Group items tagged

The article John mentioned in class today

Youth and social networking as mentioned in class: http://dmlcentral.net/newsletter/05/2012/analytical-take-youth-social-networking-and-web-20-few-moments-amanda-lenhart

Jonathan brought this up in class. Information on suits, claims, etc. around copyright infringement and the "chilling effect" on creativity.

If you've not enjoyed an episode or several of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (or MST3K), this article provides and excellent overview. Hodgson teaches a master class on riffing, focusing on the art of storytelling and relating it both to the story being told (film) and the audience experience. Interesting points are also lightly touched on regarding the implications of something like movie riffing in the age of social media.  Also, if you've not done so previously, I recommend RiffTrax, the downloadable mp3 tracks meant to be played along with popular, contemporary movies, as opposed to the B-list flicks riffed on in MST3K. (These tracks are not paired with the movies themselves due to, of course, copyright issues.)

I mentioned this in class as an example of how branding of an entertainment experience that by either being marketed or adopted it becomes a symbol of lifestyle or identity/way of life. "American Juggalo is a look at the often mocked and misunderstood subculture of Juggalos, hardcore Insane Clown Posse fans who meet once a year for four days at The Gathering of the Juggalos. We went to The Gathering of the Juggalos and let the Juggalos speak their minds. I hope you enjoy it."

In a move that heightened competition in online education and brought more prestige to the still-fledgling field, Harvard University and MIT announced a partnership Wednesday to offer the public mainly free Internet classes.

Heard about this on NPR today, M.I.T. and Harvard are actually starting a non-profit and have already dumped $60 million into a project they call edX, intended to "improve, not replace, the campus experience." Should turn out to be an honorable donation to the global learning community. This is an interesting move towards providing free access to quality educational information. -Another article containing a press release: Engadget Article