Two days and 160 people at the "Journalism that Matters" Conference. Professors, journalist and bloggers from all over the US and a some from Brazil, South Africa and elsewhere.
While this is the first conference I attended I could tell this was going to be rather unconventional. There was almost a religious tone to it a cross between new age and a church revival. However soon I appreciated the atmosphere. From what I hear most conferences are bit stuffy with mostly listening to lectures with very little interaction.
This conference is what some might call an "unconference." Everyone had a chance to speak and network with others.
I never spoke to so many people and so frequently as I did those two days. And all about this project.
Happy to report many found this concept to be "really good." But one particular person seemed to find the concept particularly interesting. Tom Stites who held various editor positions at New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers and magazines.
At the time of talking with him I had no idea who he was. He was just one of the people in my coaching session. But afterward he approached me to say that he was not just being polite and he sincerely thought the idea was valuable.
Hopefully the merits of this project will be able to carry it through. Because one thing I did notice at the conference was that it was hard to make this idea sound appealing.
Well, we see how the Knight News Challenge folks likes the idea. I'm in the midst of writing a grant proposal.
Wish me luck.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Casting Small Webs
Backfence, the local citizen journalism site, just went down. (By the way how do you hyperlink to a defunct website?) In lieu of a hyperlink to nowhere, here's a link to an article for those unfamiliar with Backfence.
This was one of the more successful citizen journalism site in the US. And of course I have a theory to why it failed.
People climb Mt. Everest because they can. However journalism should serves a purpose. Backfence created local news website because they could and because they were greedy.
Greedy? How so, they were focusing on grassroots journalism not the largest common denominator? Or were they?
They casted a wide net in a local community and caught few people. They wanted to cover everything that happened and that is simply not interesting. Networks, according to A.L. Barabasi the leading physicist working on complex network theory, don't follow a merely random pattern, which is the bell curve.
Networks have large hubs that attract nodes for some reason following a power law distribution. (Do a web search on the book "Linked" by this guy trying to get a single appropriate link is too difficult.)
Backfence either ignored network theory in to their business or failed to apply the theory. In my humble opinion that's like ignoring the law of gravity when trying to build a plane.
Simply put the failure of Backfence was casting a web so large everything fell between the fabric. Small but tight webs placed in strategic locations adheres more closely to the way networks truly function.
I believe Local Education News would follow the natural laws of network. While this project may or may not succeed the structure that it follows will probably be the way news and information will be organized in the future. The rhizomatic structure described by Giles Deleuze also fits with modern network theory.
This was one of the more successful citizen journalism site in the US. And of course I have a theory to why it failed.
People climb Mt. Everest because they can. However journalism should serves a purpose. Backfence created local news website because they could and because they were greedy.
Greedy? How so, they were focusing on grassroots journalism not the largest common denominator? Or were they?
They casted a wide net in a local community and caught few people. They wanted to cover everything that happened and that is simply not interesting. Networks, according to A.L. Barabasi the leading physicist working on complex network theory, don't follow a merely random pattern, which is the bell curve.
Networks have large hubs that attract nodes for some reason following a power law distribution. (Do a web search on the book "Linked" by this guy trying to get a single appropriate link is too difficult.)
Backfence either ignored network theory in to their business or failed to apply the theory. In my humble opinion that's like ignoring the law of gravity when trying to build a plane.
Simply put the failure of Backfence was casting a web so large everything fell between the fabric. Small but tight webs placed in strategic locations adheres more closely to the way networks truly function.
I believe Local Education News would follow the natural laws of network. While this project may or may not succeed the structure that it follows will probably be the way news and information will be organized in the future. The rhizomatic structure described by Giles Deleuze also fits with modern network theory.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Communication Theory and Roller Derby
Does a well defined social group's internet communication support theories about networks?
I suppose I couldn't get more esoteric if I tried. But this is not some news magazine. Oh but wait... This is a news magazine.
Well actually this is just the blog for a news magazine.
These are thoughts behind news reporting. Just like hospital drama makes doctors and nurse seem, well, dramatic.
We don't see the TV show looking at a doctor reading for an hour straight. But surgery still is fascinating.
I can't think of a more well-defined social group than Pittsburgh women's roller derby teams.
So how does the group communicate? Who sends and receives the most emails. Who posts the most on what websites? Who calls who with what frequency? Anything that measures the dynamics of communications.
Mapping the communication structure of this small group and how it could possibly relate to the larger network roller derby league could be rich in data.
Seeing how this democratic organization works and communicates could provide insight in modeling how to structure efficient communication networks.
I suppose I couldn't get more esoteric if I tried. But this is not some news magazine. Oh but wait... This is a news magazine.
Well actually this is just the blog for a news magazine.
These are thoughts behind news reporting. Just like hospital drama makes doctors and nurse seem, well, dramatic.
We don't see the TV show looking at a doctor reading for an hour straight. But surgery still is fascinating.
I can't think of a more well-defined social group than Pittsburgh women's roller derby teams.
So how does the group communicate? Who sends and receives the most emails. Who posts the most on what websites? Who calls who with what frequency? Anything that measures the dynamics of communications.
Mapping the communication structure of this small group and how it could possibly relate to the larger network roller derby league could be rich in data.
