Where We're At Right Now

The Syllabus:

Unit 1 - Digital completed.

Unit 2 - Cool - We're finishing phase 4 (integration) - all that's left is the art project. We will finish the unit around the end of the semester.

Units 3 (School) and 4 (Other People) still planned and on schedule.

Assignments:

There will be no additional required assignments over the break. An extra credit opportunity appears below.

The paper - which will be an exhibition-style integration of what you've learned about coolness in 5-10 pages - will be due in rough draft form around January 13 - feel free to get a head start. The art project will also be similar to the assignment in the Digital Unit - so you can also start thinking about what you want to do with it (Four Tet on Being Popular on Youtube could be a model).

Grades:

Assignments 21-25 have been completely graded for all sections and (extremely late by now) new versions of that work will not be graded.

Assignments 26-29 have been completely graded for section 1, 2, 3, and 4.

All sections have been graded. If you didn't have 37 posted I used 35 (or if that was missing 34). Grades available Tuesday.

Extra credit must be completed by the first day back to school, 4th of January.

I will update this part of this post as I complete each section of grades.

Extra Credit 1 - Tolstoy Cool

For extra credit please read The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy and write a 3-6 paragraph post that answers one or more of the following questions;

a. How does Ivan's quest for status, advancement, prestige, and generally the approval of others endanger his chance to live a more meaningful life?

b. Schwartz is the "cool" character in the first part of the story. Please analyze him.

c. Ivan, as almost all of us, bases his efforts in life on the map provided by his culture. The culture values "the easy, agreeable, gay and always decorous [ ...] life, approved of by society and regarded by himself as natural." What map has been provided by your family, subculture, culture? What are the main destinations and goals and plans in your life? What should the tone of your life be, according to the map you've been provided?

d. Ivan transforms in the last part. What does this process show about the worthiness of the map he was provided? Should he have lived otherwise? How?

e. Please compare The Death of Ivan Ilyich to A Christmas Carol - specifically the character of Ivan to the character of Ebenezer. If you don't want to read Dickens, you can use your knowledge from a film version. Dickens' work came out in 1843 and Tolstoy's in 1886. Tolstoy called Dickens the greatest writer of the century and had his portrait hanging on a wall, and Scrooge might have been the inspiration for Ivan Ilyich. Do the stories share the same moral? How do tone and emphasis differ in the two parallel stories?

f. Please discuss and analyze any other aspects of the book, of your choice, that relates to our sense of lostness, the source of our lostness, and our attempts to either cover up or fill that emptiness through heroic life and/or the approval of others.

Details:

The essay counts up to 10 points, same as a regular assignment, so the option to change the dividend as usual but without changing the divisor. You may choose to do two separate essays for a possible total of 20 points. Due January 1, 2010 at 9pm.

If you seek wisdom before dying, this book could be a helpful source and will also help you catch references among educated people.

http://ebooks.gutenberg.us/WorldeBookLibrary.com/deathivan.htm

HW 31 - Exploring Methods of M,M,C,A, & Aggrandizing the Self

In class Friday we shared insights from HW 30 and brainstormed and discussed various methods that we and others use to mask, manipulate, costume, adorn, and aggrandize the self.

HW 31 will eventually include several parts.

Part A - which should be posted by Monday 8:30am, is to ask (respectfully) someone who is using one of the strategies we identified to describe how they came to be doing it. If you want more interesting answers avoid putting them on the defensive, as much as possible. Many of the answers will be variations on, "Because I like it, it's for me, not for others." What do you think about the answer? Post the method, the story of your question, his/her answer, and your insights about that answer.

Part B - Repeat Part A but for 2-3 aspects of your own performance. Due Tuesday Dec. 22, 8:30am. Please simply edit the original HW 31 to include the new material, rather than making a separate post.

Shakespeare quote 1 - All the world's a stage ...
Shakespeare quote 2 - Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player ...
Facebook article - Great quote - “You’re literally watching the social landscape on the screen, and if you’re obsessed with your position in that landscape, it’s very hard to look away.”

HW 30 - Psychological and Philosophical Theorizing of Cool

The goal - to enrich your understanding of "cool" by exploring the existential layers underlying this often desperate performance.

Please research several sources (famous philosophers and psychologists and social theorists) to elaborate a 400+ word theory (or a hypothesis) on one of the three following questions in bold. Due Friday, Dec 18 at 8:30am. (As a point of reference, this assignment is 540+ words).

Cool can be viewed as a major attempt to fill the emptiness inside of us with an internal heroic mission (sense of purpose, meaning, self-knowledge) and external validation (attention, approval, admiration, love, popularity, fame).

How does this emptiness feel? Phenomenologically describe the sense of absence using your own introspection and the writings of famous others. If it is a hole - what sorts of shapes fill this hole? Is it a lock with only one key? Or is it a stomach that will accept whatever chewed up substance drops down into it?

Whence this emptiness? What are the sources of this sense of meaninglessness but also of the need for a sense of meaning? Empty means its not there but also that its missing! Do you agree that humans seem to overwhelmingly share a sense of emptiness, or a hole that needs to be filled (perhaps by honor, or story, or heroism, or love)? How do we come to be this way? We've talked about the Myth of the Fall, of Freud's theories of separation from the mother, of Becker's theory of the fear of annihilation in death, of Lacan's theory of the division between consciousness and physicality.

How does cool relate to our attempt to live in relation to this emptiness? In addition to external validation and a personal heroic role - are there any other routes to coolness? How should we evaluate and enact the possible routes to coolness? Where should we put our emphasis - our best efforts?

For instance, Schopenhauer argued "what distinguishes mortals is determined by three fundamental aspects. They are;

1. What one is: the person in the broadest sense. Inclusive of health, strength, beauty, temperament, moral character, intelligence, and education.

2. What one has: property and possessions in every sense.

3. What one makes as a presentation of oneself: under this expression should be understood, how the person is perceived by others, therefore how others present him to themselves. That means their opinions of the person, which collapse into categories of glory, status, and fame."

