An aspect of intellectual property - from a digital immigrant’s point of view.

Social media has become a part of everyday life. The internet allows us to easily and quickly access, exchange and share information on a worldwide basis. Digital photographs for instance, are taken and instantaneously posted on the Internet for the world to see. Downloading and uploading; sharing your favorite artist’s last album or uploading the upcoming film so that all your friends get to see it too. The social media raises intellectual property challenges that are new and that still have not been addressed  by courts. Many people will find themselves not as law-abiding as they first thought. Many of them willingly share music, photos, films, TV shows and video games that aren’t theirs to share, watch or listen to.

According to a survey done by the authors of the book Born Digital, nearly ninety-90- per cent of a Digital Native sample group engaged in illegal downloading. They downloaded, amongst several other things, music from a number of sites and they did not seem to think their action was wrong in any way. The survey showed that these Digital Natives were in fact accepting and condoning casual piracy. It leaves me wondering; is this due to the fact that they don’t know any better, or is the line between right and wrong not as obvious anymore? What would the findings be if they had asked a sample group of Digital immigrants?

I reckon that most adults still recognize the line between right and wrong and understand the consequences of theft. But when it comes to the internet, and the matter of down- and uploading and sharing, I am not convinced this line is so obvious to all adults either. The internet makes stealing so easy and “painless”. Isn’t it true that today the advantages significantly outweigh the possible consequences? Where does that line really fall?  How, and when, will the law be enforced and by whom?

For many youngsters, using the internet is a social activity, allowing them to keep updated and keep in touch with the rest of the World.  It offers them the opportunity to interact with others in a variety of ways and the chance to get hold of much wanted music, films, games and TV shows. I do not believe that youngsters of today do not know the difference between right and wrong. I do believe, however, that they simply do not know any other or simpler way, to get hold of the stuff they want. Unlike when I was young, there are hardly any “offline” record shops left. I believe” the right” and “the wrong” feel similar to them somehow, especially due to the fact that they are both accessed through desktop clients.

The Internet has made everything so accessible. It’s so easy, perhaps too easy, to get hold of intellectual property without paying for it. There is no shop-assistant looking you in the eye, and in the end it doesn’t feel like a “theft” either.  Why? Maybe because you do not have to enter a shop and steal an actual physical product. Unlike the CD cases in your bookshelf, files downloaded to your computer don’t necessarily feel like” real products”? They are "just" files... And  honestly,  is there not reason to believe that educators and parents have not been the best role-models or teachers either ? 

Music really makes me feel good and often brings back many good and precious memories. Two days ago I received a music CD, which I ordered on the internet, in the mail. While I sat there in the living room enjoying the music and reading the lyrics, it struck me that I was actually enjoying the result of someone else's hard work. She must have been practicing over and over, day in and day out. I’m truly happy that some people are able, and willing, to follow their dreams and invest the time and money needed to create music for me and others to enjoy.

However, would I not enjoy the music just as much if I just downloaded it for free from one of the many sites on the internet? Did I really just buy the product because I know that stealing is wrong? Would I have bought the record if I knew that I wouldn’t get caught  "stealing" it ? Should I continue buying my CDs or not?  Well, I  believe that, by buying the CD I have supported that artist, making it possible for her to keep making good music and living her dream. And even more importantly, by buying the product I have shown the artist some, much deserved, respect. I think that actually paying for the CD is a way of telling her that the product she made really meant something to me. 

              

Is it the industry itself that is to blame? Should record companies and film studios spend more time, and money, developing services that reduce the spread of piracy? In just a few years, services like Spotify, Wimp and Itunes have become very popular. They benefit from the possibilities that the internet offers in terms of making music, amongst other things, available to listeners within seconds, at  reasonable prices. Will services like these appeal to youngsters in future too ? I most certainly do not think we will manage to convince Digital Natives to retreat to CDs.

My father- in- law, who is now 67 years old, recently discovered that he could buy music notes on several sites on the internet. They only cost him a small sum of money and he now logs on to the internet and buys them on a regular basis. I am quite certain that he has never searched the web to find out if he could get the same music notes for “free”. Why is that?  Is it because he is not aware of the fact that a quick search on Google would give him a variety of opportunities? Is he just not familiar with the possibilities or has it never been an option? Or is it  just due to the fact that he knows that downloading the music notes without paying would be stealing? What would YOU do? Would you pay for the music notes, or would you just spend the extra 30 seconds it would take to search, find and download them for free? 