Seeing how this democratic organization works and communicates could provide insight in modeling how to structure efficient communication networks.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Restaurant reviews and School reviews
We could learn a lot if everyone writes a 50-100 word review of their impressions with our schools.
Like a comment card at a restaurant just it maybe instructive for better service. It might also be a rant or a personal vendetta. But why would knowing what's on peoples mind hurt.
Obviously, someone would have to read and sort through them. Finding the pearls of wisdom might come from sorting pile a manure. But those pearls improve our schools tremendously.
Even if twenty people say the service is bad then maybe we should listen. The kicker here is the management of this team is the public. That right we own the schools and if people are getting crap service we need to do something about it.
We can't simply hope that our elected officials that run our schools will listen. We must tell them how to make it better.
If our service is bad maybe the schools are understaffed. So perhaps we need to spend more and we need to come up with a way raise more money.
After all what is at stake is not just a bad dining experience but the next generation of society.
Like a comment card at a restaurant just it maybe instructive for better service. It might also be a rant or a personal vendetta. But why would knowing what's on peoples mind hurt.
Obviously, someone would have to read and sort through them. Finding the pearls of wisdom might come from sorting pile a manure. But those pearls improve our schools tremendously.
Even if twenty people say the service is bad then maybe we should listen. The kicker here is the management of this team is the public. That right we own the schools and if people are getting crap service we need to do something about it.
We can't simply hope that our elected officials that run our schools will listen. We must tell them how to make it better.
If our service is bad maybe the schools are understaffed. So perhaps we need to spend more and we need to come up with a way raise more money.
After all what is at stake is not just a bad dining experience but the next generation of society.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Hosting Interactive Networked Journalism
Communication networks now allows everyone's voices to be heard. Chances are, however, that your voice isn't louder than ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
Collectively we maybe heard.
But how do we do this? It won't be easy but perhaps this could be an outline of sorts. I'll make it specific for education but this could apply to any public affairs journalism. Such as health care, environment, and of course politics.
A moderator or host of a website formally meets the PTO president of every school in the school district. Also the principal, the high school newspaper and any other interested parties
We engage them and ask them for input. We want their interaction. We as journalist need their interaction.
They need to tell us their concerns for the schools. They need to tell us about their experiences. They need to tell each other about their experiences.
We as journalist need to facilitate conversations based on the important issues that effect our lives. We foster communication.
Each school has a network leader who they can inform about a concern. The issue could then be examined as whether it stays in that particular network or whether that issue is for concern for the large school district network. Eventually this could work it way up to the state and federal public sphere.
The size of the network only has to be relevant to the size of the issue.
This is the underlying structure of the network and doesn't get in to the web design or technical logistics.
What it means is that we can ask elected officials and educators the hard questions and get real answers. If the people in power ignore our questions they are simply not doing their job.
Perhaps some might think that this gives the moderator a lot of power to set the agenda or give priority to personal issues. But that is no worse than it is currently. Furthermore this is an improvement because every bit of information can be posted and is open to examination.
The host play the role of a hub linking the nodes with relevant information that impacts their education or child or taxes. We are all involved whether we like it or not. We need to take advantage of our communication to realize our collective goal.
Collectively we maybe heard.
But how do we do this? It won't be easy but perhaps this could be an outline of sorts. I'll make it specific for education but this could apply to any public affairs journalism. Such as health care, environment, and of course politics.
A moderator or host of a website formally meets the PTO president of every school in the school district. Also the principal, the high school newspaper and any other interested parties
We engage them and ask them for input. We want their interaction. We as journalist need their interaction.
They need to tell us their concerns for the schools. They need to tell us about their experiences. They need to tell each other about their experiences.
We as journalist need to facilitate conversations based on the important issues that effect our lives. We foster communication.
Each school has a network leader who they can inform about a concern. The issue could then be examined as whether it stays in that particular network or whether that issue is for concern for the large school district network. Eventually this could work it way up to the state and federal public sphere.
The size of the network only has to be relevant to the size of the issue.
This is the underlying structure of the network and doesn't get in to the web design or technical logistics.
What it means is that we can ask elected officials and educators the hard questions and get real answers. If the people in power ignore our questions they are simply not doing their job.
Perhaps some might think that this gives the moderator a lot of power to set the agenda or give priority to personal issues. But that is no worse than it is currently. Furthermore this is an improvement because every bit of information can be posted and is open to examination.
The host play the role of a hub linking the nodes with relevant information that impacts their education or child or taxes. We are all involved whether we like it or not. We need to take advantage of our communication to realize our collective goal.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
School's Almost Over
I have just one more final in educational psychology then I can focus on my final project for my master's in journalism. I'm excited to have the time to devote to this project. Lately I've had a major break mental break through and the concept for this project is finally solidifying.
With help from some friends pointing me in the right direction I've have found lots of evidence that supported my intuition regarding Local Education News (LENs). This could seriously revolutionize the organization of news.
I've been neglecting this blog only but I've been working on this project nearly non-stop. This past semester I've not only take the ed. psych. class but also a "social foundations of education" class. Both sadly have made me realize why I didn't enjoy high school.
I hate to generalize teachers into one group or another. In fact many of my close friends are teachers and I have a lot of respect for them and their work. But most of the undergraduates that are studying to be teachers fail to earn my respect.
