McLuhan's Four Laws and Ted.com

Hello, everyone. I am working my way through the exams. In the meantime, you might be interested in some of the single word responses to your exploration of TED.com via Mcluhan's four laws:

Enhance: knowledge, ideas, think tank,
Obsolese: documentaries, conferences,travel
Retrieve: Curiosity, hype, elitism, orators, sharing
Reverse: monologue, exclusivism, monarchy

Fascinating responses! Thank you all!

Class Ten (November 20)

Covered in class ten were two presentations:

John presented the Catone paper which hinted at the huge variety of what is on the web, focusing on the idea of Web 2.0. The two basic ideas behind web 2.0 are (a) that the programs (and information sites) are housed not on ones own desktop, but on the internet itself. Second, Web 2.0 implies free access or use. Examples include Blogspot, Wikipedia, etc.

Web 2.0: a term introduced in 2004 to characterize design patterns in a constellation of new generation Web applications which may provide an infrastructure for more dynamic user participation, social interaction and collaboration.
www.csa.com/discoveryguides/scholarship/gloss.php

refers

to a supposed second-generation of Internet-based services - such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies - that let people collaborate and share information online in ways previously unavailable. (source Wikipedia)
www.thewebworks.bc.ca/netpedagogy/glossary.html

Folksonomy: "is an Internet-based information retrieval methodology consisting of collaboratively generated, open-ended labels that categorize content ...
www.thewebworks.bc.ca/netpedagogy/glossary.html

Meghan presented the paper by Hall on "the virtual hamburger", a paper which pulled together several of the themes which focused the course. Once again, one of the major "surprise" comments was that the ideal size of an online class should be no different than an insite class, ie 12-20 students.

Two exercises explored the "Ideas worth trying" assignment, and summarized the course readings for generic themes and motifs.

We concluded with an examination of the concept of oral cultures, print cultures and electronic cultures. The term "secondary orality" was coined by Walter Ong to characterize contemporary electronic culture in which we have moved once again to a "kind of" orality, but based on print.


Harold Innis, canadian communication theorist and mentor to Marshall McLuhan uses the term "transpersonal memory" meaning “the art of writing provided man with a transpersonal memory. Men were given an artificially extended and verifiable memory of objects and events not present to sight or reflection.” If transpersonal memory is a significant component of print culture, the question is "how do we characterize contemporary memory?"

Google Docs Exercise for November 13

This class focused on two significant readings.

Garry led us through the Marlboro Man. This paper set technology within a postmodern deconstruction of an advertising icon of a generation ago. The paper ties contemporary trends to past practices and revisits the past through the eyes provided by contemporary internet technologies

Karen presented Solove's "I've nothing to hide." The author argues that privacy is an important issue that cannot be dismissed by "I've got nothing to hide." Indeed, the "nothing to hide" argument is a red herring.

The following activity will be scheduled into the November 13 class period. However, if you wish to get a jump on the activity, you can start any time.

In brief, you are asked to complete the following three tasks:
(1) Correct your entry in 50 facts…
(2) Add to new section” One thing you have learned…
(3) Identify and justify briefly one website of particular pedagogic interest.

For #1 above: Correct or adjust your previous entry (posted last week) as follows for consistency: Check spelling. Add to your entry the following: posted by xxx. Use first name only. ALL LOWER CASE. Eg. (posted by denis). Make any changes in your text. If you quoted a source, be sure to put it in quotes.
c. Add to the following sections.

For #2: We have used the theme ”Ideas worth trying” to focus major concepts from this course. With that in mind, Identify one thing you have learned in this course. In other words, what stands out as a critical point, issue or theme? At the end of your comment, add (posted by xxx) as described above.

For #3: The course has also introduced a variety of websites. To name only ten: (1)google images, (2) Questia, (3)Oxford English Dictionary, (4) Google docs, (5) Nicenet, (6) TED.com, (7) delicious (8) New York Times (9) blogspot.com (10) wikipedia.

Identify one of these or any other that stands out for you. For this exercise you are allowed to select a website also selected by someone else. Limitation: Only include those that you learned about in this course.

Class Nine: Eco, McLuhan and the book

Todays class did the following:

1. Presentation on Umberto Eco
2. lab demonstration and workshop on Google docs.
3. Discussion of McLuhan's four laws.

Umberto Eco is known both as an academic and as a popular novelist. His Name of the Rose became an international best seller as well as a film with Sean Connery. This reading is a speech given by Eco, which presents his views about the internet. Significantly, he grounds his discussion in print and the relations between the two media. We will return to this topic again. Perhaps the most interesting comment is his discovery of a chapter in the Victor Hugo novel Notre Dame de Paris usually translated in English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In Part V, Chapter II, Hugo steps out of the story, to comment on the significance of the media of print. The title of the chapter is "This will replace that", a remark made by the archbishop in the story. Hugo suggests not the usual media of writing or manuscripts, but the architecture of the cathedral as a medium of communication. The Cathedral, he says, represents the church, and communicates to its audience through the building itself, and through what happens inside the building. But, says Hugo, print will destroy and replace the cathedral.

For us in this course, it is useful to be able to step back and think about the next phase. Do the new electronic communication modes in turn replace print? Specifically, will the internet in turn, replace the book? (Which is why we discussed how many of you had read an online book. The surprising response was that most of you had not, and some of you were adamant that you would not! And of course, for those of you with a crystal ball, the next question is "What will replace the internet?" Interesting, isn't it, because, each time, with each technology, we think that we have reached the limit of progress. Yet, innovation continues.

Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan has also thought considerably about the effects of new media on old and with his son Eric McLuhan has penned four "Laws of Media" which he believes should help us put all media in perspective. Too often we get carried away with the glitz and glamour of the new, and find it difficult to step back and consider the full impact. The four laws ask us to consider what a medium enhances, obsolesces, retrieves and reverses into. McLuhan felt that these four laws were universal and complete. You may choose to disagree with him, but it is nevertheless useful to be able to consider their potential.

Our four questions, following McLuhan, should be:
What does the pedagogic internet enhance?
What does it make obsolete?
What does it bring back that we used to have?
What happens when we let it go to its fullest?

