sharing is caring

Not being able to use the popular (teen attention-grabbing) song that my group had envisioned as perfect background music for our podcast has had me thinking a lot about copyright law and content ownership.

Enter Sita Sings the Blues, a really terrific film for which a friend of mine did the sound editing. When I first saw Sita Sings the Blues, in the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, creator (read: writer, producer, animator, editor) Nina Paley talked a lot about the difficulties she and her team faced in distributing the film, and in being granted permission (or not) to include some of the songs in it. Learn everything about the animated feature film at www.sitasingstheblues.com, and more about its copyright problems and unorthodox distribution from wikipedia's Sita entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sita_Sings_the_Blues.


I am really inspired by these words and actions of creator Nina Paley (www.sitasingstheblues.com):

"Dear Audience,

I hereby give Sita Sings the Blues to you. Like all culture, it belongs to you already, but I am making it explicit with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License. Please distribute, copy, share, archive, and show Sita Sings the Blues. From the shared culture it came, and back into the shared culture it goes.

You don't need my permission to copy, share, publish, archive, show, sell, broadcast, or remix Sita Sings the Blues. Conventional wisdom urges me to demand payment for every use of the film, but then how would people without money get to see it? How widely would the film be disseminated if it were limited by permission and fees? Control offers a false sense of security. The only real security I have is trusting you, trusting culture, and trusting freedom.

That said, my colleagues and I will enforce the Share Alike License. You are not free to copy-restrict ("copyright") or attach Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) to Sita Sings the Blues or its derivative works."

From Nina Paley's blog (http://blog.ninapaley.com/), I discovered www.questioncopyright.org, "A Clearinghouse For New Ideas About Copyright."

Paley wrote a great article titled Understanding Free Content, available here: http://www.questioncopyright.org/understanding_free_content

Another interesting idea realized (and described in full at http://www.questioncopyright.org/creator_endorsed_mark): "The Creator-Endorsed Mark is a logo that a distributor can use to indicate that a work is distributed in a way that its creator endorses — typically, by the distributor sharing some of the profits with the creator." I think that the concept is a good one, and I hope that the belief that, "...given a choice, audiences will prefer sources that support the artist, when they have a reliable way of recognizing such sources." I'll be keeping my eye out for the mark!

Here's another interesting article entitled Did You Say "Intellectual Property"? It's a Seductive Mirage: http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/not-ipr.xhtml.

I want to trust you, culture, and freedom with whatever I create!

i prefer to consume... and how.

danah doyd’s Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace struck a chord with me in that it mentions the fact that academia—or the parameters it imposes—can be limiting, revealing the value of freer forums like blogs and social networking sites and YouTube.

Here, in particular: “For the academics reading this, I want to highlight that this is not an academic article. It is not trying to be. It is based on my observations in the field, but I'm not trying to situate or theorize what is going on. I've chosen terms meant to convey impressions, but I know that they are not precise uses of these terms. Hopefully, one day, I can get the words together to actually write an academic article about this topic, but I felt as though this is too important of an issue to sit on while I find the words.”

I like that people can sort out what they’re trying to say, and get feedback on it, as soon as they have something to say.

I generally prefer to read people’s observation-based assertions, in part because they strike me as more genuine those based upon statistics (which I cannot help but question). There is definitely value in theories based upon soundly collected data, but nothing is more compelling to me than personal accounts that illustrate (or start!) a larger trend (not to mention a discussion). There’s something to be said for the fact that reputation, readability, and relevance can make a blog oor site or forum popular (as opposed to knowing the right people in order to be published by the right entity), and that seems like such a pure democratic process.

On YouTube...
About this: “While [the] idealization of YouTube as a self-organizing, radically democratic community for sharing clip culture certainly helped to buffer what could be considered an act of selling “the community” as property to a corporate giant, the image of YouTube as a revolutionary alternative to corporate media culture has been a powerful one” (The YouTube Community). This “loss of an idealized space outside the global totality of commercial culture" (from John McMurria, quoted by Henry Jenkins in Taking the You Out of YouTube?) made me wonder about where our responsibility lies as far as being aware of—or assuring—that social networking sites be ‘socially responsible’ or ‘free’ or ‘ad free.’ My feelings on this are difficult to articulate (I’ll work on it), but it ties into my concern that Apple has set products up so well that we rely on them, however limited their lifespan (my shiny computer looks too beautiful to be outdated after just 4.5 years!!) and continue to pay big bucks for them. I wonder if people would still use YouTube if they had to pay a fee for it. I wonder if individuals will ever be generous and organized enough to beat out corporate giants. Or will we ever want to?

