March 24 Class

You are on your own today.

Blog the class. In real time. Starting now.

There are different ways to do this--everyone; a couple of scribes, a couple of scribe-watchers; reporters, editors, critics; proclaimers and responders; pros and cons--what dynamic makes sense? Maybe folks with cameras want to post video blogs. Maybe different layers or versions--initial responses and immediate conversation, then compilation, design, synthesis, rethink.

What to post? Tell me who's there, who's missing, what you're feeling or thinking. Describe your process (how are you figuring out what to do since I'm not in the room)? There's a lot to do, can you get organized quickly? How? What are you doing to make this work? 

Is blogging while trying to discuss this stuff helpful or harmful? Why? If it's harmful, what should you do to meet the requirement that you blog the class and at the same time actually discuss something and put together something informative and creative?

It can't be all form, though. You need content. 

Use the class time to discuss what Andrejevic has to say about iWar and iPolitics. Your blogs (live from today's class, in real time) need to report what you are getting from the reading. What is he saying that matters? Do you agree? Why or why not? What do others think? Is there consensus? Division? Confusion? How are you dealing with this?

I think it makes sense to identify key insights and then raise questions. I also think it makes sense to highlight details, concepts, claims, and arguments.*

But you might have something else in mind--what? Is it worth going with? Then do that. 

Can you present the material, the ideas, the questions, the stuff that matters in a compelling way (are lists actually pretty good ways to summarize and transmit information)? Images? Video? Dialogues? Cartoons? What can you do/make that you'll be proud of in the limited time you have?

*Like, for example, the one Andrejevic outlines on page 202:

The consequences of this [database driven, public relations/marketing] model of interactivity are threefold: the further disaggregation of the citizenry, the facilitation of sorting and exclusion when it comes to information access, and the further normalization of surveillance as a legitimate political tool.