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The following text is drawn from notes taken during two presentations by Professor Michael

Wesch at George Mason University on October 3rd and 4th of 2010, as he participated in

Masons Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference.

The conversation is around the ways and means and pathways that can serve to take educators

from knowledgeable to knowledge-able. The more we get to know about our students (and weshould be students of them, for we must know the ways they make sense of their dense digital

mediated social networks and their place in the world), the more we realize that they, unlike

some prior generations, are meaning-seekers. Unfortunately they are seeking meaning while

experiencing dual existential crises.

What am I going to do with life? What am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to learn?

Their search is for both identity and recognition, two notions that can be both at odds and

complementary to each other, depending on the context and the press for authenticity.

So, the best way to get to study students is to pay attention to the questions they ask in the

classrooms, in your offices and in the commons. Half of the students surveyed in Michaels

classrooms testify that they do not like school, but all of them report that they like learning.

Where is the disconnect?

Educators must come to understand, as we grasp the variety of digital interfaces that mediate

our students relationships and the density of their social networks, that there is something in the

air, in and out of the classroom: the digital footprint of billions of people in near constant contact

with each other.

So we ask, whats at stake? Dr. Michael Wesch spent considerable time doing research in

Papua New Guinea. As an anthropologist, Michael was amazed do discover the relationshipbetween identity and media. In Papua, there was no media. What about identity in those terms?

Many of the villagers when Michael arrived had no names; they had no need for them. Their

identities were clear as they were solely in relationship to other villagers. Then the New Guinea

government decided that they needed to know who these people were, to count them for a

census. This required the assignment of names. All of a sudden, everyone had proper names,

which they referred to as census names, and now the census is re-writing the society. The

law shifts from relationships to individuals creating an authority class; those that are chosen

to learn to read and write and count, and hence qualified to make decisions for the village.

Reading and writing empowers only a few, elevating them to a position of increased power and

authority, an elite. All of a sudden there is media. Media changes the power structure. And,

while everyone is overpowered by it, not everyone is enjoying the situation. There is no opting

out. Media of any sort mediate relationships. Media change, and relationships change, resulting

in change in culture. Niel Postman declared in the mid 80s that we were amusing ourselves to

death.

Michael notes that people want to be on TV because they want to be seen as significant, and

poses the question of why we think any given person ought to (or ought not) be on TV. This

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desire to be seen as significant is an outcome of the self-esteem movement. He uses the

term Generation Me, not in the narcissitic sense, but in the sense that the current college

student generation is searching for identity and recognition.

We know ourselves through relationships with others. New media creates new ways of relating

to others, and therefore new ways of knowing ourselves.

So, we need to rethink things. We in the academy point to the need to teach critical thinking

to mitigate the negative effects of media, but that is not enough. In this new age, we need to

go one step further and help our young people find relevant information, and offer the tools

to block and filter the plethora of that which is irrelevant. We need to rethink Commerce,

as its already gone beyond our common notions. Look at eBay (buy anything), Zilock (rent

anything), SwapTree (trade anything), Prosper(borrow from real people), and the Square

(accept credit card payments on your smart phone) as examples of new models. We need to

rethink Government, look at Do Tank, who says the Do Tank strives to strengthen the ability of

groups to solve problems, make decisions, resolve conflict and govern themselves by designing

software and legal code to promote collaboration. We need to recognize the things that are

ubiquitous; a context aware semantic social network of things is evolving around us, things that

talk to each other.

Michael spoke to us about the extensive use of video, especially via YouTube, as learning

tools and change agents. He particularly makes note of the Numa Numa video (http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=60og9gwKh1o) and the ways in which this video became a world-

wide cultural touchstone. There were so many remixes, remakings, and everyone seemed to

know the original work.

He and his students find a YouTube video...a Dove Soap commercial, for example, type pwnbefore the youtube in the url in order to download the video via Sony Vegas (a video editing

tool), then edit and combine the original video and audio with other video to make video

statement. We need to emphasize moving beyond informational literacy toward creation;

toward meta media fluency and digital citizenship.

The notion of digital citizenship opens up significant opportunities for development along

polarities: from openness to control, self-determinism to surveillance, community to isolation,

participation to distraction. We are already seeing new media producing results along these

spectrum, from the wonderful to the tragic. Michael claims that YouTube offers the freedom

to experience humanity without fear or anxiety, or the opportunity for connection without

constraint.

Students believe that learning is about acquiring information, not transformation, and that

information is a scarce resource, the control of which is a source of power and authority.