(quickly translated by andy from here)

Does Schopenhauer thereby offer a guide for how to deal with our mortality? What do the Stoics say? The Cynics? The Marxists? Foucauldian post-structuralists? What about Frankl's concept of the "existential vacuum" or "Sunday neurosis". What do religious prophets advocate (Buddha, Maimonides, Jesus, Mohammed, etc.)? What about religious/philosophical traditions like Zen or Vedantism?

Please explore theoretical responses to these questions. For instance you can google:

• frankl existential vacuum emptiness
• sense of emptiness -
• buddhism origin dukkha
• genesis fall humanity
• if you google - freud separation mother - you might end up at a site from Purdue which explains how the "self" is a response to the situation of the baby having to deal with mom and dad.

Gather insights from at least 3 sources of famous people's thoughts and then organize them into your own (evolving) thoughts on the topic. Feel free to concentrate primarily on one source and your own response.

HW 29 - Merchants of Cool

We watched most of the episode "Merchants of Cool" from Frontline on PBS (2001) on Wednesday and Friday.

If you missed one of those sessions, you need to watch it on your own - official site is here - but its also on google video and here.

Please address one or more of the following topics in 3-6 well-written and insightful paragraphs. Use evidence from the video, from Matt Fried's Tuesday presentation, and from other sources.

• Of course the corporations manipulate us while pretending not to, so they can make more money off of us. Of course we actively seek commodified coolness while trying to claim "self-expression" and "being ourselves", so we can feel a sense of importance and gain attention and approval. So what?

• What specific manipulation techniques work best on the specific insecurities and emotional needs of young people, according to Merchants of Cool?

• Should advertising to young people be banned? Up to what age? Or all ages?

• Is it evil to help the corporations to manipulate the minds of young people for the sake of profit?

• Should Rage Against the Machine or Mos Def have refused to play the corporate game to prevent their revolutionary music becoming a source of capitalist profit? What if that meant that they would gain far fewer listeners?

• There was a quote like, "Girls are taught (by Britney Spears type media) to flaunt their sexuality even though they don't understand it yet." Was what was done to Britney Spears wrong? Was it a crime? If so, who are the criminals? Why did she go along? Why did millions of teens eagerly consume this image leading to billions in corporate profits? Does this sort of image lead to loveless performance of alienated hyper-sexuality in the name of cool?

Due Sunday, 13th of December at 9:00am.

HW 28 - Informal Research - Internet, Magazines, and TV Shows

Please identify five or more sources of insight into "cool" in our culture. Internet sites might be the easiest - often a good idea to start with Wikipedia - but you're welcome to use TV, movies, magazines, newspapers, or other sources of popular culture.

Please make an annotated bibliography of 3 or more sources - each should include correct MLA citation, a very brief summary of most important points (2-4 sentences) and a very brief analysis of the utility of the source for particular topics or arguments (3-5 sentences).

You could do worse than using this as a model (but shorter and sharper - one mini paragraph for summary, an additional mini-paragraph). Actually, use the following as a model -

Andy's Model:
Viren, Tom et al. "How To Be Cool." http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Cool. WikiHow, n.d. Web. 2 December 2009.
This article, compiled and edited by many authors, attempts to provide advice of how to become cool. It contains a list of suggestions, additional tips, and warnings. Many of these tips will be familiar - "Be yourself" and "Be confident" - and others less so "Find a way to love learning."

This short guide deserves reading for its helpful simplification - in the introduction it reduces coolness to being confident, unique, and on friendly terms with everyone. The copious suggestions, tips, and warnings also reflect a variety of the dominant perspectives about coolness - which seems to primarily be understood as being admired and liked by the masses as an authentic and friendly and socially-adept human being.

Your goals with this annotated bibliography include figuring out some more about cool using others thoughts, finding out what others mean when they talk about being cool, and identifying resources worth coming back to (or not worth coming back to) for yourself and your triangle partners when writing your end of the unit papers.

Due Tuesday, December 8 at 8:30am.

HW 27 - Informal Research - Interviews and Surveys

Please compile some responses from various sources about what it means to be cool, the significance of cool, etc. This will include family members (see below) and eventually friends, street interviews, etc.

For the holiday, celebrating a possibly imaginary moment that Native Americans saved Pilgrims from famine (we know how that turned out), please identify one family member (not by name or photo) who you find really-cool and pay attention and talk to that family member about his or her insights about living.

Due Friday, Dec. 4 at 8:30am.

HW 26 - Photos & Questions

Please post photos and brief interviews (2-4 questions) of 3-5 people with cool "looks" on your blog.

Use this as the model.

Due Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 8:30am.

HW 25 - Story Comments and Analysis

Part 1: Please read 5+ stories and leave nice comments on them - something specific you enjoyed or thought was interesting. For instance, "Chris - really liked how starkly your story demonstrated the distinction between real-cool and appear-cool. I also like the revelation of the narrator as a twist at the end." Please comment your triangle partners (if available) and others (from other sections if you desire) and copy & paste the comments as Part 1 of your blog post HW 25.

Part 2: Please write 2-4 paragraphs about patterns you noticed in the stories - what are some of the elements of cool? What are some of the archetypes of cool? For instance, "In Chris' story (link) the elements of real-cool were dependability, self-sacrifice, and especially love. Appear-cool's elements were motorcycles and big houses and entertaining talents. The father fulfilled the role of the Saint - a dependable and loving person who puts the needs of other people before his own."

Due Wednesday the 25th at 8:30am.

Andy's Short Story - HW 24 - Cool Unit - Me in 3 years

Bob looked at the young woman trying to talk to him. He looked at the computer's display of 6 students he still hadn't finished grades for. Grades were due at 3pm. He looked down at his running shoes. He told her - "I only have two minutes for you right now, Doris." She sucked her teeth, and rolled her eyes, but mildly, since he was her teacher.

"See, what ha' happen' was, I was, like trying to upload that video all night! For real, I even aks my mother to help me. She even write you a note! See!"

