tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74657198780401061502024-03-16T07:08:07.885+00:00The Digital MigrantRepository for reflections on all aspects of e-learning and digital culture.Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-89516337907879606962011-10-26T16:38:00.007+01:002011-10-26T16:54:04.993+01:00'Don't affect the share price': social media policy in higher education as reputation management<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmcneill/2884021989/" title="Facebook culture 3 by Ant McNeill, on Flickr"><img alt="Facebook culture 3" height="500" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2884021989_a127fb32ff.jpg" width="375" /></a><div style="background-;color:transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:arial;font-size:100%;color:black;"><br /><br />I'm doing a bit of work on social media policy in universities in the UK.<br /><br />I'm particularly interested in the ways in which UK HEIs are responding to both the positive potential of social media as well as to its perceived threats.<br /><br />My hunch - and it's just a hunch at the moment based on some quick reading of sample policy documents and discussions with colleagues at Kingston University - is that the development of social media policies has been taken in response to both the promise of social media in promoting university brands as well as the threat to institutional reputation. The creation and implementation of social media policies are, therefore, playing a role in helping universities manage both the risks and benefits of social media at a time when reputation or brand management is key.<br /><br />Social media has greatly lowered the threshold technological barriers to creating online spaces, facilitating dialogue and sharing resources. With this ease comes potential threats: could online spaces and digital communication tools allow academic staff to stray 'off message' and publish statements or post media at variance with institutional policy or in some way detrimental to its reputation? There have certainly been cases in the UK of academics doing just this (Corbyn 2008).<br /><br />What are the drivers behind the development of such policies? I think it's all to do with the context of the marketisation of higher education (Molesworth et al. 2010) and the need for universities to both create a differentiated brand for themselves and protect that brand at a time when they're competing for students. Legal or liability issues are prominent too but there's a lot in many policy documents about protecting the university against defamation.<br /><br />And the levers? Well, in some policy documents it's more carrot than stick with disciplinary sanctions and management controls in place to ensure compliance.<br /><br />I'm at an early stage in my thoughts about this so all comments, quibbles and corrections very welcome.<br /><br /><br /><b>Sample of social media policy documents from UK HEIs</b><br /><br />University of Bristol<br /><a href="http://www.bris.ac.uk/social-media/">http://www.bris.ac.uk/social-media/ </a><br /><br />University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN)<br /><a href="http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/hr/hr_guidance_employees/social_networking.php">http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/hr/hr_guidance_employees/social_networking.php</a><br /><br />UCL<br /><a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-media/">http://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-media/</a><br /><br />Durham University<br /><a href="http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/social/">http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/social/ </a><br /><br />University of Glamorgan<br /><a href="http://msr.glam.ac.uk/documents/download/52/">http://msr.glam.ac.uk/documents/download/52/ </a><br /><br />Heriot Watt University<br /><a href="http://www.hw.ac.uk/webteam/about/service/social-media.htm">http://www.hw.ac.uk/webteam/about/service/social-media.htm </a><br /><br />University of Huddersfield<br /><a href="http://www2.hud.ac.uk/shared/shared_vcowg/docs/policies/Social_Networking_Policy.pdf">http://www2.hud.ac.uk/shared/shared_vcowg/docs/policies/Social_Networking_Policy.pdf </a><br /><br />University of Leicester<br /><a href="http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/marketing/marcomms/communications/social">http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/marketing/marcomms/communications/social</a><br /><br />Oxford Brooks University<br /><a href="http://www.brookes.ac.uk/staff/marketing/web/socialmedia/policy">http://www.brookes.ac.uk/staff/marketing/web/socialmedia/policy</a><br /><br />University of Surrey<br /><a href="http://www.surrey.ac.uk/about/corporate/policies/social_network_policy.pdf">http://www.surrey.ac.uk/about/corporate/policies/social_network_policy.pdf</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><br /><br /><br />Corbyn, Z. (9 October 2008). By the blog: academics tread carefully. Times Higher Education Supplement. Accessed 26 October 2011 from: <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=403827">http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=403827</a><br /><br />Molesworth, M., Nixon, E. and Scullion, R. (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:arial;font-size:100%;color:black;"><i>eds</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:arial;font-size:100%;color:black;">) (2010). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:arial;font-size:100%;color:black;"><i>The Marketisation of Higher Education and the Student as Consumer</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:arial;font-size:100%;color:black;">. London: Routledge.</span></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com732tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-87949382108683946102011-04-01T10:41:00.004+01:002011-04-01T11:17:06.010+01:00First attempt at a quick guide to PreziThe stand-out success of the 2010-11 staff development season has been, without doubt, <a href="http://prezi.com/">Prezi</a>. We've had double-figure attendance at the workshops we've run and have had to re-book rooms to accommodate colleagues wanting to learn how to use it.<br /><br />I've also used it on our PgCert L&T in HE and at a recent session of student group presentations 3/5 groups used Prezi in lieu of PowerPoint or Keynote.<br /><br /><div>It's clearly striking a chord with some colleagues and I wonder why. There's some interesting research to be done here I think. My hunch is that it's partly discipline-specific with those in visual-rich areas (e.g. healthcare, art and design) most to gain from the ability to zoom into uploaded images. </div><div><br /></div><div>I read an interesting comment on a Kingston University Elgg blog post from a colleague who was drawn to its non-linear potential that fitted well with the theme of her lecture:</div><div><br /></div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>I used Prezi (in place of PowerPoint) in a seminar last semester. It was relevant to the content of the lecture since we were discussing the digital future of 'books'. One of the key differences between physical and digital books (aside from the feel and smell!) is that physical books are linear. You tend to read one page after another, one chapter after another. Of course you can dip in and out and use the contents or index pages to find the material you want. But most people read an old-fashioned book more or less sequentially. Digital books, however, provide opportunities for presenting information or stories in a non-linear fashion. Prezi, therefore, was the perfect tool to not just talk about, but demonstrate, the non-linear nature of new technologies.</div></blockquote><div></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Kimberly Scheideman, in her blog post <a href="http://web2pt0me.blogspot.com/2010/11/powerpoint-or-prezi-whats-difference.html">A Beautiful Sunrise - PowerPoint or Prezi - What's the Difference?</a> makes a similar point. She claims that Prezi suited her thematic presentation of Eoin Colfer's novel <i>Artemis Fowl</i> better than PowerPoint ('I felt the Prezi captured a concept that a PowerPoint couldn't'). So, in other cases, it looks like the lecture topic or structure is informing lecturer preferences.</div><div><br /></div><div>More thoughts on this later but for now here's the handout we distribute in our sessions - comments and corrections welcome.