robyn jay

A few reflections and notes from last week’s Transmedia Victoria event…

So what IS transmedia? It was clear that the form and definition remain quite loose still (which is good).  Here are a few pointers…

• ‘cool internet based scavenger hunt kinds of things’
• alternate reality entertainment
• overlay of entertainment space onto the real world
• interacts with you via phone, email, browser and the street where you live
• puts audience in the story
• brings a story to you
• story surrounds the audience
• non-linear : newly found evidence builds on from past
• about enhancing experiences, not repeating them
• dynamic/ engaging

Tassos Stevens from Coney spoke of the principles of play:

• adventure
• reciprocity and
• loveliness

It struck me that there is little of any of them in adult education. How do we reinstate the joy of learning and creativity?

Flint Dille said ‘treat me like an interactive object’ (nice – a shame many educators are simply megaphones), and spoke of media franchise (franchise being defined as intellectual property’). The key elements of a franchise:

• hero
• home
• vehicle
• friends and allies
• enemies
• iconic gadgets
• a unique world

OK am lost a bit here with any possible cross over to education….

Quote: ‘if you want to keep control of your franchise, don’t sell it to anyone’

There was a constant allusion to ‘production’ and ‘rights management’; how do we put the strategy in the hands of learners and teachers? Key concerns were who owns what, in what territories, for how long, what is it worth, is revenue shared?

Quote: ‘It is the ‘inconsistencies’ in a story that makes an audience feel ‘smart”

When asked about the role of a franchise in SIMS Flint responded that SIMS = simulation which is not a game. A simulation aims to recreate something real.

It strikes me that the storytelling/ narrative in a simulation still exists but is placed in the hands/ minds of the participants.

Steve Peters introduced himself as ‘experience designer‘ – nice term for teachers/ learning designers I thought

Steve listed the roles needed for a production to be:

• writer/s
• experience designer/s
• producer/s
• graphic artists
• IT/programmers
• QA testers

Props in a story can include any manner of things including:

• foreign language
• digital files
• old documents
• artifacts
• music lyrics
• sky-writing
• hidden USB drives
• maps & GPS
• live events
• architectural projections
• receipts
• Facebook pages
• clothing
• games
• action figures

The ability to react to audience moves or sticking points requires a lot of tap-dancing Steve said – 20% of the design needs to be left open to respond.

Andra Sheffer spoke of online staying power. Only 3 minutes for adults but over 10 mins for kids. She urged us to design what makes sense not whats cool, that simpler is often better and that the transmedia element should be tagged onto other platforms – ie. that transmedia design must be integrated.

Sound familiar?

She also stressed that ‘there are no more borders – think WORLD’ and that ‘promotion never ends with digital projects’

Clear relevance for education….

Kerrin McNeil from Hoodlum spoke of ‘making stories irresistible’ (read LEARNING here), that ‘life is multi-platform’ (and so should be learning), that ‘audiences are ‘moved’ when content is personalised’ (again relevant for LEARNING) and that we need to remember that audiences (and learners) want to interact in different ways – watch, play, share.

Final thoughts…….

If transmedia has a place in learning and teaching it’s potential will need to be transferred into the hands of ‘normal’ people (in the same way we did with digital stories). Scaffolds are needed to guide the process and support the integration of media. We need to harness the transmedia-like elements of good teaching practice and extend them. Community projects are a good stepping stone/intro but I could not get a sense of anything on the day that was not being ‘produced’ (done for/to audiences). My big take-away …. we need to strengthen the fun/joy, problem solving, choice and multimodal aspects of education.

[CC FlickR image from Powerhouse Museum Collection]

I’m heading to Melbourne on Thursday for the Transmedia Victoria conference. At this point I’m not sure what I’ll be able to contribute but I’m interested to see where the cross-over might be for education.