He waved off the note and she wasn't sure if that meant he already believed her or if he was intentionally refusing to admit the evidence that would vindicate her.

He asked, "Do you remember the 10 ways we came up with to deal with digital frustration? Did you try any of those techniques?"

She said, "I told you! I aksed my mom!"

He said, "I believe that you tried and that you asked your mom. But you waited until the last night on this project, and I told you that could lead to situations like this. I'm going to put in your grade as a C, and if you manage to upload the video by tomorrow at noon, and its strong, I will change this quarter's grade to a B- at the end of the semester. Now, I need to end this meeting."

She said, "But it won't upload! I told you! Can't you just watch it on my camera?"

He said, "You need to upload it - please try the strategies we came up with. Thank you for coming by."

With a more emphatic sucking of her teeth she walked away, head bobbling. He spent the half hour necessary to get the last grades in. He took two minutes to watch a video that one of the most creative students had made. Smiling, he jogged down the stairs, walked out the door, and headed towards the park - the pavement splashed with bronze and crimson and lemon yellow leaves. It looked like he'd have a half hour of running in the cool air before he had to be back for the department meeting.

HW 24 - Short Story 1

Please write and post a short story about a really cool student in the 11th or 12th grade at a small public high school in NYC. Portray the protagonist as whatever you think of as "cool" - could be a lover or a fighter - a poet or a philosopher or just a regular kid.

The exceptionally cool protagonist should be a model of coolness that you actually admire. If you, instead, write a story showing a poor sucker trying to be cool, that's fine too, draw from your own experience.

Remember the writing tips I emphasized:

1. Show don't tell (action and dialog instead of narration and description) aka "Starve the narrator."

2. Compress the coal into a diamond by using pressure of time, space, and characters. Like in the A&P story, keep the location and time and characters compressed.

3. Make a muffintop story where the past and future spill out (like in A&P, which now that I've re-read it, seems much better than I told it).

4. Remember the Buddha's flower - enlightenment happens wordlessly.

5. Consider resisting the culture of ridicule - try writing a story with a really admirable person.

Please post by Friday 8:30am.

HW 23 - 1st Constructivist Exploration of Cool

For this first post of the Cool unit please explore the definition, feeling, concept, experience, pursuit of cool.

What questions do you have about being cool? About being uncool?

What insights have flashed into your mind about cool? Who is cool? What defines cool? What are different types of cool? Are you cool?

Please write an EXPLORATORY 3-6 paragraphs. Use your concept maps from Friday for ideas. Don't write down every possible idea - write down the interesting ones, and then explore them. Please use anecdotes and metaphors and stories and examples to enliven your writing.

Due Tuesday, Nov 17, 8:30am.

More resources for HW 21

"The Machine Stops" - Melodramatic and moving sci-fi story from 1909! that predicts much of our current situation. You could rip this off, condense it, twist it, retell it, and your new version might also be worthwhile. (My favorite part is the "I get no ideas" line, this restless pursuit of new entertaining concepts that animates so much websurfing from blogs to wikipedia. It would be worth deconstructing this binary opposition (ideas vs. sensual experience) which seems to permeate as far back as Plato's Cave, at least.)

There's another story a lot like this from around the 1920s that I read when I was 11ish - with wheelchairs and the hero is scorned because he has the genetic deformity of functioning legs, but guess who laughs last? But I can't find it online.

I'll add more resources to this Friday and on the weekend. For now, let me repeat my advice from today - the time to say, "Hmmmm, what shall I do?" has passed. Its time to make an art project that expresses or challenges or celebrates or reveals some aspect of how digital representations of reality have affected our lives and our situations. If you don't know what to do, then make a poem or a drawing.

Remember you have to post your art project (or a digital representation of it, which is just as good, right?) online by Monday 8:30am.

Three More Pieces Via the NYT Relevant To Your Arguments

A pretty fun game that shows the dangers of texting while driving -
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/19/technology/20090719-driving-game.html?ref=technology

This study was linked to and complicates the hypothesis that more screens=less friends.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/18--Social-Isolation-and-New-Technology.aspx

The idea of videogames and meaningful artistry -
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/magazine/15videogames-t.html?hpw=&pagewanted=all

HW 22 - Final Draft & Writing Tips

Your final draft for the Digitalization Big Paper is due Monday at 8:30am.

(Outline, rough, revised, final).

Below are some suggestions to help you improve the paper. Don't forget to use the insights gained from using the rubric in class Friday.

1. Please make paragraphs of 3-8 sentences. And if the sentences are long, then less sentences per paragraph.
2. On the same idea (breaking up overwhelming text chunks) I highly recommend using subheadings in your papers. Journalists do it. Below includes this stuff for what I think your paper should look like:
3. Use the spell-checker.
4. Make bold metaphors. Be creative. Make a joke or two. Include an image. It doesn't have to be boring!
5. Don't forget a "works cited".
6. If you are one of the students who still has a blog that is light text and dark background please reverse it now.
7. Don't make the paper a travelogue ("First we talked and then we interviewed and then ...")
8. Quote people! Me, the interviewees, your favorite student-writer. Just make sure to cite the quote and integrate it into your own argument.
9. Use the rubric - or it will have its revenge.
10. Tell other students about this list before Monday. No really, you can just work it casually into your texting and Facebooking.

TITLE IN BOLD

INTRODUCTION: (really! it should say Introduction before the introduction)
Da da da da dfdf. kjdfkdf . klsdfjklsdfjdklsf . dkfkldjfjklsfjsfkljsklfj jfkljs fkljsf klj klj. klfjklsdfjsd. kjfkldfjs kd fjk dfk sf. fkfjkldjsfd. (did you notice I bolded the thesis? that helps a lot).

Argument I:
dfjdklsfj f.df .f asf.s .fkasfds.fdsfs. f..f.sfsdfsadfsfdsfs. kjlsfksdjf. klfjjsfkl (Snyder 9/15/09).

Argument II:
dkfjdklfjs . dfadsfadsf .f asdfas f.

Connections:

etc.

