When does a concept word take on a more specific meaning? This afternoon I caught myself and others referring to remix in terms of multi-media products. Jen began our workshop with an interesting and perhaps more purist understanding of the concept of remix as transmedial. Remix is more than retelling or parody. It is a mashup of elements of existing media to create a new message. The media format of the remix (or the formats it draws from) is not limited.
Gary Weisserman (Oakland High School) proposed typical taxonomy of technology in schools during the panel discussion at GLS 7.0 Educator Symposium. 1) administration 2) communication 3) enhance learning 4) redesign learning.
He goes on to note that this is using technology to learn rather than technology to teach. Redesign learning…i.e. REMIX! Students today are accustom to social and media mash-up, which is, in essence, a constructivist practice. Why not LEARNING REMIX?
Copyright is a legal concept. Teaching students about the pitfalls of plagiarism needs to be something more…bound in ethics.
Institutions (read “schools”) are highly developed structures (maintained through rules). Literacy education is so often delivered as a set of “rules” or technical skills that, in the end, serve to reinforce the status quo in education. Ethics, on the other hand, are principle or concept based, often enduring but still flexible to meet the nuances of the changing times and changing cultures. What happens when we refocus on ethics rather than rules.