In the end, I believe that what separates the pirate from the buyer, the law-abiding from the lawbreaking, is each and every individuals’ ethical and moral compass. So, while you adjust your compass I am going to enjoy my newly bought CD, knowing that I did the right thing. To steal or not to steal; isn’t that the question?

An aspect of digital retention- from a Digital Immigrant`s point of view

The EU introduced the Data Retention Directive in 2006; the main reason for the introduction was that it could be used as a tool in the fight against terrorism. On the 4^th of April this year the Norwegian parliament came to an agreement on including the controversial EU Data Retention Directive in Norwegian law. All telecommunication and internet traffic, extensive numbers of traffic and location data, will be stored for six months. Despite this introduction it will, according to various experts,still be easy for criminals to avoid detection through fairly simple means. It leaves us with the simple, but fundamental question; where do we draw the line for state control of law-abiding citizens?

The lists of both pros and cons are endless and have been discussed in newspapers, on the internet and in schools and at workplaces for some time. It is not that I do not believe in fighting serious crime. But I do believe that we all should be able to keep our autonomy. Introducing the Data Retention Directive to Norwegian law interferes with the democratic legal principle that says everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I am afraid it has now, somehow, turned the other way around.

Considering the time and age we live in, the digital social media is inextricably linked to children and young people's everyday life. They handle various channels and media with a limitless ability and spend most of their days in  traceable digital environments. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who has been credited with creating the World Wide Web, compared access to the Internet with access to water. Berners-Lee admitted that access to water is obviously a more fundamental right because humans cannot survive without it. But today, anyone who lacks Internet access will fall behind their more connected peers, losing in the process.

Digital natives frequently change their profiles, express or self-promote on a number of sites, create groups for different interests, they build networks and relationships the same way, post, tag, and participate in the different groups. To miss or not be present in these networks is like missing out on life itself. Norwegian children are major consumers of the internet and nearly all children aged13 and over are surfing the internet several times a day. I believe we are in for a great change in the way we communicate. I believe we are about to change our society, from being one based on trust, to one being based on control. Will this not change the way we communicate and act? Will this not change the way we trust each other, even people we hardly know, in the sense that we will not feel free to express ourselves and want to share and collaborate?

Being a digital immigrant I can step back in time and compare the computer with the much forgotten letterbox. Would I appreciate someone controlling all the post that went in to my letterbox? Who sent it, from where and when it was sent, when it arrived  and when I picked it up, when I opened it or if I just threw it away immediately`? Couldn’t someone on the grounds of that information, make up a story about me and pass on information about me believing it to be true, only based on their own conviction? We are all human beings and stereotyping is a way of relating to world around us. This will be true for the persons given the power to decide who and what crime that goes on the “suspect list” or not. It is reprehensible that there has not been given proper answers to the risk of misuse; what happens when data gets in to the wrong hands.

It is a fact that the internet allows digital natives and digital immigrants to easily and quickly access and exchange information on a worldwide basis. We have the whole world at our feet. This gives digital natives of today the opportunity to get to know people from all over the world. And whether we like it or not, even people from countries and places that have a bad international reputation. We as law-abiding citizens should be able to communicate in private contexts with people from such countries, or that background, without worrying about; that these conversations may be used against us in future. It reminds me; sadly enough, of George Orwell’s book 1984. There are many Big brothers watching all of us.

An aspect of information privacy– from a Digital Immigrant`s point of view

Never has so much information about every Tom, Dick and Harry been so easily accessible to so many. We share more information with each other than ever before. Digital natives are growing up in the midst of a massive transition when it comes to privacy. Privacy, as I and other digital immigrants knew it, will never be the same again.Some things might be changed to protect them and some things will most certainly not.

Increasing numbers of youngsters are putting very private information into online services without thinking about what may happen to the shared information further down the line.Many Digital Natives share private information online that they would not share with anyone in the analogue world. All this information will be collected stored and part of their digital dossier for the rest of their life. Their digital dossier will be there whether they like it or not. What does identity mean for youngsters today? What can identity mean when they have dozens of online profiles and avatars? They should be concerned about identity thefts or that information they share may be misused. The gap between this generation and that of Digital immigrants, especially concerning digital literacy and participation, may be one of our time`s biggest challenges.

