Overview The author Key messages Discussion about the book Implications for education Discussion Conclusion and activity

The author

Key messages

Discussion about the book

Implications for education

Discussion

Conclusion and activity

About Co-author of the best-seller The Cluetrain Manifesto , The author of the critically-acclaimed Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web . He has a fellowship at Harvard Law's Berkman Center for the Internet & Society Has been published in a wide variety of journals, including Wired, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Smithsonian, The Guardian...even TV Guide. Was Senior Internet Advisor to the Howard Dean campaign Called a "marketing guru" by the Wall Street Journal Is a strategic marketing consultant to big name companies, as well as to small, innovative ones. Wrote gags for Woody Allen for seven years Has a Ph.D. in philosophy and was a college professor for 6 years Has been a frequent commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered Writes a column for Knowledge Management World and Il Sole 24 ore Is a well-known blogger Has been a dot-com entrepreneur and serves on the advisory boards of some well-known and some not-yet-known tech companies Is frequently cited by national and international news media Lives in Boston

Co-author of the best-seller The Cluetrain Manifesto , The author of the critically-acclaimed Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web .

He has a fellowship at Harvard Law's Berkman Center for the Internet & Society

Has been published in a wide variety of journals, including Wired, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Smithsonian, The Guardian...even TV Guide.

Was Senior Internet Advisor to the Howard Dean campaign

Called a "marketing guru" by the Wall Street Journal

Is a strategic marketing consultant to big name companies, as well as to small, innovative ones.

Wrote gags for Woody Allen for seven years

Has a Ph.D. in philosophy and was a college professor for 6 years

Has been a frequent commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered

Writes a column for Knowledge Management World and Il Sole 24 ore

Is a well-known blogger

Has been a dot-com entrepreneur and serves on the advisory boards of some well-known and some not-yet-known tech companies

Is frequently cited by national and international news media

Lives in Boston

Hello “ Hello! Thanks for discussing my book. I'm eager to see what you make of it, especially since it is fairly open-ended. (My email is [email_address] . Don't hesitate!) Best, David W.”

“ Hello! Thanks for discussing my book. I'm eager to see what you make of it, especially since it is fairly open-ended. (My email is [email_address] . Don't hesitate!) Best, David W.”

Key messages The laws around things change when they become digital Filter on the way out, not the way in Categorisation is doomed Bottom up is the only way to cope

The laws around things change when they become digital

Filter on the way out, not the way in

Categorisation is doomed

Bottom up is the only way to cope

Information & the physical “ In a physical store, ease of access to information can be measured with a pedometer” Cf.

“ In a physical store, ease of access to information can be measured with a pedometer”

Cf.

Things we take for granted In physical space, some things are nearer than others Physical objects can only be in one place at one time Physical space is shared Human physical abilities are limited Organisation needs to be orderly and neat

In physical space, some things are nearer than others

Physical objects can only be in one place at one time

Physical space is shared

Human physical abilities are limited

Organisation needs to be orderly and neat

The music industry analogy

The music industry analogy " For decades we've been buying albums. We thought it was for artistic reasons, but it was really because the economics of the physical world required it: Bundling songs into long-playing albums lowered the production, marketing, and distribution costs ... As soon as music went digital, we learned that the natural unit of music is the track. What does the record company do? Market Find/Filter Produce physical product Handle logistics required for physical product

" For decades we've been buying albums. We thought it was for artistic reasons, but it was really because the economics of the physical world required it: Bundling songs into long-playing albums lowered the production, marketing, and distribution costs ... As soon as music went digital, we learned that the natural unit of music is the track.

What does the record company do?

Market

Find/Filter

Produce physical product

Handle logistics required for physical product

And when it goes digital? Users handle logistics Users share Artists produce cheaply Artists sell directly Social services provide filter function Conc: why do we need a record industry?

Users handle logistics

Users share

Artists produce cheaply

Artists sell directly

Social services provide filter function

Conc: why do we need a record industry?