</div><div><br /></div><a title="View Prezi Guide on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/52056677/Prezi-Guide" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">Prezi Guide</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/52056677/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-bh2b8xsxpccl05lrjhn" height="true" ratio="0.707514450867052" scrolling="no" id="doc_8494" width="100%" frameborder="0"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();</script></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-53206115342993372332011-03-30T15:23:00.004+01:002011-04-01T11:20:19.957+01:00Learning technology review: the student perspectiveThis is my presentation for the next M25 Group session (31.03.2011):<br /><br /><div class="prezi-player"><style type="text/css" media="screen">.prezi-player { width: 400px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }</style><object id="prezi_drtum88qi_i9" name="prezi_drtum88qi_i9" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="400" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=drtum88qi_i9&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"><embed id="preziEmbed_drtum88qi_i9" name="preziEmbed_drtum88qi_i9" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=drtum88qi_i9&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><div class="prezi-player-links"><p><a title="Presentation for M25 Group meeting on capturing the student voice in Kingston University's Learning Technologies Review." href="http://prezi.com/drtum88qi_i9/learning-technologies-review-student-perspectives/">Learning Technologies Review: student perspectives </a> on <a href="http://prezi.com/">Prezi</a></p></div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-24552027592851143212011-03-29T12:44:00.002+01:002011-04-01T11:20:34.895+01:00Graphic elicitation referencesBagnoli, A. (2009). Beyond the standard interview: the use of graphic elicitation and arts-based methods. <span style="font-style:italic;">Qualitative Research</span>, 9(5): 547–570<br /><br />Crilly, N. et al. (2006). Graphic elicitation: using research diagrams as interview stimuli. <i>Qualitative Research,</i> 6(3): 341-366<br /><br />Prosser, J. and Loxley. A. (2008). <i>Introducing Visual Methods. ESRC National Centre for Research Methods Review Paper</i>. http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/420/1/MethodsReviewPaperNCRM-010.pdf (accessed February 14 2011)<br /><br />Törrönen, T. (2002). Semiotic theory on qualitative interviewing using stimulus texts. <i>Qualitative Research</i>, 2(3): 343-362<br /><br />Umoquit, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (2008). The efficiency and effectiveness of utilizing diagrams in interviews: an assessment of participatory diagramming and graphic elicitation. <i>BMC Medical Research Methodology</i>, 8(53): 1-12<br /><br />Varga-Atkins, T. and O'Brien, M. (2009). From drawings to diagrams: maintaining researcher control during graphic elicitation in qualitative interviews. <i>International Journal of Research and Method in Education</i>, 32(1): 53-67Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-27226887182425182712011-02-16T13:25:00.003+00:002011-02-16T13:32:02.853+00:00Blogging workshopI thought I'd park the Prezi I'll be using for this semester's blogging workshops here.<br /><br /><div class="prezi-player"><style type="text/css" media="screen">.prezi-player { width: 400px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }</style><object id="prezi_z7uqivzgegim" name="prezi_z7uqivzgegim" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="400" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=z7uqivzgegim&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"/><embed id="preziEmbed_z7uqivzgegim" name="preziEmbed_z7uqivzgegim" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=z7uqivzgegim&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><div class="prezi-player-links"><p><a title="Prezi to be used in staff development workshops on blogging (Kingston University, UK)." href="http://prezi.com/z7uqivzgegim/blogging-ku/">Blogging @KU</a> on <a href="http://prezi.com">Prezi</a></p></div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-68102452155485618042010-10-08T12:04:00.004+01:002010-10-08T12:28:59.191+01:00Jonathan Franzen on AppleI've been reading, and quite enjoying, Jonathan Franzen's <i>Freedom</i> (I've the first edition with the typos). <div><br /></div><div>A section that made me laugh out loud was when one of the main characters, a not-quite-failed rock star called Richard Katz launches into an attack on Apple - "I think the iPod is the true face of Republican politics" (Franzen: 2010: 201) - as part of a bigger tirade against the fake subversive edge of popular music culture in response to a question about the "MP3 revolution".</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a short extract:</div><div></div><blockquote><div>I've been given the opportunity to participate in the pop-music mainstream, and manufacture Chiclets, and to try to persuade fourteen-year-olds that the look and feel of Apple computer products is an indication of Apple computer's commitment to making the world a better place. Because making the world a better place is cool, right? And Apple computer must be way more committed to a better world, because iPods are so much cooler-looking than other MP3 players, which is why they're more expensive and incompatible with other companies' software, because - well, actually it's a little unclear why, in a better world, the very coolest products have to bring the most obscene profits to a tiny number of residents of the better world. [...] We're about the relentless enforcement and exploitation of our intellectual-property rights. We're about persuading ten-year-old children to spend twenty-five dollars on a cool little silicone iPod case that it costs a licensed Apple computer subsidiary thirty-nine cents to manufacture.</div></blockquote><div></div><div>Strangely, as someone in thrall to the unhealthy consumerist fetishism of all things Apple, it struck a bit of a chord. I love the design of their products but, partly as a result of recent experiences with the iPad, am increasingly irritated by Apple's closedness, control freakery and ruthless pursuit of profit.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Franzen, J. (2010). <i>Freedom</i>. London: Fourth Estate.</div><div><br /></div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-19710191287404375332010-10-06T12:03:00.007+01:002011-03-30T14:07:17.305+01:00Those 'not digital natives' references<div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmcneill/3076992286/" title="Net Generation by Ant McNeill, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmcneill/3076992286/" title="Net Generation by Ant McNeill, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/3076992286_71a6424524.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Net Generation" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmcneill/3076992286/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmcneill/3076992286/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>This is me using my blog again as a dumping ground for my references. This time it's for all those lovely papers debunking the myth of the 'digital native':<div><div><div><blockquote>Bayne, S. and Ross, J. (2007). The ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’: a dangerous opposition. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) December 2007. PDF format. <a href="http://www.malts.ed.ac.uk/staff/sian/natives_final.pdf">http://www.malts.ed.ac.uk/staff/sian/natives_final.pdf</a></blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://www.malts.ed.ac.uk/staff/sian/natives_final.pdf"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; ">Bennett, S., Maton, K. and Kervin, L. (2008). The ‘digital natives’ debate. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><i>British Journal of Educational Technology</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; ">, 39(5): 775-786</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "></span>Bennett, S. and Maton, K. (2010). Beyond the ‘digital natives’ debate: Towards a more nuanced understanding of students' technology experiences. <i>Journal of Computer Assisted Learning</i>, 26(5): 321–331</blockquote><blockquote>Brown, C. and Czerniewicz, L. (2010). Debunking the ‘digital native’: beyond digital apartheid, towards digital democracy. <i>Journal of Computer Assisted Learning</i>, 26(5): 357–369</blockquote><blockquote>Burhanna, K.J.<i> et al.</i> (2009). No Natives Here: A Focus Group Study of Student Perceptions of Web 2.0 and the Academic Library. <i>The Journal of Academic Librarianship</i>, 35(6): 523-532</blockquote><blockquote>Hargittai, E. (2010). Digital Na(t)ives? Variation in Internet Skills and Uses among Members of the “Net Generation”. <i>Sociological Inquiry</i>. 