate the additional costs of having to filter their service.  
• We would be joining only a handful of countries in the world where such extreme censorship is in place...China being one of them!  Yikes, not too sure about being placed in that political basket...
• Once on the black list, how do you get off the list?  Case in point, the dentist that was placed on the list.  Is there an appeal system in place?

Filters will not cure the problem of inappropriate material on the internet as all it is doing is forcing the content further underground and makes it harder to police and merely places a rather dodgy blindfold on our kids (and parents) for a while.  In addition, if you forbid or close one site down another will pop up in its place.  Saddam Hussein may be dead, but radical terrorism activity has not ceased.  The key is EDUCATION!!!!!!  Spend the money on educating our children and some parents about the dangers.  Make it part of the curriculum (SOSE).  I realise that the curriculum is overloaded in schools already, but this could be seamlessly integrated into many parts of the curriculum and daily pedagogy.  The concerns that sparked this irrational proposal are valid, I just do not believe that taking away our rights and treating us like nitwits is the solution either. 

E-literatrue or E-lunacy - it is all in the eye of the beholder.

Well I feel as if I was time warped into another dimension in the lecture today.  The first hour of the lecture involved viewing E-literature and digital poetry.  Now to your general school teacher, this would make their heart sing??  You would think so, but NO!  At first glance it made me cringe, wince, laugh and balk at the thought of continuing to sit through another minute of the lecture.  Yet, it has challenged my perceptions and raised a few questions.  What defines poetry?  What is literature?  Will the students in my class see something in this that I may not and in doing so, I miss the opportunity to engage and connect with my students.  So, true to my life motto, I decided to learn, unlearn and relearn in the interest of all my potential students in the future.  How sacrificial and noble of me!

This is what I know already.  Poetry is meaningful, beautiful, creative in its art of placing words in an order that can create a picture or transcend all boundaries of the page. Poetry falls within the category of literature.  To define literature, the word means "acquaintance with words".  Or as the Macquarie Dictionary says "all the writings of a particular language, period, people, etc".  So this got me thinking, if poetry is an emotional response to what has been expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices then what is to say that Jason Nelson's poetry is not in fact another form of poetry that depicts a "language and period" of a particular time and people.  The mere fact that it evoked such conflicting emotions within me proves that it has achieved its purpose. 

Consider the following excerpt from a speech given by President Kennedy at Amherst College in honor of the late poet Robert Frost. 

"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstones of our judgment. The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state. The great artist is thus a solitary figure. He has, as Frost said, "a lover's quarrel with the world." In pursuing his perceptions of reality he must often sail against the currents of his time".

Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1964/02/poetry-and-power/6325/

So touche Jason, I concede that your work is indeed poetic and that it has a place within literature.  Although I cannot go so far as to say I enjoy it, it does evoke emotions and that is a job well done.  Lesson learnt, unlearnt and learnt again...

Polictical activism...well my attempt at it anyway.

Today I will be completing the following tasks:-

• Sign an e-petition.

I have signed a GetUp "Save the Net" Campaign.  Please follow the following link if you feel the swell of political activism within you...
GetUp "Save the Net"

•  Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site.

I posted a comment for Sacha Molitorisz from The Sydney Morning Herald.  The piece was titled "Driving Dads to Respectville".  My post is being processed to ensure it is appropriate.  View the blog here....  Driving Dads to Respectville

•  What is Barak Obama up to today?

A whole lot of 'presidenty' stuff.  For full schedule of todays exciting happenings, click on the link.  Today with President Barack Obama

•  Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are.

local - Gary Parsons & Chris Whiting
state- Peter Dowling
federal- Peter Dowling
Information retrieved from: http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/advocacy/advocacy_article.jsp?articleId=2386#QLD

•  Look up the Queensland or Australian hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in parliament.

23 November 2010.  Information obtained from:http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/legislativeAssembly/hansard/documents/2010.pdf/2010_11_23_WEEKLY.pdf

Let your local member know what you think about their last speech.

 

I do not feel like I have anything of value to contribute....sorry.

A good video about Internet Censorship.

Here is a great tongue in cheek video created by GetUp.org.au.  Worth watching...

The study of Gaming and Gamers.

