First Job

16 September 2008, by C.Antonini

You will begin your first simulation of your "yet to be established" communications company.

Situation

As budding media gurus, you and a few friends have been invited to investigate emerging media for a possible first client: The Toronto District School Board. The TDSB would like a one to two page "primer" on the new merging/converging technologies that young people are using today. They plan to use the information for planning their future technology purchases for elementary and secondary schools in Toronto.

Your job is to work in small groups of 4 to research some new computational mediums that you feel may be useful in an educational setting (VR, electronic paper, smart-pens, video rendering software, new social networking sites, web sites/tools, smart boards and many more for you to explore).

Your first job is to do online searches for information on one or many of these new media. You will login to the forum and hold your first "brainstorming meeting" with your group, which will be followed by a face to face meeting to finalize your media selection.

More details on step #2 are in the pick-up folder.

Assessment/Evaluation: Rubric

Marshal McLuhan

Today you will begin reading a famous interview with media studies founder, Marshal McLuhan (note, the interview is in no way an endorsement of the publisher). Click here and begin reading section #1. Keeping the following questions in mind while reading:

Section 1

1. In your own words, what does McLuhan mean by Narcissus Narcosis? Do you agree that typically it is the artists in society that "see through" this Narcosis? How so? Why or why not?
2. What does McLuhan mean by "the rear-view mirror view of the world"? Do you agree that this is the way we view the world? Why / why not?
3. In your own words, what does McLuhan mean when he says, “it is the medium itself that is the message, not the content” and “the medium is also the massage”? Attempt to apply his theory to a media text (share an example)
4. How does McLuhan define “media”? Do you think his definition is too broad? Why/why not?
5. McLuhan speaks of a great innovation for mankind that took place several thousand years ago. What was it? According to McLuhan, what were the consequences? (pay attention to social effects/consequences). Do you see any consequences of new media technologies we use today?
   
6. McLuhan argues that two more great innovation for mankind nave taken place: the printing press (which lead to mass industry, nationalism, conformity, and most of Western Culture) and the electronic media (which is leading to "retribalization). In your own words, what does McLuhan mean when he says the world is "retribalizing?" Do you think this is happening? Why/why not? Is this process positive?
7. McLuhan argues that electronic media will make us change our ideas of personal freedom and privacy. Do you feel he is right? Do you feel you ideas of personal freedom and privacy are changing due to your media usage? Why or why not? Provide examples.
8. McLuhan claims that "the young today welcome their retribalization . . . as a release from the uniformity, alienation and dehumanization of literate society." Do you feel he is right about youth today? Why or why not? Provide examples/details.

Log in to the forum to discuss your answers.

Assessment/Evaluation: Theory--forum discussion entries

due: TBA