Tuesday.

Reblogged from my Education Interwebs blog.

...bringing to the stage, DJ Ed Interwebs...

Today in #diglits, we spoke about the identit(ies) that we perform through the creation of our blogs. Dr. Stornaioulo [god, I hope that spelling is correct :)] pulled one of my original quotes into a document that had quotes from all of our blogs. It was one of my first posts. She obviously had to do some digging to get to it. I’m on post 57.

I hope to use this blog to share many of my “ruminations” about the future of education as well as pepper in many of the quotes and perspectives that speak to my hopes and dreams. If you notice from the title, hip-hop plays a major role in how I “read the world” (Friere & Macedo, 1987) around us. If you don’t know, get familiar.

My introduction to the blog. I noticed a couple things. One, ruminations…I love that word because I believe it to be associated with Rumi, who happens to be one of my favorites. Two, I had to link my brother from another mother Paulo Friere. He should be my uncle I guess. He was pretty old. Maybe he could be my pops. Lastly, the “get familiar”—-tag line that I know from DJ Clinton Sparks mixtapes—which links to a YouTube of Jay Electronica’s “Victory is in my Clutches”.

I realize that I really do take pride in my links. It’s not really about me. Most of the time, I don’t think I have anything original to say, or as Nas would say “No Idea’s Original.” [the ALCHEMIST version from The Lost Tapes] I do see myself as a curator and it comes out in a number of forms. I can dissect most of my language to their “originators” as in saying “jawn” happened because I grew up around Philadelphia. Rap lyrics infiltrate the idioms and phrases of my life. Comedians offer so many different jokes. So many things feel like a Curb Your Enthusiasm moment. The music I listen to is not only connected to the artist, but also connected to the moment that I discovered them and the process in which that came about. It’s a giant story. For example, Kendrick Lamar. [thats a Willie Hutch sample from The Mack Soundtrack] I have been listening to Kendrick Lamar since the EP because 9^th Wonder had an interview on AllHipHop.com which he stated that Kendrick Lamar was one of his new favorites from out of the West. One Ctrl+ T later, I am downloading the free Kendrick Lamar EP and have been a fan ever since. There is so many different instances which pull events together.

I often talk about the genealogy of ideas that I have so much fun with in music, but it relates well to academia. Reading a WaxPoetics magazine, you come across so many different talented artists that helped to build classic music that would stand the test of time to become some of Hip-Hop’s greatest songs. Ex. The Delfonics’ Ready Or Not. These are amazing talents. You have to CITE YOUR SOURCES!! The funny thing about Hip-Hop is that you don’t just give it away. It becomes the responsibility of the listener to do the searching, to do the crate digging. You have to find it. I remember hearing the story of Afrika Bambataa (from DJ Red Alert on a RBMA lecture) that he would change the labels of the vinyl’s that he would play so that no other DJ would know the records he would be playing at the party. HAVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOURCES IS A BIG DEAL.

I think of how hip-hop definitely favors the academic in terms of being a crate-digger and a curator. It’s not just about what I have to say. In many ways, my validity is only based on the sources. As @epohnire pointed out today in class, I do look at my blog like I am a DJ. I try to create an environment that supports social justice, digital media, and progressive education. I don’t care if it’s my records or from somewhere else. It’s about that sound. If it’s not there, I would have to do more to create it. But that energy is already out there in the world so I can step back and curate it.
Miles Davis was great at curating. He knew how to find himself in the new movements of jazz. I believe he did this because he always had one ear on his playing and one ear surveying the land. And you got to know what that Champion Sound is….

Monday. (continued)

I don't just write about my escapades in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Here's a post from my "professional identity" blog Education Interwebs.

hold up, it ain’t exactly free. [ruminations on the digital divide]

“I can play the game because it’s free, but then are some other parts that it won’t let me access without payment.”

 

This is of course, the prevailing way in which developers are releasing their product: the freemium model. The freemium model means that there is a wide amount of access for everyone, yet for premium privileges, there is a price. We see it everywhere. This is what storage sites like DropBox depend on. My favorite music community SoundCloud is predicated upon the same deal. Many of the new ed-tech tools is premised upon the same strategy (famous exceptions: Khan Academy, CK-12). In this way, it becomes awfully easy to suggest that there are SO many tools out there that are free. I would ask you to think twice about that.

 

Have you counted the cost of the computer/console/phone/device?

[have you considered the prerequisites of the operating system and software needed to browse Web 2.0 (Flash, HTML5 Supported Browser, etc)]

Have you counted the cost of the internet upon which many of these applications depend?

[have you considered how telecom companies structure the cost of internet into triple play deals because internet is “just not enough”]

Have you read about the intricacies and delays around Comcast’s court-mandated Internet Essentials program that makes access to broadband SO cheap?