I am beginning to accept that this course reduces my comments to "I must admit I had not considered/thought of/realised etc".  I must be the most naive person on the planet when it comes to technology and any offshoots of such technology.  That something that is so pervasive could be so unnoticeable is staggering.  OR, is it that it is because it is so entrenched into my everyday world that I do not notice it?  Today is a case in point.  People have jobs that study gamers and games???  What the....I must admit that I had never thought.....here I go....that games were of any value to society other than a huge time waster for teenage boys.  Evidently not!  After listening to the lecture today, I realise that not only is the gaming industry possibly bigger than the movie industry, but is has run parallel with and influenced the development of the internet too.  Before gaming 'took off' the military were engaging people to design 'games' to train and prepare their soldiers in the 'art' of war.  The gaming industry attracts many different study approaches, such as:
- the demographics of the users (are they all really geeky teenage boys or in  fact 25-40 year olds)
- the humanities approach (what are the meanings that are made from the games?)
- the engineering approach (the actual craft of designing games).

As far back as 1903, W.H. Holmes wrote:

The popular notion that games ... are trivial in nature and of no particular significance as a subject of research soon gave way, under the well-conducted studies of Mr. Culin, to an adequate appreciation of their importance as an integral part of human culture. (p.57)

There are many more approaches, but one cannot ignore the fact that only through studying and understanding the effect of games on the gamer can we begin to accept games as drivers of technological change and advancement.

References:
The repeatedly lost art of studying games. Retrieved 25 January 2011, from: http://www.gamestudies.org/0101/juul-review/

Tutorial 6 answers to questions...

Q1. What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine?  How much did it cost to build?
A:    Knock Nevi's: World's Largest Ship Ever Constructed.  It weighs 564,763 tons.  It cost $9 billion dollars
http://www.knock-nevis.com/ 


Q2. Find a live webcam in Antarctica. Can you find a place to stay in Antarctica?

A: http://www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/mawson. 

Aboard an expedition vessel - http://www.selectlatinamerica.co.uk/destinations/antarctica/accommodation

Q3. When and what was the first example of global digital communication?

A:1931 Teletype.  http://vig.pearsoned.co.uk/catalog/uploads/Glover_Digital%20Comms_C01%20reduced%20file%20size.pdf

Q4. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?
A.  Using Tiger Airways - $38.95.

http://www.tigerairways.com.au/au/en/real_deals.php 

Q5. Who is Douglas Engelbart? What is he know for?
A  Douglas Engelbart is an American computer scientist and inventor born January 30, 1925 in Portland, Oregon. He is known for inventing the computer mouse.

http://iae-pedia.org/Douglas_Engelbart


Q6. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Stephen Conroy?  (who is this guy?)
A: Senator Stephen Conroy is the Australian Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.  You can either telephone him on 03 9408 0190 or email him at minister@dbcde.gov.au, but be sure to add your postal address if you do.

Q7. What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1990?
A: "How am I supposed to live without you" - Michael Bolton.  (I loved this song...how sad am I).
http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1990/main.htm


Q8. How would you define the term 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean?
A  The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being.  The study and categorising of things that may or may not exist.
http://www.answers.com/topic/ontology


Q9. What type of camera is used to make ‘Google Street View’?
A:   A camera created by Immersive Media.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9724604-1.html

Q10. Name three computer operating systems (not for phones) that are NOT Apple OS or MS-Windows operating systems?


1a. Linux - created in 1991d by Linus Torvalds
1b. You can get a copy of it from http://www.linux.org/
http://www.computerhope.com/unix.htm


2a. BSDUnix (This is a subgroup of Unix) - Unix was developed by some of the members of the Multics team at the bell labs starting in the late 1960's.  2b. You can get a copy of it from: http://www.tech-faq.com/where-to-download-unix.html


3a. Inferno - Inferno was first made in 1995 by members of Bell Labs' Computer Science Research division.
3b.  Can be downloaded from here: http://www.vitanuova.com/inferno/downloads.html
 

Free derivatives of Unix can be easily downloaded via the Internet. This sets Unix apart from other proprietary operating systems like Microsoft Windows.

The different versions of Unix and Unix-like operating systems available for download include FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Red Hat Fedora Linux, Debian Linux, Ubuntu Linux, and Sun Solaris

Ohhhh, look at me on Second Life...





Jusie Shilling (aka Julie Prinsloo).  My avatar in Second Life whilst visiting Princeton University.  Not quite the typical sort of clothing I would wear.

