Contemplative Pause...

"The greatest need of our time is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds and makes of all political and social life a mass illness. Without this housecleaning we cannot begin to see. Unless we see, we cannot think. Nothing can take the place of thoughts. If we do not think, we cannot act freely." -Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (New York: Image) 77 and 79.



Contemplative Pause...

 

Throughout this week... PAUSE.

 

TAKE A BREATH and LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART.

 
 

        What is one thing

that you can do

                      in this moment

to spring clean?

SIGNS

What is a SIGN?

 The Free Dictionary defines a sign as "something that suggests the presence or existence of a fact, condition, or quality."

 I have my own personal definition of the word. A sign is a conveyor of information. It's a beacon of truth in the sea of reality. Signs provide us with direction and guidance throughout our travels in life and help us to best understand the terms and conditions of our journey. It is the sign that allows us to steer clear of certain things that may cause us trouble and misfortune OR conversely send us en route to clarity and progress toward our goals and objectives.

 Signs have a great purpose in society as an agent of information to people that identify with them to conduct themselves accordingly or simply best understand their environment, but as the times change and the environment is altered, the overall importance of certain signs diminishes. While these signs might have held significance and pertinence in yesteryear, their relevance is now obsolete or unnecessary altogether.

Here are a few examples of signs that are going extinct

and the signs that are being born as a result:

"Dead End" signs are now being replaced by "No Outlet" signs, which is widely considered more politically correct.

While the comedy-tragedy masks still serve as theatrical signs for performing arts, most people tend to relate the Hollywood sign with anything relative to entertainment.

This is a hand sign signifying peace or victory (a rude hand gesture when shown back side out) has been in use for a very long time; some saying that it’s use as an obscene gesture dates back to medieval times. Yet, this timeless hand sign has faded to make room for other hand signs of more controversial nature.

 

This hand sign - once a sign of good luck - is now seen as a symbol of ROCK N ROLL! 

When I was in middle school, my parents got us hooked up to America Online, otherwise known as AOL. It was great because it was a new and fresh way of communicating with new people and keeping in touch with friends and family. Do you remember chat rooms? I get a laugh out of it now, because so much has changed...

Last year, Facebook beat out Google as the #1 most visited place on the world wide web. AOL is not the place to go for social networking anymore. Facebook is the only friend you need for that.


 I'd imagine that as time goes on, signs will continue to change as necessary. One thing is for sure though. As long as people need information, signs will be EVERYWHERE.

Nic's Discoveries: SOCIAL LEARNING COMMUNITY

C4LPT: "Social Learning Community – Analysis of s successful start up" from @alc47 http://bit.ly/fwb28L​

Nic's Discoveries: SOCIAL LEARNING COMMUNITY:

"In just 3 weeks, Jane Hart’s (www.c4lpt.co.uk) new Yammer based Social Learning Community (http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/community.html) has exploded..."

This is GREAT! I hope social learning continues to grow and expand, so that the hearts and minds of students and teachers alike can be enriched by the insights and imaginations of others.

100 Awesome Open Courses and Lectures for Digital Artists!

LIVE TO LOVE. LOVE TO LEARN. LEARN TO CREATE!
100 Awesome Open Courses & Lectures for Digital Artists!

"Brand Storytelling In The Social Media Era" - Article Summary

 "Brand Storytelling In The Social Media Era" is an article that exposes the successful methods of branding a product through storytelling in the digital realm that truly resonates and connects to people on a meaningful level. The article explores mythological brands and mythic brands, citing that brands with great stories that "inspire people and connect with them emotionally" enjoy greater success.

  The article seeks to answer the question, "What is the state of storytelling for brands today?" According to Seth Godin, “…if I were trying to invent a mythic brand, I’d want to be sure that there was a story, not just a product or a pile of facts. That story would promise (and deliver) a heroic outcome. And there needs to be growth and mystery as well, so the user can fill in her own blanks.” Essentially, Godin is suggesting that in order to create a mythic brand, or a marketable story/concept/idea, then one must provide the consumer of information with the opportunity to think with their brains and feel with their hearts.

 The article provides a few ways in which brands can hook their audience and engage them in good ol' fashioned storytelling.

• Embrace consumers' stories. Basically, the article is suggesting that by allowing for direct involvement and participation by the consumer, they will ultimately feel a greater sense of attachment to the product and its purpose.
• Make use of the moment. In the generation of YouTube, people want their information FAST. It is pivotal that producers are up to speed and in the loop with the latest and greatest. Your ability to produce a meaningful story with brevity is essential. Thus, the use of current videos and themes has become exceedingly popular in this regard.
• Say it with a video. The article also expresses the necessity for video, stating that, "If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you do the math on how much a 4 minute video is worth." Short films and other methods of abbreviated storytelling are being used commercially now more than ever. The reason for this...? STORIES SELL PRODUCTS! People like to hear a good story, and if the product advertised has appeal or utility, then you can rest assured that there is likely a potential customer in the viewer.
• Mix the online/offline world. In the article, it states that, "American Scientist magazine‘s research on what affects people’s buying decisions more: a picture of a product, a description of it, or the real thing, revealed that the people who saw the real thing were willing to pay, on average, 50% more. Digital plays a big part in our purchasing decisions, but gaining the customer in-store is still a battle to be won. So what does this mean? That you should extend the tread of your story from the online to the offline world and vice versa."
• Go Mobile. The articles states, "Nowadays you must reach out to your audience and deliver the message one to one. You need to find them wherever they are and when they are on the go." Everyone has a cell phone, and to most people it is a lifeline without which they would not be able to live or function within society. Companies are using cell phones as agents of digital storytelling to promote their product via phone apps.
• Spread your message across different touchpoints. Ultimately, this suggestion is promoting the use of storytelling through web series. Meaning, companies should utilize a thematic structure according to their logo and image and then produce a series of spots that follow a common storyline, so that people can connect the dots and make a mental investment in the product being advertised.
• Bring your A game. These days, telling a story about a product in the digital landscape is difficult. Times are tough and money is tight. Telling a story about a product that resonates and grows within its 21st century audience to the point of commercial success is rare. Yet, if the digital story has all of the major elements of a good story, then it doesn't matter if it is about a product or not, because it will stay with the viewer and perhaps even be retold to friends and family, not to mention other potential consumers of the product, for its narrative quality. Companies must be innovative and imaginative to tell these types of stories.