The phrases “radically democratic” and “profoundly democratic” fascinate me and have me wondering what the actual definition of plaine old “democratic” is! When I looked up the term in Wikipedia, I was redirected to the entry for Democracy. I did, however find a link to “Non-democratic democracies” which explains, “Moreover, in many countries, democratic participation is less than 50% at times, which makes them democracies only in name.” Could “radical democracy” have anything to do with the amount of participation, or am I leaping here? It’s interesting to note that Alex Juhasz describes YouTube as “relatively democratic.”

Another note about Boyd: She also asserts that “Americans aren't so good at talking about class,” and I feel her on that one. Never in my life has class been so immediately relevant to me, to my daily conversations and ruminations, as now, teaching in a New York City public school, and I often have the distinct feeling that I lack the vocabulary to discuss essential class issues. Interestingly, sometimes I feel suffocated by the need for political correctness (particularly in the context of student-related communications), and sometimes I feel offended by others’ lack thereof. Whether I have a set of standards that I can’t fully articulate, or whether my sensitivity depends on my mood, I can’t say. I’ll try to pay closer attention, and to connect the dots to see if there’s an identifiable pattern.

I like that class issues and moral debates are being explored online, in myriad formats and forums. I like that I can choose my sources, and that I can respond at will, and that how and why I (we!) do so is being talked about.

and you can quote me

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." --Alvin Toffler

ipodder fodder

I'll admit that I've always dreamed of reading something I've written on NPR.

As a child of the Bay Area, I spent considerable time in the car, traversing 101 and 280 with my mother, who dutifully drove me back and forth between my myriad activities. The car stereo-enabled soundtrack to my uncomfortable yet swift changing from school clothing into my gymnastics leotard, and my scarfing down of the snack du jour to fuel me for a 4 hour practice, was always NPR. The voices of guest readers and regular hosts filled the car cavity and my brain cavity with information, sure, but mainly, unfailingly, with comfort.

When, years later, I met Prairie Home Companion's Garrison Keillor at a library conference, I stood as close to him as possible (he was signing at the Penguin adult group booth which neighbored the Penguin Young Readers booth at which I was working, managing a concurrent author signing session), for as long as I possibly could, inhaling the sound of his voice. When we were introduced, I hardly knew how to articulate what his voice meant to me, and it occurred to me that I had literally never been so excited to meet--or be in the proximity of--a celebrity. I asked Mr. Keillor to sign a copy of his latest to my mom and dad, and then boldly requested a photo as he joked about my looking far too young to actually work at Penguin. He said to me, "Be still my beating heart, of course!" and I've yet to fully recover, which explains why I'm sharing the story on this blog, like a blushing pre-teen.

The story, the feeling, demonstrate how powerful and wonderfully experiential voice and story telling can be, and there's nothing like the calm that I find when fully engaged in a beautifully designed radio program or podcast.

So. Since I know what I love and what I respond to, I'm really excited by the idea of creating podcasts... and not just to hear my own voice. These are a few podcast ideas I've come up with thus far (favorites in bold):

- How to conduct an effective search using MVA library's home page and database subscriptions
- REACH grant feedback from students and teachers, to post on planned REACH grant blog detailing purchases / use / evolution of library
- MVA book club: opinions on book, direction of the club, etc.
- Sample of MVA's upcoming drama production, advertising participants, date, etc.
- MVA students reading self-written poetry, explanations of the writing process
- Individuals reading their favorite quotes and explaining what the significance is (fair use: quote inspiring their original thought)
- Teachers or students reading brief excerpts of their favorite books, then explaining why it's a favorite and to whom they'd recommend it
- Students sharing their thoughts on the whole college preparation / selection / application process. Hopes / fears about college in general. Resources they'd recommend.
- Students sharing a research success story, detailing the search process, emphasizing what they learned and how they applied or will apply the results
- Interviews on stereotypes of librarians, and where they come from, how/if they're changing, and why/why not
- Interview with student library patron of the week, to be posted on MVA library site

a library's still about books. and questions.

Instead of bathing in the Bahamas (I like to pretend I could afford a week-long vacation), I'm logging student teaching hours with the little ones. My project here, at present, in between reading to and sitting with the wee ones, is to address the Native American / American Indian collection. It is still about the books. And there are still many questions that weeding brings about, as far as collection development goes.