Interesting questions...

One other conceptual idea was presented in class, namely the work of Andrew Feenberg, Communication theorist at Simon Fraser. He provides another four way visualization which suggests that media / technology can be perceived in four ways, based on a 2 x 2 matrix. One the one side we identify whether the technology is neutral or value laden; on the other we identify whether the technology is humanly controlled or autonomously controlled. He labels each philsophic position as instrumental, determinist, substantive, and critical theory. Most commonly, we think that "technology is a tool." As such it is neutral and we are in control. On the other side, try to think of a situation where technology is value-laden and also autonomous. Can you? Why do you own a television set, but not audio cassette player in your home? Because someone has decided that no one will support the cassette format. Likewise VHS is being replaced by DVD? What will replace DVD? Whatever it is, most of us will purchase it, because that is the only way to go. The technology starts to run away with itself, and we can do nothing except buy into it. And that technology also has built in biases as well.

Finally, our practical component of the day was to explore google docs, a system whereby a team of individuals can contribute to a final document.

Last comment: In retrospect, this writing of a summary should be your job, not mine. It forces me to reconceptualize what we have done in class. Perhaps that should be a useful task for all of us...

Denis

Addendum:
(Posted Nov 9)
Additional thoughts about McLuhan’s four laws of media:

Why this exercise not trivial. It may seem unusual to spend time examining media and searching for single words which capture the essence of a technology. Think of this as a framework to help one philosophize. Try to think metaphorically. Of course, eventually, you need go beyond the single word. Or do you? Perhaps McLuhan tetrads make up a short visual poem, like a Haiku. The purpose of a Haiku is to make us think about relationships and to think emotionally and with feeling. Our thinking is too often mundane, influenced by hype, and constrained by commonalities. The four laws in tetrad form allow one to break free.

In addition, the four laws extend the concept of medium and media. Note that in our dicusssion, we covered not just television, radio, and computers. But “capitalism” and the “automobile”. McLuhan asks us to extend our reach.

In class, I got stuck at the retrieve quadrant for the automobile. It was easy to see how the automobile enhanced speed, obsolesced the horse and buggy, and can reverse into traffic gridlock. But the retrieval response of “Age of knights?” That one caught all of us off guard, and I promised I would check it out with my “experts” and come back with a more detailed explanation. Once again: How is the “age of Knights” a response to the Retrieve quadrant for the automobile? Here is my response:

What does the automobile bring back from the distant past? The age of knights, of course. The vehicle is your armour. With a car, you have your own horse(power). You can go do things. You go on your own quest. You are on a crusade. You go to places to gather and meet people.

The age of knights had a code of chivalry. In particular, male knights sougt to save maidens in distress. Today, the automobile is still considered a male “toy”. A popular image is the helpless female standing by the side of the road with a flat tire, The legend continues!

However, the male domination can be quickly deconstructed. The knight is covered in armour, so you cannot really see who is behind the mask. A knight is visibly gender neutral. Likewise, one cannot see through the black windows of a car.. You cannot see into the armour.

At still another level. the black knight metaphorically stood for death. The automobile, too, metaphorically can be death.

Finally, without a car, you can go out at night, even in dangerous territory, where you would not normally go without your armour. You are no longer afraid of the (k)night.

In short, it works! The automobile indeed really does bring back the “age of knights.


Now that that is out of the way, here are three more tetrads for you to complete. Give one word for each of the four quatrants... if you can. I will give you my answers at the beginning of next class.




Internet pedagogy course

Enhance:
Obsolesce:
Retrieve:
Reverse:

Virtual textbook

Enhance:
Obsolesce:
Retrieve:
Reverse:


Classroom Teacher today

Enhance:
Obsolesce:
Retrieve
Reverse Slavery.

Week Eight Summary: Anarchy / Student Papers

This week two issues highlight the presentations.

First, Brian analyzed Gordon Graham's explorations of anarchy on the internet. Anarchy, of course is normally considered a "bad word" and even a dangerous concept. If Anarchy means that "all hell breaks loose", then it is not something to encourage. On the other hand, anarchy can mean lack of government control. The internet is not a national phenomenon, owned by any one country, so individual government control on "their" part of the internet will not work. We can place physical border guards at physical border crossings, but internet information travels freely. There is no international internet police. Yet, scams, spams and (there must be a third word rhyming with scam!), bullying, and other inappropriate and even illegal activities need to be addressed. Graham worries that a moral anarchy can ensue, which will benefit no one. Just like our city streets can become locations for shootouts, so the internet can become a haven for criminals. These activities can completely take over the internet such that no one will dare go on or even care. The implications for pedagogy are profound, if such elements take over and drive out the good. If you don't think that that can happen, look at the world of modern television, a site of so much intellectual promise, and yet a field that has long ago been dubbed "a vast wasteland." Will the internet become in its time another wasteland? Or an unequaled educational resource? Even if the negative elements do not succeed, we may still be left with a bland, uninteresting site for nothing in particular. At worst, a gloomy picture.

The second paper discussed was by Rothenberg, a professor who feels that the quality of student research papers is declining precisely because students are resorting to simple "cut and paste" methods that produce seemingly breadth, but no depth. One negative (and anarchic) result, of course, is the phenomenon of purchasing papers online and submitting them. One site advertises

It is now possible to earn an accredited degree on the basis of work and life experience you already have and receive your degree in just 5 days! No Studies, No Attendance, No Waiting, No Examinations, No Hefty Fee.

(www.affordabledegrees.com/?engine=adwords!4589&keyword=%28phd+on+line%29&match_type=). (search "affordable accredited degrees")

The hands-on component of this class was an hour looking at a Course Management System called Nicenet. This no-cost, user friendly allows teachers to plan a course featuring a variety of elements including content posting, web links, and discussion forums.






