November, 2015

Dear Diary,

I registered for the classes I would like to take  in the Spring Semester of 2016. I wanted to complete the required courses and select the others from the Topics Courses. I immediately went through the list because in the past I was so disappointed that several of these programs were not offered. I was told the professors were off on sabbatical or away for some other reason. This time, however, a substitute course was being offered for EGL 506, and listed as: Topics in Composition and Writing, EGL 614. What a relief!

January 17th 2015

Dear Diary,

We were notified that a tentative syllabus and calendar had been posted in Documents on the SBU Blackboard. I was curious, and checked right away. The overview stated “Welcome to Writing 614, Digital Rhetorics (Reading/Writing/Culture Across Networks), a graduate course offered by Stony Brook University Program in Writing and Rhetoric and cross-listed by the English Department. My immediate reaction was: Digital Rhetorics? What in the world is this? I perused the document and the words that jumped out at me were ‘digital spaces’, ‘digital composing’, ‘blog’, and ‘new media literacies’. What are these concepts? What in the world am I getting myself into?

January 28th, 2016

Dear Diary,

Just before going to class I braced myself and read the rest of the document posted by the Professor. She gave an outline of the course and assignments as well as the regulations. ..”This is possibly one of the strangest reading lists you’ll ever see for a graduate humanities class…This is a disciplinary area in continual flux. I invite you to contribute your own findings to this list! bring in your own theoretical leanings, or pedagogical training, to bear on the course work.”  I hear myself asking…’Gwen do you really want to do something you are unsure of?’

At 4pm class was convened. I learned that there were other students who were as puzzled as I was. How does ‘Topics in Composition and Writing’ become ‘Digital Rhetorics’? No one asked the Professor the question. We all listened. The background information on the origins of the internet was interesting. The activity that followed put my mind at ease as I learned that I was not the only one who had not had any formal computer training but interacted with the machines on an experimental basis. However, what worried me was how I would be able to set up my own blog with an avatar…something I had no clue about! In the days which followed the class, I visited various websites and finally chose wordpress.com. This website was not complicated and I set up my blog without assistance from anyone. The challenge was getting my avatar embedded. Every time I tried, Safari sent notification that the source I was using was not a secure site. This was frustrating! I took a break and did some thinking, maybe I was doing something wrong. I reached out for help and was comforted to learn that Safari had responded in the same way and refused to cooperate. That was when I turned to Firefox and in seconds my avatar was in place.

At last! My avatar is embedded!

February 4th, 2016

Dear Diary,

I was fascinated by the information that came out of class discussion on Remediation. Immediately I reflected on the saying, ‘Nothing is new under the sun.’ I recalled the many songs and films in which remediation played a major role in producing what was exciting and different. I had no difficulty then in writing a blog on Natalie and Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’, a duet I enjoyed immensely.

Virtual duet, Nat King Cole, many years deceased and his daughter in a live performance. Youtube video by Joey Coco

February 11th, 2016

Dear Diary,

The Hayles document captured my attention and I read beyond the pages that had been assigned. Of course, her language was filled with jargon which could have been a turn off for anyone not used to cutting through such language in order to appreciate the main argument being advanced. I made a connection between Hayles’ thoughts about flickering signifiers and the Sherlock video, “A Scandal in Belgravia”. But, as a student of Drama, I saw so much more that the video presented thematically and technologically. I enjoyed doing my class presentation on it.

February 18th, 2016

Dear Diary,

In reviewing “A Rape in Cyberspace”, I was surprised that some of the contributors were insensitive to the fact that people who had been victims of rape, could relive that whole painful experience through the cyberspace presentation. However, I did take the point that cyberspace must be democratic in respecting the fact that there are limits to individual freedoms where those freedoms infringe on the rights and freedoms of others.

February 25th,2016

Dear Diary,

This session, though interesting, was highly theoretical and more intense than previous sessions. Maybe an activity such as a debate could have created some excitement.

March 3rd, 2016

Dear Diary,

The class enjoyed several lively discussions on Video Games and ‘My Life As a Night Elf Priest. Those of us who had never played games were able to actively participate in the class having had the experience of watching others play. This session facilitated peer learning and dialogue on controversial issues raised by the casting of characters and whether race or gender were important factors in their creation.