NYT Column on Cell-Phones and Dating

"This does not mean that young people today are worse or shallower than young people in the past. It does mean they get less help. People once lived within a pattern of being, which educated the emotions, guided the temporary toward the permanent and linked everyday urges to higher things. The accumulated wisdom of the community steered couples as they tried to earn each other’s commitment."

David Brooks NYT - see it here

HW 21 - Art Project 1

Your final assignment for the Digital Unit is an Art Project that expressively and insightfully sparks theeling about an aspect of the digital representation of reality.

Pretty much any art form can be used. Painting, photography, film, poetry, dance, fiction, comix, video game, etc. I hate collages but you could even do one of those.

The art project must be represented digitally on your blog.

Even though Art has traditionally been a chance to "act out" please avoid showcasing any work which has the potential to drag me into multiple unnecessary meetings about the need for me to censor my students more.

Examples:
1. A satirical text
2. An animated film
3. A film with actors

Together with your art please append a text that addresses the following questions:
1. Is your art a hammer or a mirror? Why?
2. Does your art make you fink and theel? What are some of your own reactions to your art?
3. What was the most interesting aspect of your making of the art?

Due Friday November 13 at 8:30am.

HW 20 - Big Paper Revised Draft - Nov 6

Please post your complete and revised mini-exhibition style Big Paper 1 by 8:30am Friday November 6.

HW 19 - Big Paper 1 Suggestions - Nov 4

Please encourage your triangle partners and make helpful suggestions of ideas, structure, and wording on their Big Paper 1 Rough Draft by 9pm November 4th.

Leave the comments on their drafts and copy and paste them to your own blog.

HW 18 - Big Paper 1 Rough Draft

Revise your outline based on your triangle partners' suggestions. Then use it to write a rough draft of a big paper on some aspect of the digital-representational-experience.

This paper should be a mini-exhibition - 5 pages or more. Should include a clear and interesting thesis, 2-4 major arguments supporting the thesis, and cited evidence supporting the major arguments. Should also include brief sections on "Connections", "Opposing Viewpoints", and "Significance". Should include a works cited list.

Your revised draft will be graded using the Revised Social Studies Research Rubric for exhibitions at SOF. You can find it here to download.

The rough draft should be spell-checked, printed, read, edited, and then posted online by November 4th at 8:30am.

HW 17 - Outline Suggestions - November 2

Please leave comments on your triangle partners' outlines (and copy and post to your own blog) that encourage and make useful suggestions of ideas, wording, and illumination. Please do so in class Monday, or at the latest, by 4pm on November the 2nd.

Your grade on this assignment will be based on the helpfulness and insight in your comments. No particular structure is required (as an experiment).

HW 16 - Big Paper 1 Outline - Nov. 2

Big Paper 1 Outline should be posted by Monday 8:30am for comments by triangle partners. The outline should include a clear and interesting and sharp thesis addressing an aspect of the digital experience - a paragraph each of several major arguments supporting the thesis - and identification of evidence that will support the major arguments.

The History of Representational Devices

In this unit - Digital - I started by thinking we were exploring our current addiction to electronic-digital-representational devices. Through reading blog posts it has become clear to me that "its not the phone - its the friends on the phone." Thus, the real obsession isn't the tool, it is what the tool provides - the chance to experience chosen aspects or simulations of reality - to open ourselves to particular sources of information, entertainment, and communication - immediately and magically and entrancingly.

So, this final "handout" is a timeline of when these modes of re-presenting (or simulating) reality were invented. I don't mean this to be a final word - just a starting point for your own thinking and research!

Prehistoric Representations of Reality - The Ability to Experience (Sometimes the Same Way Twice) That Which Isn't There And Maybe Never Was!

1. Awareness
   
2. Imagination
3. Dance
4. Language
5. Story-telling and chant
   
6. Painting & Sculpture
   
7. Theater
8. Song & Music
9. Optical Telegraphs - such as smoke signals!
   

Historic Representations or Simulations of Reality

1. Written language
2. Printed Stories and Poems and Novels and Non-Fiction
First woodblock printing around 200 PE

3. Telescope and microscope - first lenses around 800
   
4. Recorded sound - 1st machine sound maybe 800s - first recorded and replayable acoustic sound around 1878 (the phonograph)
5. Photography
   
Camera obscura - ancient - first permanent photograph 1825

6. Telegraph - Representing the language of a reality far away, almost instantaneously - 1833
7. 3D Pictures - 1838
8. Telephone - 1876
9. Movies - 1878
   
10. Radio - Big controversy over who started it - but around 1894
    
11. TV - 1934
12. IMing - 1960s
    
13. Videogames - First commercial success 1971
14. Mobile stereos - First the boombox in the mid-70s and then the Walkman 1979
    
15. Shared computing - 1978
16. Online Social Networks - 1985
17. Internet Browsing - 1987
18. Texting - 1989
19. Mobile Phones - 1991 - My father had an early second generation model
20. Mobile computers with internet access - The smartphone in 1993?
    

Three questions came up while I was researching this post.
What date should I use for the timeline - invention, commercial use, mass use? I didn't come up with a good standard.

What counts as a "representation or simulation of reality"? Perfume? Furs? Special gardens that are remade every year?

Finally, what is it about these representations or simulations of reality (variously defined) that is so fascinating for us? Is it partly because our consciousness is itself a kind of representation of reality?

HW 15 - ABCDEF 3 - Treasure Hunting

Please read your triangle partners' posts 10-14.

Find and identify the best part(s) - unusual insights, beautiful use of language, moving personal connections, sturdy arguments, sharpest evidence, etc. Especially consider what "best parts" might help your partner construct a great essay and/or a great art project, at the end of the unit.

Then write an ABCDEF letter to each partner which does the regular (or better than the regular) and emphasizes the best part(s) of 10-14.

If you want to just focus on your partner's best post that's fine - if you want to focus on several or all of the posts that's fine too. Please post the letter as a comment on your partner's blog and as a post (HW 15) on your own blog.

Please post by Tuesday 9pm.