"

Class Seven: Globalization

Three major concepts arose from this class.
Globalization is a phenomenon which deserves close scrutiny. It is a term fraught with difficulty, and is easily dichotomized into a positive/negative split. Globalization in the classroom is opposed by localism. Do we teach the world? Or do we teach “our own backyard.” Problems of globalization include the breaking down of borders, the potential disappearance of local cultures as “stronger” cultures take over. Today that means American culture. In education, globalization is evidenced in online universities and courses. The autonomy of the university as being grounded in a “sense of place” is challenged. The entrepreneurial aspect of education takes over from the academic. This negative side of globalization is expressed in phrases such as “the McDonaldisation of society, ” a term which is relatively self explanatory


The second paper was grounded in three simply and provocative questions.
Does the web make learning more accessible? Does it improved learning? Does it reduce cost? It may well be that the answer to each of these questions is “No.” In spite of evidence to the contrary, the common perception is to answer “yes.”

AT THIS POINT, I NEED HELP. I LOST THE REFERENCE THAT SUGGESTED THE OPTIMUM CLASS SIZE FOR AN ONLINE COURSE IS ABOUT 20. CAN ANYONE HELP ME?

To conclude the class, a portion of the video series Nerds 2.0: A history of the internet was screened. Most interesting perhaps, was the overarching theme of entrepreneurship. The raison d’etre of the internet seems to be to make money and become rich. And to be a millionaire is not enough. One starts counting at the billionaire level. This stands in stark contrast to the idea the the internet is something useful and needed for education, for pedagogy, and to enhance our culture.

To review. What are the three concepts covered in class: (1) globalization. (2) Key questions to ask re the educative value of the web: accessibility, learning, cost. (3) focus of the internet, as per the video, is metaphor #3 in the survey question, ie. to make money...the web as marketplace.

Class Six Summary: from museums and galleries to Benjamin

October 17, 2007


Focus: expanding the domain of internet pedagogy to museums/galleries

There are many ways we educate. First we think of schools. But there are also museums and galleries. There is also the internet. How do these relate? Are they independent “silos” that don’t speak to another? Or does Castells “network of flows” apply here?

Museums and galleries often consider themselves to be primarily educational institutions. Their stated goal is often “to educate”. But they do it differently than the classroom.

Lisa Robert’s study is called from knowledge to narrative. She distinguishes four functions: entertainment, empowerment, experience and ethics. Interestingly, her chapters are not "museums as …" but "education as …" Under the heading of “experience” she discusses the culture of imitation, of authenticity and of simulation.

The internet, too, focuses on these same dimensions.

We need to expand the concept of education beyond the classroom walls. The museum and gallery do this as stand-alone institutions. The internet also teaches as a stand-alone phenomenon...with or without the input of the formal educational establishment. But these can also relate. Museums and galleries can use the internet to enhance their image and to promote their programs. This is the idea behind Croft’s analysis of museums in the 21st century, To highlight just one of Croft’s comments (from Lucille’s presentation) “Looking at a screen is a chore; Looking at the real thing becomes a rare treat in comparison.”

Antoinette led us through the complex classic paper by Walter Benjamin (1936) provides a challenging and theoretic position. His title “the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction: is critical. Today we have gone beyond “mechanical reproduction.” Perhaps it should be “electronic reproduction” or “”the network society.” But his work is remarkably contemporary.

He is chronicling the move from a world of real objects to a world of copies. The internet is a world of copies and inauthentic objects. One does need to be clear… that is not necessarily bad; it simply is. Indeed, Benjamin likes the new media: technology (film in his case) “extends our comprehension of the necessities which rule our lives.” On the other hand, what is lost is “aura”. There is an almost spiritual reverence towards the real thing which disappears when everything is a copy.

In today’s world, the original has lost its power; indeed often there may not be an original any more. Everything is a copy. This moves towards the postmodern theories of Jean Baudrillard.

[The following did not come up in class, but is added here. An interesting move from Benjamin in 1936 to today can be found in two works. Patrick Geary's Phantoms of remembrance: Memory and oblivion at the end of the first millennium discusses the transition from orality to the written record. Sophie Simons follows this with her analyses and review of The Jerwood Photography Project at the British Library. She writes :


Other essays in the book present case studies examining the multiple identities given to or created by photographic objects as they move between different domains: from private to public, from commercial commodity on the art market to the confines of an institutional home in museum, gallery or library.

AND

“A photograph might be invested with an aura of sanctity.”

And finally…

"The concluding essay by Joanna Sassoon illuminates many of the preceding discussions by contrast. It is a sharp critique of the negative impact on photographic materiality, as she sees it, caused by the huge and ongoing wave of contemporary institutional digitisation projects. While not denying the benefits to public access and preservation, Sassoon interprets digitisation as a process that changes the meaning of photographic objects. She argues that it is often the materiality of photographs which is lost in the process of creating 'digital ghosts' and considers the impact of this loss on photographic research. She warns that 'institutions that manage photographs as digital image banks shift the way photographs are understood and likewise limit the origins of photographic meaning from being contextually and materially derived to being content-driven.'"

Sassoon asks:
Is the original different from its digital surrogate? Can context change meaning? Does digitization serve us well?

This leads to what must be a significant question for us today: Is the internet (google) the collective memory of the 21st century?]



…all of this is heady stuff.

-------------------------------------

The last part of the class moved towards one of these unique internet constructs in which the idea of an original is stretched to the limit. Wikipedia created by Jimmy Wales is such an object. Its ideal is an encyclopedia in the hands of everyone. We previewed Wales at TED, explaining his concept. The strengths of wikipedia are (1) its currency (2) its democratic nature (3) its volunteer base. Its weaknesses are (1) lack of credibility (2) unsigned articles (3) open to vandalism.

AJ Jacobs is one journalist who has explored the co-operative nature of wikipedia entry creation. (See his latest just released book The Year of Living Biblically.

Best advice at this point: Use wikipedia for gaining a quick overview of a topic … but don’t tell anyone. Don’t reference wikipedia in a paper. (You cannot reference it anyway, because there is no author.)

Wikipedia also has implications for the concept of “constructivist learning” and indeed may be the quintessential example of constructivism operationalized. And pushed to the limit. What happens when “everyone” is the author of a paper? Gilbert and Sullivan wrote in the Gondeliers “When everyone is somebody, no one’s anybody.”

