Friday, December 21, 2012

The Maker Movement: An Overview

The Maker Movement is making a big noise right now. A bit like my son, Perry, seen here in action in one of the two bands he's been playing in. Perry has discovered, like so many nowadays, that the digital environment is rejuvenating the art of making things in the physical world. Maker culture is rising in tandem with digital culture. This post will give you an overview of the Maker movement. 

I'm speaking more as an observer than a participant, though as I've read Chris Anderson's Makers (2012) it is inspiring me to try (in my own way) to become a "maker." That's not easy for me, having few crafting skills (with things; with words, that's different). In fact, in the past I have been taxed to my limit to help my sons create their pinewood derby cars for boy scouts. But Perry is showing me the way. He has become a legitimate maker. 

Perry has been making his own drum set -- but not by himself. He has told me how much helped he has gotten from an online community devoted to making drums (ghostnote.net). You can see Perry's drums that he has been making in the photos. In his performing and recording, he actually uses the things that he makes. 


So, I've assembled some basic info on makers and the maker movement, which I've put into my digital culture wiki under "maker" (reposted here):

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Digital Culture: 13 Issues

What are the key issues in digital culture? I'm sure I've missed a few, but this list of 13 summarizes what we've explored in a semester of studying digital culture. What do you think? (Taken from the essay exam portion of my students' final for the course). See the questions in detail below the list:
  1. Connect or Disconnect
  2. Openness vs. Control
  3. Beta vs. Formal 
  4. Public vs. Private 
  5. Evolving Literacy 
  6. Coping 
  7. Creativity in the Digital Age
  8. Virtual Worlds
  9. Video Games and Gamification 
  10. Digital Civics 
  11. Identity 
  12. Print vs. Digital 
  13. Change and Innovation