Media Literacy: Making Sense Of New Technologies And Media by George Siemens - Apr 4 09
Copyright issues, the online collaboration tools map, visual search engines, and the crisis of newspapers are just some of the fascinating topics of this new issue of Media Literacy Digest by George Siemens.
Photo credit: romeisfamily4
The pointers about copyright are particularly worth mentioning. Intellectual property is a serious issue in Web 2.0 era. Each time you publish something on the Internet you consciously put yourself at risk of someone stealing your content.
Creative Commons licenses try to solve the problem where traditional copyright fails. But it's still a long way to go before you can protect your work and sleep well at night.
An example? Recently Lee LeFever of Common Craft lamented some of their copyrighted material (an explanatory video for Twitter) was used in mainstream media without any permission granted nor attribution to the original authors. The work in question is licensed under a non-commercial, no-derivatives CC license.
As George Siemens sadly points out:
"Copyright and intellectual property is a mess. And it's not getting better in the near future. Creating and sharing resources works well when it's with a network of individuals who value reciprocity."
If you want to make sense of how new technologies are changing our society, and the impact new media have on the educational landscape, this weekly Media Literacy Digest provides you with pointers, facts and resources to help you analyze the important changes we are undergoing.
eLearning Resources and News
learning, networks, knowledge, technology, trends
by George Siemens
Best Collaboration Tools 2009
Click the map to see the full, public, editable version
If you suddenly find yourself with time to kill, or smitten with a strong urge to explore emerging technologies, Robin Good has posted a detailed mindmap of Best Collaboration Tools 2009.
Even those who are well versed in collaboration software will be hard pressed to not find at least a few tools they haven't encountered before...
As Newspapers Implode, Diverse Voices Move Online
The newspaper death watch continues: As Newspapers Implode, Diverse Voices Move Online
As newspapers struggle to keep their footing and retain their place in our democracy, there has been increasing talk about the need to give the public courses in media literacy. The thinking behind this movement is that if people truly understood the role the news media plays in the public discourse they would understand the danger to democracy if papers vanish.The problem with that solution is that it ignores the fact many feel that news organizations routinely paint a stereotypical and one-dimensional picture of their lives. In those cases, many people believe mainstream news organizations detract from rather than add to the public discourse around issues important to their lives.
Any media that is mismatched to the needs and interests of the market it wishes to serve has a dim future. The multi-perspective (in theory at least... it depends on whether or not we avail ourselves to opinions contrary from our own) personalized, social online world is one that newspapers cannot duplicate in print form.
In a presentation a few weeks ago, I argued that universities face a similar challenge of relevance. Universities - as with media - need to "map reality" (Frank and Gabler), namely the concerns, trends, and vital interests of a society. Newspapers are playing the "democracy is in danger" card... much like universities will play the "society is in danger" angle. That's a misplaced view.
Mismatching form and function (between university and society) calls into question the future of universities, not society.
Sharing and Attribution
Common Craft produces useful videos introducing emerging technologies to mainstream audiences. Now, seeing their work used in ways that isn't really permitted under their Creative Commons license, they're asking what they should do about mainstream media using their resources.
Copyright and intellectual property is a mess. And it's not getting better in the near future. Creating and sharing resources works well when it's with a network of individuals who value reciprocity.
Edubloggers are generally focused on creating, finding, and sharing valuable resources. Sharing our work with others requires others sharing as well. Mainstream media, however, doesn't function this way. Their intent is to drive traffic to themselves. Which means they'll happily use available resources (such as the Common Craft video) but not necessarily make their resources available to others to use in contexts not controlled by MSM.
Organization Beyond Social Networks
Mark Federman provides a summary of a talk by Karen Stephenson - Organization beyond social networks:
Stephenson considers an organizational network as the "genetic code" that can be used to unlock any organizational culture...Networks cut through the official hierarchy and essentially map out who communicates or consults with whom, who enables or prevents information flow and access to whom, and who are the most and least effective disseminators of knowledge, influence, and social norms.
The post goes on to explore the importance of identifying the true (often hidden) structure of information exchange in an organization.
I'm interested in how to extend network-thinking to the learning process. Which interactions contribute to deeper understanding of a subject? How often do different learners interact with each other and what is the quality of that interaction?
As educators, we have imported network concepts from other fields (sociology most prominently). We need to develop our own learning-related concepts of networks. I think it's important that educators understand (even think in) networks.
Visualizing Search Results
Click the image to go to visual search results on Middlespot for "Robin Good"
Search results are largely text-based. A few search engines (like KartOO) have made attempts to improve the search experience, but with limited uptake.
eyePlorer offers another form of visualization, not based on how individual results are connected and related, but based instead on providing a "whole" view of a subject. Have a look at the results of a search for elearning. Short definitions of each resource is provided and can be compiled in a "notepad" by the searcher.
Still not quite what I want in visual search (I want a tool that does for visual search results what Google did for text-based results), but at least organizations are exploring visualization as a means of improving results.
Originally written by George Siemens for elearnspace and first published on April 4th 2009 in his newsletter eLearning Resources and News.
About the author
To learn more about George Siemens and to access extensive information and resources on elearning check out www.elearnspace.org. Explore also George Siemens connectivism site for resources on the changing nature of learning and check out his new book "Knowing Knowledge".
Photo credits:
As Newspapers Implode, Diverse Voices Move Online - Feng Yu
Organization Beyond Social Networks - Start Up Blog and Suprijono Suharjoto mashed up by Daniele Bazzano
Reference: eLearnSpace [ Read more ]
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