2 Miscellaneous Points - Grades and Recommendations

Now that I've given you all your grades, please share them with your family, as I've already asked most of you to do, along with your plans to improve, maintain, or decrease (jk) your efforts.

Several seniors have asked me about college recommendations - I'm glad to write them, particularly if you feel like you've done well in my course and that I might be able to help you achieve your college goals.

Here's my process:

1. Student writes a rough draft highlighting major points that (s)he wants addressed and lots of specific details (quotes, stories, moments, class discussions, exhibitions, personal conversations, etc.) that add flavor and emails it to me. The letter of recommendation should tell a story of who you are as a unique person and impressive student.

2. I edit, add, subtract, reshape, reword your rough draft and email it back to you.

3. Student edits, adds, subtracts, reshapes, rewords and emails it back to me.

4. Repeat steps 2&3 until both people are satisfied, at which point I sign it and you send it.

This process ensures that you get a recommendation that includes what you need and that I don't have to write 40 of them from scratch. Don't worry that it won't include my real opinions and my perspective - I always write them honestly.

HW 14 - Second Text

For this 14th HW assignment please read either the two short excerpts or the long excerpt (which includes the two short ones plus some more material), depending on your reading skills and college aspirations.

Long Excerpt

Short Excerpt 1 TV

Short Excerpt 2 Video Games

Hopefully you will need a password to download the text(s) - it was provided in class today and is the name of the current unit.

If you open the downloaded files with Acrobat Reader it will automatically rotate them correctly - Preview (on Macs) seems less good at this. If you don't have either of these programs download them or find another way of opening the PDF files.

After reading the material please:

1. Write a single 1-2 paragraph summary of the main argument(s) of the text(s) you've read.

2. Write a paragraph or three about your mix of reactions to the arguments and evidence in the book. What perspectives do you think are useful - what might be faulty?

3. Add a paragraph or two that addresses the ways the argument of this author contradicts Feed. In what ways didn't he? In what ways were the two authors talking about two very different aspects of digitalization?

Please post by Sunday, Oct 25 at 8pm.

Thanks.

HW 13 - Feed B

Feed B: Feed is a great example of Revelatory Art (for a book about that sort of thing, consider this possibility). What moves does Tobin make that you think are worth considering (even if not using) in your own art about digitalization (which will be final project 2 for this unit, final project 1 will be a long essay)?

Some more specific questions to help you think through the artistic decisions he made - What about his use of allegory? Of a familiar plot? Of tragedy? Of the special and self-aware (becoming yet more self-aware) narrator? Of emphasizing the problems but not offering a solution? Of maintaining chronological order? Does he speak to a mainstream adult audience or is this young adult fiction? Was the book successful, and by what criteria? What about him making this as a linear-text novel rather than as a hyperlinked website or a film?

I'm asking you to consider Feed as a work of art - from within the mind of the maker especially - to help you get prepared to make your own artistic choices on a related topic.

Bert Brecht supposedly said that, "Art is not a Mirror with which to reflect the World. It is a Hammer with which to shape it." Can a mirror be a hammer? What is Feed? Why? Would you want your art to be a hammer or a mirror?

(suggested length 3 paragraphs) - Should be posted by Tuesday, Oct 20 at 8:30am.

HW 12 - Feed A

Feed A:

Using Feed as the springboard please compare and contrast aspects of the novel and aspects of your current lifestyle as digital teens today. Draw on class discussion but don't just rehash stuff from class - take the best of what was said and then go deeper with that using your mind and heart to think with (and your fingers to type).

Some questions to get you started (don't answer all these, just use them to start thinking) -

(suggested length - 3 paragraphs):

1. If Feed is supposed to be an allegory or a parable of modern teenage life - is it on target?

2. Feed is written as a tragedy - what are the various tragic elements in the book, and how do they all collide, and is that how your life is too?

3. Does Feed miss the point? Are Titus and crew actually living brag lives and the Professors of the World are just behind the times and irrelevant and scared of something new?

Should be posted by Monday, Oct 19 at 8:50am.

HW 11 - Self-Experiment 1

Vary your digital routine in a conscious and thoughtful way, pay attention to the experience, write up a post describing your efforts and analyzing the effects.

You may either select an idea from class (digital fast, digital doubling, contrasting digital and reading, digital-free after 8pm, etc) or make up your own.

Have fun.

Please post your description and analysis by Thursday night, Oct. 8.

HW 10 - Informal Research Internet

Which aspect of the digital representational phenomena are you most interested in - video games, facebook, TV use, racial differences, cell phone radiation tumors, etc? Google that and websurf a little among newspaper articles, studies, opinion pieces, Wikipedia, etc.

Collect the best of what you find in a list of URLs. Then reread each of the best pieces carefully and, for HW 10, post a list of 3-7 links along with a paragraph or two about each of the items you've linked to.

Your 1-2 paragraph commentary about each piece should include:

1. The most interesting part of the text.

2. The most interesting thoughts you had in response to the piece.

This is due Monday Oct. 5 at 4pm.

HW 9 - Video Project GHIJK

For HW 9 please post a reply to each of the comments you received on your video project. Please use the GHIJK structure (below) as a guide. Your replies should be posted both as HW 9 and as a comment on your triangle partners' blog where they posted their comment to you. This should be posted by Sunday night Oct 4.

G for Gratitude for their comments - consider how much time, energy, thought, insight, humor, good feeling, writing skill they used - find something to appreciate even if only brevity - "I appreciate your funny and warm tone and the accuracy of your summary, which made me feel like you really understood my argument."

H for what was Helpful in their comment - be specific about a place where their comment helped you to reconsider something, address a weakness in your writing, encourage an idea or direction in your work, or just help you feel like someone was offering attention to your thoughts. "Your point about my need to proofread was helpful, but even more useful to me was your question about why we seem to get so much pleasure from the digital-representation-devices."