80(1):92-113</blockquote><blockquote>Helsper, E. J. and Eynon, R. (2010). Digital natives: where is the evidence? <i>British Educational Research Journal</i>, 36(3): 503-520</blockquote><blockquote>Jones, C. and Czerniewicz , L. (2010).Describing or debunking? The net generation and digital natives. J<i>ournal of Computer Assisted Learning</i>, 26(5): 317–320</blockquote><blockquote>Jones, C. and Healing, G. (2010). Net generation students: agency and choice and the new technologies. <i>Journal of Computer Assisted Learning</i>, 26(5): 344–356</blockquote><blockquote>G. Kennedy, T. Judd, B. Dalgarno and J. Waycott (2010). Beyond natives and immigrants: exploring types of net generation students. <i>Journal of Computer Assisted Learning</i>, 26(5): 332–343</blockquote><blockquote>Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A. and Vojt, G. (2010). Are digital natives a myth or reality? University students’ use of digital technologies. <i>Computers & Education</i>. Article in press</blockquote><blockquote>Selwyn, N. (2009). The digital native - myth and reality. Invited presentation to CLIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals). London Seminar Series. London 10th March 2009. <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/9775892/Digital-Native">http://www.scribd.com/doc/9775892/Digital-Native</a></blockquote></div></div><div><br /></div><div>If you have any more please pass them on. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.delicious.com/edtechglossary/notdigitalnatives">Delicious</a> links.</div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-78581986065338502502010-06-12T12:22:00.001+01:002010-06-14T08:51:44.939+01:00Seconds thoughts on the iPad<div>I guess I continue to be delighted and frustrated by the iPad in equal measure.<br /><br />The frustration is largely due to my expectation - probably misplaced - that the iPad would be more Macbook Pro XS than iPod Touch XL.<br /><br />The fantastic web browsing experience it offers lures you into thinking that it can do everything a regular computer can do. For example, when web browsing, it's the full-sized pages you view not the mobile version of them. However, log into, say, Blogger to write a post and you'll find you can't edit unless you select the HTML option. There's also no uploading local files to your most-used sites (Facebook, Flickr, Blackboard, Moodle). Eh?<br /><br />I really wanted the iPad to be the core portable device we use in the staff development workshops we run on various aspects of e-learning. However, its limitations mean this ain't gonna happen and I'll have to think about a more conventional netbook instead.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUXVcHCB7f_NrtmngxBqiVgdBU3DIT5vDg-UTyagP-TYizGzEDHvXQTg8ac-4HmbsZHJzBwE2gmGtLK78DbG17GCnNh9Ix9l2ON378M33S9ohHV1YMUUqyzXfR2kd4cUEI3ksI1ncswlF/s1600/ISiPad.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 374px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUXVcHCB7f_NrtmngxBqiVgdBU3DIT5vDg-UTyagP-TYizGzEDHvXQTg8ac-4HmbsZHJzBwE2gmGtLK78DbG17GCnNh9Ix9l2ON378M33S9ohHV1YMUUqyzXfR2kd4cUEI3ksI1ncswlF/s400/ISiPad.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482532357668845026" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>IS colleagues try out the iPad at a recent staff development event</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br />A few colleagues have rightly commented that you can upload content from the iPad via apps (e.g. the Flickr app, BlogPress etc.). I know that apps are the way mobile technology is going but I don't necessarily think it's the best way to go. A recent <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/jun/10/antiweb" target="_blank">Guardian article</a> has highlighted the negatives of this trend - adding $s to the coffers of Apple's iTunes Store and others by making users pay for apps that restore functionality and access to content they once had for free via a browser. Is reading <i>Wired</i> through the iPad app really a better experience than reading it online through Safari?<br /></div><div><br />Why can't I do the stuff I need to do through the iPad's browser? The paradox is that the iPad offers the best mobile web experience of any mobile device via a browser I know and yet it also forces users to find alternatives to the browser to do many things.</div><div><br />Is it a genuine technical limitation of the device or is it informed by a commercial strategy? I don't know the answer but I do know that I'm becoming less, and not more of an Apple fanboy by the day.</div><div><br /></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-25327505945258019562010-06-11T13:24:00.001+01:002010-06-11T13:21:21.715+01:00Blogging from iPad (iBlogger)I'm using iBlogger to write this post on the iPad.<br /><br />It's not a nice experience: portrait mode only and iPhone/iPod Touch screen size which becomes horribly pixelated - inc. keyboard - when enlarged.<br /><br />The WordPress app offered a much nicer writing experience (see my <a href="http://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/twitter/2010/06/11/blogging-on-the-ipad/" target="new">Twitter</a> blog for an example). I could also insert pictures with the WordPress app - I can't with iBlogger. <br /><br />So, the app works fine on the smaller Apple devices but is much less satisfactory on the iPad. It needs an upgrade desperately - the TweetDeck iPad app leads the way in this respect I think. iBlogger 2 is due for release soon - here's hoping it's more iPad-friendly. <br /><br /><div class="iblogger-location-wrapper">Mobile Blogging from <a class="iblogger-location" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.4090,-0.3044">here</a>.</div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-89893765339983791532010-06-11T12:40:00.001+01:002010-06-11T13:21:47.140+01:00Blogging on the iPad (BlogPress)I've just downloaded the BlogPress app for the iPad (£1.79).<br /><br />Hurrah - we've got landscape mode which makes writing much easier.<br /><br />I can also add location and tags really quickly. Just as important, I can insert images from my photo library:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/twitter/files/2010/06/65AB4D16-96DE-4AEC-9EE1-7993FB73FAAAiphone_photo.jpg"><img src="http://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/twitter/files/2010/06/65AB4D16-96DE-4AEC-9EE1-7993FB73FAAAiphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="210" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br />It lets you add multiple blogs from all the usual suspects (WordPress, TypePad etc.).<br /><br />It's my app of the week.<br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><p class="blogpress_location">Location:<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Eden%20St,Kingston%20upon%20Thames,United%20Kingdom%4051.408973%2C-0.304460&z=10">Eden St,Kingston upon Thames,United Kingdom</a></p>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-35749230992751423702010-06-09T21:23:00.010+01:002010-06-10T13:03:16.722+01:00First reaction to the iPadI've mixed feelings about the two iPads we've recently purchased.<br /><br />As a Mac, iPod Mini, Nano, Touch and iPhone owner/user (and Apple fanboy) I obviously think it's a great addition: great-looking and really fast access to the web, email, Twitter etc..<br /><br />However, my optimistic belief that we could order 6 + and use them in ed tech staff development workshops is beginning to waiver. Although in a workshop I ran yesterday it was well received - "Many thanks for a very interesting session and we all enjoyed it. We are also greatly in love with the I-Pad" - how long can the wow factor last?<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WunjI0yJv1rljDIsfZxmha_ixCrUrU_QPf3zK73e0D1W3dozqWb2N0aerCZtfc88ACfzO8p9zKk7dvbgmPr4kKXdpvQgouHMIV79PjtYS8k_7N8lh4eb8NkUh1Odg9EDWFKMvlr2N9ov/s1600/stafflooking-at-iPad.jpg"></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WunjI0yJv1rljDIsfZxmha_ixCrUrU_QPf3zK73e0D1W3dozqWb2N0aerCZtfc88ACfzO8p9zKk7dvbgmPr4kKXdpvQgouHMIV79PjtYS8k_7N8lh4eb8NkUh1Odg9EDWFKMvlr2N9ov/s1600/stafflooking-at-iPad.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WunjI0yJv1rljDIsfZxmha_ixCrUrU_QPf3zK73e0D1W3dozqWb2N0aerCZtfc88ACfzO8p9zKk7dvbgmPr4kKXdpvQgouHMIV79PjtYS8k_7N8lh4eb8NkUh1Odg9EDWFKMvlr2N9ov/s400/stafflooking-at-iPad.