We concluded the evening by examining two interesting websites with a pedagogic potential: Sparknotes.com and nytimes.com. These were both listed in my day five notes (one of the five research sites noted), but we ran out of time to complete that. Both are useful resources, though the latter is heavily American in content and should be used with care.


Next Class: Please read assigned articles. (See previous blogpage)

Course Presentations

Here are the readings and dates. Subject to a few addition.

Everyone is asked to pre-read and bring the appropriate papers to class.


October 9:
Colin: The new imperialism of borderless education. (Hall) Available from Garry's blog
http://mystuff-gstrick.blogspot.com/


October 16:
Lucile: Paper by Croft
Antoinette: Walter Benjamin. The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction.

October 23
Sharon: Globalization for teaching and learning
Carolyn: Owsten: The world wide web...

October 30
Brian: Graham: Anarchy and the internet
Janice: Rothenberg: How the web destoys the quality...


November 6:
John: Catone

November 13:
Karen: Nothing to hide.
Garry: Borgman (Marlboro Man)

November 20:
Meghan: Virtual Hamburger
Judy: Umberto Eco

November 27
???


Others to come. You can let me know by email, or next week.

Class Five

Class five will begin with an examination of the Internet in the Clasroom, then will move to a discussion of the paper on globalization by Hall . (to be led by Colin.) That reading is available in pdf format on Garry's website at http://mystuff-gstrick.blogspot.com/ Please download and read in time for class discussion.




Internet in the Classroom

As has been seen, there are not dozens, or hundreds or thousands, but millions of potential websites. Information overload is the term used when information becomes so overwhelming that one doesn’t quite know where to start. One becomes frozen into inaction. The problem can be ameliorized somewhat by considering the metaphoric aspect of the internet. If one focuses on the internet only as a resource or only as a library or only as a communication medium, that at least lessons the potential choices.

In this section, we will consider the internet to be a teacher resource.

Mike Sandbothe argues that the internet will challenge four basic assumptions about education. They are (1) Knowledge conveyed in schools is localized; ie. education requires a physical sense of place (2) Lessons are “live”; communication is f2f (3) Teachers are in authority. (4) knowledge is structured; the structure of knowledge is the basis of curriculum.


Five ways to search a topic.
Search engines search differently. Google is the penultimate choice, that normally comes to mind, so much so that the term has become a verb “to google” in just ten years. But consider a given topic that one wants information on. Let’s take “cyberbullying.” A google search will reveal a grab bag of documents of different kinds. Next, consider a search of “google news” . It immediately becomes clear that the kind of information received here is different, Here we get information that is written ONLY by journalists, and ONLY from newspapers. A third search is google scholar. Now the search is limited to scholarly works.


Questia.com
The above section identified “five ways” to search a topic. The next two are “special” in that they are subscription databases. Questia advertises itself as the worlds largest online library. It is a “real” library that houses only what you find in a physical library. Books, Journals. Magazines. The cost is relatively miniscule: about the cost of a single textbook for a year… about $100.

Questia has several other useful features as well, including assistance for writing papers for students, and lists of significant works in major areas.

If Questia has a problem, it is that it is not quite large enough, and is not always as current as one would like. Still, these issues seem relatively minor.

Questia offers a useful “peek” for non subscribers. The system locks out outsiders only when they attempt to read complete texts.



Dissertation Abstracts
Dissertation abstracts has always been a foundational source for academia. It belongs to a set of subscription databases belonging to ProQuest. Dissertation Abstracts provides “free” abstracts of masters and doctoral dissertations. Complete pdf versions of dissertations can be ordered at less than $50 per title.


SparkNotes.com
Every student knows about Cliffs Notes in the US, Monarch Notes, or in Canada Coles Notes. These detailed summaries for students have often been frowned upon by teachers who worry that students will buy the Coles Notes version of novels, and never read the novel itself. These outlines tend to kick in at the high school and college level or possibly upper middle years. Nevertheless, the online equivalent is Sparknotes, created by graduate students from Harvard University.

Lesson Plans: NewYorkTimes.com
Lesson plans can be found throughout the web. Here, we shall identify one source only, regrettably a US site, but excellent nevertheless. The New York Times provides a free service for teachers that prepares lessons based on current events. Not only does a teacher get ideas for teaching, but the news stories which serve the basis for the lessons are provided as well. If there is a weakness, it is that to transfer to Canada, we cannot expect any Canadian content.


Class reading, presentation and discussion
Martin Hall (2000) The new imperialism of borderless education.

1. The term "imperialism" is a red flag, suggesting that "borderless education" is not all that it is cracked up to be. Synonyms inlcude globalization, internationalization, and ... on another front ... free trade.

2. "How many students can fit into a virtual classroom and still learn." Hall suggests 12-20. This is a stunning contradiction to the current best practices model that sees hundreds of enrolled students in a given online class. It suggests that the "small is beautiful" model is not only beautiful, but eminently practical.

3. "Most of us make our money from thin air. We produce nothing that can be weighed, touched or easily measured...We are all in the thin air business." This comment from Charles Leadbeater suggests a significant and sobering perspective on 21st century productivity.

4. "Space of flows" is a term coined by Manuel Castells. Castells, one of the most significant theorists of 21st century information technology, aruges that we live in a new space that flows from real to virtual and without a centre.

5. The rise of virtual education will increase rather than decrease the phenomenon called "the digital divide."

Class Four Summary

Class Four began with an introductory ten minute presentation on audio tape from Darin Barney's 2007 Hart House Lecture at the University of Toronto. Then an introduction to postmodernism set the stage for discussions (to follow) by Kenway, Poster and others.

The Kenway paper was discussed. Two previews from TED were presented in order to set the stage for presentations to come in class. Al Gore's presentation on global warming illustrated how the TED site can bring world experts into the classroom. A TASTE OF TED provided a five minute overview of the TED phenomenon as an example of creativity in presentations.



Class notes:


Postmodernism and Internet Pedagogy

One cannot understand information technology without understanding postmodernism. So what is postmodernism?

Here are two simple definitions. Lyotard’s classic definition is “incredulity towards metanarratives". Another definition is “alternative conflicting discourses.”