I for what Insight(s) their comment offered you (from them) or provoked in you (from you) or was shared by the two of you. This is your big chance to expand and clarify and extend and change your original thinking. "I was focused on the stickiness of websites that are constantly changing - really focused on the content of the websites. Your question about pleasure made me realize that the actual act of clicking and seeing new things is like a baby's toy - push button and a sound comes out. Apparently that's inherently satisfying - just like how people pop the bubbles on packaging wrap - even apart from the content of the site. Maybe we'd be on the web almost as much with boring content, but the sites with more quickly changing content just would recruit a higher share of our websurfing time than boring sites?"

J for Joggle - meaning to fit the two pieces - your thoughts and her thoughts into a large shape - you are mainly constructing a respectful awareness of difference to ameliorate the tendency for conversation to homogenize - "It seems like your emphasis is mainly on how these devices alter our consciousness and I'm more interested in why we're involved with them in the first place - you are looking at effect and I'm looking at cause."

K is for Koine (common language) - what's a question that you and the commentor both seem interested in? what's a phrase that you both find meaningful or provacative? this common language can serve as a possible platform for continued collaborative consultation. "You and I - as shown in our posts and our comments for each other - both emphasize the interactivity of the new digital-representational-devices like facebook and texting. How does this interactivity change the experience compared to more passive action like watching TV or listening to an iPod?"

HW 8 - Comment on Triangle Partners' Videos Projects

For this homework please post comments to your triangle partners' video projects (the video & the writing they did about it). Please continue to use the ABCDEF structure as a guide. After you post the comment to your partner's blog, please copy and paste both of your comments to a new post in your blog called HW 8. Please accomplish HW 8 by Friday Oct. 2 at 7pm.

A – Appreciate some specific Aspect of the post. Succinctness or thoroughness, readability, particular ideas, language use, tone, humor, imagery, etc.

B – Briefly restate major point/argument/thesis. Show you understand it or explain which parts you don’t.

C – Connect - Connect the author's arguments or ideas with another student's or with something you've seen in the world or with their opposite.

D – Develop - Help the author develop her work further by pointing out spots that are worth expanding, need some revision, or are like wanna-be celebrities (jumping up and down saying "write about me!")

E – Explore - Write a little about what the author's post makes you consider in your own life and in your understanding of how others' live.

F – Friendly and encouraging sign-off.

HW 7 - Interviews and Surveys

Please collect the response of multiple people to interestingly imagined questions addressing one or more aspects of the digitalization of our daily experience.

For Wednesday AM please post the response of a family member. For Friday AM please post 2 or more responses of a passerby or stranger. For Tuesday AM please post the thoughts of your best friend who is not participating in Personal/Political.

Please post all these responses as one post (opposite of what I usually request) and just "edit" that post each time to add more.

andy s. digital

andy s. digital, originally uploaded by juggleandhope.

This is the Flickr version - it can link to your blog when you click "blog this" - it loaded fast and easy, and is good video quality. Or you can embed it, as in the example below. Might be the best way to go.

Video Examples

Flickr

Vimeo - Warning - this is high quality but took 21 hours to be uploaded and converted.

Andy S - Digital from juggleandhope on Vimeo.

Veoh

Sorry about the advertisements!

Watch Andy S - Digital in Educational & How-To | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Blogger

HW 6 - Video Project

This will be sort of weird.

We usually think of ourselves (at least I do) as active - as the subject not the object - as the camera not the photo. And when we think of ourselves using digital representation devices we usually picture the mind-stimulation - the ideas from the blogs, the flashes of the video game, the drama of the TV, the jokes of the texting. But another part of our experience is what we physically do during this mind-altering digitalization process.

So the assignment now is to construct a 2 minute (more or less) video of yourself (or someone else, if you absolutely don't want to put yourself on the internet, but then you'd better not have a facebook page) USING digital representation devices. NOT of your avatar jumping around buildings or of the video you watch on Youtube or your favorite music from your iPod. Just you doing what you do digitally with ambient natural sound (no soundtracks no dubbing no crazy entertaining titles).

After you upload the video, embed it in your blog, in a comment that addresses some of the following questions:

• What are some thoughts and feelings you have when watching your own video?
• When you think about living your physical experience being largely what is shown on the video, how does that seem to you?
• Would you want your little sister (or future son) to spend a lot of time doing this stuff?
• What do you think of the contrast between what's happening ON the digital representation device and what you look like interacting with the DRD?
• What do you think of ideas like the Wii that are supposed to make this contrast less stark?

FAQ:
What program should I use?
The best place to post is Vimeo - since the Board of Ed doesn't block that. Please do NOT use a video program that we can't see at school (such as Youtube or Google Video). A second choice if you have trouble with Vimeo is to use Blogger itself (the film button on the tool bar where you can change font).

What should I do for digital capture devices?
Please use a camcorder, camera, or webcam. A montage of photos is fine if you can't do video. If you do not have a camcorder, camera, or webcam please borrow one from a friend. Many people have them on their phones and many laptops have webcams. If you think, "I don't have a camcorder, but I should" you could consider this or that option, or maybe you can use this assignment to convince your family to buy you one of these (I like the purple color) but if you want to do a lot of filming its probably worth it to buy one of the $600 really nice ones.

What should I shoot?
Yourself being stimulated by digital representation devices (TV, texting, cellphones, mp3s and CDs, web, social networking, IMing, video games, DVDs, etc.).

What should I be careful of?
Please be careful that all content you post on these course blogs could be read/viewed without embarrassment by John Fanning. We are chasing big insights here, and I'd rather we didn't get distracted by little dramas. Its like your a big game photographer, off to "shoot" a rhino, and you see a little chimpmunk - don't miss the rhino for the chipmunk (even though both are important).

What do I do when I run into technical difficulties?
Solve them. Either take a deep breath, think stuff through, say mean things, try another way, get frustrated, ask someone else (not me), google it, or some combination of those activities that lead you to success and happiness.

When is it due?
It should be up, on your blog, with comments by Sunday, Sept 27, 9:27pm.

Please see my example here (will be posted by 3pm Monday).

