April 2013 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Re: [Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 104, Issue 24
by Mel Stanfill 01 Apr '13

01 Apr '13

Dear Dr. Forno, I am preparing a blog post on the common assumptions behind the Coburn amendment and MOOC madness, and I found your comments below very useful in conceptualizing my argument. I would like to directly quote and cite you in the post. Would that be alright with you? And, if so, should I link to your infowarrior.org site so my readers can find you? If this is not something you are interested in, I will instead paraphrase you anonymously, but I would much rather give you credit! Thanks for your consideration, Mel Stanfill PhD Candidate Illinois Distinguished Fellow Institute of Communications Research University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign http://www.melstanfill.com On Fri, Mar 22, 2013 at 5:00 PM, <air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: > Send Air-L mailing list submissions to > air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > air-l-owner(a)listserv.aoir.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Air-L digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 3. Re: Coburn Amendment (Richard Forno) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:17:21 -0400 > From: Richard Forno <rforno(a)infowarrior.org> > To: katja.mayer(a)univie.ac.at > Cc: aoir list <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Coburn Amendment > Message-ID: <1BCB9D4A-8574-4315-BE3C-C8EE77420037(a)infowarrior.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > > Yep, I'm sure many folks are involved/seeing discussions about this thing. > *headdesk* > > I think it comes down to a belief by DC and many state governments that > unless education or educational initiatives/research can be tied *directly* > toward job creation in today's "hot new fields" it's a waste of time and > funding. How much of that is a direct consequence of the national > unemployment situation, I don't know.....or how much of it is shaped by > political ideologies, for that matter. The cynic in me has all sorts of > reasons why things like critical thinking, history, political science (ie, > "how your nation is supposed to work") are being marginalised, but that's > not an appropriate discussion for a lovely Friday afternoon. /ducks > > In my field (cybersecurity) I see a disturbing trend towards mixing > 'technical training' with 'education' at the 4-year and graduate level with > the goal of helping "develop the workforce" --- which often means getting > people with technical SKILLS into places of vital employment. Even > government groups known for setting academic guidelines in this area are > heading in that direction, too. As a result, there is an ongoing > discussion/debate over what constituties 'technical training' via > professional certifications and the development of skills as a practitioner > (generally offered in the non-credit realm) and more formal education (ie, > for-credit, degree-seeking programs) that seek to produce well-rounded > professionals who can advance in their careers over time. > > It's one thing to know how to build and configure a firewall, deploy a > Windows network, or run various security tools to test your online > security. But IMHO that's technical training to produce specialists --- > one friend even suggested those kind of hands-on-keyboard activities are > the modern equivalent of blue-collar "jobs" of years past: IE, you've got > Master Electricians and Certified Information Security Professionals; > you've got Journeymen Plumbers, you've got Certified Ethical Hackers, etc, > etc. I don't think he's that far off. And we definitely need these > people!! > > But it's another thing to know how that low-level stuff fits into the > bigger picture, understand context, think critically and independently, > develop and communicate meaning, and be able to conceptualise more than > your narrow slice of things -- THAT is where a broad and diverse education > comes in, which most likely includes stuff drawn from the allegedly-useless > humanities!! These are necessary qualities on needs if they want to have > a defined "career" instead of a series of "jobs" ---- and they come not > from STEM-y disciplines but the humanities. Through an appropriate > educational framework, these folks can be exposed both to specialist > knowledge as well as those 'soft skills' that allow them to take a > generalist approach when needed. Among other things, they can ask "why?" > and not just focus on "how?" > > That said, in my program, we've decided to split the difference to try and > get the best of both worlds: We recently built a 3-credit elective course > around a popular technical training certification in the cybersecurity > field. However, rather than just lecturing and "teaching to the > certification exam" (as many places do) there are group projects, papers, > presentations exams, and other assignments appropriate for graduate > students, are academicly rigourous, and reflect what my program seeks to > produce in its graduates. We tell students that doing well in this course > will prepare them for that industry certification (if they want to go that > route) but that we are not teaching exclusively to that exam or restricting > course content to just material related to the certification. (By contrast, > other places offer 3 credits for what essentially is a "certification exam > test prep" course.that could be taken at any commercial testing center or > community college.) > > My apologies.....this turned into a long-winded screed saying that like > many others I disagree with Coburn's Amendment and the overall trend of > marginalising the humantiies to focus on STEM and worker skills > development. In my view, being an effective professional is both an Art > and a Science. > > -- rick > > --- > Just because i'm near the punchbowl doesn't mean I'm also drinking from it. > > > On Mar 21, 2013, at 4:37 PM, Katja Mayer <katja.mayer(a)univie.ac.at> wrote: > > > > http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/senate-delivers-a-devastating-blow-… > > > > ??? > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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/ > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > 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/ > > End of Air-L Digest, Vol 104, Issue 24 > ************************************** >