 Overall, I found the article to be very interesting and a unique perspective on digital storytelling. It seems very apparent that many companies are using digital storytelling as a means of marketing their product in the 21st century. Yet, the basic methodology of using stories as a means of selling units is not incredibly archaic.Think about it... Companies have used television shows and movies for product placement for decades in attempt to increase sales. Now, it looks like companies don't need to rely on Hollywood to provide storytelling opportunities for successful marketing of their products.

READ THE ARTICLE.

The Creativity Crisis

The Creativity Crisis

 The article, The Creativity Crisis, was an interesting read. This article describes that creativity is “production of something original and useful.” What are we not doing in the great United States of America that other countries are? Why are the youth of this great country posting failing scores? Have we turned into the land of the failure, home of the braindead?

 There are so many areas in which we need creativity to improve our way of living. Creativity is not just for the artsy person, but for the responsible and civic-minded individual - which should be all of us. It is essential that we look at things in different ways and aspire to enhance the quality of it. Creativity inspires both men and women to bring about new ways of helping the world, such as presenting ideas for government policy, advancing medicine, and simply developing new technology for better living.

 You could say that kids don't have to imagine or create fun for themselves, because they can just turn on the TV and play their video games, which oftentimes do the thinking for them.  

 You could also say that our schools are more about standardized tests and rote memorization, which really promotes the opposite of creativity since it's really replication of knowledge or communicating information that is already know and accepted.

 Creativity in the youth of America is dying because of these factors. We need to instill problem solving learning and focus on true critical thinking skills. Is it possible? Other countries are doing it and enjoying great success. It requires practice. Creativity is teachable. However, it will only be learned if the teachers come up with creative ideas, like those from Akron, Ohio did.  

 The article states that a creative-problem solving program has the highest success in increasing childrens creativity, observed William & Mary’s Kem.

 Creativeness doesn’t come easy once children hit grades 4 and up. Yet, the methodology can and should be supported by teachers who are willing to look beyond the conventional way of learning.

 Among the findings of creative adults, Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi & Gary Gute, found that “parents of creative children provided stability and met their required needs but in turn expected uniqueness and challenged them to develop skills.“ I suppose this speaks to the fact that the foundation of a student's education and creative capacity derives from learning that happens at home. I hope the parents are listening...

Bad Design for a Bathroom...

This

is

just

BAD DESIGN...

 If you couldn't tell from the looks of it, this is not an ideal design for a restroom. The purpose of a restroom is to provide people with a place to go to do their business in privacy. These urinals are entirely too close in proximity to provide any man with a sense of privacy. In fact, I would imagine that if two men attempted to use these two urinals at the same time, they would most likely be joined at the hips... literally. Nonetheless, I think it is fairly obvious that this is an example of bad design.

 As you can see, the urinals are not the only place where you can fall victim to bad design. When the stalls don't touch the walls, you have a problem. Unless there is a lock on the door to ensure that you are not getting any company, then this is certainly an instance of bad design. I think I'd wait to get home before utilizing this pot as dumping grounds. If not for my own personal privacy, then simply to save others from a show that they would probably not want to see.

 In any case, it is evident that bad design in a restroom can compromise and negate the privacy factor in a place where anyone should be able to feel safe from intrusion. People are most vulnerable in a restroom, since they are exposing parts of a very private nature, so it is essential that restrooms offer a private setting for people to do their business.

Semiotics - Summary

Semiotics can be defined as not only the study of signs and symbols, but also what they mean and how they relate to things, concepts or ideas.  The founder of semiotics was Ferdinand de Saussure.  It was his theories that served as a foundation and laid the groundwork for developments that would continue in linguistics in the twentieth century.  The article states, “Semiotics represents a range of studies in art, literature, anthropology, and mass media rather than an independent, academic discipline. Those involved in the study of semiotics include linguists, philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, literary, aesthetic and media theorists, psychoanalysts and educationalists. Beyond the most basic definition, there is considerable variation amongst leading semioticians as to what semiotics involves. It is not only concerned with (intentional) communication, but also with our ascription of significance to anything in the world.”  As for this approach, beginning in the late 1960’s, a new movement took semiotics to new heights.  The article concludes, “While formerly the emphasis was on studying sign systems (language, literature, cinema, architecture, music, etc.), conceived of as mechanisms that generate messages, what is now being examined is the work performed through them."

 So, why would we care to study this?  There are several reasons why we should, but I feel that the most important purpose correlates with a quote from Daniel Chandler.  He states, "'Common sense' suggests that 'I' am a unique individual with a stable, unified identity and ideas of my own. Semiotics can help us to realize that such notions are created and maintained by our engagement with sign systems: our sense of identity is established through signs. We derive a sense of 'self' from drawing upon conventional, pre-existing repertoires of signs and codes . . .. We are thus the subjects of our sign systems rather than being 'users' who are fully in control of them."

(Daniel Chandler, Semiotics: The Basics, Routledge, 2006)