September 2010 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Re: [Air-L] polymedia
by Denise N. Rall 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

Daniel (Prof Miller) - I found this a very interesting concept. 'multimedia' is so yesterday. I had a slight twitch with polymedia - and apologies if other Australians have already responded - As you may be aware, Australians are fond of the odd abbreviation, and we often use the word 'pollie' to mean politicians. Polymedia smacked to me of what we have been delivered, via multiple platforms on the latest Australian election! Which went into a hung parliament and was even more excruciating than usual ;-) I am actually fond of the word, 'omnimedia' - if only Martha Stewart hadn't claimed it first! For me, it means not only omnipresent, but also omnipotent, which rbings another element into the picture. The omnipotence of what people hear on the media was part of my recent paper about the sudden bee deaths. Even though there is no evidence per Einstein scholars, people persist in attributing to Einstein the quote about about "I know not what WWIII will be fought with, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones." He never said it. But try to erase something like that quote from 'internet memory' - it will never happen! Cheers, Denise Denise N. Rall, PhD. Special Projects, Faculty of Arts & Science Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW AUSTRALIA Mobile +(61)(0)438 233344 http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/esm/staff/pages/drall/ Popular Culture Association of Australia & New Zealand POPCAANZ Conf. Auckland, New Zealand July 2011 --- On Wed, 15/9/10, Daniel <d.miller(a)ucl.ac.uk> wrote: > From: Daniel <d.miller(a)ucl.ac.uk> > Subject: [Air-L] polymedia > To: Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org > Received: Wednesday, 15 September, 2010, 6:59 AM > Ok, given the responses I am going to > hazard one last argument for polymedia > and then I promise I will desist from posting more. Mirca > and I were well > aware of terms such as media ecology which is what I used > to use in the > past. But such a term implies a communication landscape > whose niches are > occupied by various media according to their constraints > and affordances, > and which I guess may also mesh or otherwise. But the units > are specific > types of media and their relationship to each other. > > > > By contrast what Mirca and I noticed from our Philippine > study, which led us > to coin a new word, and then seems paralleled in Gershon's > study is > something else. For the Filipinos it has just as much to do > with changes in > price as technology and is very recent. What we > noticed is that different > people see the same media in very different ways. As my > examples were > intended to show, one person see texting as ideal for > affection, another > sees it as cold. But each person creates their own sense of > that media in > relation to this new set of affordable other possibilities. > The effect of > this is not so much a change in media but a kind of > re-socialising of media, > so that the choice is now seen as significant in itself, > i.e. as a major > form of communication in its own right. Often with sender > and receiver > reading quite different things into that choice. So the > term polymedia does > not privilege the media as the units, but rather > acknowledges a new > situation in which media in general are viewed as less > issues of technology > and price and more issues of social and moral > determination. > > > > Having said that, people are obviously free to use whatever > terms they are > comfortable with, no one has authority here. In fact that > the one thing you > can bet with academics, is that whether or not we get > polymedia, we will > always find poly-semantics ! > > > > Danny > > _______________________________________________ > The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org > mailing list > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers: > http://www.aoir.org/ >

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Online learning environments
by Lev Davidson 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

Hello everyone: I've been reading this list for awhile, and this is my first time posting. I'm looking to find information on online learning environments, whether they be connected to universities or standalone, not-for-profit or otherwise. Hoping to collect information on the key players in this space - thought this could be a good resource to turn to. Recently found ConceptArt.org, and am interested in similar community-focused sites combining a mix of tutorials, videos, collaborative tools, job boards, etc. Any insight would be incredibly appreciated. Thank you! Lev Davidson

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recording and transcribing
by Barry Wellman 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