Many of the students who want to teach are reluctant to learn themselves. They didn't buy the textbook, they didn't like to read or study. They had limited experience of the world outside their limited existence. Most settled for teaching because it was "easy." Many were dogmatic in their thinking.
In my educational law class, all who are currently teachers or administrators talked during class. Ironic. The ed. psych class only lasted half of the alloted time. As if to say learning is not that important, just teach. All of these classes were a series of pep talks lavishing praise for the student who wanted to be teachers. Ahh, the noble profession.
While blasting teacher's is an easy target we should wonder what is it about the profession that other more intellectually inclined avoid it. In other words, what social conditions lead people who dislike education itself to teach?
Granted there are other problems than simply the poor qualities of teachers but it was truly eye opening to see the sad state of the teaching profession. I thought journalist were taught poorly.
I've also done a few classroom observations and plan to do many more. But that recently requires an $40 F.B.I. background check. Previously it was just a state police and a child abuse clearance. Oh the simple days. One day I guess I'll be able to write that off on my taxes. But first I need an income.
I wish some one else would run with this project and take the risks. I've got a daughter to raise and this risk is truly scary. I'd rather work a menial job and get paid sometimes. Sometime.
With help from some friends pointing me in the right direction I've have found lots of evidence that supported my intuition regarding Local Education News (LENs). This could seriously revolutionize the organization of news.
I've been neglecting this blog only but I've been working on this project nearly non-stop. This past semester I've not only take the ed. psych. class but also a "social foundations of education" class. Both sadly have made me realize why I didn't enjoy high school.
I hate to generalize teachers into one group or another. In fact many of my close friends are teachers and I have a lot of respect for them and their work. But most of the undergraduates that are studying to be teachers fail to earn my respect.
Many of the students who want to teach are reluctant to learn themselves. They didn't buy the textbook, they didn't like to read or study. They had limited experience of the world outside their limited existence. Most settled for teaching because it was "easy." Many were dogmatic in their thinking.
In my educational law class, all who are currently teachers or administrators talked during class. Ironic. The ed. psych class only lasted half of the alloted time. As if to say learning is not that important, just teach. All of these classes were a series of pep talks lavishing praise for the student who wanted to be teachers. Ahh, the noble profession.
While blasting teacher's is an easy target we should wonder what is it about the profession that other more intellectually inclined avoid it. In other words, what social conditions lead people who dislike education itself to teach?
Granted there are other problems than simply the poor qualities of teachers but it was truly eye opening to see the sad state of the teaching profession. I thought journalist were taught poorly.
I've also done a few classroom observations and plan to do many more. But that recently requires an $40 F.B.I. background check. Previously it was just a state police and a child abuse clearance. Oh the simple days. One day I guess I'll be able to write that off on my taxes. But first I need an income.
I wish some one else would run with this project and take the risks. I've got a daughter to raise and this risk is truly scary. I'd rather work a menial job and get paid sometimes. Sometime.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tired of Hot Air
A press release from the Pittsburgh Public School Board just came out. I have to find some way to link it to this blog but if you contact me I can email it to you.
However, you didn't miss anything. The press release rattles off rhetoric with little substance. Aren't we all tired off this. Just another political speech that lacks any specifics on issues and plans. There's never any mention of money. Absolutely no transparency.
I would like to get to the bottom of this and interview the policy makers. Find hard data and let us discuss it.
I want to be involved but who can sort through all the BS. We need to form a community decipher the school boards actions and a make them accountable to the public.
However, you didn't miss anything. The press release rattles off rhetoric with little substance. Aren't we all tired off this. Just another political speech that lacks any specifics on issues and plans. There's never any mention of money. Absolutely no transparency.
I would like to get to the bottom of this and interview the policy makers. Find hard data and let us discuss it.
I want to be involved but who can sort through all the BS. We need to form a community decipher the school boards actions and a make them accountable to the public.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Assignment Zero
It appeared promising. Hundreds of people working on a project to get the most in-depth and widest scope of information on a relevant topic. But right now there just seems to be cacophony of voices. There is no moderator or organizer, just hundreds of people talking at once.
Hopefully, they will sort through all the information and make it in to something worth reading.
My personal experience with Assignment Zero is less than satisfying. Mostly it's an argument with some random guy. We debate the concept of "experts". This rather childish debate is typical of the Assignment Zero. Most of the site is childish. It's just one giant play pen for newsies and media junkies. Granted, I one of them but I have a purpose.
The project will go one for a while but my prediction is that it will fail. But perhaps this cold is making me cynical.
I hope some one will check out this site and tell me what they think.
Hopefully, they will sort through all the information and make it in to something worth reading.
My personal experience with Assignment Zero is less than satisfying. Mostly it's an argument with some random guy. We debate the concept of "experts". This rather childish debate is typical of the Assignment Zero. Most of the site is childish. It's just one giant play pen for newsies and media junkies. Granted, I one of them but I have a purpose.
The project will go one for a while but my prediction is that it will fail. But perhaps this cold is making me cynical.
I hope some one will check out this site and tell me what they think.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Assignment Zero - Critique
Everyone's a critic and everyone entitled to their opinion.
Assignment Zero - An experiment in pro-am journalism. This new and interesting experiment. One word comes to mind after perusing most of the site - envy.
The site obviously took a lot of time and money, that's what I envy.