Questioning Technology.
The modernist view sees technology as the saviour of humankind. The postmodernist view is skeptical sometimes even pessimistic. The yay-sayers dismiss the postmodernists as “luddites” but that designation is clearly not fair.

The literature on internet pedagogy is often characterized by the use of the term postmodern. Whether Jane Kenway’s article the Information SuperHighway and post-modernity, or the work of Darin Barney, or Richard Coyne’s two significant works, Designing information tcchnology in the postmodern age and his follow-up study, the term postmodern is a significant foundational concept once one turns to the academic literature. At the very least, if one wants to speak intelligently in the theoretic domain of internet pedagogy, a grounding in postmodern ideas is critical.

So we need an entre into PM. On the one hand it is a slippery concept, sometimes difficult to grasp and subject to some degree of scorn by those who don’t understand it or who are frightened by its implications. The term should be neither scary nor difficult.

Postmodernism is not an ideology which one buys into such as Marxism or even Behaviorism. Postmodernism is described by Jean Francois Lyotard as "a condition." It is a condition of contemporary society, and it is a condition which many now think has been caused by technology. If that is so, then educational technologists are part of that condition. Charles Newman writes "Post-modern means the first culture in history totally under the control of twentieth century technology."


In a 1994 paper, I identified six characteristics of the PM conduction as multiple voicing, breakup of the canon, supplement, non-linearity, slippery signifieds, and ironic juxtaposition.

Multiple voicing: The modern classroom spoke with voice of the teacher and the voice of the textbook. Most often, there was nothing else. Which voices should we silence?"

breakup of the canon When things were simpler, if they ever were, there was a single canon. Whose culture should we marginalize now?



The supplement, Derrida argues, has two functions: It adds on and it eventually replaces

non-linearity Postmodern educational technology is unique in its ability to deliver content in non-linear ways.

slippery signifieds In a postmodern world, meanings do not stay put. In a postmodern classroom meanings get tangled with local contexts. Meanings (signifieds) are slippery and changing.

ironic justaposition This stems from the fact that postmodernism is self-referential and self-reflective. It juxtaposes and accepts ironic situations not as being right or wrong, but simply, and existentially, as being.

Class 3 Summary

1. Intro: Alistair Cooke

The day began with Alistair Cooke's Letter to America presentation titled "The magic of the internet?" The five minute presentation was discussed under a rubric which focused on context, content, and meta-analysis. The context explored both Cooke and Tom Wolfe who is quoted at length in the essay. The gist of the brilliant short essay is gthat the internet is merely a medium of communication, nothing more. It can contain a good idea or a stupid idea. Meta-analtically, it was noted that the approach to listen to Cooke (as well as to read has paper simultaneously) added a significant dimension to the presentation. The "aura" of a live presentation mattered.

Two tutorials followed, in the computer lab.: Social bookmarking and blogs. John walked the class througth delicious

Class Two Summary

Discussion of "great ideas" commercial

The underlying question was "How does this relate to internet pedagogy?" The BMW commercial is only on the web. it is therefore a "web product." It was examined for content, context, metaphor, repurposing, manifest and latent messages, etc.

A mini-lecture focused on "theory of text". This section began with an assumption (to be questioned and tested) that the internet is essentially a text medium. The author - reader - text model from literary theory was introduced to show how complex understanding text can be.

Text was defined broadly, beyond traditional print text as "any message presented in a form whose existence is independent of sender and receiver." By that definition, television, cinema, radio are all "texts" to be read. Also, by that definition, "reading the internet" becomes a critical idea.

Textual fundamentalism was defined as the belief that texts always say just what they mean. On the other hand, Derrida argues provocatively that " a written text can usrvive the absence of its author, the absence of its addressee, the absence of its object, the absence of its context, the absence of its code... and still be read."

The class concluded with a introduction to a website called TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design). Ted is a high powered exclusve think tank which holds an annual conference in Monterey California. The highlight of the conference is a series of 20 minute high powered presentations by the attendees. These have been placed on the web and ar avaialble for free use.

The class concluded by viewing the presentation by Sir Ken Robinson, British educator who specializes in the domain of creativity. His talk argued that we need to enhance and support creativity in the learner. In relation to this course, the message should be: How can internet pedagogy add to a creative way of thinking and teaching and learning?

Interestingly and perhaps tellingly, the 20 minute video (on Mp4 concluded with the 30 second "great ideas" BMW commercial we had discussed at the beginning of the class.


Next Class: Discussion of assignments and social bookmarking tutorial.

Class One Summary

This class introduced the concept and potential of internet pedagogy.

Several internet metaphors were introduced including the information superhighway, digital library, electronic mail, electronic marketplace, digital world, dumpster and panopticon.

Themes running through the course were identified as
Low cost / no cost
User friendly
Postmodernism (alternative conflicting discourses
Teachers are teachers, not technicians

Other themes include democracy, social justice, globalization and the Canadian discourse.

The class concluded with an exercise. They viewed (three times) a commercial by BMW which stated “What if great ideas were no longer cherished? What if they carried no importance or held no value? There is a place where artistic vision is protected. Where inspired design ideas live on…”

Students were to submit a one page analysis. Interpretation or summary of the commercial for discussion in the next class.

Assignment Two: Paper and Project

EDUB 5840 Internet Pedagogy
Dr. Denis Hlynka
September 2007
Assignment #2: Paper and Presentation

NOTE: THE IB PAPER PART OF THIS ASSIGNMENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. IT IS REPLACED BY A PRESENTATION AND HANDOUT ONLY.