It's refreshing to recognize that not EVERYTHING is about the newest technologies.



I found this, here, and I find it to be a refreshingly concise stance:

"Timmy wrote on October 3, 2006 8:05 am:
" Although I'm sympathetic to the spirit of this, this is not the proper solution. What qualifications do these media specialists bring to the table as arbiters of cultural correctness? Further, what literature does "accurately" portray culture? As a working class kid I seldom saw my "culture" depicted in books I read in school, and when I did it was usually in clumsy stereotypes. Given the infinite complexity of culture it's difficult to imagine any work that could withstand full scrutiny, no matter what culture it happens to be written about. Beyond that, even ethnographic histories themselves are forever shifting and changing. How are these media specialists to jump into the midst of the cultural maelstrom and determine "proper" and "improper"? I love Beverly Slapin's point that these books need to be maintained because they are a chroncile of our misguided notions of the past that should humble us into recongnizing that we still live with misguided cultural notions today. I admire the solution of leaving the books on the shlves, with reviews attached that challenge some of the information in the book so that the reader is allowed to think for him/herself, and truly grasp that books today likely contain similar inaccuracies based on contemporary understandings that will one day be similarly challenged. There is a real education in these old books that view cultural issues so differently than we do today. ""

hoooold on, there, web 3.0

I received this message from mediabistro.com (which I'd signed up for to stay hip to the upcoming trends in my publishing days):

"We'll be celebrating Web 3.0, our upcoming conference in New York on May 19-20. Web 3.0 is all about new technologies that are driving businesses forward today. Some of the conference speakers will be at the party, so if you have questions about what's next on the web, you can ask the experts including our hosts, conference co-chairs Dan Grigorovici and Hank Williams."

It has me thinking of how similar libraries' needs are to those of business, particularly as far as web use is concerned.

podcast pumped

I'm thrilled that we're exploring podcasts because, at present, I'm intrigued and intimidated by them. The experience I do have with podcasts has me realizing that my intimidation is caused more by a lack of time and updated equipment (my computer, 5 years old but beautiful, is sooooooo slooooowwwwwww) than it does from the medium itself.

I'm about to jump onto a train, and I'll be listening to a podcast on it from my iPhone (with which, if I haven't mentioned it already, I'm having a love affair, by the way), and I'll be considering why I've yet to incorporate podcasting into my every day life. See you on the other side of the cast.

---

Podcasts have the power to transport, if given enough space and just the right conditions for transport.

That's what I determined en route yesterday, This American Life podcast streaming into my ears. Enough space on my iPhone, just the right volume, just long enough a commute, and I was elsewhere, mentally, in the best way: entertained, comforted, and thinking critically.

Podcasts and blogs and email all allow such immediate, potentially rich communication (takes the right ingredients and timing, like cooking)... by anyone. The opportunity to express is so freeing. But. The responsibility to monitor, to assess, to respond can be so incredibly daunting. Case in point:

I offered a student the option to email me over the break regarding a research project book recommendation. She did:

"Hi Ms. Daehler,It's me... I think I know what I would like to include in my paper, but I'm not sure if it's "modern enough." .... Since the paper is due in such a short amount of time I think that these books would do. I would also throw in some quotes from the Bible, but I've never really read it. I know some stories but I've never read it from cover to cover. Are these books okay to include. If they are I think I know which direction I can write my paper in.Thank You in advance. Happy Easter!"

My taxes are not yet done. I have homework and projects and reading and student teaching to do... But my eagerness to connect with a student and help them see me as a resource, combined with the mighty powers of the internet, and an expectation for quick response, adds a to-do to my list. I'm marveling at what kinds of communication technology is facilitating... and what kinds of stress it's capable of inducing. What am I doing with the concern? Blogging about it.

whoa whoa WHOA! organizing the organizers

I've just had a really interesting, informative meeting with Ms. Chemistry Teacher, and I'm excited and OVERWHELMED.

Ning is great, and I think it'll work really well with the 20-student Science Club to start with. Chem Teach and I plan to introduce the tool to them on April 23rd. We're also planning to survey the teachers to determine how they use technology in the classroom. Chem Teach is actually studying the topic for an action research project, but I'm happy to be involved. We plan to present the survey at our next weekly staff meeting.

Check out these crazy Web 2.0 resources / resource lists!!