Jusie is interacting with some fellow avatars in GNC world.

Internet Privacy - what is that?

 

The lecture today talked about internet privacy and the fact that there is very little of it.  Facebook is a necessary evil in my life as without it I sadly feel isolated from the world.  I do not post comments, status updates or use the apps on Facebook as I I have always steered away from putting much information about myself on the internet as I did not want colleauges or friends to see.  However, what concerned me greatly was the fact that apps that my friends use can form a 'trail' of information relating to ME!   University student groups only use Facebook to post possible PD's for teachers and this forces me to remain 'in touch' with the world by continuing to be a Facebook stalker.  I gleen through countless mundane and useless bits of information about what was eaten for lunch, bad hair and pets gone mad just in case I may miss that one bit of information that a lecturer may have given, a PD worth attending or a change in someone's status (my cousin's way of announcing to the world he had just got engaged...nice personal touch - still waiting for the PERSONAL phone call, email, sms etc etc).  On these desperate reconnaissance activities that I balk in horror at the comments of fellow students considering the ramafications such actions could have.  Case in point - Rauchy teachers on Facebook.  Two female Warwick high school teachers uploaded raunchy photos of themselves on Facebook and are awaiting further action from Education Queensland.   

The code of conduct for teachers states:

"You must not use internet social networks such as Face Book, My Space or YouTube to contact or access present students enrolled in any school or institute. If you use internet social networks in your personal time you must ensure that the content is appropriate and private, and that you restrict access to specific people who are not students" (EQ Code of conduct, Retrieved 22 January 2011, from: http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/codeofconduct/pdfs/code_of_conduct.pdf).   

"Content is appropriate and private"...is there such a thing on Facebook.  There is an illusion of privacy on the internet; it is just you and the screen as there is no other physical presence with you at the time of posting comments etc, yet it is not so.  Facebook teaches you to undervalue privacy…it conditions you.  Content can be seen out of context and affect future careers.  The site should come with a warning 'use of this site may be hazardous to your privacy, health, career, love life and even your sanity'.

I realise now how important it is for me as a teacher to teach students about the importance of privacy and that it should not be traded for a slice of Facebook, Twitter or any other social media.  Privacy is not only important for your reputation, it can sometimes be essential for your personal safety too.  As in the real world, the virtual environment is home to many sexual predators who glean information from sites such as Facebook.  Organisations such as ThinkUKnow have been set up to teach of these dangers.  "ThinkUKnow is an Internet safety program delivering interactive training to parents, carers and teachers through primary and secondary schools across Australia using a network of accredited trainers. 

Created by the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, ThinkUKnow Australia has been developed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Microsoft Australia" (ThinkUKNow website, retrieved 22 January 2011).  

Teaching students critical thinking skills pertaining to the internet and WWW will become crutial now and in the future.  The world is certainly not WYSIWYG (What-you-see-is-what-you-get) anymore. 

In the interest of research...

Rapid change in communication technology has brought about a networked society.  Virtual communities are common place in society as people are no longer bound by geography, race or cultural heritage; characteristics that historically defined the traditional community.  Virtual communities are viral and are everywhere. 
These technologies and communities are fundamentally different from the world in which I grew up in, in the 1970’s.  A community was my local netball squad and my school.  To fully understand this new community (I mistakenly had believed that Facebook was a virtual community - but I am better informed now; it is a social network) I have joined 'Second Life', in the interests of social science - of course!  As Turkle states, “The internet has become a significant social laboratory for experimenting with the self constructions and reconstructions of self that characterise postmodern life.  In its virtual reality, we self-fashion and self-create" (Turkle, 1995, Life on the screen).  I will endeavor to self fashion, self create and dive into the world of Virtual communities.  Watch this space...

Gain an understanding of what Second Life is about and what it offers in this attached video.

 
Please view the link below to get a light hearted look at Second Life.  Daily Show with John Stewart - Avatar Hereos

'The Well' - the birthplace of the online community.

After reading the article about the death of Geocities, I must admit I was amused and intrigued by peoples response to loosing the site (see the link to the YouTube video with comments from people below - Geocities eulogy).  It made me start to think about the role these communities play in peoples lives and what I may be missing out on.  The WELL is one such existing community that was launched in 1985 as the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL).  The WELL began as a dial-up bulletin board system (BBS) and has evolved with the changing technology to its current form and currently has 4000 members. 