[do you know anyone who actually has it? Do you know the bandwidth limits they have for these connections?]

Do you know how to set up a router?
….on…
….and on….
….and on….

There’s a lot that we need to consider before we say that there are so many FREE tools out there to help students learn. There is still a ways to go before we rid ourselves of the digital divide.
BONUS: There was a controversial article in the Forbes’ blog last year that spoke to this. What was the name of it?

Tuesday.

Yes!! Yes!! My proposal was accepted for DML2013. I will have 90 minute presentation with up to 10 seats! I'll update with the abstract later.

The Digital Media and Learning Conference is an annual event supported by the MacArthur Foundation and organized by the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub located at the UC Humanities Research Institute, University of California, Irvine. The conference is meant to be an inclusive, international and annual gathering of scholars and practitioners in the field, focused on fostering interdisciplinary and participatory dialog and linking theory, empirical study, policy, and practice. The fourth annual conference – DML2013 – is organized around the theme “Democratic Futures: Mobilizing Voices, and Remixing Youth Participation” and will be held between March 14-16, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. Read More.

Great thing about PennGSE is that they reimburse students up to $150 to attend conferences, up to $300 to present!  I just got back an additional $150 and will reap excellent exposure and priceless wisdom for my project!

UPDATE: Presentation Draft

Localizing the World Wide Web for Social Action

Drawing upon the research of The Kinder & Braver World Project, specifically Shock (2012), one must begin to recognize and uphold that young people have played a major role within every progressive social movement, engaging with many of the new media tools of their time to “create, circulate, and amplify movement stories” in concert with direct action.  With increasing literacy in using digital tools to enhance learning and exposure in educational settings, we must continue to stand in the historical legacy to unite our voices and stories with concrete strategies to actualize the transformations that drives our passion to speak. How do we begin to reconcile local action within globe-reaching digital spaces in regards to civic engagement and social justice curricula? What are effective techniques to emphasize the balance between the creation of digital media and the need for active reinforcement of ideas? What happens after the media? My research seeks to investigate the connection between critical digital literacies and actualizing the social justice aims within the local community. Christopher Rogers has a project in process for the city of Chester, Pennsylvania that will engage youth in a participatory action research project to determine and implement digital solution(s) to create a more responsive connection between community members and city services. This comes as an expansion of a pilot project where youth engage with digital music creation tools to create an album dedicated to uplifting youth perspective on critical social issues.  In the workshop, participants will be introduced to Chester, PA through behind-the-scenes footage of the Chester Sound digital music lab while engaging in an informal conversation about connecting the power and potential of digital media tools to drive community movements and the struggle to actualize change. 

Friday.

Just finished up writing a major essay for EDUC 550. One of my professors asked me to come to campus tomorrow to help with a tour of young impressionable high schoolers. Sort of excited about this!

Wednesday (cont.)

GSE LAB redesign.

Wednesday.

An ode to the GSE Computer Lab

2am in the GSE Computer Lab. I love this place. Especially at night, most people leave GSE somewhere round 7. The stragglers and 7-9 classes roll out at 9:01 (no time wasted!).  A few stragglers stick around in the computer lab to work on this or that. They are usually gone by 11pm.  Then it’s just me. [maybe a couple more people but I’m not sure if they want to be exposed in this blog].  They redesigned the computer lab over the break. Taking out the cubicles for the island—the post-industrial redesign [NO WALLS]. They added some softer recliner laptop chairs for all those folks who decide to invade the computer lab to only plop their laptop in front of an open available desktop.—I’m different. I have this iPad yet no device to effectively type papers.   But back to the point. I’m usually playing either A) a sports podcast, B) a hip hop podcast C) pulling up an album on Youtube.  Books out. Phone on the charger.  Volume on the comp all the way UP! It’s like my own personal home base. Most folks at GSE know me for being here mad late, but I don’t think they know just how much fun I have when I am here. Actually, I’m glad they don’t. MORE COMPUTER LAB FOR ME.

Wednesday.

Finishing up the first week of the new semester.

A couple thoughts--Graduate School Grades
--interestingly enough, I am more interested than feedback on my final papers than my final grade. Sometimes my grades match with my professor, sometimes they do not. Advice purposes: Keep your expectations above the professor's expectations and you'll be fine.

New Semester
--I love my use of electives. Thank God that I chose not to pursue the Reading Specialist certification so I could have them.  I have a class on Video Games, Digital Literacies, Black Male Development [independent study], Education & Social Entrepreneurship, and Multicultural Children's Literature.  Advice: All other things held constant, do the thing thats best for you.

The Job Search
--I'm looking. You know of anything out there in the interwebs...please let me know.

That's it for now. Also, I have a new blog starting soon for my digital literacies class. Shall be interesting.

-Chris.