After testing, we strongly preferred Olympus DM voice recorders to iPhone even with the external mike. Olympus comes with apps that make it more optimal, such as not recording silences (assuming you're an ethnomethodologist). You can buy a quite cheap Olympus or spend a bit more money. IF you have the money, do it for clarity, apps. If it is your diss or major project, this is NOT where I would save money. I got talked out of using external mikes this time, and feel it was a mistake. Mike would have helped clarity. Clarity is really important for speed of transcription -- the real killer -- and for keeping whoever is transcribing (including yourself) happy. For transcribing, you can buy footpedals or you can install freeware which provides short cut keys. (Please don't ask me for brand names because a collaborator installed all this.) Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________ S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC NetLab Director Department of Sociology 725 Spadina Avenue, Room 388 University of Toronto Toronto Canada M5S 2J4 twitter:barrywellman http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman fax:+1-416-978-3963 Updating history: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php _______________________________________________________________________

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CFP Fanpires
by Christine Daviault 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

Apologies if this has already been posted. CFP: FANPIRES: Audience Consumption of the Modern Vampire Editors: Gareth Schott & Kirstine Moffat (University of Waikato, New Zealand) Publisher: New Academia Press (Washington, DC) This edited collection will examine the cultural resurgence of the vampire. It aims to provide inter-disciplinary accounts of the reception and cultural impact of contemporary representations of the vampire evident across a broad range of mediums, including literature (e.g. Evernight, The Vampire Academy), film (e.g. Twilight saga), television (e.g. The Vampire Diaries, True Blood), graphic novels (e.g. Chibi Vampire) and games (e.g. Vampire Rain). The appeal of vampire mythology and its associated folklore for modern audiences will be examined in an age characterised by the transformative possibilities of the internet with both its low barriers to artistic expression and the erosion of the boundaries between author and audience. From evil villains to tragic heroes, modern appropriations and re-workings of the vampire genre, evident in popular manifestations such as the Twilight saga and the television adaptation of The Southern Vampire Mysteries (True Blood) are noted for their focus on the everyday. The ?new wave? vampire is commonly nested within communities, seeking to temper their urges and coexist with humans. Such contemporary treatments of the vampire fulfill the performative role traditionally associated with media fandom that has seen the creation of texts that ?enact, share in, and see scenes that the canonical author never created? (Lancaster, 2001, p. 131). Within the context of reception and fandom, we aim to attract contributions that address (but are not limited to): ? Fan Practices (art, fiction and films as well as discussions devoted to key vampire texts) ? Anti-fans, negative reactions and responses ? Impact and appeal of the vampire for different audiences (intended and unintended). ? The scholar as fan. Distinctions between experience, interpretation and thinking as a fan and a scholar. ? Author as fan (for example, homage/adaptation works such as Pride and Prejudice retellings Vampire Darcy?s Desire by Regina Jeffers or Mr Darcy Vampyre by Amanda Grange) ? The journey of the fan. Where does fandom of a particular text lead audiences? A reference to the gothic appeal of Wuthering Heights in Twilight, led Publisher Harper Collins to reissue Bronte?s novel with the tagline ?Bella and Edward?s favorite book,? quadrupling its annual sales. ? The role of merchandising within vampire fan culture. ? Issues related to film, television, game adaptation/translation (e.g. Why are there very few original or franchise tie-in vampire videogames? What prohibits the translation of vampire narratives into interactive games?) ? The relationship between modern representations of the vampire (e.g. TV?s Being Human or Blood Ties) and other contemporary media genres (e.g. reality tv, sitcom, murder mystery etc.) ? The construction and appeal of the ?dark romance? genre ? Analysis of the plight of the vampire and the burden of immortality. Inter-generational differences between vampires and humans and vampires from a different age. For example, True Blood?s Bill Compton, turned during the American Civil War, and his young progeny Jessica Hamby (who keeps her ?own? blog on http://babyvamp-jessica.com) How forgotten social conventions, mannerisms and standards are reintroduced into society through the presence of vampires. How vampires from a previous age negotiate the demands of a contemporary world. ? The domestication of the vampire. The shift in contemporary texts from vampires as mythic creatures to quasi-human beings confronting everyday, human problems and relationships. For example: the vampire family (such as the Cullens in Twilight), the bond between creator and ?child? or the challenges of bodily sustenance (such as the ?vegetarian? Cullens in Twilight or the vampire blood banks in True Blood). ? World media and cross-cultural comparisons (e.g. Sergei Lukyanemko?s Russian Vampire quartet currently adapted into two films Nightwatch and Daywatch). KEY DATES: Chapter Proposals (Abstract), 500-800 words + 6 keywords ? October 29th, 2010 Notification of Acceptance ? November 19th, 2010 Chapter Submission (5,000 words) ? February 29th, 2011 Final Submission for Revised Chapters ? 31st May, 2011 All submissions to g.schott(a)waikato.ac.nz or kirstine(a)waikato.ac.nz