Micahel quotes Marshall McLuhan sayin, We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape

us. Michael suggests that we look at a few on line projects that are examples of innovations

in media: UP: The Uncultured Project. com, particularly at Shawns postings and use of media

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGvC5gfRu_F55yFKE-BCacTn4Pq5Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fus.zilok.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFnIQbdsewKlGe-_Cwz-71iZC6qSQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fswap.com&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHIYJJAmlAU4c_FtylCxoByuysNLwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prosper.com&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHmaDRw5JrxZjhSOGASWqk5nYwQNwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fsquareup.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGHJF9E7sRbON4FDiYgnpLTFLO8BQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fdotank.nyls.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHMwqLYEFcMT6qMEwo-Cnh35RbuIQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fdotank.nyls.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHMwqLYEFcMT6qMEwo-Cnh35RbuIQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fdotank.nyls.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHMwqLYEFcMT6qMEwo-Cnh35RbuIQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fdotank.nyls.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHMwqLYEFcMT6qMEwo-Cnh35RbuIQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fdotank.nyls.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHMwqLYEFcMT6qMEwo-Cnh35RbuIQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fdotank.nyls.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHMwqLYEFcMT6qMEwo-Cnh35RbuIQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fsquareup.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGHJF9E7sRbON4FDiYgnpLTFLO8BQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prosper.com&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHmaDRw5JrxZjhSOGASWqk5nYwQNwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fswap.com&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHIYJJAmlAU4c_FtylCxoByuysNLwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fus.zilok.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFnIQbdsewKlGe-_Cwz-71iZC6qSQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGvC5gfRu_F55yFKE-BCacTn4Pq5A

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to bring huge monies to Bangladesh http://uncultured.com/. Also look at Opsound http://

opsound.org/ . Opsound is a gift economy in action, an experiment in applying the model of free

software to music. Musicians and sound artists are invited to add their work to the Opsound

pool using a copyleft license developed by Creative Commons. Anyone is encouraged to

contribute sound files to the Opsound's open sound pool. And take a look at Open Street,

a free Wiki-based road map that blows Google Maps away. See Etherpad for a non-profitGoogle Doc option, Yahoo Pipes,a powerful composition tool to aggregate, manipulate,

and mashup content from around the web, diggo, a very smart web-based bookmarking

application, Netvibes, the first personalized dashboard publishing platform for the Web. Digital

life management, Widget distribution services and brand observation rooms. (this is a very

nice reader akin to the Google Reader, Feedlooks, and NetNewsWire.

So, the question is, how do we change our message? Technology alone is not the answer.

In the early Internet, form and content were inseparable. Now that is no longer the case.

Knowledge-ability is a practice that represents three inter-dynamic forces:

Thoughtfulness, which includes having knowledge and imagining.

Communication, which includes hearing, listening and sharing.

Empathy; the ability to imagine your way into someone elses perspective.

Real problems dont have answers; we educators trust that the disciplines can act to solve

them. Students should be meaning makers, not meaning seekers.

Michael suggests we see An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube: Final Project http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU on YouTube or at his working groups blog at http://

mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=179.

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fetherpad.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGuf4XZVHoBUzj63pq7nkbn-OZoqAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fpipes.yahoo.com%2Fpipes%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbagiStIEWGcGaEhkpOL9IGZatfghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fpipes.yahoo.com%2Fpipes%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbagiStIEWGcGaEhkpOL9IGZatfghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fpipes.yahoo.com%2Fpipes%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbagiStIEWGcGaEhkpOL9IGZatfghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diigo.com&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF-HOvjjsAvwhkcmVpIE9cIBHeABAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netvibes.com%2Fen&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGf3zY_r5sQ-SlIb6ayOZtqiD-aXQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmediatedcultures.net%2Fksudigg%2F%3Fp%3D179&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZZffRRwW0fHoV90nq5Ry5F1XLDwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hUhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netvibes.com%2Fen&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGf3zY_r5sQ-SlIb6ayOZtqiD-aXQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diigo.com&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF-HOvjjsAvwhkcmVpIE9cIBHeABAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fpipes.yahoo.com%2Fpipes%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbagiStIEWGcGaEhkpOL9IGZatfghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fpipes.yahoo.com%2Fpipes%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbagiStIEWGcGaEhkpOL9IGZatfghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fpipes.yahoo.com%2Fpipes%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbagiStIEWGcGaEhkpOL9IGZatfghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fetherpad.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGuf4XZVHoBUzj63pq7nkbn-OZoqAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fopsound.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHkHvhHuY9cQDWT4WRN0XtC4_i3rQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Funcultured.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF7r0Nl1csAEIZCclXHjX6_OFWMQA