1 0

Audiovisual Thinking issue #5 is now available
by oranit klein 01 Apr '13

01 Apr '13

Audiovisual Thinking issue #5 on the theme of Audiovisual learning 2.0 is now available on wwww.audiovisualthinking.org. The call for submissions for issue#6 on The Visuality of Security is still open and closes on the 15th April 2013. What is Audiovisual Thinking? Audiovisual Thinking is a peer reviewed academic online journal and pioneering forum where academics, practitioners and educators can articulate, conceptualize and disseminate their research about audiovisual culture through video. International in scope and multidisciplinary in approach, the purpose of Audiovisual Thinking is to develop and promote academic thinking in and about all aspects of audiovisuality and audiovisual culture. Advised by a board of leading academics and thinkers in the fields of audiovisuality, communication and the media and hosted by Copenhagen University, the journal seeks to set the standard for academic audiovisual essays now and in the future. We study, teach and research the moving image, media and audiovisuality, yet we rarely mediate in these same forms and media. Audiovisual Thinking hopes to change this. Video submissions are welcome from all fields of study and, as one would expect, the main criteria for submissions are that the discussion and thinking are conveyed through audiovisual means. Please visit us on www.audiovisualthinking.org to watch academic videos and submit your own.

1 0

Governing Algorithms - Conference at New York University - May 16-17, 2013
by Malte Ziewitz 01 Apr '13

01 Apr '13

GOVERNING ALGORITHMS A conference on computation, automation, and control New York University May 16-17, 2013 Algorithms are increasingly invoked as powerful entities that control, govern, sort, regulate, and shape everything from financial trades to news media. Nevertheless, the nature and implications of such orderings are far from clear. What exactly is it that algorithms “govern”? What is the role attributed to “algorithms” in these arguments? Can we turn the “problem of algorithms” into an object of productive inquiry? This conference sets out to explore the recent rise of algorithms as an object of interest in scholarship, policy, and practice beyond computer science. Taking a fresh view on the current wave of interest in this topic, we aim to discuss themes such as: * the very idea of “algorithms” as a subject and object of analysis * issues of methodology and the kind of knowledge claims that come with algorithms * the rhetoric of problems and solutions, success and failure * questions of agency, accountability, and automation * secrecy, obscurity, inscrutability * rules, regulations, resistance Speakers include: Lucas Introna, Tarleton Gillespie, Evgeny Morozov, Daniel Neyland, Frank Pasquale, Claudia Perlich, Robert Tarjan as well as Mike Annany, Kate Crawford, Lisa Gitelman, Moritz Hardt, Matthew Jones, Karrie Karahalios, and Martha Poon. Everyone is welcome, but registration is required: http://governingalgorithms.org/registration/ Organizing committee: Solon Barocas, Sophie Hood, Helen Nissenbaum, Malte Ziewitz The conference is supported by the Intel Science & Technology Center for Social Computing, the Information Law Institute at NYU School of Law, and the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University. http://governingalgorithms.org

1 0

Call for Papers: Digital Media and Sacred Text, June 17
by Tim.Hutchings 01 Apr '13