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Liberal arts colleges and new media
by CJ Pascoe 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone on this sage list can point me to a liberal arts college with a strong new media program? Thanks so much! CJ ___________________________________________ C.J. Pascoe Assistant Professor Department of Sociology Colorado College Phone: 719-389-6735 Web: http://faculty1.coloradocollege.edu/~cpascoe Dude Book: http://ucpress.edu/books/pages/10671.html Digital Youth: http://digitalyouth.ischool.berkeley.edu

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polymedia
by Daniel 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Ok, given the responses I am going to hazard one last argument for polymedia and then I promise I will desist from posting more. Mirca and I were well aware of terms such as media ecology which is what I used to use in the past. But such a term implies a communication landscape whose niches are occupied by various media according to their constraints and affordances, and which I guess may also mesh or otherwise. But the units are specific types of media and their relationship to each other. By contrast what Mirca and I noticed from our Philippine study, which led us to coin a new word, and then seems paralleled in Gershon's study is something else. For the Filipinos it has just as much to do with changes in price as technology and is very recent. What we noticed is that different people see the same media in very different ways. As my examples were intended to show, one person see texting as ideal for affection, another sees it as cold. But each person creates their own sense of that media in relation to this new set of affordable other possibilities. The effect of this is not so much a change in media but a kind of re-socialising of media, so that the choice is now seen as significant in itself, i.e. as a major form of communication in its own right. Often with sender and receiver reading quite different things into that choice. So the term polymedia does not privilege the media as the units, but rather acknowledges a new situation in which media in general are viewed as less issues of technology and price and more issues of social and moral determination. Having said that, people are obviously free to use whatever terms they are comfortable with, no one has authority here. In fact that the one thing you can bet with academics, is that whether or not we get polymedia, we will always find poly-semantics ! Danny

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Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Comparative Media Studies, MIT
by Alex Leavitt 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

MIT's Program in Comparative Media Studies in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Science is seeking a tenure-track assistant professor of media studies to start in the Fall of 2011. Candidates should have a Ph.D. with a record of significant publication (or the promise thereof), research activity and/or experience relevant to civic media. Relevant areas of specialization include the contemporary practice, history, or theory of one or more of the following: user-generated content; forms of civic engagement such as citizen journalism, journalism and new media, and location-based social networks; innovative uses of media technology; media and democracy; youth culture and media literacies. Fluency in a broader array of theories, histories and practices associated with media studies will be considered a plus. Applicants should have teaching experience. Please send a letter of application, C.V., three letters of recommendation, and hard copy samples of your research and publications to Prof. James G. Paradis, Interim Director, Program in Comparative Media Studies, Room E15- 331, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139. The application deadline is December 9th, 2010. MIT is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.