HW 5 - Response to comments - GHIJK

Please write a response to each of 2 of the comments left on your initial thoughts post by Wednesday 8:30am.

Each of the responses should follow the GHIJK format. The comments should be posted underneath their comment, on your own blog. Don't worry - they will definitely want to read it too, and will go to your site to do so - just like people obsessively check to see if their comments on facebook got answered.

Significance:
The most important part of this whole process is your original post - where you get to communicate to the world and people you know about your insights. Even more important than that is the chance for the world and people you know to communicate back with you about your insights through commenting on your post. And yet more important than that is your opportunity to thank the world and people you know for sharing their time and thought with you and to take the offered possibility to expand your thoughts by responding to the comments.

Some stylistic points:
Don't be fake! Don't lie! Don't even fudge. The more honest (and kind) the exchange is the more valuable it can be. If you just gas the other person and they gas you then it won't be a real learning experience - it will be two women complimenting each other on fashion - "I like your shoes! Oh, I got them from Blabla, they were on sale. By the way - great haircut. Oh, do you like it?" This mutual preening dynamic might be helpful and even unavoidable, but it should not take the place of honest exchange for intellectual development on these blogs.

Also - emphasize some flavor - some swagger - some sourness - your comments and postings should be artistic - not just blah blah blah monologue. Think about how Conor uses absurdism, how Manley communicates his warmth, how you can add some spark to your writing.

GHIJK Format:

G for Gratitude for their comments - consider how much time, energy, thought, insight, humor, good feeling, writing skill they used - find something to appreciate even if only brevity - "I appreciate your funny and warm tone and the accuracy of your summary, which made me feel like you really understood my argument."

H for what was Helpful in their comment - be specific about a place where their comment helped you to reconsider something, address a weakness in your writing, encourage an idea or direction in your work, or just help you feel like someone was offering attention to your thoughts. "Your point about my need to proofread was helpful, but even more useful to me was your question about why we seem to get so much pleasure from the digital-representation-devices."

I for what Insight(s) their comment offered you (from them) or provoked in you (from you) or was shared by the two of you. This is your big chance to expand and clarify and extend and change your original thinking. "I was focused on the stickiness of websites that are constantly changing - really focused on the content of the websites. Your question about pleasure made me realize that the actual act of clicking and seeing new things is like a baby's toy - push button and a sound comes out. Apparently that's inherently satisfying - just like how people pop the bubbles on packaging wrap - even apart from the content of the site. Maybe we'd be on the web almost as much with boring content, but the sites with more quickly changing content just would recruit a higher share of our websurfing time than boring sites?"

J for Joggle - meaning to fit the two pieces - your thoughts and her thoughts into a large shape - you are mainly constructing a respectful awareness of difference to ameliorate the tendency for conversation to homogenize - "It seems like your emphasis is mainly on how these devices alter our consciousness and I'm more interested in why we're involved with them in the first place - you are looking at effect and I'm looking at cause."

K is for Koine (common language) - what's a question that you and the commentor both seem interested in? what's a phrase that you both find meaningful or provacative? this common language can serve as a possible platform for continued collaborative consultation. "You and I - as shown in our posts and our comments for each other - both emphasize the interactivity of the new digital-representational-devices like facebook and texting. How does this interactivity change the experience compared to more passive action like watching TV or listening to an iPod?"

HW 4 - First comments

One of the most important parts of the class is the chance to participate in intellectual conversations with others that help you sharpen and deepen your ideas and minds. The blog comments can make that or break that. If you leave thoughtful blog comments that spark the author to further thought, to reconsideration, to boldness - we will enjoy a tone of intellectual development. If you leave perfunctory blog comments that tell the author that you are just doing it for the grade and don't particularly care then we will suffer a tone of stagnation and pretense.

I am connecting you to 2 other people for commenting - you all will be a triangle or a trio or a triad - most importantly a team that takes each others' ideas and work seriously and tries to help each other reach deeper thinking and fuller feeling. We will start with my mixes but later on we can talk about switching up if people want to. These comments will be due Friday the 18th at 8:30am. Please put your comment on each author's blog post but also copy and paste both comments to your own blog as a separate post from your own initial thoughts (could be titled HW 4 - Triangular Comments 1).

In general I want your comments to follow the following format - not like you're a prisoner of the format (but maybe that you're on probation from it - so if you break the rules you better be improving on it) - ABCDEF.

A – Appreciate some specific Aspect of the post. Succinctness or thoroughness, readability, particular ideas, language use, tone, humor, imagery, etc.

B – Briefly restate major point/argument/thesis. Show you understand it or explain which parts you don’t.

C – Connect - Connect the author's arguments or ideas with another student's or with something you've seen in the world or with their opposite.

D – Develop - Help the author develop her work further by pointing out spots that are worth expanding, need some revision, or are like wanna-be celebrities (jumping up and down saying "write about me!")

E – Explore - Write a little about what the author's post makes you consider in your own life and in your understanding of how others' live.

F – Friendly and encouraging sign-off.

To help you see what I think would add to our course the most, I wrote an example of a Very Good Comment. Obviously if I was commenting on a less enjoyable, less thoughtful essay my comment would be shorter and less enthusiastic. Keep it real, yo. But Charles H's post was really this good, so this comment I wrote is honest.

Charles,

Great first post! I guessed you might be a skilled writer - your similes ("on shrimp pasta from red lobster"), language use ("so I can be 100% inside what I am listening to"), and tone are shiny and warm and I appreciated your skills.

Your paen towards the pleasures of digital/electronic stimulation was heartfelt - briefly - the ipod bubble-wraps you in joy, reality TV shows keeps your day spicy but safe, texting protects you from loneliness and awkward silences, and the whole assemblage keeps you happy and occupied. But you also name the world outside of the screens as important.

Your perspective is probably the dominant one - most people enjoy this stuff (even if maybe less vigorously than you) but also want non-digital life too. I think the advertising executives who show silhouettes dancing alone would be very pleased with your post. To continue connecting your writing - I also noticed you banging into chairs a lot while dancing today - perhaps you shouldn't fully believe the ads about it being just you and the music?