A team of people working on the site and yet I'm still not sure what the experiment is all about. Where are the stories? What exactly are the stories? What's the focus? 700+ members, I'm one of them, doing what exactly? Assignment Zero grandiose goals and resources attempts to cover everything. A mile wide and an inch deep, so the saying goes.
Not to be arrogant but the concept of Local Education News could bring information with laser like focus and with community structure something woefully lacking in Assignment Zero. Thus making it relevant.
I have spent five to six hours invested in Assignment Zero. I'll write more about this experiment because I think it will shed some light on what my project is about. But off I go to class to discuss the merits and problems with the No Child Left Behind Act.
Assignment Zero - An experiment in pro-am journalism. This new and interesting experiment. One word comes to mind after perusing most of the site - envy.
The site obviously took a lot of time and money, that's what I envy.
A team of people working on the site and yet I'm still not sure what the experiment is all about. Where are the stories? What exactly are the stories? What's the focus? 700+ members, I'm one of them, doing what exactly? Assignment Zero grandiose goals and resources attempts to cover everything. A mile wide and an inch deep, so the saying goes.
Not to be arrogant but the concept of Local Education News could bring information with laser like focus and with community structure something woefully lacking in Assignment Zero. Thus making it relevant.
I have spent five to six hours invested in Assignment Zero. I'll write more about this experiment because I think it will shed some light on what my project is about. But off I go to class to discuss the merits and problems with the No Child Left Behind Act.
Personal Update
It's been a while since my last post and I feel compelled to explain.
I have not neglected this project but I have so many fires to tend. I'm currently taking two education classes. It's kind of an ethnography of the teacher's culture, as well as learning about pedagogical methods.
These classes also require classroom observations. Thus far I've attended a suburban elementary school and a urban charter high school. These have have been very informative and I plan to observe as many classrooms as possible. There's nothing like seeing the rubber hit the pavement to understand the mechanics of a complex organization.
Business plan research is also taking much of my time. I have a dilemma between for-profit and non-profit objectives. While this is not a true stumbling block for progress, I have probably dedicated to much time considering the options.
Also my roof has been leaking since November and litigation continues with the contractor. Also I killed my car while on vacation and had to blow the remaining student loan money just to get back home and replace the car. In other words, I've been really stressed so I took a break where I could.
I truly believe in this project. The elements that keep me coming back are truth and justice.
We can collectively discover the truth about our schools. With that truth we can wield justice. Then that justice will lead every one to freedom.
Forgive my rhetoric but there is a depth of logic that I will explain later.
I have not neglected this project but I have so many fires to tend. I'm currently taking two education classes. It's kind of an ethnography of the teacher's culture, as well as learning about pedagogical methods.
These classes also require classroom observations. Thus far I've attended a suburban elementary school and a urban charter high school. These have have been very informative and I plan to observe as many classrooms as possible. There's nothing like seeing the rubber hit the pavement to understand the mechanics of a complex organization.
Business plan research is also taking much of my time. I have a dilemma between for-profit and non-profit objectives. While this is not a true stumbling block for progress, I have probably dedicated to much time considering the options.
Also my roof has been leaking since November and litigation continues with the contractor. Also I killed my car while on vacation and had to blow the remaining student loan money just to get back home and replace the car. In other words, I've been really stressed so I took a break where I could.
I truly believe in this project. The elements that keep me coming back are truth and justice.
We can collectively discover the truth about our schools. With that truth we can wield justice. Then that justice will lead every one to freedom.
Forgive my rhetoric but there is a depth of logic that I will explain later.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Community Building - A poor metaphor
Building a community brings to mind a frontier mentality. Few couragous people setting up a homestead. Soon other will see the beauty of their work and decide to move there.
Not only is this idealistic but it is also inaccuarate. We live in the midst of humanity. People surround us at any given moment. We are far from alone. Yet we do not have a community to speak of.
We are supersaturated with people. So my metaphor borrows from science of crystal formation. This project aims to be the seed crystal. Community Crystalizing.
I believe public schools to be the natural place for this form to take place. A place where there are thousands of students, teachers and parents. A place where the potential for real community has already gathered but has no solid form as of yet.
The seed crystal is what it will take for for the larger crystal to form around. If this project can develop a single molecular structure perhaps that will be enough to create a gem of a community.
Not only is this idealistic but it is also inaccuarate. We live in the midst of humanity. People surround us at any given moment. We are far from alone. Yet we do not have a community to speak of.
We are supersaturated with people. So my metaphor borrows from science of crystal formation. This project aims to be the seed crystal. Community Crystalizing.
I believe public schools to be the natural place for this form to take place. A place where there are thousands of students, teachers and parents. A place where the potential for real community has already gathered but has no solid form as of yet.
The seed crystal is what it will take for for the larger crystal to form around. If this project can develop a single molecular structure perhaps that will be enough to create a gem of a community.
Domain Name Bought
I bought the domain name "localeducationnews.com"
Sadly, "ourschools.com" was already taken. Just thought that had more zing and marketability. Yet, I don't despair. The other name is much more serious and accurate, right?
This one step further makes me realize the emormity of the project. The role I truly want is a editor/moderator/writer role in this project. I want content that informs and enlightens people on educational issues.
Now I feel like a founder of company worried about marketing, logos, web design and hosting, non-profit or for-profit status and worst of all money. It's a business whether it's a non-profit business or not. All I see right now is the huge cost this project could entail.
