Cognitive Surplus - Search for the Lost Tomb of Genghis Khan

"Cognitive Surplus" serves as an interesting contrast to the "New Gatekeepers" in that both involve an evolution of technology but with very different outcomes. Cognitive Surplus is described as a collection of ideas, testimonies, reports that contribute, after being aggregated, to a common understanding of a phenomenon. This is the type of cognitive surplus that has implications for contributing, positively, to society. Cognitive surplus, however, can also contribute to projects that are of interest to a select few individuals with little to no contribution to society.

A former colleague of mine, Dr. Albert Lin, is famous for his research around searching for the tomb of Genghis Khan. Lin, a computer scientist by training, set out to solve a multi-century old mystery of the lost tomb of the Mongolian leader. His findings were of interest to an entire country and perhaps world. I found his work to be an extraordinary example of the magic that can happen when the technology and social science worlds collide. Dr. Lin invented a technology, very much related to "cognitive surplus" that allowed interested individuals all over the world contribute to his teams mission to find the lost tomb. The technology, while complicated in its design, was simple in its mission. It gave the users around the world access to hundreds and hundreds of miles of land across Mongolia through virtual remote sensing. These users were then able to explore these lands from wherever the lived in the world. They then reported their findings to an open source where data was aggregated and validated. The project provided Dr. Lin with more data on the land that had been collected in over hundreds of years and has gotten him closer, as he would state, to finding the lost tomb.

Cognitive surplus, as in the example above, can lead to positive societal impacts. While not all examples of cognitive surplus are as noble as Ushahidi, as Shirky described, or the Genghis Khan exploration, all are examples of the creative use of technology and shared interests.

The internet is spying on us!!

What’s perhaps scarier than the fact that Amazon, Google, Facebook and other software giants track our every move on the internet is the fact that many of us are becoming compliant with this reality. It seems that we’ve come to accept the fact that the virtual big brother is watching us. This could perhaps be because many feel there is nothing they can or care to do about it. Others might actually enjoy receiving “tailored” search results and shopping items. The TED speaker, Eli Pariser, highlights the inherent problem with this customized web experience in that users are shut off to other ideas that are out there. We are therefore using the World Wide Web to connect with ourselves as opposed to forging a network with others.

I personally believe that we live in a new era of media and technology where almost nothing is unbiased, unaltered or uncensored. Perhaps billions of dollars are generated for companies for producing screened search results, etc. As this won’t likely change in the future, and perhaps even become more entrenched in electronic information, public awareness of the challenges that Pariser posed should be increased. This is where I feel we, as educators, have a responsibility for properly preparing students to learn in a 21^st century environment and to seek out objective facts through mediums that are becoming more and more subjective. This is no easy task since the nature of technology is constantly changing, but a challenge we must take on.

Settling in...

Amigos,

I've arrived safely to the bay area mostly without incident. After selling what I though was most of my belongings, I still ended up needing to get a Uhaul! Once I got to the Uhaul place they informed me that I would have to connect my car myself because they couldn't take on the liability! Mind you I've never done this before. I left San Diego on Sunday with a full Uhaul pulling my car. Let me tell you, if you've never towed a car before, it's quite scary. I kept getting visions of my car  unhitching itself from the ruck and just casually rolling out into the freeway. I was holding my breath for literally the entire 9 hours I was driving. Fortunately I made it safely and only had issues making U-turns and backing up. I stopped, overnight, in Fresno to visit the family (all of whom are way too excited that I'll be closer). I'm now moved into my apartment in downtown Mountain View. Many restaurants and bars to walk to (not that I'll be going to the bars). I start work tomorrow and am eager to get started. I've met many of my new colleagues already and they all seem great! My superiors are very supportive and particularly understanding that I am in the last stretch of this program. I'll have to hit the ground running, though, as they were waiting for me to start before they launched a personnel reorganization. Right away I will need to hire two new staff persons.I will keep everyone posted on my transition and will see you all in class on November 10th.

Your friend,
Terrance

Learning in New Media Environments

Professor Michael Wesch illustrates in his TEDx talk power of media in changing behaviors, experiences, and relationships. He told a compelling story of his experience living with people in a village indigenous to New Guinea. He argues that the historical traditions of the villagers were disrupted when "media", in this case in the form of books and the census, was introduced. A favorite line of mine from the talk was "there's no opting out of media". He highlights the fact that even in this small, remote village which never had access to any form of technology can be drastically transformed with even minor exposure to media. He elaborates further on this observation by suggesting educators adapt their teaching methods to respond to the ever-changing media and social media era. 

I currently work in an environment where academics, by in large, are extremely resistant to incorporating social media and new technology into their curriculum. A firestorm was created when the school administration decided to implement google mail and google apps. I think much of the resistance stems from ignorance to the capabilities of media and technology. As Dr. Wesch argued, media affects each and every one of us, whether we like it or not. I would like to see educators at all levels take a creative and innovative approach to using social media and technology as learning and teaching tools.

Visitor or Resident?

I am one who sees social media as a positive tool when used appropriately. I consider myself a "resident" in some areas and a "visitor" in others. Most of my social media is used for professional purposes because I like to maintain my personal relationships the old-fashioned way. I'm mostly a visitor with social media sites like twitter and google plus. I'm most comfortable with linkedin and familiar enough with Facebook.