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481110164760983106" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Kingston University staff check out the iPad at recent Facebook session</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I've argued <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmcneill/4686147794/">elsewhere</a> that it feels too limited in what it can do in spite of multiple apps which extend its capabilities. It offers more than an iPod Touch but much less than a cheaper netbook (Asus, Acer etc.) occupying a niche for which I hadn't realised there was any demand.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>For example, the iPad doesn't allow me to upload local files to sites I use regularly from what I can see (notice the greyed-out choose file to upload buttons on Flickr screen shot below).</div><div><br /></div><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH54zn9O94ZAV-wz17_nhK18nyM-eTwQmI3AsACs1htXw6tlhwqPCFxs1tjWdGHZBgkLJawIB0bEzV3eax3JMHEZcmPGQun7LxynJZ8bl1sCpNc17GdDRvnHtmigoShR41IwydwlOeJFs/s400/flickr.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480874986371600114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div><div>It's the same story with Facebook and with Blackboard and, I expect, other sites too.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9qybr6nmf9jqMzr4rpz39xzY_aFO_GWHL8ECzS6Wj1XfJILO_APNvHvm3TGlUV2tqxupfLvBkQrP37uC5dTyuhNO6HeezycBAkSzfpt4EK3CDA4BxCjB1JPgsYcXL3CT0AnIKGT_ZjRb/s400/bb1.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480881098434627858" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Am I being naive and technologically inept in expecting it to be able to do this sort of stuff? After all, it <i>is</i> just a bigger iPod Touch. But I can take pictures on my iPhone and use apps to post them to Flickr or Twitter. Compared to the iPhone, the iPad feels like a massive step backwards into a world of content produced by others for us users to consume.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not at all sure Apple's lean-back media consumption device is much good in education and I don't think I'll be ordering any more for work. However, I may well be unable to resist the temptation to buy one myself for personal couch computing.</div></div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-51106752933151969092010-05-05T10:34:00.000+01:002010-05-05T10:35:25.967+01:00Embedding tweets in a web pageHere’s a tool that enables you to embed tweets into a website or blog post:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://media.twitter.com/blackbird-pie/">http://media.twitter.com/blackbird-pie/</a></li></ul><br />This is what is looks like:<br /><br /><!-- http://twitter.com/jamesclay/status/12444756742 --> <style type="text/css">.bbpBox{background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/profile_background_images/38510141/coffeebeans1.jpg) #ffffff;padding:20px;}p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px}p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6}p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px}p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px}p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}</style> <div class="bbpBox"><p class="bbpTweet">Finding Creative Commons Images on Flickr <a href="http://screenr.com/XnW" rel="nofollow">http://screenr.com/XnW</a><span class="timestamp"><a title="Mon Apr 19 08:11:34 +0000 2010" href="http://twitter.com/jamesclay/status/12444756742">less than a minute ago</a> via <a href="http://screenr.com/" rel="nofollow">Screenr</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/jamesclay"><img src="http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/324148272/meerkat_normal.jpg" /></a><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/jamesclay">James Clay</a></strong><br />jamesclay</span></span></p></div> <!-- end of tweet -->Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-73412226063081103312010-04-23T10:10:00.022+01:002010-05-06T11:05:59.353+01:00It woz social media wot won it?<div>I've no idea what the impact of social media will be to the outcome of the general election (6 May 2010). However, it's played a big role in making it one of the more enjoyable elections I can remember.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80WAPWwUCGGrmVSsTDIjzZK5te01uvKkjmlrTyAe7D1wybJEg3kogApZ2PUEDkKsvxJyZK1MzErWXlBRBw9Awo9o2f6LhIFK-PFgE4LSGO7DtUqqH3F1hTObiluqPp334hhgOe33vEayV/s1600/david_cameron_poster_queen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80WAPWwUCGGrmVSsTDIjzZK5te01uvKkjmlrTyAe7D1wybJEg3kogApZ2PUEDkKsvxJyZK1MzErWXlBRBw9Awo9o2f6LhIFK-PFgE4LSGO7DtUqqH3F1hTObiluqPp334hhgOe33vEayV/s400/david_cameron_poster_queen.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463302865639666866" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.moneymad.org/david_cameron_poster_queen.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">http://www.moneymad.org/david_cameron_poster_queen.jpg</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Traditional broadcast media have played some role in the higher levels of entertainment on offer and the US-style televised debates stand out here. However, it's on Twitter, Facebook and various ad-busting-style blogs and sites where the real fun's to be had.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCFheuCr3TnlvLpcKBGeYp9vqEsZXGhSeX2SKXOlN5nvWvA8D7kOXCStwL5Gxoi_7P_jAteNvBK0_vukQQZf3VHTSuFGG5AqhOZmet0Yz-FSvaWKT5j1BpDB90EvHhM-UGwDKVjkGCGEk/s1600/bullingdon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCFheuCr3TnlvLpcKBGeYp9vqEsZXGhSeX2SKXOlN5nvWvA8D7kOXCStwL5Gxoi_7P_jAteNvBK0_vukQQZf3VHTSuFGG5AqhOZmet0Yz-FSvaWKT5j1BpDB90EvHhM-UGwDKVjkGCGEk/s400/bullingdon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463292635874029682" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><a href="http://ivenevervotedtory.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/leah-earl.jpg">Leah Earl</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div>What are the high points for me so far? Well, it's got to be the Tories' inept poster campaign (hey, thanks <a href="http://mydavidcameron.com/posters/ashcroft3">Michael Ashcroft</a>) and the extraordinary speed, creativity and wit of the DIY digital image manipulators who've responded to it. Is England, in fact, a nation of PhotoShopkeepers?</div><div><br /></div><div>So, in response to the cheesy and heavily airbrushed poster boy image of Cameron, we have the <a href="http://mydavidcameron.com/">Mydavidcameron</a> web site and <a href="http://mydavidcameron.com/cameron/">dozens of user-generated spoofs</a>. Flickr has a fair few images of more old-skool spray-can tactics (see <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/caledonianpark/4305774473/">Fuck off back to Eton</a>) which also raise a smile. Cameron as posh, Toryboy (see the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKFTtYx2OHc">Common People</a> spoof) is a common trope.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every slogan - e.g. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/feb/16/conservatives-doctored-posters-never-voted-tory">'I've never voted Conservative before but ...'</a> - becomes the set up for hundreds of gags like those found on the <a href="http://ivenevervotedtory.wordpress.com/">I've never voted Tory</a> blog. It's a big, distributed parlour game with thousands joining in the fun.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWG2LvrKuWd1K16HdVLsBKS3r1DQbMRavKZCR1xrx5h-kztNrfLNDBci_RLkOgROaGJBh-pApcxwzJCrWQTmRESVQuctWTIHBWYBX0I_GsuR82Ge1xMOoJOw_u4zXEfr9g0VHAiNkFOVk/s1600/bonnie-holligan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWG2LvrKuWd1K16HdVLsBKS3r1DQbMRavKZCR1xrx5h-kztNrfLNDBci_RLkOgROaGJBh-pApcxwzJCrWQTmRESVQuctWTIHBWYBX0I_GsuR82Ge1xMOoJOw_u4zXEfr9g0VHAiNkFOVk/s400/bonnie-holligan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463303691731438114" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ivenevervotedtory.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/bonnie-holligan.jpg">Bonnie Holligan</a></div><div><br /></div><div>There's a delightful escalation of the conflict going on: the more the Tories attempt to make their posters unspoofable, the more desirable a target they become to the "big society" (lol!) of DIY satirists (see <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/apr/21/internet-spoofs-unspoofable-conservative-poster">Internet spoofs unspoofable Conservative poster</a>). And the more the spoofs take off on Twitter and in the blogosphere, the more likely the phenomenon is to be reported in mainstream broadcast media. Yesterday, both Channel 4 news and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/apr/22/twitter-nick-clegg-newspaper-swipe">The Guardian</a>, for example, covered the reaction on Twitter - thousands of tweets using the #nickcleggsfault hashtag - to attacks against Clegg by the Murdoch press.