Many people might think how this project of getting ordinary citizens to write for free and posting it on the web could cost a lot of money. Sure that part is relatively cheap. But If any one is going to read it then that might cost a few hundred thousand. And it's not about advertising.
Just to get some understanding of the cost. I have spent over $5,000 on classes for teachers just to understand their perspective and insight. Really, I have no intention of becoming a teacher. This is part of my Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication degree.
To host a website and design one that will actually have quality information this project will need a database manager to aggregate test score, census information, government documents, and etc.
The web design and hosting can be expensive as well. There are a lot of bells and whistles to make this project truely work. For example running a chat room will use up much more broadband than simple posting text. Not to mention possible podcasting and video.
Now I see why "Youtube" sold for a billion. It wasn't just the name.
There is much I think I can bring to the table as far as journalistic principles and democratic philosophy. However, all of this money stuff will take more time to process. I still will attempt to work on it.
Sadly, "ourschools.com" was already taken. Just thought that had more zing and marketability. Yet, I don't despair. The other name is much more serious and accurate, right?
This one step further makes me realize the emormity of the project. The role I truly want is a editor/moderator/writer role in this project. I want content that informs and enlightens people on educational issues.
Now I feel like a founder of company worried about marketing, logos, web design and hosting, non-profit or for-profit status and worst of all money. It's a business whether it's a non-profit business or not. All I see right now is the huge cost this project could entail.
Many people might think how this project of getting ordinary citizens to write for free and posting it on the web could cost a lot of money. Sure that part is relatively cheap. But If any one is going to read it then that might cost a few hundred thousand. And it's not about advertising.
Just to get some understanding of the cost. I have spent over $5,000 on classes for teachers just to understand their perspective and insight. Really, I have no intention of becoming a teacher. This is part of my Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication degree.
To host a website and design one that will actually have quality information this project will need a database manager to aggregate test score, census information, government documents, and etc.
The web design and hosting can be expensive as well. There are a lot of bells and whistles to make this project truely work. For example running a chat room will use up much more broadband than simple posting text. Not to mention possible podcasting and video.
Now I see why "Youtube" sold for a billion. It wasn't just the name.
There is much I think I can bring to the table as far as journalistic principles and democratic philosophy. However, all of this money stuff will take more time to process. I still will attempt to work on it.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Forget Esoteric, Let’s Get Practical.
We need writers, photographers, audiographer (My new word for a person recording sounds. Is there a better word for this?) and other content provider to focus on our schools. I want this to be based in and around Pittsburgh but anyone is welcomed to bring issues to the table.
Borrowing from My Missourian, a citizen journalism project, is a distinct possiblity. The rules are:
What is going on in our schools is a mystery. I may know a few things about my daughter’s school but I know nothing of anyone else’s school. The same is true for most people. How did the PTO/PTA meeting go? What was the assembly about? Who got elected as school president? Did a teacher or administrator stop working suddenly?
That last question can raise some issues of defamation and libel. So we should respect the privacy and reputation of people. After all, most of these people are not public figures. But if they’re elected officials they’re fair game.
Other things we might want to know is the condition of your schools. Working bathrooms? Security official arrest anyone?
Borrowing from My Missourian, a citizen journalism project, is a distinct possiblity. The rules are:
- No personal attacks
- No profanity
- No nudity
- No attacks on race, creed, or religion
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Media Technology and PeaceMaker
I finally finished proofreading/minor editing a game called PeaceMaker.
This was truly a labor of love. I say this for three reasons.
One – An engaging game that seriously informs and educates the player to peacefully resolve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is enlightening and moving.
Secondly – Getting a chance to work on the only computer ‘game’ that I would ever seriously play in my adult life was an experience I couldn’t pass. It’s like being an extra in a “Citizen Kane” or a Storm Trooper in “Star Wars,” but a documentary. It was small part but still very cool.
Third - The guys in the company have a thing called a “crawler” and are reading this right now.
Crawler? What the heck is it? It is an automated search that looks for links or other information on the web. So the guys at ImpactGames can find out who’s writing about PeaceMaker using a crawler. I never heard of it until they told me. (Hi, Joe, Asi and everyone in the office.) What a smart bunch of guys! One could expect nothing less from the company that will bring you this game on February 1st.
The crawler is a new peice of media technology, to me anyway. Boy, these really are interesting time. Reading about fact-based, conflict resolution, video games on a blog being searched by crawlers. Never could have imagined. But here's more about the game.
Playing PeaceMaker taught me more about the conflict in the first thirty minutes then all the news reports I read, watched and heard in my entire life. I’m saying this as a journalism, mass communication master’s student.
This is the main reason I offered to help proofread the content. If you haven’t checked out PeaceMaker’s website please do it now or the rest of this blog becomes harder to follow.
I was so impressed how well “interacting” with this game taught me information according to my personal logical dictates. Media technology transformed the learning experience. In other words, I wasn’t merely passively reading the history of the conflict. I was playing with history to imagine our future. By playing I learned as a child learns by playing. We need to interact/play to see what works and what fails. This is how we make sense of the world.
Child-like playing was how we learned to understand and get along with classmates. We didn't read about our peers. Perhaps adults playing/interacting with game based on actual history and up-to-date news we learn something about our global affairs.