March 10th, 2016

Dear Diary,

“Remix” provided much food for thought, and Lessig made an invaluable point about public access to important documents. This is important in any functioning democracy. The presentation by Guest Lecturer, Darren Chase, gave invaluable guidelines for avoiding infringement of the copyright laws. I felt outrage at  Aaron Swartz’s experience and the film by Knappenberger made me feel compelled to get on my soap box, and so I did, speaking from my heart, monologue style.

Address to the ‘jury’ in the Aaron Swartz ‘case’

March 24th 2016

Dear Diary,

KAIROS was interesting and gave useful pointers for persons interested in publishing. The discussion on the creation of webtexts was complicated but informative. At the end of the session, I reflected on why so many publishing houses were motivated by greed rather than a genuine interest in promoting and encouraging writing as an art.

March 31st, 2016

Dear Diary,

Wiki is an internet source I was always warned not to use as it was unreliable. This class gave me the opportunity to see the positive side of Wiki as a useful tool in the classroom. The value of ePortfolio was something I never gave much thought to. This is another teaching treasure.

April 7, 2016

Dear Diary,

It was great fun looking for Memes and learning of their power to communicate messages at different levels. Students in a classroom would love this! Online Activism also provided food for thought, as an avenue through which people could make their voices heard and press for action. Although hackers featured prominently in the literature, we had to look at the pros and cons of hacking. This was enlightening.

April 14th, 2016

Dear Diary,

One brave student presented her project which was nearing completion. It was her first effort at creating a webtext and she did an excellent job. She shared her experiences with us explaining the moments of joy as well as disappointment. She benefited from comments and recommendations from the class, and we benefited from the experiences she shared.

April 21st, 2016

Dear Diary,

I signed up to meet with Professor Davidson at 2.30. This turned out to be a very productive event. I had the opportunity to ask specific questions about my project and she gave invaluable advice as to how I could enhance my work. I was happy, but asked myself what is APA format ? I never ever had to use it…but now I know why…it is usually used for scientific documents and I was dealing with time sensitive material. My project work became addictive. I was driven to write and create every day and loved it. I had no fear of experimenting and did a lot of that, and learned important things as I went along. For example, the website was kind enough to warn me not to embed a video I had made unless it was first converted, if not, my system would  crash. I spent hours playing around with the video until I got it converted to mp4. There was cause for celebration! Of course there were frustrations like trying to call St.Kitts and not getting through because the internet was down island wide! Added to that, my internet service here in Long Island was unstable at times but thankfully, I only lost one sentence.

April 28th and May 5th, 2016

Dear Diary,

I looked forward to these last two sessions with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the interaction but dreaded having to put my work on the screen before the class. I was far more comfortable talking about it rather than showing it. Professor Davidson insisted. I spoke confidently, but my hands trembled and I struggled to control the ‘butterflies’ in my stomach when I had to look at my work on screen. Words could never express my relief when I had to end to allow the final presenter to do her job!

Now I am completely relaxed and can reflect on the entire experience, I can say that despite my initial hesitancy, which is often caused by fear of the unknown, this has been an enjoyable and thoroughly rewarding experience. So will you celebrate with me in the traditional style of my country? Or as we say it….come and shake a leg?

Youtube video by Carib Island Films

 

 

 

    

A view of the Atlantic Ocean from St.Kitts                   (tripadvisor.com) View of Nevis from Turtle Beach in St.Kitts

Can you imagine a world in which your government can barely afford digital technology, therefore, people who are technologically skilled have to be brought in from overseas? Can you imagine losing electricity on a regular basis and having an unreliable internet service? In the developed world, we take so much for granted!

I felt moved to use my project to explore the launch of a new government e-portal on the St. Kitts and Nevis website, and to look closely at the historical context in which the launch takes place, including an evaluation of government modes of communication in the past, and the increasing number of local young persons who have now become technology savvy as a result of access to information technology training. Several young men, under 25 years of age built the portal.

My project examines the new technology that has been introduced and the potential it  has to promote our largest income earner, tourism, as well as cricket, carnival, music festival and traditional folklore which are all important contributors to the Gross Domestic Product.

