I was recently part of a panel discussion at the 2013 CUNY Information Technology Conference on the academic uses of social media. The presentation included short introductions, followed by a roundtable discussion, in which the educators on the panel examined which social media practices they had employed over the years succeeded and failed.
Digital Directive: The NY Observer Interview
A few months back I was questioned by a writer from the New York Observer on my role as the Academic Director of the Communication and Media program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS). The writer was interested in discussing the online nature of my program and what sets it apart from other traditional and internet based learning environments. Well, today I found out that I was prominently quoted in the Educated Observer, a special advertising supplement to the NY Observer, on the work we are doing over at SPS.
A digital copy of the article, and my statements on the programs at SPS, can be found here.
Digital Scholarship Revisited
Today I attended a presentation by Professor Kathleen Fitzpatrick on the role that open access and new forms of peer review will play on the future of scholarly communication. Professor Fitzpatrick is Director of Scholarly Communication at the Modern Language Association (MLA) and Visiting Research Professor of English at New York University. She is the author of Planned Obsolescence: Publishing, Technology, and the Future of the Academy. Her writings are among the most respected on the subject of scholarly transformation and were a great influence on my research into digital scholarship and the need to reform tenure and promotion standards for technology engaged faculty.
Arkham Origins is gonna be sick!!!
After months of waiting Batman: Arkham Origins dropped tonight. The new Arkham is the followup to the wildly popular Batman inspired video games Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. I just picked up my copy from GameStop. There was a surprisingly small line for the game. It was nothing as crazy as the launch for Grand Theft Auto V, which made me happy and a little sad. I snagged the collector’s edition, and the season pass that has all of the character skins and downloadable content. I never usually get all the extras but this game is gonna be sick. I thought about
GTA 5 Midnight Launch
I don’t look forward to many games anymore. Maybe it is a sign of me getting older and becoming jaded. But here I am, standing on a line outside of GameStop, waiting to pick up my copy of Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5)
Thankfully I am second on line because the weed smell coming off these people is giving me a headache. My son better appreciate me picking this up for him. If I didn’t work with this demographic on a regular basis, or have kids of my own, I might be worried about the future. But once again I digress.
I really want to stay up all night with this game because all of the early Continue reading “GTA 5 Midnight Launch”
Dual 27s son! They spinnin’, they spinnin’!
My old flat screen monitor blew out at the beginning of the summer much to my dismay. It was an older HannsG 27in LED monitor that I think I paid about 500 bucks for it a few years back. I remember being ecstatic when it arrived because it was going to be my first dual monitor setup. Well, I have been so satisfied with a dual monitor system that the thought of relying on just my ancient ten year old 20in Planar flat screen was intolerable. I searched the regular sites like TigerDirect, NewEgg and Amazon until I found an inexpensive monitor to snag. I was shocked to find out how cheap monitors have become. So shocked in fact that I figured I might as well replace the older Planar monitor just so I had a matched set that displayed things at the same resolution.
I picked up two AOC 27-Inch LED Backlit Monitors for less than Continue reading “Dual 27s son! They spinnin’, they spinnin’!”
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!
While I officially started last week at the CUNY – School of Professional Studies (SPS), this week was the kickoff of the 2013 Fall I session at LaGuardia. It was a very full day which included Opening Sessions, as well as programmatic and departmental meetings, technical consulting session, and student advisement. At the end of the afternoon I felt like I needed a juice box, my blankie, and a nap. I am hoping that this wasn’t going to be indicative on how the semester was going to unfold. Because just to clarify, despite some of my poorly worded previous posts, I haven’t left LaGuardia. My responsibilities have just shifted a tad.
As the sole full time instructor for the New Media, I didn’t want to abandon the program that I have helped build over the past 12 years. But Continue reading “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!”
CUNY SPS – New Office Space
Today was my first day at the new office. There is a ton of work that needs to be done and I am looking forward to getting underway. I have been asked to take charge of the Communication and Media program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies and to help redefine the degree in light of the recent technological and societal shifts brought forth by digital innovation.
I must say that it was kinda weird to be Continue reading “CUNY SPS – New Office Space”
You will be missed
I was saddened to hear that Red Burns, founder of NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, passed away earlier this week. Red was my academic adviser and one of the first people that I met when I arrived to study at ITP in the late 90s. Oddly enough, despite her small stature, she was also one of the most intimidating people I have ever met. And I say that as a person that is not easily intimidated. My first impression of Red was that she was not someone to trifle with, piss off, or just generally wind up on her bad side. Over time I was fortunate to see that there was a kinder and gentler side to her. Red cared deeply for her students, but she demanded the best from them. She was a formidable personality and utterly fearless in her approach to life.
Over the past few days my Facebook and Twitter feeds have been inundated by posts from friends and fellow ITP students who were influenced heavily by Red. She was truly a pioneer in the fields of tech education and digital expression. The overwhelming theme that comes through in all of the posts is that Red, and the program that she created, changed their lives for the better. Continue reading “You will be missed”
Game Changers: The Community College Journal Interview
I had been so busy toward the end of the semester that I had forgotten that a few months back I was interviewed on the curriculum changes that I had put in place for the LaGuardia New Media Technology program. Steve Zurier of the Community College Journal contacted me to see if I would be interested in talking to him about some of the emerging technologies impacting digital media programs.
It appears that he wanted to feature my comments under a section on media literacy in his article. I agreed to speak with him and discuss the challenges in developing a technology based curriculum to address the changing economic and educational shifts facing college students. Since I had given a fair amount of thought on the subject over the past year due to having to draft the Periodic Program Review (PPR) for the New Media major, I hoped the interview would be painless. Luckily it was straight forward like I assumed. I am quoted in the piece on my approach to digital media curriculum design.
A digital copy of the article can be found here.