1. Produce a paper dealing with a topic of your choice dealing with internet pedagogy grounded in some (perhaps 4-8) of the course readings
2. The paper will follow the IB (International Baccalaureate) model as described below in #4.
3. The paper must include the following:
1. The paper is approximately 4 pages or 1000 words
2. The paper is written completely in third person
3. Topic selection: Select a topic relevant to your interests or needs, but related to the course readings.
4. The paper is divided into six sections
a. The Plan (In one paragraph, state the purpose of your investigation.) 25-50 words
b. Summary of evidence. This is the crux of your content. Produce at least a dozen key points and for each provide a footnote which references where the points came from. 250-500 words
c. Evaluation of sources: Evaluate at least two of your sources. One page. Discuss their potential credibility, strengths, possible biases.
d. Analysis: 2 pages 250-500 words
e. Conclusion: One paragraph 100 words
f. Bibliography

5. Grading:
a. Plan 2 10
b. Evidence 5 25
c. Evaluation 4 20
d. Analysis 5 25
e. Conclusion 2 10
f. Bibliography 2 10

Total 20 100


EDUB 5840 Internet Pedagogy
Dr. Denis Hlynka

Assignment: Class Presentation





1. Select one of the readings presented in the course “textbook.”
2. Report to class with a five minute presentation. Be prepared to lead a discussion on the topic.
3. Prepare a one page handout to accompany your presentation which includes the following information:

Title/Topic:
Context:
Target Audience (Who does this paper think you are?):
Content.
Relevance to internet pedagogy
Bibliography/References

Assignment One: Portfolio "Ideas worth trying"

EDUB 5840 Internet Pedagogy
Dr. Denis Hlynka
September 2007
Assignment #1: Course Portfolio




“Ideas Worth Trying: Internet Pedagogy in the (elementary/science/physics/grade 7/etc.) classroom” Project.

You are to develop a portfolio that explores the potential of the internet for teaching and learning in your particular subject or interest area. The portfolio will consist of an exploration of 10-15 internet-based databases, concepts, “tools”, software or websites. Each should will be organized on a minimum of one page using the following structure:

Title, Description (What is it?),
Pedagogic Possibilities (How can it be used in the classroom?)
Potential Problems (What is the downside of this idea? Where might problems arise?)
Example (Provide an example of how the idea might be used.
References (Include here any websites consulted.)
Conclusion/Summary/Rating.

Some Details

Your portfolio should be accompanied by an introductory page and a conclusion page. Writing is to be in the third person, and should be written for a generic audience who might pick up the document without any knowledge of the course. In other words, this is an objective document, not subjective.

Some potential resources, tools, websites or concepts to explore

1. Blogspot.com
2. Google Images
3. Google Scholar
4. Google Docs
5. Database:Oxford English Dictionary
6. Database: Dissertation Abstracts
7. Website: UM Commons
8. Portal: UM Jump
9. Questia.com
10. Imdb.com
11. Ted.com
12. De.lic.ious.com
13. Wikipedia
14. Wikiquote
15. Wikihow
16. Nicenet.com
17. You tube
18. Netmeeting
19. Yahoo messenger
20. My Face
21. webquest


Grading

Grading is holistic, based on content, discussion, as well as writing, and presentation skills.

Course Assignments

EDUB 5840 Internet Pedagogy
D. Hlynka

Course Assignments
September 2007




Course Assignments

1. A portfolio consisting of 10-15 capsule summaries and examples of selected internet ideas, concepts and “tools” for the teaching of your subject area. See below for details. (40%) Due: First class in November.
2. A class presentation based on at least one of the course readings and accompanying handout paper. (30%) Due: On-going throughout the course.
3. Miscellaneous short exercises to be announced in class. (10%) Due: As assigned
4.A final examination, consisting of identification and essay questions, held on the last class period (20%). Due: last class

Late assignments may be submitted only with the consent of the instructor.
Evaluative feedback will be provided before the last date for voluntary
withdrawal where possible.

Course Outline

EDUB5840
September 2007

Instructor: Dr. Denis Hlynka
Office: 236 Education
Email: dhlynka@cc.umanitoba.ca
Office hours: Immediately after class, or by appointment

Calendar description
An introduction to the internet for teaching and learning. Focus on instructional applications of the internet for all levels from K-12 as well as adult, postsecondary and training settings. Current research will be examined and monitored for its relevance to this fast changing field.

Narrative course description
Within a few short years, the internet has become ubiquitous. Five years ago, You-tube, wikipedia, open source software, and the I-phone did not exist. The internet has exploded as a new communications device.

This course begins with two caveats. First, the internet was not developed for education and pedagogy. While the internet may have much educative and pedagogical potential, that was not its original intent. Second, this is not a technical course dealing with “how to” produce webpages, use email, or fine-tune your computer to be able to access I-tunes or Real Audio or mp4. Teachers are not technicians. This course deals with pedagogy and how it is impacted by educational technologies. This course will explore the potential of the internet for teaching and learning

Course Format
This course follows the traditional format of weekly lectures, seminars and tutorials. This is not a lab course. Access to a computer lab will be provided if and when necessary. Students are expected to have access to a computer beyond class time.

Objectives
This course is designed for post baccalaureate teachers from K-12, and in higher and adult education In addition, the course has application to those involved in training programs in business, government and industry.

Students enrolled in Internet Pedagogy can expect to:
1. Develop a "comfort level" with the internet as a potential educational resource.
2. Explore pedagogic opportunities of the web.
3. Examine selected specific websites as both exemplary and problematic.
4. Examine the multiplicity of web metaphors, such as the web as a highway, a library, a communicator and a marketplace.
5. Explore social issues related to the web such democracy, anarchy and politics.
6. Identify web sources of instructional and curriculum materials.
7. Summarize basic relevant research on the use of the internet in teaching and learning.
8. Summarize new directions in education promised by the internet
9. Explore ethical issues dealing with the web in education including issues of cheating, plagiarism, bullying and copyright.
10. Examine the potential and the dangers of e-learning.

Evaluation

1. A portfolio consisting of 10-15 capsule discussions and examples of selected internet “tools” for the teaching of your subject area. See below for details. (40%)
2. A presentation and paper of at least 1500-2000 words (6-8 double-spaced
pages), following the IB model to be described below. (30%) based on course readings.
3. Exercises. To be announced in class. (10%)
4.A final examination, consisting of identification and essay questions, held on the last class period (20%).

Late assignments may be submitted only with the consent of the instructor.
Evaluative feedback will be provided before the last date for voluntary
withdrawal were possible.


Instructions for email contact:
Due to the large amount of email received, please begin the subject line with EDUB 5840 followed by the specific subject. (eg. EDUB 5840 Question; EDUB 5840 Final Paper; EDUB 5840 Clarification please). When you submit an attachment, please label it with your last name. (Attachments get separated from emails and have to be re-labeled.)