View of Pinney’s Beach in Nevis (travel.usnews.com)

Our small island nation has no natural minerals. Our only resources are our agricultural lands, rain forests, beaches and our people. However, the portal also offers citizens a technology which can support democracy.

https://www.gov.kn/

The Mendez Group out of the Netherlands, which is headquartered in Boston, USA, provided the platform on which the applications for the e-portal were built. They employed bi modal 2 speed IT and enabled the building of visual applications. They also provided an infrastructure that was resilient yet cost effective.

 

Presentation by members of the MENDEX Group. Youtube video by Adam Anderson March 8, 2016

While the new technology offers the country a promising future, there are challenges to be overcome. These include financing to service and maintain the system and catering to those persons who are not technologically literate or do not have access to digital devices.

In conducting my research, I faced a few challenges:1. sudden loss of internet service while I was typing the text, 2.because of how recent this event is, information and data are still unfolding, 3. most of the information had to be downloaded from the internet, so there are few text sources. Additionally, 4. most of the videos were unedited or raw footage. Of course, I had to experiment with the technology as there were operations I never ever had to undertake. However, the tables turned in one important respect, I was able to teach my computer savvy daughter a few things, for example how to convert a video in order to embed it in a blog. This activity, despite its frustrations, gave me immeasurable pleasure. I share the enthusiasm of my friends and relatives, and am delighted to share our joy with everyone.

Winners of the steel pan contest in St.Kitts. Youtube video by Kevin Barett, December 27, 2015

Introduction

                     A view of St.Kitts and Nevis at the nearest point

Geographic location of the islands

The Federation of St.Kitts and Nevis is located at the tip of the northern leewards chain of islands in the Caribbean, just 200 miles south of Puerto Rico. These two islands, separated by water, are 2 miles apart at the nearest point, have a total land area of 104 square miles, a population of approximately 51,000 people, and boast a tropical climate year round. They were former British colonies that gained their independence from Great Britain in September, 1983, and still adopt the British parliamentary system with elections that are ‘first past the post,’ and conducted every five years.

Islands of sun, sea and sand

The islands have black volcanic sand on the beaches near to the Mount Liamigua volcano, and white coral sand on the south eastern section of the islands. There are no major natural resources other than the fertile agricultural lands and natural rain forests. St.Kitts and Nevis are completely surrounded by water with the Caribbean sea on one side, and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The economy is heavily dependent on tourism followed by construction, light manufacturing, financial services, fisheries and agriculture. There is limited technological development, therefore, in recent years, there has been a major concentration on computer technology, and efforts are now  being made to harness geothermal energy and solar energy as alternatives to fossil fuels.

                                        View of The Atlantic Ocean in St.Kitts

Focus on Information Technology in education

For the past 15 years, students in the high schools have been encouraged to do computer training partly because many workplaces required basic literacy in computing. Years later, the Government of Taiwan entered into an agreement with the Government of St.Kitts and Nevis to provide training in computer hardware and software operations, and to donate laptops to students in the college and secondary schools.

The advent of posthumanity

This agreement has had a life-altering effect on many citizens. Students who were already attracted to the many functions of the I phone and the appeal of video games, became far more responsive to visual presentations. Additionally, their engagement extended to kinesthetic responses as they interacted with ‘intelligent machines’ to make meaning of whatever they saw and read. Therefore, this initiative encouraged the growth of an increasing number of young posthuman citizens. As a result, it became difficult to draw a distinguishing line between “bodily existence and computer simulation”, in other words, the boundaries between the human organism and digital technology are not readily distinguishable as the human brain decodes messages and so do the machines. This development proved N. Katherine Hayles argument to be a valid one. Hailes posits: “Increasingly the question is not whether we will become posthuman, for posthumanity is already here. Rather, the question is what kind of posthumans we will be…The narratives of Artificial Life reveal that if we acknowledge that the observer must be part of the picture, bodies can never be made of information alone, no matter which side of the computer screen they are on.” Bodies are both biological and cybernatic. Consequently, we cannot underestimate the impact of information technologies that enhance the creative as well as interpretative acts of the students.

Will parents become posthuman?