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6TDhwZf0-FdH_1QPNgdQbU8lbhhG4E5Zc51nnBnXABov8ZVI0KiZu4X5c-qXBkpPLvphOoRSAEcazb-cY572MKOPcolW8gJPhFHSpgFrVuDHLx8CVRjMtsAFUSLj2PJbFRxMBZzg8Awy/s400/cleggattack.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://twitpic.com/1he6lp">http://twitpic.com/1he6lp</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What's going on is really interesting; it feels like political satire is no longer the preserve of a few - the writers of <i>Have I got news for you</i>, <i>Private Eye</i>, <i>In the Loop</i> etc. - but the many. Is the best political satire now digital, distributed and user-generated? And will it make a difference?</div></div><br /></div></div></div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-57002611141978053462010-04-12T12:15:00.003+01:002010-04-12T12:29:50.513+01:00Twitter is dead; Twitter is surprising aliveMy <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/amcneill/twitter-is-dead">Twitter is dead</a> presentation for #pelc10 has had thousands of hits already. I'm guessing it's down to word of Twitter and the amazing snowball effects of RTs from network to network.<div><br /></div><div>All this surely contradicts my argument that Twitter, if not actually dead, is limping awkwardly towards an uncertain future in HE? </div><div><br /></div><div>I can't help but contrast its extraordinary vibrancy in some spheres - think <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/oct/13/twitter-online-outcry-guardian-trafigura">Trafigura</a> or, closer to home, the success of <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/16287533/More-than-just-passing-notes-in-class-The-Twitterenabled-backchannel">Twitter enabled backchannels at conferences</a> - with its relative flatness in HE for undergraduate teaching and learning.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Can technologies - and the extra they bring users in one sphere - transfer from one context to another? I used to think so but am now not so sure. Twitter is a great technology - <a href="http://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/twitter/2009/10/12/ambient-collegiality/">my personal favourite</a> - but it struggles against what I think is a technology cultures of undergraduates who see it as a broadcast tool to subscribe to celebrities. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="width:425px" id="__ss_3650437"><strong style="display:block;margin:12px 0 4px"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/amcneill/twitter-is-dead" title="Twitter Is Dead">Twitter Is Dead</a></strong><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=twitterisdeadsansbackchannel-100406130100-phpapp02&stripped_title=twitter-is-dead"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=twitterisdeadsansbackchannel-100406130100-phpapp02&stripped_title=twitter-is-dead" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="padding:5px 0 12px">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/amcneill">Tony McNeill</a>.</div></div><br /></div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-41596816649941949232010-04-12T11:49:00.003+01:002010-04-12T12:09:02.056+01:00Defining online (learning) communitiesA long post of definitions of 'community', especially online learning communities.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>1. Discourse community<br /></b><br />According to John Swales (1987: 5-7) there are six defining characteristics of a discourse community:<br /><ol><li>a broadly agreed set of common public goals.</li><li>mechanisms of intercommunication among its members.</li><li>participatory mechanisms used primarily to provide information and feedback.</li><li>the use of one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims.</li><li>some specific lexis.</li><li>a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.</li></ol></div><div><br /><b>2. Communities of Practice</b><br /><br />Another influential definition of community derives from the work of Lave and Wenger who have articulated the concept of a ‘community of practice’ (CoP) with its:<br /><br /><ol><li>specific community (social fabric)</li><li>domain (the common ground or topic)</li><li>practice (the repertoire)</li></ol></div><div><br />CoPs is a really influential concept in many professional domains (e.g. academic staff development). I’m not wholly sure why this term has triumphed over other similar concepts (e.g. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_community">‘discourse communities’</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemic_community">‘epistemic communities’</a>) though. Perhaps it’s the emphasis on ‘practice’ (doing, making, acting) and the idea of a dynamic movement from periphery to centre.</div><div><br /></div><div>Central to CoPs is the notion of identity transformation: starting to acquire the knowledge practices and particular identities/ways of being needed to enter that CoP and participate fully. I don’t fully sign up to the concept though; it still feels like a description of apprenticeship, observing master craftsmen/women before becoming one yourself.<br /><br /></div><div><br /><b>3. Affinity spaces<br /></b><br />An alternative to the CoP is the concept of ‘affinity spaces’. This comes from James Paul Gee (2004) who argues that the more familiar notion of ‘communities of practice‘ doesn’t capture emerging forms of technology-enabled sociability. Affinity spaces are spaces in which people from a variety of backgrounds come together to pursue a common endeavour or goal. One of Gee’s examples of an affinity space is the strategy game Age of Mythology in which the common endeavour of playing and transforming the game takes precedence over questions of racial, class or gender identity. Gee makes a strong case that educationalists have much to learn from affinity spaces. Here are Gee’s defining characteristics of an affinity space:<br /><br /><ul><li>there is a common endeavour (interests, goals or practices);</li><li>the space has content;</li><li>the content is organized;</li><li>individuals can choose to interact with content and/or each other;</li><li>individuals share the same space- even if fulfilling different roles;</li><li>there are many ways (portals) of entering the space;</li><li>new content can be generated;</li><li>many types of knowledge (individual, distributed, dispersed and tacit) are valued;</li><li>group endeavour is valued and encouraged;</li><li>interactivity is required to sustain the affinity space;</li><li>newbies and masters occupy the same domain – there is no segregation;</li><li>there are many ways of participating and these can change temporally;</li><li>leadership is ‘porous’;</li><li>there are many ways of gaining status;</li><li>the organisation of the space can change through interaction;</li><li>learning is social and enjoyable.</li></ul><div><br /></div><b>4. Community -v- audience</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, it's not a concept as such but I like the distinction Clay Shirky makes between audiences and communities. A community, he argues, is defined by what he calls a ’social density’; an audience, on the other hand, has ‘fewer ties’. Here’s the Shirky extract in full:</div><div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>… dozens of weblogs have an audience of a million or more, and millions have an audience of a dozen or less. [...] And it’s easy to deride this sort of thing as self-absorbed publishing – why would anyone put such drivel out in public? It’s simple. They’re not talking to you. [...] We misread these seemingly inane posts because we’re so unused to seeing written material in public that isn’t intended for us. The people posting messages to one another in small groups are doing a different kind of communicating than people posting messages for hundreds or thousands of people to read. More is different, but less is different too. <b>An audience isn’t just a big community; it can be more anonymous, with many fewer ties among users. A community isn’t just a small audience either; it has a social density that audiences lack</b> [emphasis mine]. The bloggers and social network users operating in small groups are part of a community, and they are enjoying something analogous to the privacy of the mall. On any given day you could go to the food court and find a group of teenagers hanging out and talking to one another. They are in public, and you could certainly sit at the next table over and listen in on them if you wanted to. And what would they be saying to one another? They’d be saying, “I can’t believe I missed you last night!!! Trac talked to you and said you were TRASHED off your ASS!” They’d be doing something similar to what they are doing on LiveJournal or Xanga, in other words, but if you were listening in on their conversation at the mall, as opposed to reading their post, it would be clear that you were the weird one. (Shirky 2008: 84-5)</blockquote></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Am I a member of any virtual communities? Several possibly. But because communities are not necessarily formally constituted and don’t always name themselves as such, you don’t always recognise that you’re in one.