Back to School with the Class of Web 2.0: http://www.solutionwatch.com/512/back-to-school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-1/

GradeFix: http://www.gradefix.com/index.php

NoteMesh: http://notemesh.com/?a=home

All these resources intend to make life more organized and informed, but there's so much to explore! Not enough time... to save time.

miss, you trippin'

I keep thinking about Nicholas Carr's description of his Web foraging as "tripping from link to link," and the notion of hyperlinks propelling us toward related works. Are we less and less susceptible to inadvertent link propelling (as we are, I think, to advertising), or are our brains increasingly operating as Net-provided information demands that it be?

Here, Jim Kapoun writes (in 1998), "If you are an instructional librarian, you know that the Web, in its ever-changing formats, is seemingly here to stay." I don't remember ever questioning (or doubting) that the Web was here to stay, let alone in recent years. No way, no how, no question. I am questioning whether my attention span is here to stay, or whether it's a goner. :/

let's ning this thing!

Once in a while--more than, actually--I wake up and recognize that I'm the luckiest librarian out there. I'll not deny that the thought has crossed my mind an abnormally high percentage of the time on generous school system vacation days, but work days definitely have me thinking it, too.

[A student just now returned an SAT review book and checked another out, and that's the kind of thing that gets me all choked up. Ahhh.]

Last week, in the midst of Science Fair Preparation Madness*, our 11th grade Chemistry teacher approached me (presumably in response to a memo I'd sent out recently advertising our newly purchased databases, asking for book requests--hooray REACH grant money!--and offering to collaborate on lessons) and asked if I was interested in collaborating on a lesson using Ning. Um, yes! The teacher had just returned from a conference featuring a session that apparently stressed the potential benefits of utilizing technology in the classroom, and she was clearly inspired. Her interest has me giddy.

We'll meet today to plan the lesson, and I've just signed up for Ning in preparation. I also joined the Library 2.0 social network. This involved providing additional (and repeat) general information, plus a statement about why I am interested in joining the network. I wrote, "I'm very interested in user-centered change and participation in the creation of content and community!" Who, I wonder, was reading my 'application'?! I received an email that said, "Welcome to Ning, where you can create and discover new social networks for the most important people and interests in your life." Wow now! Said that way, I almost feel as though I've won some sort of gift.

The gift is apparently conditional, though. My current status? "Your membership to Library 2.0 is pending approval. Hello, Ms. Daehler, Your profile details must be approved by the Administrator before you can become a member of Library 2.0. You will receive an email once your profile is approved."

Well, then!

Oooh, update [22 minutes or so later]! This just in: "Congratulations! Your Library 2.0 membership has been approved."

I'm basking in the approval (could there have been a wrong answer? Might someone actually be rejected?), and I'm excited to see what my colleague and I are able to set up for the students this afternoon. SNS use in the classroom, here we come.

*In order to prepare students for their Science Fair project presentations, Joe, our ESL teacher, and I made mock presentations to every section of the 11th grade. We demonstrated, very effectively (if student feedback is any indication), all the things NOT to do: awful posture, over-generalizations, lack of focus, no eye contact, reading off of the slide (while blocking it, back to the audience) in monotone, slang ("These molecules are O.D. running into each other, yo!"), poor team work, etc. etc. We caused a lot of giggles, and students were wonderful about pointing out exactly what we'd done wrong. Following the presentations and feedback sharing, when everyone was calm and attentive, I also "got" to make a big speech about how to take care of the library (they'd left the place a MESS the night before, and I was flustered and insulted). I'll spare you the speech, but judging by the current state of the library, it was effective. Timing and mood has so much to do with it, I think!

anonymity, please. oh, and sometimes fame.

It struck me as I read "BBC: Google Pulls Some Street Images" that while some were making noise about being pictured (and demanding that their now public sightings be removed), others were SUBMITTING PHOTOS of their found selves to be publicized. Different people want different things. And, sometimes, the same people want different things... in juuuuuuust the right proportion.

Sure, Carrie wants her photo in the paper. But would she rather be seen the city over looking a wreck than not be in the paper at all?

Aaaaaand I'm back to the control issue. At what point does technology's power (to expose, to misrepresent) extend beyond our immediate control? What do we sacrifice, technologically, for 'complete' control? Or is control, at this point, an illusion? What kinds of privacy to we exchange for connectivity?

tweet from a non

For someone who is totally removed from the whole twitter phenomenon, I'm paying way too much attention to what others are saying about it. Maybe I'm offering myself to be convinced?

Twitter: Incredibly Valuable Or Utterly Useless As A Link Building Tool?

http://searchengineland.com/twitter-and-link-building-behind-the-scenes-17133