Welcome back.

I find myself debating how to react to this statement from Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton, and Robison (2006):

A growing body of scholarship suggests potential benefits of these forms of participatory culture, including opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, a changed attitude toward intellectual property, the diversification of cultural expression, the development of skills valued in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship (emphasis added, p. 3).

On one hand I agree with changing attitudes toward intellectual properties.  In my opinion, this reflects the growing interest of learning by collaborating/sharing your ideas with the “rest of the class”.  I have from time to time, even at this level, received the benefit of another class member shared their ideas on how to solve a problem.  Their recommendations spark my own ideas on how to proceed in solving the problem or situation presented.  Ideas that are or could be considered their intellectual property.  Ideas that in the interest of academic growth are or should be perfectly appropriate to share among colleagues.

However, on the other hand, I am afraid that, at a bigger level, they might be pushing a complete change to our reasoning, dare I said to our society.  In my opinion, the logical conclusion to what the statement implied will be the elimination of intellectual property as a means of remuneration, innovation, and job creation.  The debate over whether this is true or not is readily available on the Internet.  Here you can find some articles about it: How Many Jobs does Intellectual Property Create?, Intellectual Property: Domestic and International Perspectives, and Talking Intellectual Property.

Which of the new media literacies do you feel would be most easily integrated into your context?

I submit that “Collective Intelligence” and “Networking” are the easiest to integrate.  In the Army, we do this all day, every day.  At the unit level, our jobs require us to rely on each other to accomplish an objective.  We depend on those to our left and right to work toward a common goal.  At the strategic level, we rely on other branches, government, and non-government agencies to accomplish the national strategy.

What are ways in which we can think of combining new literacies within formal education?

I will answer this question again within my context.  As you know, starting in August I will begin teaching at USASMA. Although the academy has made changes in their method of instructions, I think that there is always room for improvement.  It is my hope that our next group of students realize the value of pooling “knowledge and [comparing] notes with others toward a common goal” (p. 4).  They also need to understand that sound judgment will be required, if not expected, from them always.  And that their ability to network and negotiate will serve them well when called to make that judgment.

Reference:

Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., & Weigel, M. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. MacArthur Foundation Publication, 1(1), 1-59.