<br /><br />On Twitter, for example, could the people I follow – and who follow me – be termed a community? Perhaps, although I think there are multiple interests tweeted about. Perhaps ‘affinity space’ is a better term here?<br /><br />I’m a member of the M25 group of learning technologists; we all work at London-based unis in the area of ed tech and meet at workshops, participate in discussion board forums etc.. This feels much more like a community. There are no masters and no apprentices so it’s not really a CoP I guess. Is this more of a 'discourse community'?<br /><br /></div><div>Head hurts - time for tea.</div><div><br /><br /><b>References</b><br /><br />Gee, J.P. (2004) S<i>ituated Language and Learning: a critique of traditional schooling</i>. London: Routledge<br /><br />Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). <i>Situated Learning. Legitimate Peripheral Participation</i>. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press.<br /><br /></div><div>Shirky, C. (2008). <i>Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations.</i> New York: The Penguin Press</div><div><br /></div><div>Swales, J. (1987). Approaching the Concept of Discourse Community. Paper presented at the Conference on College Composition and Communication.<br /><a href="http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/e4/d7.pdf">http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/e4/d7.pdf</a><br /><br />Wenger, E. (1998). <i>Communities of Practice. Learning, Meaning and Identity.</i> Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press.</div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-20451135825350033812010-01-11T19:35:00.001+00:002010-01-11T19:36:39.807+00:00Twitter for reflective activitiesTwitter presentation for the University of Staffordshire online Twitter workshop:<br /><br /><div style="width:425px;text-align:left" id="__ss_2889151"><a style="font:14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;display:block;margin:12px 0 3px 0;text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/amcneill/twitter-for-reflection-jan-2020-2889151" title="Twitter For Reflection Jan 2020">Twitter For Reflection Jan 2020</a><object style="margin:0px" width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=twitterforreflectionjan2020-100111124557-phpapp01&stripped_title=twitter-for-reflection-jan-2020-2889151"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=twitterforreflectionjan2020-100111124557-phpapp01&stripped_title=twitter-for-reflection-jan-2020-2889151" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-size:11px;font-family:tahoma,arial;height:26px;padding-top:2px;">View more <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/amcneill">Tony McNeill</a>.</div></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-68859810427385166112010-01-02T10:49:00.004+00:002010-01-02T10:59:44.564+00:00Digital literacy definition<div><br /><blockquote>'Digital literacies' are the constantly changing practices through which people make traceable meanings using digital technologies. (Gillen & Barton 2009 :1)</blockquote></div><blockquote><div><br />...there is no deterministic relationship between technological innovations and people's practices and hence how digital literacies unfold. Many mistakes - at the design, commercial and indeed theoretical levels - are made through assuming that there is a straightforward relationship between what a new technology can do and how – or even whether – it will then be used. (Gillen & Barton 2009 :1)<br /></div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Gillen, J. & Barton, D. (2009). <i>Digital Literacies</i>. A discussion document for TLRP-TEL (Teaching and Learning Research Programme - Technology Enhanced Learning) workshop on digital literacies. Lancaster University 12-13 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009, from <a href="http://www.tlrp.org/tel/files/2009/02/digital-literacies-gillen-barton-2009.pdf">http://www.tlrp.org/tel/files/2009/02/digital-literacies-gillen-barton-2009.pdf</a></div><div><br /></div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-48201372911224250602009-11-24T15:02:00.002+00:002009-11-24T17:11:05.899+00:00Making sense of images<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgcrDlew1DE0Op7IM2NNqlgPzIc9gvR4j35zakSkOEs6OdaFtTVVpgPk0Mg3hHiYhqtrnqMJDkeieWic0lNzA1voUi-1VhInsh4u_KVur3cxCj3oA2fpmuFZa7QYw0JXO1_mIeFAKYKiU/s1600/ragpicker1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgcrDlew1DE0Op7IM2NNqlgPzIc9gvR4j35zakSkOEs6OdaFtTVVpgPk0Mg3hHiYhqtrnqMJDkeieWic0lNzA1voUi-1VhInsh4u_KVur3cxCj3oA2fpmuFZa7QYw0JXO1_mIeFAKYKiU/s400/ragpicker1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407718731064886034" border="0" /></a>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-75534957011712931042009-11-24T14:30:00.006+00:002009-11-24T17:29:57.430+00:00JD on FlickrJD asks us to read 'Display, Identity and the Everyday' and consider the following questions:<ol><li>what aspects of this work make this an autoethnography.</li><li>What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach?</li><li>How else could Flickr have been researched and what other methods would have been useful?</li><li>This work was not specifically about literacy. How could a piece of research on Flickr look specifically at literacy?</li></ol>Here are some quick answers:<br /><br />1. Well, the author claims it's auto-ethnographic:<blockquote>Drawing on Markham’s work (1998, 2004), I have thought of my work as partly ‘‘auto-ethnographic’’ (2007: 552)</blockquote>It's auto-ethnographic insofar as the author positions herself as a participant in the culture and practices under investigation. The author claims it's 'insider research':<br /><blockquote>This paper is informed by my own experiences with Flickr, my observations of others in that space. (2007: 551).<br /></blockquote>There’s a history and a density of engagement:<blockquote>I have been active on the site since it was launched in 2004. I am ‘‘embedded’’ in the culture of the site; I have uploaded several thousand images to Flickr; I belong to more than 100 groups and have around 150 ‘‘contacts’’ whom I only know from that space. (2007: 551)</blockquote>2. Advantages? Well, the author claims that:<blockquote>Insider knowledge is required in order to move beyond a fascination with the exotic, or the alienation sometimes experienced by ‘‘outsiders’’ to digital cultures. That is, the practices need to be researched by those who see beyond the charisma or alienating potential of technologies.(2007: 552)</blockquote>So, auto-ethnographic approaches may avoid particular forms of misrepresentations that are produced by outsiders (Otherisation, the lure of the exotic etc.). Being deeply embedded in a micro-community of Flickr users (they're not a monolithic single community of amateur photographers), means a richness (or "thickness") of description.<br /><br />Disadvantages? I'd better be careful what I write here as JD may get cross. I think JD's interest in the aestheticization of the everyday and the ordinary (street art, abandoned objects) leads her to neglect ways in which Flickr is used to display images of the exceptional or special too (weddings, birthdays, holidays etc.). So, being so much a part of one small community of users gives a great sense of detail but perhaps not the bigger picture.<br /><br />For example, here's an image of popular Flickr tags from today:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcW7Wj-AoJBBd8YF-9NI_q1JgDPZmr3UttXDiZtN488fphe8KDMz23UdrpMWGfA00OLCzDNmSQDRPtXb3c63Or3kgw9DeHZtpcsG4wAa3xs0ls_Crx4YrHm7N3VlROzDMs8XI3AhpByt7/s1600/flickrtags.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcW7Wj-AoJBBd8YF-9NI_q1JgDPZmr3UttXDiZtN488fphe8KDMz23UdrpMWGfA00OLCzDNmSQDRPtXb3c63Or3kgw9DeHZtpcsG4wAa3xs0ls_Crx4YrHm7N3VlROzDMs8XI3AhpByt7/s320/flickrtags.