SISummer11

We all just missed the 8th Annual Games for Change Festival held in NY last week....but here's a description of the workshops that took place. On the Demo page you can see some game samples...unfortunately, there's no link enabling you to play...

One aspect of the digital divide that we didn't delve into much in this week's discussion is that of net neutrality - tiers, based on increased cost, that enable access to to "premium" content and faster broadband speeds. This articles provides some great links to other sources on the issue of the digital divide, net neutrality and what some see as a right to the Internet.

In this article, Hargittai likens the digital divide continuum to the varied dimensions of literacy and concludes that addressing the digital divide requires refinement in the understanding of use and skill - and incorporating those varied uses and skills into educational curricula. She explains that "the history of literacy shows that our understanding of functional literacy has evolved considerably over time requiring flexibility in education policy to keep up with the changing landscape." Full Citation: Hargittai, E. (2003). The Digital Divide and What to do About It. In D. C. Jones (Ed.), New Economy Handbook. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

I remember reading about the competition between cities that wanted to be chosen for this project (one even changed it's name to Google). This story is short, talks about the high poverty level in Kansas City and the possibility of bridging the digital divide.

Mary had mentioned "Smart Communities" in one of the class discussions, which brought to mind this very cool teen website that I discovered last semester, called YouMedia, designed to support and develop media literacy skills......

What the influential, hilarious, revolting message board teaches us about Internet culture.

This summarizes a recent academic study published by AAAI (the article contains a link to the full paper) in which the authors analyzed 6 million posts to the 4chan /b/ message board (6 million posts....the mind boggles) to see how anonymity and memes can create "internet culture." If there is such a thing. I'm not sure....

After some deliberation, I think I actually prefer 4chan to Facebook. Anonymity breeds freedom in a sense.

I saw this book listed somewhere (probably a library blog) a while back and it was recommended as a great primer on how technology and Internet learning is actually creating more class differentiation in this country rather than the opposite.

Posted: Monday, June 27, 2011 10:00 am | Updated: 10:50 am, Mon Jun 27, 2011. By EMILY DUPUIS / Sun Staff Writer The Westerly Sun | WESTERLY - Some local families will be receiving much-needed computers, thanks to teens studying computer repair at Westerly High School.

This interview with Rachel Sterne, NYC's first "chief digital officer," discusses plans for NYC to become a "digital city," that they hope to implement in the near future. (FINALLY, it let me post!)

Posting this to test Diigo...also because it was a GREAT find - a current study that provides information for both my digital storytelling project AND my group project on ethics....Here's a summary of what it's about. Also was wondering if "Sribd" is another sort of Diigo? The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning, published by the MIT Press, present Findings From current research on how young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. The Reports result from research projects funded by the MacArthur Foundation as part of its $50 million initiative in digital media and learning. They are published openly online (as well as in print) in order to support broad dissemination and to stimulate further research in the Field.

Pope Benedict XVI made history today when he tweeted for the first time. Benedict's tweet read: "Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI".

Please see my discussion board post for more about this article! By Jesse Washington, Associated Press When the personal computer revolution began decades ago, Latinos and blacks were much less likely to use one of the marvelous new machines. Then, when the Internet began to change life as we know it, these groups had less access to the Web and slower online connections - placing them on the wrong side of the "digital divide."

The mayor of Chicago has implemented a plan in partnership with Comcast to bring cheaper high-speed internet to low-income families and students. They have also created Smart Communities centers to educate people about computer use.

Great example of digital divide narrowing.

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Blogging and tweeting might be among the last hobbies you'd list for a homeless person, but some down-and-out people have embraced social media in such a way that it's actually garnered them needed assistance -- everything from food and diapers for children to counseling and housing.

This venn diagram still makes me laugh. As we were reading Weinberger this week and the limits of first order organization it reminded me how the most basic information you are trying to find can be so hard to locate.

I think so true too!

Hah! Yes -- maybe it is because the people designing the site are marketing/pr types instead of LIS grads? ;)

Increasingly, Latino and African-American teens are using cell phones as their main device to get online

From my local (Austin, TX) paper. I thought this quote was particularly interesting: However, Watkins says he's becoming increasingly concerned with what he calls the participation gap. If teens are using their phones to consume media such as music, videos or sports scores instead of creating their own artistic works or engaging in discussions, are they really experiencing all the Internet has to offer? "If mobile is the primary access point," Watkins asks, "is that a quality experience that's similar or equal to Wi-Fi on a laptop? Rather than just a mobile entertainment device, are they using (cell phones) for citizenship and engagement?"

Building an online community and culture around words, phrases, and tropes -> looks at twitter hashtags, 

Hey, sorry I didn't see this comment sooner! I'm on a few google groups about memes so I get a lot of articles through them, as well as following twitter accounts of academics studying the lulz. This one, I think I just found it on google scholar while looking for sources for my final project.

Jay Smooth nails the "no homo" meme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7nCB8aiXD4)....and explains that as fun as it is to "play the game," just don't do it.