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Copyright, Culture, Creativity, and the Commons>>special issue of C&C now available!
by martine courant rife 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Dear Everyone: We are very excited to announce the September 2010 special issue of Computers and Composition: Copyright, Culture, Creativity, and the Commons is now available! The special issue was co-edited by Steve Westbrook, Dànielle Nicole DeVoss, John Logie, and myself, and features articles/reviews from brilliant and beloved scholars such as (in order of appearance) James M. Meese, Annette Vee, Tim Laquintano, Jennifer Lee Sano-Franchini, Jeffrey R. Galin, Joan Latchaw, Dan L. Burk, Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder, Angela M. Haas, and Clancy Ratliff. A summary of the table of contents is pasted below. We hope that you all enjoy reading this intriguing, provocative, ahead-of-its-time special issue, and that you will use these pieces for teaching and research. Thank you! http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/87554615 TABLE OF CONTENTS James M. Meese, Resistance or Negotiation: An Australian Perspective on Copyright Law's Cultural Agenda, pp. 167-178 Annette Vee, Carving up the Commons: How Software Patents Are Impacting Our Digital Composition Environments, pp. 179-192 Tim Laquintano, Manufacturing Scarcity: Online Poker, Digital Writing, and the Flow of Intellectual Property, pp. 193-201 Jennifer Lee Sano-Franchini, Intellectual Property and the Cultures of BitTorrent Communities, pp. 202-210 Jeffrey R. Galin, Joan Latchaw, From Incentive to Stewardship: The Shifting Discourse of Academic Publishing, pp. 211-224 Dan L. Burk, Materiality and Textuality in Digital Rights Management, pp. 225-234 Book Reviews: Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder reviews Steve Westbrook, Ed. Composition and Copyright: Perspective on Teaching, Text-Making, and Fair Use. SUNY Press, Albany, NY (2009) 225 pp., pp. 235-237 Angela M. Haas reviews Michael F. Brown. Who Owns Native Culture? Harvard University Press, Cambridge (2003) 315 pp., pp. 238-241 Clancy Ratliff reviews Jessica Reyman. The Rhetoric of Intellectual Property: Copyright Law and the Regulation of Digital Culture. Routledge, New York (2010) 188 pp., pp. 242-245 **** -- Martine Courant Rife, JD, PhD Professor, Writing Program Coordinator, Technical and Business Writing Lansing Community College Communication Department Arts & Sciences Building, 211G, 517/4839906 martinerife(a)gmail.com skype martine.courant.rife http://www.martinecourantrife.com/ *** Editor, Intellectual Property Committee/Caucus CCCC-National Council Teachers of English Newsletter *** Chair, Nominating Committee 2010-2011 CCCC *** Junior Chair, CCCC-Intellectual Property Caucus