So many other were also impressed with the game, New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Reuters, and the list go on.
Cynicism might make you think I’m biased because I worked on the game. However it’s the other way around. I wanted to volunteer my time helping because I thought the game was amazingly impressive.
So now the media technology part of the blog.
Sometime the etymology of a word is worth studying. Media is plural of medium, in Latin. “Of course,” you might say. But in terms of communication it literally can mean, “All the thing in the middle or between us and the others.” In a sense, news, books, movies and words are technologies bridging us to others. Actually in hindsight… read the up-coming blog to continue this esoteric topic.
I think this PeaceMaker should stand on its own. To anyone that seen “Battle of Algiers” this is the video game equivalent with more facts.
(If you see a misspelling here or in the game that’s my fault, sorry. Leave a message here; don’t bother those guys at ImpactGames they’re really busy.)
Rational Discussions
I'm considering adding "rational" to the mission statement. Some are asking to themselves, "Is he crazy? What about tradition?" Perhaps this kind dramtic change with such high stakes will keep you reading. I'm sure the title scared away the weak of heart.
My reply is that we're not here to support dogma. I can hear the gasps and sighs of disbelief.
Since rational will be hard to define this might build the tension needed to maintain readers. In other words, there nothing like calling another person "irrational" to get a good fight going. Really, try it sometime.
Everyone thinks they are behaving rationally. Just like everyone thinks they're a good driver. Try this one too. Go ahead and ask the next car owner whether they're a good driver. Whether they drive too slow or lost their license from speeding or crashed numerous times, most people truly think they're the good driver.
Rational is not even subjective but people perceive themselves to be rational even when no one really is rational. How can we as humans be truly rational? Don't we all have a few things we value or believe in that we can't really explain? If we can't explain or express it, then we can hardly be rational about it.
However, that doesn't mean we can't have a rational discussion about things. In other words, once we start discussing a topic and someone say, "Well, that's just what I believe" then reason stops. We have crossed over into the land of metaphysics. Of course we can talk rationally about metaphysics but things inside the metaphysical just "is."
People might believe I'm attacking faith or religion. Let me make this clear. Faith and religion can be rational. There is no inherent contradiction between faith and reason.
So lets tie this with citizen journalism and education news. No one will be the judge of rational and irrational. I just hope people will keep “rational” in mind when writing about education.
My personal belief is that schools should teach rational thinking. Let faith be taught outside of schools. Not that there is no place for faith in America but simply not in our schools. Public schools should develop the mind. I believe, for an aesthetic reason not a rational reason, that education is about logic and proof.
Some may ask, “How can you teach morality without faith?” Love and caring can be rational, in fact it might be even better when understanding is involved. But this is getting way off the subject.
Like I wrote earlier, “rational" can cause a lot of tension and drama. Hopefully this drama will spice up the topic of education.
For a quick update: I'm still reading a bunch of articles and researching “citizen journalism.” This is just transparency in the strategy of hopefully getting and retaining readers.
What’s your thought? Please leave a comment; maybe we’ll start a dialogue.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
News vs. Policy analysis
Again, another exciting and sensationalistic headline. Surely every one is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to read the sizzling drama in the following words.
Two great sources of information battle it out to give YOU empowering knowledge. Which shall win?
News… because that’s what I primarily want to do. (And my advisor told me to.) Eventually, policy analysis would come into play.
Right now this blog is helping me form the concept of running a citizen journalism website devoted to local education. Again another thrilling adventure story jumping out of the screen. Sorry for the sarcasm I’ll stop it now.
It would seem the “news” is something everyone can cover. See it and write about it. On the other hand, policy analysis would take a lot research and intellectual talent. I’m not up for that anytime soon. I doubt anyone would just jump up and take this task on without any pay right, so this won’t happen. (See, there absolutly never a need for sarcasm...doh.)
Students, parents, teachers and administrators could report an original breaking story. Perhaps they would try to keep their biases out. Note I don’t write “objective.” These stories will be posted and each would have a discussion board attached so everyone could dialogue on the topic.
That seems like a good start for the news aspect of this project. But I imagine more than just news. Policy analysis and wiki/community defined terms related to education.
I touched on policy analysis so let’s move on to the wiki thing for a moment. An anecdote explains this well:
Teachers, according to state legislation, must live accordingly to community morale standards. Otherwise they can be fired. One teacher in Austin got fired for some artistic photos of her half nude. But how can we define what the whole community believes to be “moral.” Perhaps a wiki can help. Most likely not but it can’t hurt. At least we might get some intelligent discussion on the matter. And if not, intelligent at least public discussion.
Again let’s read what you have to say. I would love to read something about possible news stories written by the public.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
"Community of Citizens" - Adventure and Excitement, not really
There is something about both word "citizen" and "community" that rings hollow. Perhaps the words are overused to point they have become banal and hackneyed. The words lost any luster they might once have had.
The only time I can imagine the word "citizen" used with any power is from some movie. This image is buried deep in my mind. Caesar is standing on a balcony in front of tens of thousands of Romans. "Citizens of Rome," he would say and the masses would roar with cheers. Where this memory is conjured from I have no idea. But I see it clear as day.
Today I hear "citizen" and my eyes roll. I feel like I'm in social studies class being taught other cliche's such as duty and responsibility. "Community" gives me the same feeling but with a claustrophobia of provincialism surrounded by white picket fences.
