Doug Blandy
Professor Emeritus,
University of Oregon
Innovation Showcase: Three institutions share work that is making a difference
Thursday, February 23, 2012 | 11:45AM–12:30PM | Broadway III, Plaza Level
Session Type:
Professional Development
Collaborating with the Weirdest People
Wikipedians have been called the "weirdest people on the Internet." According to one study, Wikipedians are generally less agreeable, less open, and less conscientious, in apparent contrast to the encyclopedia's core principles. Yet students in a first-year, critical-thinking seminar at Western Washington University were asked to join this community with the specific task to negotiate the editorial process, defend their contributions, and apply Wikipedia's core principles when writing on controversial claims in paranormal topics. This showcase will discuss the challenges and successes of assigning first-year students the task of engaging in an established online community regarding controversial topics.
Wikipedians have been called the "weirdest people on the Internet." According to one study, Wikipedians are generally less agreeable, less open, and less conscientious, in apparent contrast to the encyclopedia's core principles. Yet students in a first-year, critical-thinking seminar at Western Washington University were asked to join this community with the specific task to negotiate the editorial process, defend their contributions, and apply Wikipedia's core principles when writing on controversial claims in paranormal topics. This showcase will discuss the challenges and successes of assigning first-year students the task of engaging in an established online community regarding controversial topics.
Students at Play in the Library's Tech Playground
In 2010, the Portland State University Library and Office of Information Technology were awarded student-fee money to update the computer lab on the library's first floor, and the two units collaborated to overhaul the entire space to include a dedicated area for technology experimentation. Opened in fall 2011, the Technology Playground is a dynamic, collaboration-oriented space designed to evolve in response to student use and to inform the implementation of new tech across campus. This presentation will highlight students' most innovative uses of the furniture, space, and technology, as well as the challenges and successes of this cross-campus OIT-Library collaboration.
An Online/Residential Field School
Cultural interpretation using emerging technology and transmedia narratives is transforming field-based undergraduate/graduate education and ethnographic fieldwork. Session participants will be introduced to the online and residential international study program, Public Culture and Heritage: A Beijing Based Field School. This field school, occurring in summer 2011, consisted of a two-week online orientation to fieldwork and transmedia cultural interpretation, followed by a two-week residency in two Beijing districts. The field school concluded with a two-week online transmedia production experience. Student productions were posted to Vine Online, the blog associated with the US/China joint venture ChinaVine.