"You don't need an invitation from a member in order to become part of The WELL. You do need to use your real name, but we will not attempt to get you to invite your email contacts or otherwise drag the rest of your daily life in with you. The service is distinguished by the quality of our non-anonymous participants, and by uncommon policies." (Retrieved 22 January 2011 from: http://www.well.com/aboutwell.html

Howard Rheingold wrote about his experiences as a member of The Well in his book The Virtual Community.  It highlights the community spirit that was created with people from all walks of life and with no geographical boundaries.  Friendships were made and transferred into real life.  The WELLs annual picnic held in San Francisco was a highly anticipated event by many of the WELL members. 

Why has the WELL survived termination when compared to other communities such as Geocities? When you consider that The WELL has been online for 26 years, one would have to look at what was on offer around that time.  The answer is - not much.  The next 'big thing' in the online community took place 10 years later in the format of Geocities.  So in fact The WELL was a trail blazer in its time.  In the 80's, computers were mostly available to people in their places of work or study.  Personal computers were an expensive luxury and so were not as common in as many homes as they are today.  Internet access was expensive as it often entailed dialing an international number to gain access.  I could not find any statistics to show internet usage in the 80's but in 1995 there was a population of 16 million internet users.  One can only imagine it was no where near that amount in 1985.  Could it be that in the 80's the calibre of people that were on the internet and joining the WELL were either or all of the following  - education, mature, hippies, geeks, activists and respected members of society that came together at a time where geological boundaries had just been crashed and so forged relationships that would see them well into the future.  Also a contributing factor is that you have to pay to be a member and contributions to chats are non-anonymous (is that even a word?...).  So in short to be a member of The WELL is tantamount to being part of a privileged club with like minded members who have a genuine shared interest in the contents of its pages...  Hence the continued survival of 'The WELL'...in my humble opinion. As Maria Wilhelm (president of the time) so aptly said in 1996:

"It's not about magazines on-line. It's not about whizzy applets and piles of dense GIFs (on-line photo files). What it really is, is this uniquely human place where people grieve the dead and have great slamfests (pyrotechnic arguments) and fall in love. The Well has its poets, has its cranks and has on display in a very visible, in a very palpable manner, its humanity."  Spreading the Well - San Francisco Chronicle November 1996.

References:

Internet Growth Statistics.  Retrieved 22 January 2011 from: http://www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm   

Rheingold, H. (1993). The Virtual Community.  Retrieved 22 January 2011, from: http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/1.html

The WELL, Retrieved 22 January 2011 from: http://www.well.com/aboutwell.html

Trager, L. (1996). Spreading the Well. Retrieved 22 January 2011, from: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/11/10/BUSINESS8420.dtl#ixzz1BrrFjumH

Getting my head around a free culture...

I am the first to admit that the basic understanding of the concept of free culture smacked of the principles of communism.  Yes, I am a Windows Droid that must be exterminated.  However, when you consider the culture in which I have been raised where my values underpin this belief, I may be forgiven.  I hold true to the belief that to be educated one must learn, unlearn and relearn.  This blog is one such learning experience.  What I have learnt so far...:

• Do unto other as you would have done unto you.
• You get what you pay for.
• Always tell the truth and never steal (and kill - but now I am sounding like Moses).

Considering these values, I find it hard to accept that someone who has invested an incredible amount of time, money and commitment would ever want to share their work - FOR FREE!  After all, they have worked hard and do not deserve to have their work stolen, ripped off or burned.  How would they like it if it was done to them.  Anything that is free has got to be inferior and riddled with viruses.

Now begins the unlearning part of my 'education'.  I began to read (a lot) about free culture, creative commons and free society and found that the more I read, the more I began to 'fence sit'.  Each side of the argument has merit.

There is a lot of information out there in favour of a free culture and many large companies (including government) have accepted the place of creative commons within the culture of their operations. 

 Examples of adoption of Creative Commons in Australia -

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - ABS website
• Geoscience Australia (GA) - Geoscience Australia website
• Bureau of Meteorology - (BoM) - BoM website

Further afield...