Several parents, having observed their children’s keen interest, became involved and eager to learn even the basics of Computer Science, and the government started offering evening classes for adults wishing to become computer literate. Their acceptance of the I pad and I phone as being essential to work and every day life, created accelerated interest. People who were resistant to change soon realized that the life of the country had changed forever with the introduction of computer education, and the government had no choice but to be part of this change in order to effectively disseminate information.

Government communication in the past and the disadvantages

However, prior to employing digital technology as a means of information sharing, the Government of St.Kitts and Nevis disseminated a variety of news items through radio programs, television broadcasts, official press releases, newspaper publications, government gazettes and live addresses on political platforms. While there were advantages to be gained by using these media, there were also some major short comings, and as a result, the information often failed to reach a very wide audience.

For example, there were a number of elderly persons who could not read or write, and so they were excluded from anything presented in print form. Radio and television programs and live presentations did not allow for feedback. Sometimes the emotive language used, helped to cloud reasoning. Furthermore, there were people who did not or could not attend the public meetings which were either held outdoors in open areas or in town halls. Additionally, an increasing number of young people lost interest as they did not find the mode of presentations appealing. Several of these young people had embraced the digital age, were making full use of the technology, and found social media such as Facebook very engaging. Teachers often complained that their students could not participate in discussions or debates on local issues because they were not listening to the radio. At one point the management of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College sent out survey sheets asking students what was the best way to communicate with them. Invariably, students requested that the communication be done through another Caribbean station or through Facebook.

 

     The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College

Historical context

Initially, in the 1960’s, the country had just two radio stations, one was an AM state owned entity, Radio ZIZ,  the other, an FM private religious station, Radio Paradise. At that time, radio was the only means of reaching a wide audience as it was low cost and often accessible. Despite this fact, rural areas located behind some of the mountain ranges were unable to get the signals and so were excluded. All applicants for licenses to operate private stations, were denied. A landmark court case brought by John Benjamin in the nearby island of Anguilla, changed this. The judge ruled that it was a denial of the people’s right to freedom of expression when they were denied the right to speak on the government owned station. This case set a legal precedence resulting from the detailed judgement that was handed down, and the Government of St.Kitts and Nevis had to grant the licenses to ensure people’s right to freedom of thought, freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination. The court action ushered in a new era in press freedom.

The appeal of FM websites

The new FM stations established websites which were colorful, and had appealing graphics. They immediately attracted readership and participation. Several shows allowed people to call in and express their views. Others were able to go to the websites and replay previous programs. Internet use became widespread as nationals at home and abroad could log on and participate in the programs. The theories outlined in FusionCharts are applicable. The white paper states: “when we look at a visual, our eyes and our brain work in parallel to take in new information, and break it into small chunks. Then both the eyes and the brain process the chunks in parallel to find meaning.” Undoubtedly, the principle, as outlined here, worked to the advantage of the private media houses that were able to increase political, social and economic awareness as viewers and listeners found the sounds and visuals appealing and responded to them.

State owned media houses

The state owned broadcasts, however, had high levels of political content that tended to be partisan. Undoubtedly, this contributed to political polarization. When a major political impasse developed ( as a result of the two main parties on St.Kitts winning an equal number of seats, and each side’s efforts to form a coalition with one of the parties in Nevis), a step was taken to rectify the imbalance in radio programs. In 1994, all political parties were brought together by the private sector organizations to determine the way forward. The meeting concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding called The Four Seasons Accord. One of the articles they signed was an agreement to allow all parties equal opportunity to broadcast from the nationally owned station. There was no change in policy up to the 2010 general elections. As a result, the coalition of Non Governmental Organizations assigned to observe those elections, commented in their official report on the “highly partisan programming and news broadcasting on ZIZ Radio and Television.”

The National Broadcasting service has made some changes recently, allowing information from the opposition to be broadcast. The policy decision of the past, to broadcast only government and ruling party matters, alienated members and supporters of the then opposition. The situation with the newspapers was even worse. Daily newspapers did not survive because they did not attract sufficient readership to make them economically viable. Therefore, only the weekly papers enjoyed longevity, but, unfortunately, they were all organs of political parties.The Labour Spokesman represented the Labour Party, the Democrat, the People’s Action Movement, The Leeward Times, the Nevis Reformation Party and the St.Kitts Nevis Observer (that is now up for sale) has claimed that it is the only independent newspaper, and this has constantly been challenged.