I’ve had a long term interest in digital storytelling. In 2003 I was lucky enough to visit Daniel Meadows at the Capture Wales project and in the following year a group of us began to experiment with how the concept (and technology) could be simplified enough to be placed in the hands of teachers and students. It has been pretty successful and I think I’m safe in saying that it’s now a pretty much accepted/ mainstream strategy for engagement. What DST lacks, on the whole, is interactivity.

Transmedia takes narrative/ storytelling to another level. It’s multi-platformed, non-linear, multi-pathed networked storytelling with multiple entry points and outlets. I think where it differs significantly from digital storytelling and where it hold promise for education is that it supports audience interaction, participation and collaboration.

There’s some interesting overlap with what Margaret Turner (University of the Sunshine Coast) discusses in her paper ‘Contemporary Approach to Writing Non-Linear Online Learning Resources’ (Journal of Learning Design 2(2)) . She describes the structure of the content as distributed, connected, multi-directional, potential, open and ephemeral.

‘What is needed in writing for networked media’, she says, ‘ is a way of writing learning content that will clearly signal to participants the following characteristics of the medium:

• That useful meaning can be developed following concepts that are distributed rather than presented together.
• That there is no hard edge to a discipline, it spreads out to connect with other disciplines and the real world.
• That concepts can be connected along multiple paths in diverse directions to reach similar meanings.
• That there is never-ending potential for expansion, growth; more and more data to be connected and made available to the conversation.
• That things change—information is updated, ideas are modified, links expire, data is moved.
• That control of information is spread and all who connect are potentially stakeholders’

Technology and online spaces are becoming accessible enough yet sophisticated enough now for some really exciting development (make sure you check out Inanimate Alice if you have not already done so). But it does strike me that transmedia in essence really is nothing new. If we consider the project-based approach taken by many GOOD primary school teachers, the learning design employed, while not often digital, certainly has a multimodal approach. Kids develop understanding of a topic via stories, games, art, movement; they build, talk, listen and present.

Whatever comes of the day I’m looking forward to stepping outside the education zone again; hopefully there will be fresh ideas and new connections to power me onward.

[CC FLickR image by crissxross]

Over lunch with North Coast friend Margaret yesterday, I was asked for some advice on getting started on mosaic projects. I’ve never been one to follow ‘rules’ and apart from guidance from Wendy Tanner have pretty much learned what I know through experimentation and practice. So I’m probably not the best person to ask! However here’s a few bits and pieces to get going. Wendy and others might like to add their bits and challenge my thinking

You need a few basics to get started. The wheel cutters are a little harder to find but some Bunnings hardware stores have them in the craft area OR find a mosaic supplier. WELDBOND is a good glue option although I’ve also successfully used Tarzans Grip (more toxic and expensive).

I prefer to work with thinner glass tiles for my projects but coloured wall tiles work well especially for larger/outdoor projects. Choose good quality tiles. I found some Turkish tiles chalky and that the glaze chipped off when cut. There are good mosaic suppliers on ETSY and EBAY. I shop regularly from Judysmosaics on Etsy who I can highly recommend. SOME tile outlets are generous and provide samples and discontinued lines free of charge but you’ll need to search. But you can of course use all sorts of objects in your projects including:

• broken crockery
• stones
• shells
• old jewelry
• buttons
• beads
• mirror pieces

So start collecting! (Forget to tell you you’ll end up needing a shed )

While you need to start simple so you feel like you are getting somewhere, you also need to break away from the square tile approach and start breaking things! (I daren’t tell the owners of plates at markets the destiny of their heirlooms LOL). I started with terracotta pots as a level final surface is not needed but you need a bit of perseverance with the gluing process as pieces slide – lie the pot on its side, prop to make it level and work vertically down the pot allowing each strip to dry a little before rotating. Tables and other products that require a flat surface are a little more challenging. My tables are not 100% flat but I do make the tiles the highest point with lower strips in between able to be straddled by a cup or glass. For larger vertical projects like walls, Wendy and others recommend gluing tiles onto mesh and then attaching the full sheet onto the wall surface with tile adhesive before grouting – see example. If you’re using a timber base seal it before you begin by mixing some weldbond glue with water 50:50 and apply 2 coats. For outdoor products or those that will get wet use a waterproof base such as marine ply.