A survey done by Gjensidigestiftelsen recently ,on conditions concerning children’s upbringing, reveals that Norwegian children are major consumers of the internet. Seven out of ten children log on to the internet on a daily basis. Nearly all children aged13 and over are surfing the internet several times a day. YouTube, MSN and Facebook are the most popular services and  62 per cent of all children have their own profile on various social services.

There were initially, various online communities that were thought suitable and designed for children and communities designed for adults such as Facebook and Twitter. Facebook, twitter and other social communities have now become a meeting place across generation boundaries. One out of three twelve year olds` have their own profile on Facebook and the age boundaries between children and adults are blurred. Unlike the real world where there are age limits, closing hours and face to face communication, children have access to almost anything on the net around the clock. Many of them are taking part in actions they really aren`t ready for. They trade privacy for attention, posting videos on YouTube, photos on Facebook, or messages that are humiliating, embarrassing or even illegal.

When they/we are connected to the internet and using more and more of our time in the digital environment we are all leaving traces behind. The more time we spend participating in internet life the more of our privacy we give away. They/We are leaving traces behind that are easily collected and saved in multiple places all over the world, tracks that can be used for all the wrong reasons. My main concern is that, however hard we/they try we will never get rid of, or be able to delete internet actions of the past. All the traces left behind will be stuck in cyberspace like tattoos.

Companies are sharing data about us in the interest of understanding ouror their preferences better. This information will be used for different purposes further down the line, for what kind of purposes we do not know. The information shared in digital form in one context, according to an initial set of rules, may be presented to the world according to quite another set of rules. 

The two major problems are the digital natives’ dossier and their identity. Many digital natives will face a major privacy challenge in future when it comes to all the information they share with each other. They willingly share private information, photos; that are tagged or posts that are posted on their profiles by other friends and their friends. As teachers and parents we have to make our pupils/children stop and think. 

We have to make them aware of the norms of what to share with the rest of the world and what not to share. We have to teach them to question the motives of them asking for the information, and make sure they understand how this may affect their life later. We will have to engage and participate and listen to one another and together establish shared positive norms regarding privacy. The person that can do the most to protect their digital privacy is the digital user him- or herself. We have to make sure that we learn them these skills so that they can stay in control of their own life.

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

A socio-cultural aspect of ICT – from a Digital Immigrant`s point of view.

The internet allows pupils to easily and quickly access and exchange information on a worldwide basis.  For many youngsters using the internet is a social activity, allowing them to keep updated and to keep in touch with the rest of the World, so to speak.  It offers them the opportunity to interact with others in a variety of ways. 

At the same time the internet gives many youngsters the possibility to escape from the constraints of their everyday identities. Identity thought of largely as a product of a group membership.  They can promote themselves as they please,with any features they find helpful or necessary in different online communities. They get to choose the identity they like, or one they find called for, in the given online community. Many youngsters play online games or are active on websites like Facebook.They construct avatars that represent themselves or create a cyberspace identity that is made up to fit the" requirements "of the online community.

For many parents/teachers many of these websites, as well as these fantasy identities, have become challenging. Many different issues have been discussed concerning emotional, physical and sexual risks associated with youngsters’ access to the internet. An increasing number of parents and teachers are worried about how some youths' socialize. Some of them practically don`t. Not psychically, face to face, anyway. Many youngsters seem to be unable to communicate with each other without having their computer at hand. Many simply don`t find it necessary or interesting to meet face to face. A concerned father told me that his son came home one day and said, and I quote:” Dad, I wish you would get yourself a facebook account so that we could talk to each other like they do in other families”.

Parents and fellow teachers claim that their children/pupils prefer staying at home chatting with their “friends” online instead of meeting up with friends in real life. Some of the children told their parents they preferred being able to communicate with others when they had the opportunity to use their constructed avatar, it made life so much easier and less demanding. Both parents and teachers have challenged these children/pupils to socialize in their spare time without bringing their computers. The parents experienced that their sons and daughters ended up left out and even worse, without friends.

If it is getting difficult for many youngsters to meet each other face to face,we will be facing some serious problems in society. When increasing numbers of youngsters feel that many social settings are so demanding that they avoid them we need to do something. These are problems we have to take seriously, but where do we start? 