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407680209850608898" border="0" /></a><br />What can we learn about the kinds of images uploaded to the site? Place names are popular suggesting that Flickr is used to upload holiday pictures. 'Wedding', 'party' and 'family' are prominent tags too suggesting that the staples of personal photography (weddings, birthday parties, family reunions) feature prominently.<br /><br />3. How else could Flickr have been researched and what other methods would have been useful? I don't know.Could quantitative methods be used (e.g. frequency of use of particular tags as above)? However, I like JD's quasi-case study approach (looking at particular users, particular groups). Perhaps a case study analysis of a particular tag?<br /><br />4. How could a piece of research on Flickr look specifically at literacy? Flickr is extraordinarily textual: titles, descriptions, tags, notes, comments, sets etc.. Literacy - in the 'lettered representation' (Kress) sense, is very much a feature of the site.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">References</span><br /><br />Davies, J. (2007). Display, Identity and the Everyday: Self-presentation through online image sharing. <span style="font-style: italic;">Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education</span>, 28(4): 549 - 564Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-42981980110762902962009-11-10T08:30:00.003+00:002009-11-10T08:33:24.527+00:00Kress-fallen or too soon to inter textualityA few years ago, Gunther Kress argued that the textual was being eclipsed by the visual as we move from printed pages to digital content viewed on screens (the ‘new Media Age’):<br /><br /><blockquote>Two distinct yet related factors deserve to be particularly highlighted. These are, on the one hand, the broad move from the now centuries-long dominance of writing to the new dominance of the image and, on the other hand, the move from the dominance of the medium of the book to the dominance of the medium of the screen. [...] <span style="font-weight: bold;">language-as-writing will increasingly be displaced by image in many domains of public communication</span> [emphasis mine]. (Kress 2003: 1)<br /></blockquote><br />I think a problem with <span style="font-style: italic;">Literacy in the New Media Age</span> is that, published in 2003 and therefore pre-dating the extraordinary developments in Web 2.0 and social media, it hasn’t the chance to absorb the array of new textual practices (tweets, status updates, tags etc.) associated with or enabled by those technologies. Kress views writing, as what he calls “lettered representation”, as on the way out for all bar political and cultural elites. However, from the vantage point of late 2009, text looks in rude good health (how many txt msgs, tweets, status updates per day from ordinary folks?).<br /><br />It’s way too soon to inter textuality.Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-32821778357409839352009-11-10T08:04:00.005+00:002009-11-10T08:24:27.304+00:00Prezi, PowerPoint, multimodality and the 'logic of the image'I can't think of a piece of software with such consistently bad press as PowerPoint (especially in higher education). Here are some examples:<br /><br /><blockquote>PowerPoint, the favoured tool of presentation for the unimaginative. All right, perhaps that is unfair, but I am suffering the after-effects of a surfeit of lifeless, list-full PowerPoint presentations that frequently served as a barrier to meaningful engagement between tutor, student and learning [...] It all became so routine, so anodyne, so dull. (Ward 2003 n.p.)<br /><br />… the PowerPoint style routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes content. (Tufte 2003: 7)</blockquote><blockquote>… foreshortening of evidence and thought, low spatial resolution, an intensely hierarchical single-path structure as the model for organising every type of content, breaking up narratives and data into slides and minimal fragments, rapid temporal sequencing of thin information rather than focused spatial analysis, conspicuous chartjunk and PP Phluff, branding of slides with logotypes, a preoccupation with format not content, incompetent designs for data graphics and tables, and a smirky commercialism that turns information into a sales pitch and presenters into marketeers. (Tufte 2006: 4)</blockquote>Such discourse reeks of technological determinism: lectures are tedious because of a piece of software; human agency is denied. PowerPoint in constructed as a malevolent presence reducing its users to helpless zombies, banging out bullet point after bullet point, slide after slide.<br /><br />Personally, my take on PowerPoint is closer to Ian Kinchin:<br /><blockquote>… what PowerPoint is actually doing is to make explicit the taken-for-granted assumptions and implicit epistemological leanings of lecturers who are using it. The stereotypic teacher-centred, noninteractive mode of lecturing … is simply clarified and amplified by the use of PowerPoint. (Kinchin 2006 : 647)</blockquote>Ok, perhaps this reeks a little of crude instrumentalism (it ain’t the tool but how you use it) but it has the merit of acknowledging agency and the often unacknowledged beliefs and habits we bring with us in our encounters with technology. We shape the technology as much as it shapes us.<br /><br />And what of Prezi? Is it credible alternative to PowerPoint and the tyranny of linearity and sequentiality (one damn bullet point, one damn slide after another) that PowerPoint embodies?<br /><br />The jury’s out but my initial thoughts are that it repackages linearity and sequentiality, dressing it up as something different through the admittedly neat visual trope of a canvas whose sections one clicks on to zoom into a detailed view. But users can – and do – create ‘paths’ or lines that connect one piece of content – some text or an image – with another piece of content placed on the canvas. Is this so very different to a PowerPoint slide? Could we see the text or media we place on the Prezi canvas as akin to the text or media we add to each individual PowerPoint slide?<br /><br />A more positive take on Prezi is that allows us to think through the possibilities creating texts informed by what Gunther Kress calls the 'logic of the image'. Here is Kress on the 'logic of the text' and the 'logic of the image':<br /><br /><blockquote>The two modes of writing and of image are each governed by distinct logics, and have distinctly different affordances. The organisation of writing – still leaning on the logics of speech is governed by the logic of time, and by the logic of sequence of its elements in time, in temporally governed arrangements. The organisation of the image, by contrast, is governed by the logic of space, and by the logic of simultaneity of its visual/depicted elements in spatially organised arrangements. (Kress 2003: 1-2)</blockquote>With Prezi, one could arrange a space with text and other media types but with no clear 'entry point' and no single, linear 'reading path'. Even if the Prezi screen's content is mainly textual, there are multiple ‘entry points’ and multiple user-defined reading paths. In this more positive interpretation of Prezi, it's a presentation tool about space; PowerPoint is a presentation tool about time.<br /><br />Prezi might be a cool tool that helps us think about what a presentation is or might be. It might make us more mindful of the possibilities of a more media-rich presentation. But it also might just be a tool that bored PowerPoint users – and hey, aren’t we all bored of it? – use for novelty value and because of the attraction of its much (much) slicker interface.<br /><br />I think a lot of ed techies – me included – like to deride PowerPoint as part of our professional identity performance as technology connoisseurs. We show our mastery of the chronically mutating technoscape by our embrace of the New (Twitter, Google Wave etc.) and our displays of bored indifference and condescension to mainstream technologies (pretty much anything Microsoft Office). I'm bracing myself for the 2009-10 conference season in which Prezi is going to be the inevitable default software of the technorati in their presentations.<br /><br />PowerPoint is soooooo last century darlink; Prezi where it’s at today.