Growing up a VHS rewinder was more than a novelty, it was what kept my family’s video rental account in good standing by allowing us to avoid fees for video tapes returned in good standing. After all, going to the video store with my family or friends to rent Terminator 2 or Empire Strikes Back was a real, in-person expreience. Are we losing this to streaming services and torrents?
Born in 1985, technology never seemed like ‘technology’, and seemed more like a fun afternoon playing The Legend of Zelda (gold cartridge) with some friends. To define my background with technology a bit more:
- I can remember a time before I had a computer (barely)
- My first computer was an IBM with a green screen and two 5″ floppy drives we acquired from my mothers office after they upgraded
- I would go to kindergarten early to play the match game on a Apple II
- I had Atari 2600, but NES was my first video game console love affair – 1991
- My first internet experience was in 1995 using Netscape Navigator (watch the meteor show!)(14.4 baud rate modem)
- I first started programming HTML in 1998 (anyone remember this: http://www.iconbazaar.com/)
- Had my first cell phone in 2000 (Nokia 5110)
- Frequented Napster P2P service in 2001
- Bought first Mac in 2002 (PowerMac G4 Tower)
- LiveJournal – 2002
- MySpace – 2003
- Facebook – 2004
- Bought a MacBook Pro in 2005
- Learned how to use/code in WordPress, PHP/MySQL in 2007
- iPhone – First Generation – 2007
- Twitter – 2009
- Started teaching web design/programming – 2009
- Worked for education based tech startup 2011-2012
- #etmooc – first mooc experience – 2013
Thats some of the technology based milestones in my 28 years. Im sure there are many more, but this brings me to my newest experience with how technology is changing my learning process – #etmooc.
The idea of anything collaborative, interesting, global, open, new and learning based intrigues me to say the least. As this MOOC comes to a close, I am still wondering on a few topics. First, I am wondering what will happen over the next five years as the higher-ed system continues to grow. Working/teaching in the tech and creative fields daily, the need for an old-fashioned, classically acquired bachelors degree seems to be dwindling in my fields of work. I think this is because with things like #etmooc, open courseware, MeetUps, Skillshare etc., we are moving towards a ‘show me what you can do, and why you love to do it’ professional space. The shift is happening due to the massive size of most higher-ed institutions, and the pace in which they can move to make changes to curriculum. They just move too slow to keep up.
Besides MOOC’s ability to move fast and grow organically, and the old paradigm of ‘show me your transcript’ or ‘show me the numbers’ being mostly incompatible with this idea, I have learned that MOOC’s are just a jumping off point for a new adventure and paradigm for education. I think of MOOCs as they stand now, sort of like how MySpace was the precursor to Facebook. Next year, MOOC’s may not be called MOOC, and may have taken on a different form. The point is, we must allow for iteration in our learning.
As a MOOC participant and proponent, I am also open to the idea of ideas shifting. Just as you have a BETA test before a software launch to 1.0 status. I believe education and people are so much more pliable than the traditional learning models allow.
I also appreciate the varied differences between a MOOC and a ‘online course’ at a traditional college or university, as MOOCs put the most important person in the drivers seat: THE LEARNER!
Digital Citizenship
To think of us as digital citizens is an interesting idea. To call ourselves ‘digital citizens’ implies we are wanting to / are part of a larger system context of ‘people’. I have a somewhat firm belief that the rapid evolution of screen based devices has caused such a rift in our social graces, that something interesting is happening in direct response. Remember when I was mentioning my NES console above? Lets take that idea for a moment. What did playing NES, which pre-dates any iPad or iPhone by more than 20 years, really consist of?
Typically when you played NES growing up, you played with a sibling or friend(s). The act of sitting down to play Duck Hunt or Double Dragon was more than just pushing buttons or shooting ducks, it was a time to socialize with your friends. It was a big deal to go to your friends house after school to try out the new Super Mario iteration. Even in the mid 1990′s, as computer games and software became commonplace in homes, game manufacturers wanted the ability to ‘play with friends’ over the internet (Duke Nukem 3d Ten Game for example – 1996).
As we move towards removing wired peripherals to control digital experiences, and begin to use our hands (iPhone) or body (Xbox Connect), we are radically shifting our perception and interactions with the technology. Technology is becoming personal, very personal. To some, phones and tablets are like children, and because of this ‘input device’ switch (mouse to hand for example), we feel a whole new level of attachment to the device and the content it can deliver.
Another example of a reaction to the ‘digital’ rift is the resurgence of film cameras (Lomo / Polaroid in particular), vinyl records (fun with friends), vintage style, MadMen and more. As humans, I believe we crave tangible experiences. Instagram (iPhone app for creating vintage film looks) as exploded on the iPhone, as it has begun to give us the essences of analog form in a 24/7 web connected universe. Why is it we want these things? I often wonder this.
In fact, as I write this, the idea or term of ‘digital’ seems so 1980′s…just a side note.
So I believe to be called a ‘digital citizen’ of ‘virtual world’, you must also be a contributor as well. Just as you may volunteer for your local PTA or City Council. Communities that thrive pay attention to the needs of it’s citizens. This is true in the online space as well.
The devices we have now are far more advanced then my old NES console, and are very much moving towards the idea of digital creation (think iMovie, GarageBand, Wii Console etc..). No longer do you have to have access to special tools to make content such as videos, movies, audio recordings, photographs etc. Just go pick up an iPhone.
What of quality control of content generation? With so many people having the ability to now generate new content (video, audio, media, code, text etc..), who is to determine what is ‘of acceptable quality’? The answer is simple: the individual / community to which the new content is presented.
The real question I have for everyone in #etmooc is: Have we moved to being ‘digital citizens’, or ‘citizen contributors’, digital or otherwise?
I had fun. Thanks to everyone!
-Matt White – @dirkweiss