• Google enables users to search the internet for CC-licensed works - Google website explanation
• MIT university has created a web based publication, OpenCourseWare (OCW),  of virtually all MIT courses content.  OCW is open and available and allows access to lectures, course materials, exams, assessment and solutions. - MIT OpenCourseWare site

These companies actively demonstrate the core belief that culture is a common resource to be shared, not privately owned.  Upholding this belief has seen Stallman, and many other proponents of 'free culture', roll up their sleeves and engage in a copyright war that has been waging between authors within government, big business and the public sector for the past  300 years.  Prior to the internet and the printing press, "many traditional and indigenous cultures, collectivists in orientation, have had no concept of individual authorship" (Murphie & Potts, 2003, p.67).  Songs and stories did not belong to anyone, but were rather part of their oral community.  The legal notion of an author having rights to their work for a period of time (copyright) arose in Europe at a time of industrial change (the printing press) and economic growth (capitalism) and ultimately gave rise to legal rights such as the Statue of Anne (Queen Anne that is...) in 1710 and the 'Micky Mouse Copyright Act' of 1976. 

The latter proves that big businesses have waged into this war as it has become of economic significance - "the new economy of information based societies" (Murphie et al., 2003, p.68).  No better place can this be seen than with the meteoric rise of Microsoft.  Yet many of today's great ideas have been created on the backs of creators of the past.  As Professor Lawrence Lessig said in a presentation "Creativity and innovation always builds on the past, the past always tries to control the creativity that builds on it.  Free societies enable the future by limiting the powers of the past".  Was Walt Disney not guilty of "innovation that builds on the past" considering may of his ideas came from other great sources (Brothers Grimm and Steamboat Bill Jnr.).  Where would we be as a society if we were to create in isolation and a vacuum? 

Digital technology has brought the greatest threat to copyright as any creation in a digital format is easy prey for copying and is difficult to police.  This has brought about more insidious ways in which to protect digital material that invades your computer through the back door and violates your privacy....that is another blog altogether though!  Where will it end and will this mean the death of creativity?  When you consider that information is readily available to us 24/7 and to create original art in any format (music, written, movies, art etc) is becoming increasingly difficult "as all possible styles have been done, and that art now consists of the inventive arrangement of diverse styles...the artist is more likely to be thought of a processor of information, or manipulator of found material" (Murphie et al., 2003, p. 69).  As Adam said in the lecture, recipes have been copied and modified since time began...should we police 'recipe piracy' too now? 

And so to my relearning stage...  Finally I stumbled upon a science fiction short story written by Spider Robins in 1983 titled 'Melancholy Elephants'.  It is a very insightful piece for its time and gives much food for thought.  The story examines the interaction of copyright and longevity, and the possible effects of the extension of copyright to perpetuity.  As can been seen from the length of this blog post, I have researched, deliberated and pondered some more and come to the realisation that we really do not have a choice BUT to embrace a free society if we are to progress into the future.

References:

Lessig, L. Free culture-creative commons.  Retrieved 23 January 2011, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWR6eiiBhf8

Murphie, A., & Potts, J. (2003). Culture and Technology. Palgrave Macmillan: New York.

Robinson, S. (1983). Melancholy Elephants. Retrieved 23 January 2011 from: http://www.spiderrobinson.com/melancholyelephants.html

Stallman, R. (2009). Keynote speech 'Copyright versus Community in the Age of Computer' Neworks.  LIANZZ conference.  Retrieved 22 January 2011, from: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/copyright-versus-community.html#footnote1

Travels through Cambodia..

I was fortunate enough to be selected to go and volunteer in Cambodia with the Griffith Honours College in November/December 2010.  I went with the intention of teaching the students in the small village of Atvea, however it was they that ended up teaching me...  A trip of a lifetime and memories to cherish.  Here are some of the photos I took whilst there...trust me I have 19GB of photos..this is but a mere sample!

What T&C's...?

I have decided to look at the T&C's of Tumblr, a micro blogging site founded in 2007.  The terms state that you need to be older than 13 to join the site.  However, one of the functions within the site is for Meetups. 
"The Site offers a platform for users to organize and attend face-to-face meetings at restaurants, bars and other venues all over the world (“Meetups”). However, Tumblr does not sponsor, oversee or in anyway control Meetups. You understand and agree that you organize and participate in Meetups at your own risk and Tumblr does not bear any responsibility or liability for the actions of any Tumblr users or any third parties who organize, attend or are otherwise involved in any Meetups".  That smacks of trouble if ever I saw it.  