Sources:

Samovar, L., Porter R, Mc Daniel, E(2010): " Communication between cultures", Wadsworth, engage Learning. Boston, USA.

An educational aspect of ICT– from a Digital Immigrant`s point of view

Children and youngsters of today are often called Digital Natives or “digi-kids”. They were born in to the digital world and have always been surrounded by computers, videogames, cell phones, the internet and other digital tools and gadgets. Digital immigrants, like myself, were born prior to the digital revolution, the internet era, and have had to adjust, learn and become acquainted with the new way of thinking, communicating and processing information. Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants are specific labels derived from a series of articles written by Mark Prensky. I understand the two terms to be based purely on time of birth, not on interest or technical skill. I would argue however, that the gaps between the two or gaps within in the same group are due to either lack of skill, interest or understanding of what is new and hot in the digital world right now. 

 Digital Native pupils and Digital immigrant teachers.

According to Mark Prensky, and I quote:

“…the single biggest problem facing education today is that our Digital immigrant instructors, who speak an out-dated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language.”

Digital Natives feel that too many Digital Immigrant Teachers tend to teach, use methods, learning styles and language of the past. The multitasking generation think that their teachers are outdated, ineffective and that they are struggling to motivate and acknowledge their long acquired and perfected interests and skills. Some pupils feel that they don`t fit in to the world appreciated and emphasized in school. It is also argued that the rapid rise of ICT has made new generation gaps within the Digital Native group. Many early Digital Natives already feel outdated on many areas and left out of their “own” culture.

At the same time, it seems as if Digital Immigrant teachers tend to expect that ALL Digital Natives are confident and expert computer users.For that reason alone they feel insecure and unwilling to use ICT in learning processes. Many of them feel that as soon as they succeed in handling a new digital tool or gadget, it is already “so yesterday`s news” They were taught to handle and use the computer like a modern typewriter. For many Digital Immigrants the computer will never be anything more or else than just that; a modern typewriter. Some use the new technology like something old and familiar and do not feel the need to amend their teaching strategies. Despite their own insecurity and lack of experience with the new technology they are now obliged by the Norwegian curriculum to use ICT like pen and paper.

The generation gaps result in much frustration. I think both Digital Natives and Immigrants need to appreciate the potential of new technology. We need to use the technology in ways that enriches the learning processes for all.

My impression is that many youngsters are experts on cell phones, videogames and all forms of Internet interaction. The internet is replete with websites that allow them to self- express or self- promote, chat and so on.Despite this, I am often surprised that so many of them don`t have the basic and often necessary skills needed to complete, or hand in schoolwork, for instance. It also seems to me that they think that words like “clicking” and "learning" express the same. 

A while ago I asked some 16 year olds to write about a Norwegian Author born after 1850  and then orally present him or her to the rest of the class. They easily found the information they needed on the internet. In order to check their basic skills and use of sources, part of the task was to hand in all their sources on paper. It turned out that 12 out of 25 didn`t know how to print out pages from the web. Despite the fact that they were all given clear objectives for the task, many of them ended up simply “reading” exactly what they found online, no processing what so ever, in my eyes; no learning. These presentations were of course poorly graded. The pupils in question were outraged and couldn`t understand why. Even though we had discussed and explained this a thousand times before, we had to use quite some time to get them to understand that it there is no learning in just reproducing other people’s texts. In addition to that we had to, as for all tasks involving use of the internet, repeat why it is wrong and illegal to pass on whatever they find on the internet as their own. It seems to me that we still have things to learn from each other.

Personally, I don`t think my job as a teacher is to learn Digital Natives how to access the internet, most of them master that a whole lot better than me. I think my main job is to make sure that I try, in every way I possibly can, to reach each and every pupil. That will, and must, involve me getting to know and getting more acquainted with “their world”. I will have to challenge myself to be a connector, a coach, a content creator and a true collaborator. I think my focus has to be on how I can make them use all their know- how, experience, perfected skills and engagement in such a way that they learn new skills, construct new meaning, take full advantage of their opportunities, feel that they succeed and stay the one, and only, King in their own life. 

Sources: 


Prensky, Marc(2001): "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants"   http://www.marcprensky.com
Richardson, Will (2009) "Blogs, Wikis,Podcasts and other powerful web tools for Classrooms", Corwin Press, California, USA.