A landmark constitutional challenge

Another communication issued by the government, known as the gazette, is  a constitutional requirement. Government has to identify by name all persons appointed to the government establishment, those who retired, were transferred or dismissed, the dates these took effect, as well as the titles and dates of bills that were passed into law. Many people did not understand the significance of this document until 2015 when the opposition brought a constitutional challenge which went all the way to the Privy Council, the final court of appeal, in London, England. The opposition won the case primarily because the government, in a last minute effort to alter the voting boundaries, in order to secure another 5 year term in office, rushed to parliament, passed a bill in just under an hour, and failed to have it gazetted. The bill was therefore declared null and void, just days before the February 2015 General election. The outcome of the election was that the opposition won 7 of the 11 parliamentary seats.

Decision of the Privy Council in London. Youtube video by UKSupremeCourt

Abuse of the citizenship by Investment program

The new government was faced with a major task, and this reached crisis proportions when nationals learned that their passports had been sold by the former administration to persons on the US blacklist. The US government issued a formal warning from the Treasury Department, and this was followed by a visit from high ranking US officials. The then Prime Minister remained silent about this and when questions were asked, he denied the allegations. Soon after, the Canadian government withdrew its visa free access to citizens of St.Kitts and Nevis, and issued a formal statement, so the violation by government was no longer a secret.

What was even more disturbing, was the absence of accountability. The public did not know how many passports had been sold, to whom or at what price. Additionally, there was no record of deposits to the Consolidated Fund as required by law. Section 69 of the Constitution of St.Kitts and Nevis states:” All revenue or other monies raised or received by the Government (not being revenues or other moneys that are payable, by or under any law, into some other fund of the government established for a specific purpose) shall be paid into and form a Consolidated Fund.” Strategies therefore had to be devised to deal with the problems and satisfy an angry public that demanded transparency and accountability, or would remove the present government from office.

The search for a solution using digital technology

In this regard, it appears that the new government is in agreement with Douglas Eyman, who stated: ” As digital technologies have continued to develop (at an amazingly brisk pace), the possibilities of constructing hypertext work that includes a variety of media – video, audio, animation, interactive processes has further marked the departure from our traditional notions of print documents while simultaneously retaining, print-based forms within these hypermedia compositions.” The law of the Federation, requires certain documents to be in print form, but using a range of digital media would help to get important information to the public. The government realized it would have to use varied media but could not exclude print.

Digital technology and new possibilities

Lawrence Lessig recognizes the power of digital technology, and while his comments relate to business, they are equally applicable to Government of St.Kitts and Nevis. Lessig argues: ” the internet has caused an explosion in the opportunities for business to make money by making old businesses work better…We can already see that this new bit of social infrastructure offers a staggering potential for growth and innovation.” Some might question what business is the Government of St.Kitts and Nevis engaged in? Government has been mandated to promote and sell the country’s tourism product, the revamped citizenship by investment program, and the financial services among other things. There is no better way to do this than by combining traditional face to face meetings with print material, videos, photographs and allowing public access to a website that is informative and interactive. Therefore, a website was created, but there were limitations.

     St.Kitts Nevis information service on line

Government Information goes digital

Consequently, the government searched for technical experts who would help to create an e-government portal to be put on the government website. Ironically, except for one gentleman, Adam Anderson, who is an American resident in the country, all of the other computer experts were young locals who had trained at the high schools and college, and some had even received instruction at the computer training center run by the Taiwanese. One of the locals owns and operates his own private website.The government therefore went into partnership with this team known as Open Interactive. Jamiella Mc Phail, of the Government information service was very much involved in the process and agreed to share information in a long distance telephone interview.

