Copyright: What we can learn from Radiohead...

It was quite interesting.. After I had completed the assigned "copyright" readings for this week, I decided to do a bit of research on my own. I came across this really interesting article from October 2007 found in TIME magazine titled, "Radiohead Says: Pay What You Want". For those of you who aren't familiar with the band Radiohead, they are one of the most "out-of-the-box" rock bands of our time, and are always willing and able to push the envelope through both their music and business decisions. Although it may appear as if this article is a bit outdated, its contents directly relate to the ever-evolving idea of copyright--just prior to the release of their album, "In Rainbows", the band announced on its website that the album would be avaliable only as a digital download, and that, in order to purchase the album, fans were required to name the price that they were willing to pay (with $0 being as acceptable as $25). In relation to the idea of copyright that we have been reading about over the past week, what made this type of business strategy possible was Radiohead's decision to stay "label-less" after their contract with EMI/Capitol Records had expired in the summer of 2003. Without a label, the band was able to attempt this online business strategy without potential repercussions from executives or distribution directors (all of whom would be entitled to varying portions of "In Rainbow's " profits). Radiohead's daring antics pose an interesting question to the world of music (that, hopefully, those in my house can weigh in on): With the rise of social media sites and web 2.0 tools, would it be smarter for artists to network on their own and be in control of their own destinies? If so, what would happen to the music business as we know it to be?  In relation to copyright, if music was avaliable through an artist's site, would all music be (technically) within the public domain (i.e, without any real copyright restrictions/regulations monitoring its distribution)? Would that be good for music and other sources of viable entertainment? One must also remember that Radiohead is not just another indie band attempting to break into the big time; in many respects, this group is viewed as being one of the most influential and talented bands in the industry. If they can stay on top without copyright protection from a label (and with fans naming the price of an album), why can't other artists? Technology and multi-media sites are changing the way the world works and operates, and, because of bands like Radiohead, the music business is no exception.

 Video: Radiohead's "15 Step", off of their 2007 album, "In Rainbows"

Digital Images Lab

Digital Images Slide Show



For a larger picture, click here!

Digital Images Lab--Practice Task

Autism Ribbon: Digital Image Practice Slide Show

In the future, I plan to use a blogging service other than Blogger when attempting to embed videos or digital work--although this was a small task intended only to provide us with practice, it was nearly impossible to embed the material that I worked with and/or created (digital images, slide show, etc.). In my opinion, much of the difficulty that I experienced can be attributed to the fact that, with Blogger, one can only embed video from either Youtube or Google; because I used Photoshop to produce my work (which, although easy to navigate, was somewhat uncooperative), in order to connect others with my work, I was limited to only providing a text-based link.

Photo Licensed Through Flickr

It took a bit longer than I expected, but here's the photo that I licensed with Creative Commons

Click here to access Flickr page

Flickr, Creative Commons Photo post, Critique

Photo Attribution:

Original Image: "DSC03379"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yodieann/2076024032/#/photos/yodieann/2076024032/lightbox/By: yodie ann
Released under an Attribution License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en





 In almost any content area in the classroom, the use of images can potentially be effective when  attempting to connect students to a cluster of viable information or important resources in a timely and/or non- intimidating manner. Similar to "in-text", linked citations such as this, with a click of the mouse, students are able to access the emphasized, target information directly without having to hassle with the "traditional", MLA citation methods that are, in my opinion, rote and meaningless to the 21st century student. In a more general sense, especially for students with special needs who thrive on visual stimulation, the use of images can be of  enormous assistance in helping them understand content and stay engaged during classroom instruction.

Increasing Students' Time Management Skillls

Time management, as we all know, is crucial for many students in special education, regardless of their diagnosed disability. However, from my experience in the field, these skills are rarely fostered for students that truly need them to be able to excel in the classroom. A student's inability to efficiently manage time can lead to, among other things, behavioral issues and academic struggles. Here's a list of simple, yet effective time management strategies that can help students in the classroom. As a sibling of someone with special needs, I know from experience that, many times, behavior/organization strategies don't necessarily need to be "ground breaking". Sometimes, it turns out that simpler is better.

"The Innovative Educator", Current Reform Pushes Us Back to 20th Century Education

"When politicians, administrators, or even parents believe that succeeding at our current education (i.e., memorizing the multiplication tables, mastering the long division algorithm, being good at paper-book reading, and studying science, history, and civics in traditional ways) is what is important for today‟s and tomorrow‟s students, they put those students at a huge disadvantage relative to the fast-changing future". 

The above excerpt was taken from "The Reformers are Leaving our Schools in the 20th Century", an extremely thought-provoking and relevant article written by Marc Prensky (and highlighted/summarized on a blog titled "The Innovative Educator"). In as brief of a summary as possible, in his article, Prensky advocates for our nation's schools to revamp the current curricular format-- in the author's opinion, it is not the U.S. educational system that needs adjustment. Rather, it is the actual, day-to-day education that is provided to students within the system that must change. If thousands of other industries are acknowledging the fast-paced, technological changes that are occurring each and every day  in our world, why is it that many educators refuse to adjust their instruction? There is no reason why the students in today's schools should be forced to sit through the same teacher-dominated lectures and lessons that I experienced a decade ago. Times are changing, and the field of education must begin to take action. Last night, in one of my special education courses, my professor said something that really hit home for me--he said, "Our goal as teachers shouldn't be to make good kids. It should be to make good adults who will be able to function well in society in adulthood". If the use of technology in the classroom (and its appropriate use) isn't promoted and increased, our nation's students are going to be left in the dust.

Another really impressive portion of Prensky's article touches upon our responsibility, as teachers, to truly come to know our students--often times, due to the objective, standards-based assessments that have become the current focus of education, the unique and individual personalities of our students are ignored . Unfortunately, this trend of "teaching to the test" hinders our ability, as educators, to develop (and maintain) meaningful relationships with our students--they become numbers and scores, not people. In my opinion, simply displaying the desire to come to know each of our students' personal interests, strengths, weaknesses, and fears can be the key to developing a comfortable and innovative classroom. Allow students' ingenuity to come to the forefront in education!! The technologies that we are beginning to explore in this course can hopefully be used as tools to help promote student-centered learning!

One more thing--check out TweetDeck (there's also a link to it on the wiki for this week). I've had a twitter account for a while now, but this is the first time that I am actually exploring the site's possibilities. TweetDeck just makes it so much easier to organize and sift through tweets, articles, and other useful information. It eliminates the stress from tweeting!