01 Apr '13

Call for Papers: "Digital Media and Sacred Text", June 17, Open University (Camden, London) Keynote speaker: Professor Heidi Campbell This one-day conference will bring together academics interested in the study of religion and digital text from a wide range of religious traditions, including sociologists, ethnographers, media scholars, computer scientists and digital humanists. We also welcome religious practitioners and publishers engaged in creating digital sacred texts. Possible topics include: - How can digital media affect the relationship between a religious reader and their sacred text? - Does digitisation influence the interpretation of a text? - Can digitisation impact structures of religious authority? - What norms are emerging to guide the use of digital sacred texts, and how are those norms being negotiated? - How can digital sacred texts be designed to meet the needs of religious readers? - What challenges does the process of digitizing sacred text raise for religious communities? If you would like to present a paper at this event, please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words by April 15th to Tim Hutchings (tim.hutchings(a)open.ac.uk) Thanks to generous funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, we are able to offer a small number of bursaries to cover travel expenses for PhD students. Further information: http://www.mediatingreligion.org/events/digital-media-and-sacred-text -- The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302).

1 0

Call for Papers: Media, Religion and In/vulnerability, September 4-6, London
by Tim.Hutchings 01 Apr '13

01 Apr '13

Call for Papers: Media, Religion and In/vulnerability Proposed Panel at CRESC Annual Conference (SOAS, London, September 4-6 2013) Abstract Deadline: April 8 2013 The Mediating Religion Network invites proposals for papers on the topic of “Media, Religion and In/vulnerability”. Mediating Religion aims to contribute several panel sessions at the 2013 Annual Conference of the Centre for Research into Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC). This year’s CRESC conference title is In/vulnerabilities and Social Change: Precarious Lives and Experimental Knowledge, and we are convinced that scholars of religion and media can make a valuable contribution to academic discussion of this important theme. Mediating Religion hopes to publish these presentations as a special issue of a peer-reviewed academic journal. The CRESC Annual Conference Call for Papers can be found here: http://www.cresc.ac.uk/events/cresc-annual-conference. The conference focuses on “the relationship between vulnerability and invulnerability”, including the precarious lives of the majority and the precarious knowledge and status of religious, political and media elites. Religion and media constitute intertwined sites and occasions for the formation of social relations and connectivities marked by persistent and novel vulnerabilities and invulnerabilities. But what are the conditions that make such relations and connectivities on the one hand durable, strong and powerful or on the other, vulnerable, precarious and risky? Contributions may take historical and/or ethnographic perspectives and may approach the concept of media broadly to include either a direct focus on specific media (e.g., print or digital) and religion (e.g., religious broadcasting) or a wider theoretical focus on mediation as a problematic of social theory in which religion and its (in)vulnerability to processes of rapid social change is a recurring question. Proposals for papers should include a title, a 200-word abstract and a very brief statement of the applicant’s affiliation and research interests. We would like to keep a focus around issues of blame and trust in our explorations of in/vulnerabilities. Submissions should be sent to Dr Tim Hutchings (CRESC Research Fellow) at tim.hutchings(a)open.ac.uk. Feel free to contract Tim or Marie Gillespie (marie.gillespie(a)open.ac.uk) to discuss paper proposals. Deadline for Proposals - April 8th 2013. Further information: http://www.mediatingreligion.org/events/call-for-papers-mediating-religion-… -- The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302).

1 0

Looking for best practices re privacy education
by Terri Senft 01 Apr '13

01 Apr '13

Hi All, Another question that I know some of you are total experts on: I'm looking for examples of best practices (ideally case studies) of education efforts re internet user privacy. These could be grassroots, government efforts, corporate efforts, activist efforts. Could be for kids, seniors, university students, consumers, whatever. Could be about parsing terms of service agreements, negotiating option bottons, etc. As long as people have praised them as being useful in some way, I'd be interested in seeing them. I seem to recall Canada being big in this area. Am I wrong about that? Thanks in advance, pals. Terri -- <http://goog_689013053> <http://goog_689013053> Dr. Theresa M. Senft Global Liberal Studies Program School of Arts & Sciences New York University 726 Broadway NY NY 10003 home: *www.terrisenft.net <http://goog_689013053>** * facebook: www.facebook.com/theresa.senft twitter: @terrisenft

2 1