"The technology we're using is inherently collaborative." -- The example was the mapping of radiation in Japan by people who didn't trust the government's reports, assisted by tech geniuses at, I think, Tufts. Also mapping of potholes. Later, Dan Gillmor also mentioned that he and his students "annotated" a monthly artwalk (was that here in Phoenix?) using Flickr.
"I would love to be starting off today." -- This enthusiasm seemed tempered by his concerns about trends in centralization, censorship, and surveillance. That a guy this well informed is so gravely concerned about these issues gives me pause. One other speaker, I can't remember who (was it Ken Paulson?), seemed more optimistic that issues like net neutrality would eventually take care of themselves.
"We can all commit acts of journalism." -- His use of the word "commit" suggests journalism can be a subversive activity.
On Wikipedia: "Best place to start, worst place to stop." -- I liked his suggestion to use the references at the end of the article as a starting point.
"Read views that make your blood boil. I tend to learn more from people I think are wrong than people I think are right." He reads the reliably left-of-center Guardian and the reliably right-of-center Telegraph, and "triangulates" from there.
"We're not literate unless we're creating media."
"Objectivity is a unicorn."
"You know slow food? I want to see slow news. Hold on. Be skeptical."
On being more transparent: Add a "Here's why we did this story" or "Things we don't know" to accompany an article.
The AP English Language and Comp course would be another place to incorporate media literacy -- very relevant to a study of rhetoric and research. I can see this being both practical and engaging for my students.
David Strom
North-Grand High School
Chicago, Illinois
On Wikipedia: "Best place to start, worst place to stop." I will be saying this to my students next year also. Great way to explain it.
ReplyDeleteShelley Job
Hanover-Horton High School
Horton, Michigan
I was beginning to think David might have stolen my notebook to write this post until I noticed he didn't include one of my favorite ideas from Dan Gilmor's talk, one that was enhanced by Steve Doig: The importance of visualization and using digital media to tell the story of data and spreadsheets.
ReplyDeleteToo often, my students have statistics and expect a sidebar with bolded numbers to do the trick. Often on press night, they end up digging up more numbers just to fill space. I hope to be able to take back the idea of visualization to my students to encourage them to tell the story of the numbers in a creative, engaging way.
Kari Koshiol
Benilde-St. Margaret's
Minneapolis, Minnesota
"You know slow food? I want to see slow news. Hold on. Be skeptical."
ReplyDeleteI really liked this point. News has always been a rush to release the first story, but it seems with the immediacy of today's digital content, the news has gotten faster than the journalist's abilities. It has produced a lot of half-stories, inaccuracies, and angry people. Slow it down ...