<br /><br />But I’m just not so sure …<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">References</span><br /><br />Kinchin, I. (2006). Developing PowerPoint Handouts to support meaningful learning. <span style="font-style: italic;">British</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal of Educational Technology</span>, 37(4): 647-650<br /><br />Tufte, E. (2003). ‘PowerPoint Is Evil’. Wired. Issue 11.09. Accessed 12 March 2007, from <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html">http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html</a><br /><br />Tufte, E. (2006 2nd ed.). <span style="font-style: italic;">The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within</span>. Cheshire Connecticut: Graphics Press LLC.<br /><br />Ward, T. (2003, May 20). I watched in dumb horror. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Guardian</span>. Retrieved March 12, 2007, from <a href="http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/comment/story/0,9828,959242,00.html">http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/comment/story/0,9828,959242,00.html</a>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-34470869223655392672009-06-30T08:50:00.003+01:002009-06-30T08:59:49.907+01:00Twitter and May '68Not really sure why - possibly hot weather making me a bit lethargic and unfocussed - but I've started to mess around with some old May '68 posters.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27361344@N08/3660368682/" title="tweet this by Ant McNeill, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/3660368682_42b1e0d8d0_o.gif" width="234" height="323" alt="tweet this" /></a><br /><br />I guess I'm remixing them for a digital era of cameraphones, Flips and social media. Iran and Twitter is still in the news (just) but I guess I'm still thinking about the G20 demonstrations in London. The violence of the policing was remarkable as was the initial mainstream media reporting that uncritically adopted the line fed them by the Metropolitan Police.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27361344@N08/3660374528/" title="twitterpress by Ant McNeill, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3660374528_de5b001424_o.gif" width="234" height="308" alt="twitterpress" /></a><br /><br />It took media outlets like The Guardian who picked up on user-generated content - especially the assault on Ian Tomlinson - to call into question official accounts.Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-31348739499224348622009-06-24T13:39:00.005+01:002009-06-30T08:41:17.803+01:00The revolution will be twitterized (and forgotten)This is the headline of an opinion piece in today's <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Le Monde</span></a> by Corine Lesnes (<a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/opinions/article/2009/06/24/la-revolution-sera-twitterisee-et-oubliee-par-corine-lesnes_1210798_3232.html">La révolution sera twitterisée... et oubliée</a>). It's more of a (sceptical) introduction to a technology that's making the headlines all over the world but which has so far had little impact in France. Not sure why - I've always seen the French as early adopters of this sort of thing (think Minitel in the 1980s).<br /><br /><a title="Don't forget Iran! by Ant McNeill, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27361344@N08/3659498273/"><img height="500" alt="Don't forget Iran!" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/3659498273_ba064a60e2.jpg" width="350" /></a><br /><br />Here's a variant (in English) from over a week ago (<a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/the-revolution-will-be-twittered-1.html">The Revolution Will Be Twittered</a>)<br /><br />Anyway, the reworking of Gil Scott-Heron's 'The Revolution will not be televised' ("... the Revolution, brother, will be live") raises an interesting question about the role of a new technology in representing political action and social change.<br /><br />There are a couple of ways to write about Twitter and the Iranian crisis of legitimacy: 1) a study of the use of Iranian twitterers and, 2) western media reaction to the use of this emerging technology.<br /><br />BTW, Gil Scott-Heron should really have copyrighted the title 'The Revolution will not be (add technology)ized'.Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-67086334025512684662009-06-10T11:39:00.002+01:002009-06-10T11:39:38.034+01:00Draft Twitter paper<a title="View More than just passing notes in class? The Twitter-enabled backchannel on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/16287533/More-than-just-passing-notes-in-class-The-Twitterenabled-backchannel" style="margin: 12px auto 6px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">More than just passing notes in class? The Twitter-enabled backchannel</a> <object codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" id="doc_398772458716475" name="doc_398772458716475" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" align="middle" height="500"> <param name="movie" value="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=16287533&access_key=key-1w7940qrz4mrweoz5lij&page=1&version=1&viewMode="> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="play" value="true"> <param name="loop" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="devicefont" value="false"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="menu" value="true"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="salign" value=""> <embed src="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=16287533&access_key=key-1w7940qrz4mrweoz5lij&page=1&version=1&viewMode=" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_398772458716475_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" align="middle" height="500"></embed> </object> <div style="margin: 6px auto 3px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block;"> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/upload" style="text-decoration: underline;">Publish at Scribd</a> or <a href="http://www.scribd.com/browse" style="text-decoration: underline;">explore</a> others: <a href="http://www.scribd.com/explore/Research/Internet-Technology" style="text-decoration: underline;">Internet & Technolog</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/explore/Research/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Research</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/tag/twitter" style="text-decoration: underline;">twitter</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/tag/social%20networking" style="text-decoration: underline;">social networking</a> </div>Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465719878040106150.post-71534372800369613842009-06-09T10:37:00.002+01:002009-06-09T10:39:53.795+01:00Memes, de Certeau and la perruqueI think that memes are a manifestation of popular culture as well as about popular culture which they remake and remix.<br /><br />I love Flickr's <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boyshapedbox/sets/72157603957925616/" target="_blank">Song Chart meme</a> for example.<br /><br />Memers are having a bit of fun with the pop culture around them as well as spoofing crummy business pitch PowerPoint presentations and their cheesy graphic representations of data.<br /><br />Here's Meatloaf's 'I would do anything for love (but I won't do that)' (really cheesy song) as a very simple example:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boyshapedbox/2282655987/in/set-72157603957925616/" target="_blank"></a><blockquote><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boyshapedbox/2282655987/in/set-72157603957925616/" target="_blank">Things I would do for love</a></blockquote><br />I wonder of the memers are working at home or at work? I ask as this sort of meme makes me think of de Certeau's concept of 'la perruque' (the wig). 'La perruque' is the worker's own production performed at the workplace under the disguise of legitimate work for the boss. Nothing is stolen other than time. Here's de Certeau:<br /><blockquote>It differs from absenteeism in that the worker is officially on the job. 'La perruque' may be as simple a matter as a secretary's writing a love letter on 'company time' or as complex as a cabinetmaker's 'borrowing' a lathe to make a piece of furniture for his living room." (1984: 25)<br /></blockquote>In this tactic, employees divert time away from producing profit for his/her employer and instead uses it for his/her own enjoyment, for activities that are "free, creative, and precisely not directed toward profit" (de Certeau 1984: 25).<br /><br />I wonder if it would be worth contacting memers - Flickr-based or not - to find out if this hunch can be substantiated?<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><br /><br />De Certeau, M. (1984). <i>The Practice of Everyday Life</i>. Berkeley: University of California Press.Tony McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10663381445957728087noreply@blogger.com1