The Sonikcycle Syndicate

My loyalty to the Linkademic brand is now irrefutably established. I’ve noticed over the last couple of weeks that when I go to grab one of my favorite Linkademic mugs I repeat, “Gettin’ out da Linky” at least 3 times in a loud, affected Yooper dialect. Now, that may sound like Michael home alone going stir-crazy, but, in fact, it is precisely what CrazyMagicBoots and I used to say when hauling out da “linker” rod from the back of the RJD van - days I fondly remember. In other words, this repetition of “good ol’ days” nostalgic phrases reflects not madness; rather nothing less than Linkademic love and loyalty ;->

I just returned from a 5-day leadership training workshop down in lovely Lake Yale, Florida (just north of Orlando). I was sponsored by IMPACT (Interfaith Movement for Promoting Action by Congregations Together), a new, local affiliate of The Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART). It was an exciting and inspiring week for many reasons, but the one worth noting here is the remarkable potential of direct action as a means to challenging and redeeming the economic, political and social systems that create and perpetuate injustice.

The direct action model to be employed here stems directly from the strategies devised by Saul Alinsky, the “granddaddy” of community organizing, and is empowered by the respective “prophetic calls” to do justice shared by all communities of faith. The power comes from people, in this case local religious congregations, who are organized in such a way that they’re able to exercise power at an institutional level — individuals can’t negotiate with a transit authority, but IMPACT can! At street-level, here’s how it looks:

• Justice ministry leaders conduct grassroots “listening sessions” to discover the problems affecting their respective communities.
• A general assembly is held to vote on which problems will be addressed (e.g. 600+ people from 15 congregations in C’ville selected “transportation” and “affordable housing”).
• After researching the problem, a specific issue is “cut,” and a feasible solution is developed (e.g. transportation => new bus routes, or extended hours).
• Local congregations develop “justice ministry networks” comprised of members who agree to attend an Action Meeting to which they will bring 3 other people.
• The Action Meeting is a grand exercise of organized people power where city officials and decision-makers are asked point-blank, yes or no, whether they will carry out the solutions proposed. When faced with hundreds and sometimes thousands of determined people and a well-researched, reasonable solution to a specific issue, few officials can say no!

What excites me about this direct action process is that it is simple and effective. While writing to our representatives and elected officials, public demonstrations and sit-ins, and affecting change from the voting booth are all tried and true practices, tactically, such efforts seem to pale in comparison with “direct action.” When I hear of the many wonderful examples of how this process has served to bring greater justice to communities around the country, I can’t wait to get out and start building my network!!

Technorati Tags: DART, direct action research and training center, social justice, community organizing

There are 2 new blogs on the block: Mable Kinzie invites us to “experience design” at GreenAiro, and Kathy invites us to ponder games & multimedia in education. Welcome, ladies!

Mable’s latest post on the Luv Bug triggered some old mems from my Berkeley daze… No, that Luv Bug never never did putter about the Bay Area (as far as I know), but there were plenty of other intriguing rides. For example, the “Cloud Car” driven by the beloved “Cloud Man” who airbrushed clouds and flying hearts on everything from his vehicles, homes, and t-shirts sold on the street (I wore mine until it was threadbare ;->).

Ahhh yes, the connections we make…..

Technorati Tags: greenairo, design, games, multimedia, blogs

Nearly 2 years ago, I registered with Facebook where I sat in friendless oblivion, that is, until last week. Well, I wasn’t completely friendless — 2 different guys named Michael Kelley requested to be my “friend,” I accepted. When I first surfed around Facebook I felt old and lost among all of the 20-somethings. But last week, when I ran across someone I know, everything changed. As it turns out, all of the students I know in the Muslim Student Association here at UVa are Facebookers! Naturally, I sent invitations to all and BINGO, I found the party!

In contrast to blogging, where it seems one must work hard at connecting and communicating, there’s something rather “organic” and natural about the socializing that’s going on in Facebook– people are actually using it, effortlessly. Anyway, Meg McEvoy’s article “Facebook Nation” has new meaning for me.

Ahh, the joys of the tech-connect! Fellow Sonikcycle syndic, CrazyMagicBoots (a.k.a. Tim Buck, or TimmBukk), just got himself a MacBook - and he diggin’ it! We just had a Skype video chat and I’m still a-glow with the warm fuzzys of reunion. CMB lives and works in Korea, and he was on a break getting ready for a b’day party for some hogwan youngsters…

His girlfriend is already complaining about his incessant use of The (Mac) Force. I suspect we’ll be hearing alot more from ol’ Tim Buck, too ;->

Last week, I decided to start running my iBook and my secondary (soon to be primary) PC desktop with Ubuntu. I was excited, nay exurberant, to say the least. With my Ubuntu install CDs in hand, I rushed home and started installing… but I didn’t get very far! The iBook has a very large video file that I don’t want to lose. I tried to back it up on a DVD, but the DVD file got corrupted (?). So, I have to postpone the iBook transformation until the video file is safe. Then came the PC. The install began nicely, but very quickly it turned into a blank screen over a CD that churned for hours and wouldn’t eject. Come to find out, the PC doesn’t meet the minimum specs for an Ubuntu install, silly me. I have a machine that I can cannibalize for RAM, now I just need the spare time ;->

During all of this, I found myself reconsidering my seemingly impetuous decision. I found myself wondering about how I would work without the trusty apps on which I had come to rely, such as Dreamweaver/Flash/Fireworks, and Final Cut. At the time, I was in such a state of infatuation, I might have thrown everything out of the window before taking adequate steps towards a proper migration. I am thankful that my actions were effectively tempered by the noncompliance of my equipment.