Grading
Letter Grade Grade Point Level of Achievement Percentage Range
A+ 4.50 Exceptional 95 and above
A 4.00 Excellent 90-94
B+ 3.50 Very Good 85-89
B 3.00 Good 80-84
C+ 2.50 Satisfactory 75-79
C 2.00 Adequate 70-74
D 1.00 Marginal 60-69
F 0.00 Failure Below 60



Textbook

There is no formal textbook for the course. A virtual textbook will be pieced together from online readings.


Course outline / Tentative schedule

Course themes and topics

1. The pervasiveness and ubiquitousness of the internet.
2. Web metaphors: utopian and distopian
3. The changing role of information in the digital age
4. Pedagogy in the digital age. How the internet shapes pedagogy and curriculum. How the internet changes the way we teach and students learn.
5. Ethics and the internet. Netiquette. The dark sided of the internet: Cyberbullying, cyberplagiarism, cheating, cyberpornography, stalking
6. Democracy, the internet and pedagogy
7. Societal impact of the internet. The internet and modern existence
8. Globalization vs. localization
9. How the internet changes the way we think and the way we do research.




General

This course subscribes fully to all aspects of the University of Manitoba ROASS document as found in the general calendar.

PLAGIARISM: Student attention is drawn to statements in the University calendar regarding academic dishonesty including plagiarism and cheating of any kind. Plagiarism or cheating is a serious offence.

EVALUATIVE FEEDBACK As much as possible, formative evaluative feedback will be provided before the VW date. However, due to the project nature of this course, such feedback may not always be forthcoming. Students are therefore urged to contact their professor before the VW date, if in doubt.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS POLICY Late assignments will be permitted if and only if students have discussed the issue with the instructor before the due date. Students will NOT be allowed to re-write papers to raise their final grade.



BIBLIOGRAPHY

Required readings

*Documents with asterisks are available on google. It is expected that students will be able to search and find as necessary. Note that this is a truncated bibliography, with full source documentation deliberately omitted.



*Barney, D. (2007). One nation under Google: Citizenship in the technological republic.

*Benjamin, W. (1936). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction

*Birsch, D. G. Graham: The internet: A philosophic inquiry (book review)

*Borgman, A. (1999) Society in the postmodern era

*Cooke, A. (2000) The Magic of the Internet

*Croft, C. (2007). The twenty-first century museum and gallery

*Davis, D. (1996). The idea of a 21st century museum

*Eco, U, (1996) From Internet to Gutenberg by Umberto Eco

*Giles, J. *Internet encyclopedias go head to head

*Graham, G. (nd). Anarchy and the internet

*Greene, M. and Baer, M. (2000). What does Globalization mean for teaching and learning

*Hall, M. (2000). The New Imperialism of Borderless Education

*Hall, M. (2000). Realizing the Virtual Hamburger: Education and the margins of the network society.

*Kenway, J. The information superhighway and postmodernity. by Jane Kenway

*Lewis, G. (2006) *Blogging Democracy: The contribution of political blogs to democracy. By Gareth Lewis

*Owston, R. D., (1997). The World Wide Web: A technology to enhance teaching and learning

*Ratzan, L. (2000). Making sense of the Web: A metaphoric approach by L.

*Rothenberg D. (1997) How the Web Destroys the Quality of Students' Research Papers

*Solomon, D. (2006). I ’ve got nothing to hide and other misunderstandings of privacy


Additional Bibliography

Achterhuis, H. (Ed.), & Crease, R. P. (Tran.). (2001). American philosophy of technology. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Barney, D. (2000). Prometheus wired: The hope for democracy in the age of network technology. Vancouver: UBC Press.

Blake, N. (Ed.),& Standish, P. (Ed.). (2000). Enquiries at the interface: Philosophical problems of online education. Oxford: Blackwell.

Carey, J. W. (1992). Communication as culture: Essays on media and society. New York: Routledge.

Cavalier, R. J. (Ed.). (2005). The impact of the internet on our moral lives. New York: State University of New York Press.

Cottle, T. J. (2001). Mind fields: Adolescent consciousness in a culture of distraction. New York: Peter Lang.

Dakers, J. R. (Ed.). (2006). Defining technological literacy: Towards an epistemological framework. New York: Palgrave.

Dusek, V. (2006). Philosophy of technology: An introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Ferre, F. (1988). Philosophy of Technology. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall.

Franklin, U. M. (1990). The real word of technology. Toronto: Anansi.

Raschke, C. A. (2003). The digital revolution and the coming of the postmodern university. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.

Seiter, E. (2005). The internet playground: Children's access, entertainment, and mis-education. New York: Peter Lang.

Slack, J. D., & Wise, J. M. (2005). Culture + Technology.New York: Peter Lang.

Video

Anderson, Chris (2004). Technology’s long tail. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/72

Baraniuk, Richard (2006): Goodbye, textbooks; hello, open-source learning. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/25

Bezos, Jeff (2003): After the gold rush, there's innovation ahead. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/105

Gore, Al (2006): 15 ways to avert a climate crisis. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/1

Kelly, Kevin (2005): How does technology evolve? Like we did. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/19

Robinson, Ken (2006): Do schools kill creativity? http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66

Leadbeater, Charles (2005): The rise of the amateur professional http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/63

Negroponte, Nicholas (2006): The vision behind One Laptop Per Child http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/41

Pogue, David (2006): When it comes to tech, simplicity sells. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/7


Wales, Jimmy (2005): How a ragtag band created Wikipedia. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/37

Reading: One Nation under Google by Darin Barney

This lecture can be downloaded in print form at http://www.harthouselecture.ca/. The audio is available here.

Darin Barney delivered the 2007 Hart House lecture, March 2007. This short paper/lecture presents a useful starting point to considr the role of technology in education today. It needs to be noted that the lecture does NOT deal with education per se, but focuses on technology and democracy.

Our focus in our class discussions will be to re-focus Dr. Barney's comments to the field of education. Your task is to download the article, read it, and be prepared to discuss each of the six "chapters" as they relate to the role of technology in teaching and learning.