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DML2011 Call for Proposals "Designing Learning Futures"
by Alex Halavais 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Please circulate (apologies for cross-postings) digital media and learning conference 2011 The Digital Media and Learning Conference is an annual event supported by the MacArthur Foundation and organized by the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub <http://dmlcentral.net/about/what-all-about> at University of California, Irvine. The conference is meant to be an inclusive, international and annual gathering of scholars and practitioners in the field, focused on fostering interdisciplinary and participatory dialog and linking theory, empirical study, policy, and practice. The second conference will be held between March 3-5, 2011 at the Hilton Long Beach Conference and Meeting Center in Long Beach, California. The theme will be "Designing Learning Futures”. The Conference Chair will be Katie Salen. The conference committee includes Kimberly Austin, danah boyd, Sheryl Grant, Mark Surman, Trebor Scholz and S. Craig Watkins. Keynote presentations will be given by Alice Taylor and Muki Hansteen-Izora. We are also planning a book exhibit and technology demos. To stay up-to-date on the conference, please check our website http://dmlcentral.net/conference2011, follow #DML2011 on twitter and/or join the Digital Media and Learning mailing list http://dmlhub.net/. call for proposals: designing learning futures In the twenty-first century a profound shift is underway. Digital media are central in almost every aspect of daily life, most notably in how we learn, communicate, reflect, (co-) produce, consume, create identities, share knowledge, and understand political issues. Corresponding with this increasing accessibility of digital and networked tools, we see new forms of public and private collectives which serve as seedbeds for user-driven innovation, the prevalence of many-to-many distribution models and the large-scale online aggregation of information and culture. This increased access to information, knowledge, and platforms has prompted new learning ecologies that possess the potential to support the kinds of situated, learner-driven, socially inflected, participatory learning opportunities we know are possible today. Alongside transforming how we create, access, and use knowledge, these changes raise a series of socio-technical concerns regarding the tools, technologies, and policies that underpin digital media practices and their related learning opportunities. These issues operate on both macro and micro levels. They range from processes and protocols shaping the flow and tracking of data in social network sites like Facebook or MySpace to reward and reputation systems in multiplayer online games, collaborative DIY communities like Instructable.com or deviantART, as well as to emergent problematic practices like sexting and cyberbullying. These are, in short, concerns that give shape to both formal and informal learning ecologies and learning experiences. Developing an understanding of the impact of digital media experiences on learning, civic engagement, and professional and ethical development requires that we consider the implications of the design frameworks, institutional configurations, social practices, and research methodologies at play in our connected world. As Bruno Latour notes, “New innovation will be absolutely necessary if we are to adequately represent the conflicting natures of all the things that are to be designed.” Understanding the role of innovation in light of past and present digital media practices is thus central to imagining and designing learning futures. To this end, the conference will focus upon themes of understanding the types of processes, methods, collaborations, and institutional models required for innovation. We are also concerned with gaining insight into the roles contradicting stakeholders (disciplines, institutions, economies, etc.) may play. This includes designers of social network sites, games, or mobile applications and learning environments such as afterschool programs, schools and other sites of learning. It also includes social scientists studying youth engagement in interest or friendship-driven communities, those involved in developing profiles of participants in intergenerational learning environments, practitioners looking to help integrate technology into learning environments, researchers studying the intersection of learning and socio-technical practices, and policy makers seeking to shape the future of connected learning, to name but a few possible participant profiles. >From these diverse perspectives, we seek to address the following questions: 1. What are the central concerns shaping learning within peer-based, participatory, open ecologies? What are the new collectives (including hybrid public institutional models) that are emerging in today's open learning ecologies? How is learning happening in user-innovation communities? How does remix, mentorship, sharing, and exchange occur? How do issues such as cyberbullying, problematic content, and privacy shape participation in these ecologies? How is diversity shaping learning constituencies? What forms of identities become possible? What are the relationships between different stakeholders, such as learner-centered partnerships and collaborations between teachers, administrators, students, institutions, policy makers, researchers, and designers? What are the design-driven pedagogies and learning models we should explore? What is the role of embedded assessment in understanding learning? How do we understand flow and engagement? 2. What is the knowledge base required of designers, researchers, and practitioners working on peer-based, participatory, open learning ecologies today? What is missing? What new forms of knowledge need to be developed? What existing frameworks need to be rethought? 