The importance of categories In the physical world categories matter “ We invest so much time in making sure our world isn’t miscellaneous in part because disorder is inefficient” “ We’ve been raised as experts at keeping our physical environment well ordered, but our homespun ways of maintaining order are going to break” Scale changes things Conclusion: “The solution to the overabundance of information is more information”

In the physical world categories matter

“ We invest so much time in making sure our world isn’t miscellaneous in part because disorder is inefficient”

“ We’ve been raised as experts at keeping our physical environment well ordered, but our homespun ways of maintaining order are going to break”

Scale changes things

Conclusion: “The solution to the overabundance of information is more information”

Things in multiple places 1 st gen – we mapped physical, we put files in folders 2 nd gen – we use multiple terms to describe files and search The same thing can be in several places at once Libraries – books can only be in one category, because they’re physical

1 st gen – we mapped physical, we put files in folders

2 nd gen – we use multiple terms to describe files and search

The same thing can be in several places at once

Libraries – books can only be in one category, because they’re physical

The order of order 1 st order – need to organise the objects themselves 2 nd order – physical objects separate info from actual object, e.g. catalog 3 rd order – digital, content and its info “ We have entire industries built on the fact that the paper order severely limits how things can be organised. Museums, educational curricula, newspapers, the travel industry, and television schedules are all based on the assumption that in the 2 nd order world we need experts to go through information, ideas, and knowledge and put them neatly away”

1 st order – need to organise the objects themselves

2 nd order – physical objects separate info from actual object, e.g. catalog

3 rd order – digital, content and its info

“ We have entire industries built on the fact that the paper order severely limits how things can be organised. Museums, educational curricula, newspapers, the travel industry, and television schedules are all based on the assumption that in the 2 nd order world we need experts to go through information, ideas, and knowledge and put them neatly away”

Amazon vs. Libraries The absurdity of the Dewey system There is no perfect classification Physical limitations Have to learn a system A whole range of metrics and paths There is your classification No limitations The system learns about you

The absurdity of the Dewey system

There is no perfect classification

Physical limitations

Have to learn a system

New classification “ Classification is a power struggle – it is political – because the first two orders of order require that there be a winner” Tagging – use any terms that are useful to you Folksonomies – bottom up taxonomy Data mining – we find relationships between item

“ Classification is a power struggle – it is political – because the first two orders of order require that there be a winner”

Tagging – use any terms that are useful to you

Folksonomies – bottom up taxonomy

Data mining – we find relationships between item

Four new strategies Filter on the way out, not the way in Put each leaf on as many branches as possible Everything is metadata and everything can be a label Give up control

Filter on the way out, not the way in

Put each leaf on as many branches as possible

Everything is metadata and everything can be a label

Give up control

Discussion Michael Wesch video http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =-4CV05HyAbM Do you agree with Weinberger’s analysis? What are the important messages?

Michael Wesch video http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =-4CV05HyAbM

Do you agree with Weinberger’s analysis?

What are the important messages?

For education Wikipedia vs Britannica Digg vs Newspapers Stumbleupon vs Journals Is it an either/or?

Wikipedia vs Britannica

Digg vs Newspapers

Stumbleupon vs Journals

Is it an either/or?

Granularity Size of courses Size of publications

Size of courses

Size of publications

Socially constructed knowledge “ Our children are doing their homework socially even though they’re graded and tested as if they’re doing their work in isolation booths” Assessment What are we teaching?

“ Our children are doing their homework socially even though they’re graded and tested as if they’re doing their work in isolation booths”

Assessment

What are we teaching?

Messiness Education is about order, filtering stuff out But in the 3 rd order the more you add the greater the value, because you can’t predict use What sort of content do we produce, promote, reward

Education is about order, filtering stuff out

But in the 3 rd order the more you add the greater the value, because you can’t predict use

What sort of content do we produce, promote, reward

Authority The removal of the filter Democratisation of authority Can the new metrics be cheated? Are they more reliable than the old ones?

The removal of the filter

Democratisation of authority

Can the new metrics be cheated?

Are they more reliable than the old ones?

A small example Weinberger, D. (2007) Everything is miscellaneous: The power of the new digital disorder. Times books. “ “ Classification is a power struggle – it is political – because the first two orders of order require that there be a winner” ISBN-13 9780805080438

Weinberger, D. (2007) Everything is miscellaneous: The power of the new digital disorder. Times books.

“ “ Classification is a power struggle – it is political – because the first two orders of order require that there be a winner”

ISBN-13 9780805080438

Discussion What do the four strategies mean for education: Filter on the way out, not the way in Put each leaf on as many branches as possible Everything is metadata and everything can be a label Give up control

What do the four strategies mean for education:

Filter on the way out, not the way in

Put each leaf on as many branches as possible

Everything is metadata and everything can be a label

Give up control

Activity Write 3 words that describe the book Social construction via Twitter Let’s cloud tag it! http:// tagcrowd.com /

Write 3 words that describe the book

Social construction via Twitter

Let’s cloud tag it! http:// tagcrowd.com /