I am still quite enthusiastic about the operating system that takes its name from the traditional African concepts of “I am what I am because of who we are” and “humanity to others,” and I fully intend to operate my computing systems on Ubuntu GNU/Linux, but I shall migrate in a more intelligent and purposeful way… More on this later, eh ;->

Technorati Tags: ubuntu, gnu/linux, install

I just stepped off a rewarding php/mysql learning curve and I’m only delighted to be able to introduce the project I mentioned last week, CallQuest. CallQuest is based on Steve’s application of a Google Map API in his nifty wireless hotspot mapping project, GeoWiFinder. The goal of CallQuest is to present the sights and sounds of Islam from around the world through examples of calls to prayer and images of mosques. Users are encouraged to upload their own images and audio files of mosques in their area, or wherever they happen to be. I’m hoping to capture some of the depth and breadth of this aspect of the Islamic experience.

The idea for this project fell out of a conversation on VoIP and Skype over at GenTech. As I pondered the “Skype Me” status of Skype users, it occured to me that I might cold call Muslims (in “Skype Me” mode) around the world, and when a call to prayer comes pouring out over the loudspeaker in the background, I could get them to stick their microphones out of their windows and capture the sounds “live”! It wasn’t long before I realized that GeoWiFinder was the perfect platform in this quest for calls, and something far more interesting than my own personal habit of collecting sound files ;->

Gargantuan heaps of thanks are due to Dr. Whitaker for his patient tutelage and keen insights… Thanks, Doc!

Technorati Tags: islam, masjid, mosque, adhan, call to prayer, skype, voip

This morning, as I sat here drinking coffee, reading my mail, and checking to make sure the sky hadn’t fallen, a Skype call came in but the caller was not one of the usual suspects! As it happened, the caller, one Mohamed Sherif, had seen my Jyve profile (Jyve is a network of Skype users) which indicates my interest in learning Arabic, and he made a “cold call”! I couldn’t believe it! Just as advertised, Jyve was connecting people who are interested in learning languages and who are seeking others with whom to practice. Since I have yet to actually begin any formal study of the Arabic language, our conversation was in English. But that suited Mohamed just fine because as an Egyptian living in Saudi Arabia and working in a multinational company, his need to improve his English is more pressing than is my need to learn Arabic Furthermore, as a teacher of English as a foreign language, I was only happy to have the opportunity to spread “the word” ;->

I was also thrilled because I was able to solicit content from Mohamed for my new project, CallQuest. With CallQuest, I am hoping to collect digital recordings of the calls to prayer from mosques around the world, as well as images and any other interesting facts about each mosque. More on this, soon!

Technorati Tags: jyve, skype, voip

Photo by: .K.

Last night, I experienced the elusive “peak creative experience.” As I sat out on my screened-in front porch enjoying a thunderstorm roll over Lake Orion, I flipped on my digital recorder hoping to catch some big thunderboomers. I did — no big claps, but a few nice rollers. Without even thinking about it, it occured to me, “Hey, this might sound good under that impromptu kecapi+vocal music I recorded last year…” Sure enough, the two tracks fell into place like they were one. This piece is certainly not the most original of my creative endeavors (I just did the mixing), but it turned out to be very powerful… it takes me back to my life on the equator… I can smell the wet tropical lushness… Although I am thoroughly amused and satisfied by my more “crafted” works, the ones I like the most are those that just fall into place! Exercising one’s creativity is like fishing — one never knows when a big fish will strike ;->

BTW, the kecapi is in the zither family of instruments, and is native to West Java (Sunda). The musicians are Ismet & Ati (a husband and wife duo) and they hail from Bandung, West Java. They are the founders of SambaSunda.

Check out more Standard SoundFarm Issue.

Technorati Tags: kecapi, sunda, west java, indonesia, thunder

Catchy title, no? Hehehe… It is with great pleasure that I direct your attention to Podcast2.0, a welcome newcomer to the conversation on educational technology. Rest assured, the lunacy you may consider to be reflected in the above title is purely my own, and NOT that of the illustrious Steve Whitaker and Roger Geyer, hosts of Podcast2.0 (their lunacy has more to do with… oops, there I go again, wanting to tell tales out of school ;->).

I just finished listening to their first show and I’d like to chime in (at length) with a couple of thoughts. Early on in the podcast, Roger suggests that there’s a general sense that the implications of web2.0 are “huge,” albeit elusive. Steve then goes on to bring up the “tipping point” question: Are these web2.0 tools like most educational technologies of the past, or will they be different? That is, can web2.0 technologies be leveraged to significantly enhance learning in the classroom? Many folks, myself included, are very excited about what’s appearing on the edtech horizon. As Roger and Steve mention, the buzz words include “participatory,” “2-way web,” “multilateral collaboration,” and “student generated content.” But has anyone stopped to consider the fact that the concepts behind these terms are in conflict with fundamental process of conventional schooling? Or that when O’Reilly says that web2.0 is “an attitude, not a technology,” he’s pointing to a premise that has the potential to revolutionize the way citizens become educated?

I believe that when learners truly begin to adopt this “web2.0 attitude,” and when they truly begin “participating” in their own learning, and developing “2-way” relationships with other participants, and generating content that is meaningful to them as individuals, they just might realize that they have little need for the mandated coercion that is their common experience in school. Then, when they find out that they don’t really need to go to “school” to get in to college, or to be successful and happy in life… oooh baby, look out! The monolithic system of bloated bureaucracy that is today’s public education may be rendered obsolete. (The cynical me says, “Like THAT would ever happen!”).

I tend not to think of the tipping point in terms of whether web2.0 technology can be leveraged to enhance learning in classrooms, but rather whether administrators, politicians, businessmen, and even teachers, can relinquish control to a grassroots force driven by an open source attitude and a share-alike style.

Technorati Tags: web2.0, education, edtech