3. What core socio-technical practices are shaping (or have the potential to shape) the future of learning? What practices may be impeding innovation or getting in the way of learning? How can and should knowledge about practices shape policy, design, and implementation of innovations? We seek to support collective inquiry into the infrastructures and practices key to digital media and learning, whether research practices, learning protocols, assessment schemes, game design, or the creation of participatory undertakings. This conversation welcomes those engaged in developing a critical understanding of the design and broader socio-technical concerns shaping learning futures, as well as in other well articulated issues key to comprehending the impact and possibilities of digital media for learning. All participants are encouraged to reflect on the implications of their work for social practice—to consider the impact of their own practice or research findings on how things are currently done or could be done differently. about the workshop and panel proposals We welcome workshops and panels along four themes: Youth, Digital Media and Empowerment; Emerging Platforms and Policies; New Collectives and Digital Media and Participatory Learning. The themes have been conceptualized by key members of the conference committee. All proposed panels and workshops will be collectively evaluated by the conference committee. Youth, Digital Media, and Empowerment This strand focuses specifically on young people’s participation in the digital media world. Youth participatory practices are influenced by a variety of social and contextual factors including distinct youth-driven interests and learning ecologies, adult mentoring, institutional infrastructures, creative partnerships, and cultural diversity. We are especially interested in panels, papers, and workshops that explore how new media technologies are leveraged to promote youth health and well-being, youth media production, and dynamic expressions of civic engagement. Moreover, what kinds of institutional infrastructures lead to programs and interventions that empower young voices, fortify social and knowledge networks, and develop the digital media skills and competencies that invigorate young critical citizens? Also, how are creative partnerships, programmatic initiatives, and the widespread diffusion of social and mobile media platforms challenging the “participation gap?” How are socially stigmatized and marginal youth populations embracing social media to build networks for personal enrichment, communal empowerment, and social change? Finally, workshops and panels that discuss the art and science of interdisciplinary collaboration, design innovation, and programming offer the opportunity for vibrant discussion, planning and intervention. Emerging Platforms and Policies The rise of Web2.0 has introduced numerous platforms into everyday life, from social network sites like MySpace and Facebook to media-sharing services like YouTube and uStream to blogging and microblogging tools like Tumblr and Twitter. These platforms have been leveraged by people of all ages to build community, share ideas, collaborate, and hang out. While many of these platforms were designed to enable “user-generated content,” there are often conflicts between what designers intend and what participants actually do on each site. In short, these platforms were not designed for the kinds of learning that often transpires on these sites. The goal of this track is to explore the tensions between the design of emerging platforms and the practices that unfold on them, with specific attention given to the policy challenges that emerge. How does the technology respond practice and how do users repurpose technology? Who gets to set the community norms and how are these norms negotiated? How are values— like privacy, safety, and transparency—embedded in the technology and how does this shape socio-technical practices? What happens when conflicts emerge between the users and the creators? How does the tension between technical design and personal practices configure these spaces? New Collectives The last 10 years have seen the rise of organizations and institutions that mash-up mission, market and mass participation. Organizations like Wikipedia, Mozilla and Creative Commons have shown that this hybrid model can shift whole industries—increasing how knowledge is shared and spread, promoting the wide adoption of web standards, making legally-backed knowledge sharing easy and widespread. Many have proclaimed that these new collectives can also transform education and learning for the better. The track will explore the ways that innovators in the learning world might tap into the power of these hybrid organizational models. We’ll ask questions like: What makes new collectives tick? Where are they getting traction in the world of learning? Where are they getting stuck? Can they challenge traditional approaches to accreditation, assessment and content creation in education? Or even shift the terrain of learning and education as a whole? Digital Media and Learning We welcome submissions that address ongoing or innovative directions in research and practice relating to digital media and learning. Workshop and Panel Formats This year we will be accepting proposals in three formats: panels, workshops and ignite talks. Panels bring together in discussion four participants representing a range of ideas and projects. Panels are scheduled for 90 minutes and should include a mix of individuals working in areas of research, theory, and practice. Workshops provide an opportunity for hands-on exploration and/or problem solving. They can be organized around a core challenge that participants come together to work on or around a tool, platform, or concept. Workshops are scheduled for 120 minutes and should be highly participatory. Finally, we welcome Ignite Talks. In an ignite talk the speaker gets 5 minutes to speak on a subject that might spark debate or conversation within the DML community. The format is specific: talks are given using 20 slides where each slide must automatically progress after 15 seconds. The DML2011 Conference proposal system will open on October 15, 2010 and full proposals will be due on November 1, 2010. Panel Abstracts should cover the theme, format (e.g. discussion, interactive, presentations), how the session addresses the theme of the conference and/or subtheme in up to 400 words. List of participants, affiliations, emails and titles of talks/presentations (if applicable) should also be included. -- -- // // This email is // [x] assumed public and may be blogged / forwarded. // [ ] assumed to be private, please ask before redistributing. // // Alexander C. Halavais, ciberflâneur // http://alex.halavais.net //

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Re: [Air-L] Voice-recorders or mobile phones for face-to-face interviews with young people?
by anna 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Hi Koen, I am not sure if it is useful, but my friend was using Skype and Skype recorder while she was doing her interviews with people. It turned out pretty good, I mean the quality of recordings. Good luck! Anna Ivanova PhD Candidate, University of Seville Spain ivanova.re(a)gmail.com -- anna . -- Новые видеоролики Discovery Channel каждый день на www.discovery.rambler.ru

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