“Denizen of our district.” That doesn’t seem to work either. Though denizen seems more appropriate than citizen when referring to a school. After all, one doesn’t need to hold citizenship to attend public schools. (I mean that in a good way)
Why worry about the connotations when the denotative functions of these words suffice? Well, because there is such competition to get peoples attention. I’m afraid “Citizen Journalism” and "Local Education News" won’t grab people’s imagination.
Does anyone have a better phrasing? Right now “Our Schools” is a name I’m tinkering with. Post a comment and write what you think.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Architecture of Citizen Journalism
I’d like to make an analogy of this project and building a structure.
Right now I have a rough idea of what the finished building should look like. It’s large and practical. It can house offices and as well as personal space. It will probably even have a bathroom covered in graffiti.
Right now I have a rough idea of what the finished building should look like. It’s large and practical. It can house offices and as well as personal space. It will probably even have a bathroom covered in graffiti.
I’m still surveying the land. Right now there are no other structures in the area and the ground is rough and hard. But the weather might be turning for the better and ground breaking will better in the spring.
That’s just the beginning. The foundation will have to be solid. We’re talking three-foot thick wall of solid information. Plumbing the flow of information and electricity to power citizen journalist and readers will be a major consideration.
The entrance will be welcoming and always open. The rooms will be large and spacious so there’s room for everyone. Hopefully people will stay and mingle. Office space will provide a place for people to get some serious work done, if anyone is so inclined.
Then there’s the lounges where people relax and get things off their minds. And you know how public restrooms are. Filled with graffiti and slander for those who want to rant anonymously, but what can you do.
But I haven’t even drawn the blueprints. Maybe there are other rooms and amenities that you can suggest. Perhaps we can build a library and classrooms.
The tools are there to build this on the Internet. Everything from podcasts, chatrooms, discussion boards, wikis, and a host of other technology can build this space. And most importantly this is not just some virtual space detached from reality.
This will be grounded in the reality of our schools. In a sense it will be right in our backyard or more accurately right at our finger tips.
To beat a dead cliché - if we build it they will come. Or will they? That’s the experiment, but hopefully a worthy one.
Monday, January 8, 2007
PeaceMaker
I've started to work on video game called Peacemaker, editing the written content.
As the title suggest, it is a different type of "war" game. Simplifying the Israeli/Palestinian conflict into a win-able game can show you how foolishly ignorant one can be of such a hot and complex topic.
When I played the test version recently I lost several times in the begining. However the more losses I racked up the more understanding I gained. And by the time I won on the easy setting a rush came over me.
Usually when I win a game I get a rush of domination. This time my hairs stood on end with a mild ecstasy of enlightenment. Breaking the cycle of violence as political leader was a completely different rush.
Their website has links to articles written by Time magazine, New York Times, BBC, Washington Post and many other news outlets. Also they have a compelling video to watch.
Anyway I'm proud to be editing the content of this game. It's a small part but hopefully it'll add some value to the experience.
This is also the reason I'm not able to post as much as I'd like. However, they are helping build a network of socially responsible organizations and individuals. These contact will probably helpful in my current journalistic project.
As the title suggest, it is a different type of "war" game. Simplifying the Israeli/Palestinian conflict into a win-able game can show you how foolishly ignorant one can be of such a hot and complex topic.
When I played the test version recently I lost several times in the begining. However the more losses I racked up the more understanding I gained. And by the time I won on the easy setting a rush came over me.
Usually when I win a game I get a rush of domination. This time my hairs stood on end with a mild ecstasy of enlightenment. Breaking the cycle of violence as political leader was a completely different rush.
Their website has links to articles written by Time magazine, New York Times, BBC, Washington Post and many other news outlets. Also they have a compelling video to watch.
Anyway I'm proud to be editing the content of this game. It's a small part but hopefully it'll add some value to the experience.
This is also the reason I'm not able to post as much as I'd like. However, they are helping build a network of socially responsible organizations and individuals. These contact will probably helpful in my current journalistic project.
Esoteric Rantings on School News
I'm interested in news and policies on education that could effect public school sytems. Yet there is a more tenable goal to this project. A change in culture. A subtle change at that.
I don't believe this will be "the" website for those who want to radically change their schools. This is not a call to activism. This is not the life blood of the community. Even the most avid media junky spends a few minutes a day consuming one form of news. This will probably not be monumental to any individual much less to our society.
Maybe this site will be like a rare but reoccuring dream to people. Mostly insignifcant to your everyday reality. Something that hangs in the back of your mind and might inform you of some strange working of your brian. Perhaps, once in a blue moon someone will look at this website and be informed of the strange workings of the public school system.
The school system is like trying to understand why there is war. There are too many reasons for one person to understand the complexties of such a massive social undertaking.
But trying to understand is better than living in complete ingnorance. Maybe those dreams are trying to tell you something.
I don't believe this will be "the" website for those who want to radically change their schools. This is not a call to activism. This is not the life blood of the community. Even the most avid media junky spends a few minutes a day consuming one form of news. This will probably not be monumental to any individual much less to our society.
Maybe this site will be like a rare but reoccuring dream to people. Mostly insignifcant to your everyday reality. Something that hangs in the back of your mind and might inform you of some strange working of your brian. Perhaps, once in a blue moon someone will look at this website and be informed of the strange workings of the public school system.