The T&C's do not bear any new revelations in content when compared to other sites.  In fact they are much of a muchness.  Basically - whats mine is mine and whats yours is mine too. Tumblr has a "non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable right and license (with the right to sublicense), to use, copy, cache, publish, display, distribute, modify, create derivative works and store such Subscriber Content and to allow others to do so (“Content License”) in order to provide the Services." 
But anything that Tumblr have created, you cannot "copy, modify, publish, transmit, upload, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce have created is not for to be used, create derivative works based on, distribute, perform, display, or in any way exploit, any of the Content, software, materials, or Services in whole or in part".  In my opinion, what is good for the goose is good for the gander, but evidently not! 

Interestingly my user information would be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party if the company were to go out of business.  "You acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any acquiror of Tumblr may continue to use your personal and non-personal information only as set forth in this policy".  I really am an asset.

When a 60mb hard drive was impressive...

When I was considering the history of the internet and the computer I had to stop for a moment and contemplate why I considered myself a digital immigrant that spoke a different language from the digital native as described in Prensky's article.(Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants).  Rewind 20 years when I in fact can remember XT computers, in my opinion, the birth of computing for the masses. This was a time when data was stored on 5 1/2" floppy disks, you could make a cuppa in the time it took to boot up your computer, the word-processing package of preference was WordPerfect for DOS and anyone from that generation can tell the difference between a back slash and a forward slash, what dir: represents and that cd was not something you put in the drive but rather what you typed to 'change directory'. I suddenly feel very old. So why then do I consider myself to be a digital immigrant when I was around when they were becoming entrenched in homes across the world?

When I consider that 2011 marks my entry into the ‘naughty forties’, I concede that half of my life I survived without an iPod, mobile, laptop, personal computer, email, internet banking and even Facebook…aahhhh. Communication was either face to face or over the telephone. Gauging a person’s sincerity and interest was made obvious by either their body language or tone of voice. Remaining anonymous and keeping personal information private was a choice not a luxury. I realise, I was not been born into an era where technology was a way of life, instead I have had to adapt to the changing technology over the last 15years. It is in the adaption phase that I have chosen to accept and or reject many technologies as I feel they are intrusive and do not allow me to gauge the sincerity of the person using it. It does not seem to bother the digital natives that they have 500 friends (who they really don't know or even possibly like) that can randomly place photos of them on the internet for all and sundry to see and no permission was ever sought. Privacy and integrity are a major sticking point for me and the new communications of today appears to have little of both. Perhaps this is the foremost reason for my apprehension and resistance to any major technological leap into becoming a native.
So in conclusion, by labelling myself a digital immigrant I am merely typecasting myself and limiting my potential purely based on my age and where I fall within the timeline of technology.  In reality, I do actually speak the language of the digital native; there are just elements of the language that I find easier than other parts.  Is this not relevant to any language?  I hereby inform to all and sundry, I am now a qualified digital native!

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.  Retrieved 20 January, 2011, from: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Technology biting at the heels of teachers!

This is a sobering thought for me as pre-service teacher who has not grown up in a world where technology is ubiquitous. Being a digital immigrant is no more an excuse, but rather a challenge that needs to be met. 

What we have to look forward to...

A sober reminder that the methods of teaching from the past will not suffice in the technological age we now live in.  We are not all going to become doctors, lawyers, check out chicks or even teachers...the possibility of what our students will become may not have even been dreamed of yet!  "To envision a system of education enriched by tehnology is an act of bravery.  It requires the boldness, integrity and lack of nostalgia that every exploration of the unknown demands". Chris Dede.  A challenge indeed....

What the blog is that?

To blog or not to blog...here is the answer.  An simple and easy to understand  presentation of what a blog is, for those of us that do not have first hand expereince with it.  A great teaching resource.

Emailing my blog

Hello world…I actually emailed this to my blog.  There is no stopping me now.  I am having so much fun 'playing' with my blog.  I am paticularly excited as this 'playing' is considered part of my assessment.  How much fun is this?  Off I go to do my readings now. 

Joining the digital age...

I have decided to join the digital age and post my thoughts, comments and wise interpretations of my experiences whilst undertaking the course 'New Communication Technologies'. After perusing tomorrows readings I am a little anxious at my ability to fully participate in this course. I am optimistic that I have much to learn and add to this journey. Watch this space...