It would be a good idea to proofread - right now you've got a genius first line but your 3rd full paragraph ("that i feel...") begins with no context and you've lost consistency of capitalization also. To develop the ideas in your piece I think you've got to open up the Big Can of Worms - what is human life for? OK - that's too big - what about, "What is your life for?" Does a life of pleasure, of bubbles, of packaged drama, with occasional forays into reality strike you as a good one? This connects to Manley's class too.

One question that your post brings up for me, in exploring how it relates to my life and yours - is that I feel sometimes that we're all working with the stimulation on too high a level. Do you ever make time to just sit in the park and look at the sky - to eat without distraction - to meditate? Or does the vibration of ears and eyes and emotions have to be constant?

Thanks and I look forward to reading how your thoughts on this continue to develop.

HW 3 - 1st Blog Post

We've been able to talk a little and brainstorm about the conflux of digital/electronic media that has connected eyes with screens for hours at a time. HDTV, Facebook, IMing, Texting, Emailing, Websurfing, Twitter, videogames - constant updates - constant interaction with screens and digital reality.

What are some of the topics that this suggests to you? When you think about the conquest of so many hours of your day, and the days of the people around you, by the electromagnetic-representational-dimension, what are some of the aspects that seem interesting to you? What's good and what's bad and what's weird about all this? What's obvious but still important?

Please, for your first blog post, write up some thoughts and questions about this digitalization experience and phenomenon.

Just sit and think and write ideas and questions. Get distracted. Sit and think and notice some more. Write questions about some of the aspects you've noticed. Then theorize a little about some of your questions - maybe x relates to y which leads to situation z?

Due Monday 4pm, posted on your own blog, which you've created a link for on the message board in the correct section. : )

If you "finished" this assignment early, please continue to add to your post. Given that this shift towards screens may be one of the largest phenomena in modern culture there is probably more for you to say than a single 20 minutes of writing would exhaust. A good way to add is to read your draft and consider what is vague (for instance advocating a "balance" - how much weight on each side and with what fulcrum?), consider what is missing, consider what could be more sharply put.

How To Make A Blog for This Course

First, take a deep breath. This is not going to be that hard. Only about 10% of the people who do this meet massive frustration and at least half of them just forget their log-in info.

1. Create a google identity. Here. This will help you in life. If you don't already have one I suggest that you pick one that wouldn't be embarassing to a professor. So - BBallerFlyBoyYoMama might not be the best choice - even if it weren't already taken. Something like ASnyder is better. But don't use that one either. You can do something that isn't a gmail account using your existing email if you choose.

2. Create a blogger account. Please make sure that you use ONLY your first name and first initial of your last name. Please do not post any photos of yourself likely to fascinate weirdo stalkers. Please also include what section you're in. Feel free to make the title "Personal/Political by (your name)". For the address pick anything you want - something "respectable" is better. Please select a color scheme with dark letters and light background, that will be highly readable for the poor schmo who will be reading 96 of these at a time.

3. Click "view blog" and copy the URL (the webaddress at the top of the page).

4. Go to the UTFL Messageboard and IN THE CORRECT SECTION reply to the addresses thread to offer your address together with your first name and first initial of last name.

Family and Student Survey

Please ask Andy for your student ID (9 digits) and your passcode (1-3 digits). Your student ID number is on your student ID card, if you still have that. Please when you ask me for the student ID have your cellphone or paper/pen ready to write it down, and tell me your last name.

Please navigate to http://dashtodd.com/liftoff/survey/

Please type in the student ID and passcode.

Please complete the student survey. Answer as honestly as possible but skip a question if you think its too private.

Please bring the digits home and ask the family member who is most active and reliable in supporting your education to fill out the family survey.

First and Second Assignments - Due Thursday 8:30am

Welcome to all of us.

The first assignment for Personal/Political is to carefully review the class webpage and especially the page on grades and work.

This assignment will serve as the basis for a short quiz and a classroom conversation. Please especially note any specific questions that you still have after re-reading relevant portions of the text. I suggest you print out the grading page and mark it up with your own comments.

The second assignment is to reply to the following 25 questions in an email to Andy using the address he gave in class. You MUST make the subject line read like this: 25 Questions - First Name Last Name, Grade/Section. For example: 25 Questions - Joe Schmidt - 11A. Pretty please EXACTLY since the extra 15 seconds by you will save me hours (I'll be able to search "25 questions" and "12B").

Please cut and paste my questions into your email browser and reply to each one - for example:
1. Name - Andy S.

Don't forget to save your own copy when you're done for your own use later, and in case the computers are against you because you are the future leader of the revolution.

25 Questions Personal/Political

1. Name:

2. Section:

3. Birthdate:

4. Neighborhood:

5. Favorite musicians:

6. Favorite films:

7. Favorite books:

8. 3 students you already know and like in this section:

9. Main things you do when not at school:

10. Average daily amount of time you use for TV-IMin-/websurfing/social networking (Facebook)/videogames (in hours) – please specify hours per day for each form: of electronic stimulation.

11. Guardians’ names and what they do for a living or an interesting hobby:

12. Favorite teachers from SOF and why:

13. The 3 main reasons, in order of importance, that you come to school:

1^st:

2^nd:

3^rd:

14. List 1-3 talents you have (e.g. trombone)

15. What’s one of the main questions you think about intellectually?

16. Your email address:

17. Your cell phone # (or home phone)

18. Your guardians’ phone numbers and email addresses:

19. Are there very good reasons to avoid bothering your family unless necessary?

20. What are your academic strengths?

21. What are your academic weaknesses?

22. Why did you sign up for this course (or if you didn’t, why did you sign up for what you signed up for, and how upset are you)?

23. What are a few interesting ideas you have about the digital/electronic environment of teenagers in NYC today?

24. What are a few interesting ideas you have about the tendency of people to make masks for themselves for daily life – do you think most people are masked even to themselves?

25. What are a few interesting ideas you have about how school has shaped how you see the world?