The school system is like trying to understand why there is war. There are too many reasons for one person to understand the complexties of such a massive social undertaking.
But trying to understand is better than living in complete ingnorance. Maybe those dreams are trying to tell you something.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
New Media's Future as History
Imagine getting into you car and plugging in a USB memory-stick or tuning in to a streaming podcast of news concerning your child's school. Perhaps, something strikes you as interesting as you pull into a parking lot before work.
You have a few minutes before a meeting. So, you turn on your portable computer and follow-up on the story. At that moment the reporter happens to be online so you IM him a question. A minute later he responds and can tell you a few links that has that information but doesn't know personally. You save the message for later.
A couple of days later, right before bed, you read a story or few links or heated discussions on the topic or watch an archived video podcast of the last PTA meeting.
This person writes his opinion backed up by some facts thet they found in a different field that's relevant, like psychology.
A week later a person emails him some comments about the posting. They dialogue about it either in private or public. Then they reach both gain some insight to the another perspective.
Perhaps on other days the person tuned into national politics, international news, the on-going war or some other topic that generally has a beat or an editor.
This might be a way people use media.
There would be stories written from professional reporters as well as students, parents, teachers, principals and others. Stories on a particular or related topic that gives multiple perspectives.
A person that hosts a live video news show once a day on local education. A chat room to discuss with other readers real time on the important issue for the nest school board election. Links to official government documents about spending and law. And these documents would have analysis from different sources. A discussion board on all topics.
The one way broadcast of news from the rich and powerfull is ending. You Tube and My Space might later be We Tube and Our Space. It also might compel the government to have more openness in their records by developing a culture that demands online twenty-four hour access.
Now we save all this stuff and it now becomes a first draft of history. A more detailed and inclusive account that the future can use. The archiving of this data is invaluable to future generations.
The news as well as history can now be written by everyone not just the winners.
You have a few minutes before a meeting. So, you turn on your portable computer and follow-up on the story. At that moment the reporter happens to be online so you IM him a question. A minute later he responds and can tell you a few links that has that information but doesn't know personally. You save the message for later.
A couple of days later, right before bed, you read a story or few links or heated discussions on the topic or watch an archived video podcast of the last PTA meeting.
This person writes his opinion backed up by some facts thet they found in a different field that's relevant, like psychology.
A week later a person emails him some comments about the posting. They dialogue about it either in private or public. Then they reach both gain some insight to the another perspective.
Perhaps on other days the person tuned into national politics, international news, the on-going war or some other topic that generally has a beat or an editor.
This might be a way people use media.
There would be stories written from professional reporters as well as students, parents, teachers, principals and others. Stories on a particular or related topic that gives multiple perspectives.
A person that hosts a live video news show once a day on local education. A chat room to discuss with other readers real time on the important issue for the nest school board election. Links to official government documents about spending and law. And these documents would have analysis from different sources. A discussion board on all topics.
The one way broadcast of news from the rich and powerfull is ending. You Tube and My Space might later be We Tube and Our Space. It also might compel the government to have more openness in their records by developing a culture that demands online twenty-four hour access.
Now we save all this stuff and it now becomes a first draft of history. A more detailed and inclusive account that the future can use. The archiving of this data is invaluable to future generations.
The news as well as history can now be written by everyone not just the winners.
School Reporting by Students
What if student wrote about the curriculum at school? Maybe they could write a report on the quality of school lunches? Not merely their opinion of the subjects but their attempt to do some objective reporting on what they are learning.
Imagine a reporter at our schools telling us what goes on inside the school house gates. Stories not just about the budget or some controversial student expulsion or teacher misconduct. We might actually learn about the day to day running of the school.
But is it possible? What will be the quality of reporting? Won't it be biased? And thousands of other questions. I believe it is possible to some degree and an worthy experiment on democracy.
One question I hope to obviate is, "Won't this be like rate my Teacher?" No, because I will try to moderate and edit it. Isn't that censorship? Yes an no. In the same way an editor censors his reporters, minimally.
I will attempt to post all stories from student reporters. However, I will attempt to put them into some order either by technology or personal judgement. In other words, stories that are contain libelous or defamatory statement would have to be edited, just like traditional journalism. However if the story is just of poor reliability or structure it might just go into the "back pages."
This is a suggestion and I want to see what your opinions might be? I will personally respond and post all questions and comments to evolve the discussion.
Imagine a reporter at our schools telling us what goes on inside the school house gates. Stories not just about the budget or some controversial student expulsion or teacher misconduct. We might actually learn about the day to day running of the school.
But is it possible? What will be the quality of reporting? Won't it be biased? And thousands of other questions. I believe it is possible to some degree and an worthy experiment on democracy.
One question I hope to obviate is, "Won't this be like rate my Teacher?" No, because I will try to moderate and edit it. Isn't that censorship? Yes an no. In the same way an editor censors his reporters, minimally.
I will attempt to post all stories from student reporters. However, I will attempt to put them into some order either by technology or personal judgement. In other words, stories that are contain libelous or defamatory statement would have to be edited, just like traditional journalism. However if the story is just of poor reliability or structure it might just go into the "back pages."
This is a suggestion and I want to see what your opinions might be? I will personally respond and post all questions and comments to evolve the discussion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)