Course Philosophy

Course Description

Theory and practice of teaching and learning with the Internet. Focus on instructional applications of the Internet, for all levels from K-12 as well as adult, post-secondary and training settings. Current research will be examined and monitored for its relevance to this fast-changing field.


Course Philosophy

This course is designed as a systematic analysis of internet pedagogy. Based on the starting point that the noun is pedagogy, while internet is the adjective, the course
begins with an analysis of those words. Pedagogy is “the method and practice of teaching, esp. as an academic subject.” (Oxford English Dictionary). Pedagogy is the study of what and how we teach, the art and science of teaching. The adjective internet focuses on a kind of teaching… teaching through, with or via the internet.

Learning is assumed in this equation to be a natural result of teaching. The explicit focus is on teaching and not learning, simply because the audience of this course is teachers and more broadly, educators. A course titled Internet Learning would have different implications. Likewise, the term pedagogy is used here reasonably synonymously with education.

There is another similar and relevant term that needs to be introduced at this time: critical pedagogy. The term critical pedagogy comes from Paolo Freire. Freire argues that education…pedagogy…must challenge the political status quo. Ira Shors further describes critical pedagogy as

Habits of thought, reading, writing, and speaking which go beneath surface meaning, first impressions, dominant myths, official pronouncements, traditional clichés, received wisdom, and mere opinions, to understand the deep meaning, root causes, social context, ideology, and personal consequences of any action, event, object, process, organization, experience, text, subject matter, policy, mass media, or discourse. (Empowering Education, 1992, 129).

It should be clear that a critical pedagogy approach to the internet would seem to logically fall into the domain of this course. Perhaps this course might be called critical internet pedagogy.

Mark Stefik suggests four metaphors that characterize the internet. Each has potential for pedagogy, although they also exist outside the field of pedagogy. These metaphors are useful organizing guides for this course. Stefik’s metaphors are: digital library (The Keeper of Knowledge), electronic mail (Communicator), electronic marketplace (Trader), and digital world (Adventurer).

On the other hand, the course is open to inquire and suggest both new and alternative metaphors that help to identify the domain of internet pedagogy. Perhaps, for example the internet as teacher needs to be drawn out from the initial four metaphors. Alternatively, Lev Manovich writes: “I see the internet as a communal apartment of the Stalin era: no privacy, everybody spies on everybody else. Always present are lines for common areas such as the toilet or the kitchen. “ (The Language of New Media, p. x.)

This course positions the internet first and foremost within the history of communications technologies, that began with Gutenberg’s printing press, proceeded through 19th century technological developments of the photograph, telephone, telegraph, and 20th century cinema, radio and television. These communications technologies have also had a profound effect on education, though that has not been their raison d’etre. If these technologies have been developed to help us communicate more effectively and efficiently, and if education is also about communicating to the learner, then clearly and inevitably, these technologies have potential educational, pedagogical and classroom implication.

From a different direction, the internet is positioned within the developments of the computer. The internet can be seen as an extension of the development of the mainframe, towards the introduction of the personal computer. As the computer changed from a stand alone to a networked device, the functions of the computer changed as well, moving from a mere storage and calculating device to a communications device. It is interesting to remember that the term computer carries with it the original historical baggage of a tool for mathematical computing. The functions and uses of the computer have clearly outstripped the original name. If there is something that the computer does least, it is to compute! The computer was not meant to be a thinker!

Finally a third direction challenges the two directions posited above. The internet requires a concerted study within the domain of literacy. Internet literacy implies that we need to teach members of society to function within an internet society. Once again, there is a historical precedent. Film literacy was all the rage in the 1930s, and Edgar Dale argued that motion pictures and cinema were representative of the culture of the era. It was imperative, Dale and his colleagues argued that schools teach students to be literate in the medium of the day. Beginning in the 1950s and 60s, television literacy became a significant trend. Len Masterman in England became a leading proponent of such studies, while in Canada, the province of Ontario took the lead in developing a significant program of media literacy.

Putting these three major foci together we have three possible directions for a study of internet pedagogy. The educational technology focus puts pedagogy and education at the centre and asks “What does the teacher need to know about the internet to enhance his or her teaching?”

The computer focus puts an emphasis on the technical dimensions such as website production, html language, and the many technical concerns.

The literacy focus puts an emphasis on social and cultural dimensions of the computer as a force in society to be reckoned with.

This course focuses on the first and third. The guiding principles for this course are
1. The internet is ubiquitous. It cannot be ignored.
2. The internet has significant potential for teaching and learning.
3. The internet may change the way we learn.
4. The internet is a social and cultural phenomenon that needs careful and systematic analysis.
5. The educational study of the internet should concentrate on those applications that have a low learning curve, and that essentially involve no cost or low cost. This is a significant guiding principle, since it is easy to begin a course by sending students off to purchase, for example, Dreamweaver or learning to become sophisticated in html. These are important concerns, but not within the purview of the average teacher. The teacher is not expected to be a technician, but a teacher.

In summary, the study of educational technology is a vast domain with real potential for you as a teacher, as a learner and as a member of society. On-line learning takes the learner into an uncharted cyberspace culture. This course will explore the broad sweep of internet pedagogy as a significant and relevant component of contemporary education.

Note: this course comes from the University of Manitoba. See click here

internet pedagogy

Welcome to the course "internet pedagogy" to be offered Tuesday evenings beginning in September at the University of Manitoba. The focus of the course is implied in the title: the noun is pedagogy. "Internet" is the adjective describing the kind of pedagogy. That means that the fulcrum for the course is in fact teaching, learning, and curriculum... as these concepts exist via the internet. This course will explore the ways that the internet can enhance pedagogy.

The course is not a technical course. Participants will not produce websites or learn html or need to become familiar with Dreamweaver or any such programs. The technology for this course is either no cost, or low cost, The technologies are easy to use, or,as one likes to say "user friendly". This is not a course for computer scientists or high tech gurus. It is a course for teachers.

There are many ways that the internet can be integrated into everyday teaching and learning. Social and cultural dimensions also provide a critical starting point for this analysis of internet pedagogy.


Watch here for more details!