Beyond Difference: Reconfiguring Education for the User-Led Age Dr Axel Bruns Media & Communication Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology Brisbane, Australia a.bruns@qut.edu.au – http://snurb.info/

Key Questions How does education: prepare graduates to become expert users of the information available from user-led content creation environments? prepare graduates to be expert participants in user-led content creation environments?

How does education:

prepare graduates to become expert users of the information available from user-led content creation environments?

prepare graduates to be expert participants in user-led content creation environments?

Produsage open source software development online publishing blogs open news – e.g. Slashdot , Indymedia , OhmyNews knowledge management wikis – e.g. Wikipedia social bookmarking – e.g. del.icio.us , digg geotagging – e.g. Google Earth , Frappr multi-user gaming e.g. The Sims , Everquest , Second Life , Spore media sharing and creative practice e.g. Flickr , ccMixter , YouTube , Jumpcut , Current.tv reviews and viral marketing e.g. Epinions , IgoUgo automatic aggregation Google , Amazon , Technorati – User-led content creation is emerging in various domains:

open source software development

online publishing

blogs

open news – e.g. Slashdot , Indymedia , OhmyNews

knowledge management

wikis – e.g. Wikipedia

social bookmarking – e.g. del.icio.us , digg

geotagging – e.g. Google Earth , Frappr

multi-user gaming

e.g. The Sims , Everquest , Second Life , Spore

media sharing and creative practice

e.g. Flickr , ccMixter , YouTube , Jumpcut , Current.tv

reviews and viral marketing

e.g. Epinions , IgoUgo

automatic aggregation

Google , Amazon , Technorati

Produsage Beyond production: ‘ anyone can edit’ – users become producers of content content is no longer a distinct product – it is a temporary artefact of an ongoing process, and is continuously evolving usage and production are increasingly, inextricably intertwined strict distinctions between producers, distributors, and consumers no longer apply a new “ Generation C ” of content produsers? this is produsage

Beyond production:

‘ anyone can edit’ – users become producers of content

content is no longer a distinct product – it is a temporary artefact of an ongoing process, and is continuously evolving

usage and production are increasingly, inextricably intertwined

strict distinctions between producers, distributors, and consumers no longer apply

a new “ Generation C ” of content produsers?

this is produsage

Common Characteristics Shared across these environments: Community-Based – the community as a whole, if sufficiently large and varied, can contribute more than a closed team of producers, however qualified Fluid Roles – produsers participate as is appropriate to their personal skills, interests, and knowledges; this changes as the produsage project proceeds Unfinished Artefacts – content artefacts in produsage projects are continually under development, and therefore always unfinished; their development follows evolutionary, iterative, palimpsestic paths Common Property, Individual Merit – contributors permit (non-commercial) community use and adaptation of their intellectual property, and are rewarded by the status capital gained through this process

Shared across these environments:

Community-Based – the community as a whole, if sufficiently large and varied, can contribute more than a closed team of producers, however qualified

Fluid Roles – produsers participate as is appropriate to their personal skills, interests, and knowledges; this changes as the produsage project proceeds

Unfinished Artefacts – content artefacts in produsage projects are continually under development, and therefore always unfinished; their development follows evolutionary, iterative, palimpsestic paths

Common Property, Individual Merit – contributors permit (non-commercial) community use and adaptation of their intellectual property, and are rewarded by the status capital gained through this process

Implications Challenges to traditional paradigms: new business models, new industry sectors new sources of information, new repositories of knowledge new forms, new understanding of content new forms of collaborative work (scientific, intellectual, artistic) new approaches to intellectual property new measures of personal standing and success Or rediscovery of even older models: open academic collaboration and sharing of knowledge reputation and social status as non-monetary currency commons-based intellectual property models

Challenges to traditional paradigms:

new business models, new industry sectors

new sources of information, new repositories of knowledge

new forms, new understanding of content

new forms of collaborative work (scientific, intellectual, artistic)

new approaches to intellectual property

new measures of personal standing and success

Or rediscovery of even older models:

open academic collaboration and sharing of knowledge

reputation and social status as non-monetary currency

commons-based intellectual property models

Graduates and/as Generation C? Generation C ( Trendwatching.com ): Content, Creativity, Casual Collapse, Control, Celebrity – Cash Graduates need to be able to understand this environment, and be able to be part of it (if they so choose) Examples: software engineers: work as open source developers journalists: collaborate with citizen journalism produsers knowledge workers: operate effectively in wikified environments artists: collaborate widely but protect reputation and IP

Generation C ( Trendwatching.com ):

Content, Creativity, Casual Collapse, Control, Celebrity – Cash

Graduates need to be able to

understand this environment, and

be able to be part of it (if they so choose)

Examples:

software engineers: work as open source developers

journalists: collaborate with citizen journalism produsers

knowledge workers: operate effectively in wikified environments

artists: collaborate widely but protect reputation and IP

The C4C Four crucial graduate capacities: Creative: engage in collaborative creative produsage work (and understand reasons for wanting to do so) – economic, social, individual Collaborative: evaluate when, where, and with whom to collaborate (and when not to do so), and understand potential positive and negative consequences – especially for intellectual property and personal reputation

Four crucial graduate capacities:

Creative: engage in collaborative creative produsage work (and understand reasons for wanting to do so) – economic, social, individual

Collaborative: evaluate when, where, and with whom to collaborate (and when not to do so), and understand potential positive and negative consequences – especially for intellectual property and personal reputation

The C4C Four crucial graduate capacities: Critical: evaluate quality of content and skills of collaborators, assess own capabilities, identify best sites of / venues for produsage – and be able to express and share such critique constructively Communicative: understand the communicative models of produsage environments, and work effectively within them – also participate successfully in communication about the shared collaborative effort: metacollaboration

Four crucial graduate capacities:

Critical: evaluate quality of content and skills of collaborators, assess own capabilities, identify best sites of / venues for produsage – and be able to express and share such critique constructively

Communicative: understand the communicative models of produsage environments, and work effectively within them – also participate successfully in communication about the shared collaborative effort: metacollaboration

Implementing the C4C The C4C framework is a mission statement: outlines the core capacities describes the underlying motivations for pursuing them situates this in an overall framework of produsage How do we implement this framework in everyday learning and teaching practice? Model produsage environments (safe sandbox) Transition education itself from production to produsage – learners as co-creators of education Engage with (educational) produsage communities outside of the academy – accommodate transient learners, partner with Wikiversity and other emerging projects?

The C4C framework is a mission statement:

outlines the core capacities

describes the underlying motivations for pursuing them

situates this in an overall framework of produsage

How do we implement this framework in everyday learning and teaching practice?

Model produsage environments (safe sandbox)

Transition education itself from production to produsage – learners as co-creators of education

Engage with (educational) produsage communities outside of the academy – accommodate transient learners, partner with Wikiversity and other emerging projects?

Here’s where we are … (Todd Richmond, in Rheingold, 2006 ) … but where are we going next? The Future?

Here’s where we are …

(Todd Richmond, in Rheingold, 2006 )

… but where are we going next?