DS106 Exploration
Upon first entering DS106 I was immediately struck by its header, which read, “Digital Storytelling – We Jam Econo.” We Jam Econo is the name of a 2005 documentary which tells the story of seminal California-punk band The Minutemen. The band operated on a streamlined, “by any means necesary”, economic system. This system reflected heavily on their insistence on playing affordable shows, as well as releasing their music at a fair price. Ds106 certainly reflects the same sentiments through its open source approach to real, honest online participation.
It seems evident that the community believes strongly in their right to operate and create material within the context of a more “free” internet. As participants in the never-ending experiment of the World Wide Web, DS106 seems to prove, alongside countless other contemporaries, that “another internet is possible.” The most impressive display of the importance of the site lies beyond the walls of the initial assignments page, Mission: DS106. After exploring each tab, I was most interested in the work being done through the audio, visual, and mash-up assignments. Where many classes might stay clear of any possible grey-area regarding copyright, DS106 does not allow any roadblocks on their path to honest digital storytelling.
Jordan: this is fantastic. So fantastic that Tom and I regret not asking you to write a 3000 word essay on ds106. The reward for good work is more work!
In a short post, you’ve identified many of the key themes and ideas that animate ds106. You identified the punk, diy ethos at its core (Google “edupunk” for more on this). You’ve identified the low cost associated with the course. You’ve identified the definition of “freedom” that much of the work of the course stakes, and also implicitly the notion of the relationship of fair use to “honest digital storytelling.” So well done.
If you were to use all of shape all of these observations into a statement on the understanding of “the commons” at the heart of ds106, what would you write?
It’s really great to see that you jumped in and began to sift through the work of the community. I’d love to see you embed and reflect on some of your favorite examples of work discovered.
I am impressed that you dug in a bit more to research the reference to the Minutemen. Awesome.
I agree that a more “free” internet or society in regards to copywritten material would allow the flow of ideas and creativity to advance entirely. Copyrights do hold us back because over time things are more often than not re-created and improved. Kudos for ds106 to allow us to take something hindering and build from it.
However a more “free” internet as a whole may not be such a good thing. There are some things that should be censored entirely. (I am against censorship by the way.) Would you like explosive manufacturing guides and drug trafficking tips available widely? Although they are available openly in the internet, they are hidden in the “deep internet” or “dark internet”. I forget what it is called but your local extremist won’t have the know-how to access such information.