I personally hate ‘paint by numbers’ approaches to art but there are some gorgeous mandala and geometric type designs if you’re not a confident designer. My designs either start with a doodly type of sketch and evolve, or in the case of pots are totally off the cuff. What I do take time to do is to think about colour. Gather together your tiles and ingredients and get a feel for themes and exclusions. But it’s up to you!

The gluing process can be time consuming depending on the complexity of design and size of pieces. I estimate that my tables take the equivalent of around 40 hours to complete. The larger the gaps left between pieces, the more grout will be exposed – again its up to you and your preference. Before grouting allow the project to fully dry and then brush over or vacuum to remove loose pieces. Check for loose tiles that WILL cause grief during grouting. You’ll get the hang of the amount of grout to mix over time. If you run out, keep the surface moist by covering with gladwrap while you mix more. If you are mixing colours mix more powder than needed and keep left-overs for future projects. Add water and mix to a paste that spreads easily – if too runny it’ll run off the project, too dry and it won’t slip easily between your tiles and will dry too quickly. Normal people would use rubber gloves for grouting but I prefer to feel the project and its shape as I work. It’s messy so be prepared with bucket, newspaper, towels etc. A sponge and rubber squeegee for flat surfaces are handy. Wipe/scrape off as much excess grout as you can checking for gaps and then sponge your project as its drying until clean. Keep a small amount of grout wet for gaps that you’ve missed.

And that’s pretty much it! I gather good sites and suppliers in a Diigo list which might be useful.

The trouble with being a George is that the jacket can become WAY too comfortable

Another academic year looms and info days are swarming with fresh faced enthusiastic new students. I feel like Mr Bean in the department store perfumery skit, holding my nose and warning them not to enter! I’m feeling quite disheartened with higher ed. Would I pay $30k + for a degree? NO – yet its a hurdle imposed en route to career. As consumers we need to start demanding value for money but instead we meekly accept the tripe.

I’ve been re-reading my FLL paper from 2003. 7 years is a long time and I blush at it’s naivety but there are important connections there I want to revisit. What I found then was that the most successful, innovative and engaging programs were happening in small community-based media, youth projects and community development areas. I suspect its still the case.

I grieve to hear stories of educators being told that research is top priority and that teaching should/must be compromised if necessary. Academics are told to walk into lectures unprepared if necessary, young innovators are told that their careers will go nowhere unless they stop focusing on learning and instead churn out papers and bring in dollars. It’s all about status and income; a factory line of knowledge. Good teachers who toe the line end up working 14 hour days; doing 2 jobs as researcher AND educator, and as a result get sick and burn out.

I’ve been feeling like the past two years were wasted but a flow of messages are giving me heart that I have made some difference. But I’m sick of battling from within the constraining shackles of being an employee; there’s only so much that can be pushed uphill. I’m hoping to skirt around the edges for a bit and find some new avenues to engage and affect change. For a start I’m heading on down to the Transmedia conference at ACMI in Melbourne and we’ll see if openings appear.

[ CC cartoon by gapingvoid ]

A recent gapingvoid cartoon got me thinking …

the funny thing about using the word ‘conversation’ : it makes people not want to talk to you

‘Professional conversation’ spaces have wormed their way into our work. It seems as if the only legitimate talking that can happen in institutions is that which is owned and controlled by management; boxed into specific times, bounded in scope and wrapped in butchers paper. I wonder when time out and casual informal communication with peers will be not only allowed to exist, but encouraged as a vital aspect of professional work and growth.

It’s a dangerous thing free and open critical reflection,  you never know where it might lead.

[CC FlickR image by lovestruck]