Interviewee, Jamiella Mc Phail, Technical Officer, St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service

International call by cellphone, interveiwing Jamiella Mc Phail, intro music by Steel Pan for Life, musical score by Elston Nero

Involvement of the youthful population

A 30 year old local entrepreneur, Stachio Williams, identified talented young men under the age of 25 to work with him in creating the e-portal. They were all local, and using a process that was labor intensive, set about structuring a website with inviting visuals. A major objective was to rebrand the Federation in an effort to counteract the negative media attention that was created as a result of the abuse of the Citizenship by Investment program in which questionable characters overseas were able to buy the Federation’s passports. The overall goal was to have a system that was easily accessible and would facilitate the flow of information and accommodate business transactions.

What was designed involved consolidating all government websites and allowed visitors to the newly designed site to access,what they termed, ‘government at a glance’. Some of the features of the site included daily news items, government statistical information,  important documents such as legislation, visitor lifestyles and government services. The information is being made available in several languages in order to cater for a wide clientele. Pictures of historical sites taken by drones were also added.The pictures, videos and information were all placed on social media, and the official launching ceremony in March 2016, turned out to be a high profile event attended by all Ministers of Government. The e-portal can be accessed at https://www.gov.kn/

YouTube video submitted by Adam Anderson

The launch attracted the attention of many young people partly because it allowed them to access important information for the first time, but also because they were able to identify with many of their peers who were actively involved in the design and operation of the website. The designers came in for high praise from other young people present at the launch. While they expressed happiness about the innovative infrastructure and the great potential it offered the country, they also voiced concerns about the need to further develop the site so that it can play an integral part in the democratic process. For example, one speaker expressed the desire to be able to communicate with government representatives on Twitter. Additionally, fears were expressed about the need to protect the website from possible cyber attacks. This was probably a reference to hacking that exposed personal information that could be used in identity theft, as well as hacking suspected to have been conducted by ISIS on US websites.

YouTube video submitted by Adam Anderson

The round table session which followed the formal presentations, involved the technocrats who provided information on the rapid application development platform.

Youtube video submitted by Adam Anderson

How the hardware was put together

The team got support from consultants, the Mendez Group, that provided a rapid application development platform. This technology brought ideas to life through visuals and by employing cloud infrastructure. Much was achieved by using bi modal information technology which encouraged speed, efficiency and innovation. The microflow system used, facilitated building one application and having the mechanism enhance the other applications without having to repeat the process.

Advantages of the new technology

The applications that will soon be available on the website have raised expectations not only for an improved democracy, but also for strengthening the economy by attracting increased business. It is anticipated that the technology will allow the government to attract the attention of an international audience and so complement the work of the St.Kitts Investment Agency, SKIPA, the National Carnival Committee that is responsible for the celebrations held annually from late November to early January the following year, the St.Kitts Music Festival Committee, which organizes the June event, the Culturama Committee that has responsibility for showcasing Nevisian culture from July to August, the entities responsible for hosting international cricket matches at various times during the year, and the Hotel and Tourism Association which supports the advancement of Hotels, restaurants and various activities to engage the visitor.

              Display of some of the e-portal applications that will be offered

Cricket promotion

The hosting of International cricket matches is a recent phenomena. However, it has brought the cricketers, their families and fans to the country to enjoy the game and have fun at the parties organized around the event. It has potential for expanding the tourism industry and keeping people employed. With support from Government and the business community, St.Kitts and Nevis hosted Caribbean Premier League matches in 2014, then joined the League in 2015. In that year the St.Kitts and Nevis Patriots, a Caribbean Premier League Franchise was purchased. The team members are drawn from Caribbean teams, and the co owners are Uday Nayak, Mohammed Ansari, and Nirvan Veerasmy. In an interview with local media in April, 2016, Richard Berridge, Chief Operating Officer stated: ” having a CPL franchise based in St.Kitts should not be taken for granted by our local stakeholders. It generates much needed economic activity, that several other destinations in our region would like to have.” Berridge disclosed that the games held in St.Kitts in 2014 were worth US$ 5.3 million. In 2015, this figure increased to US $ 11.3 million.  In 2016, one of the matches will be held in Florida. This is all part of the thrust in sports tourism.

The St.Kitts and Nevis Patriots team          

Since the survival of the country is now heavily dependent on inflows of direct foreign investment, the various functions and celebrations have been expanded to attract visitors. Although there is a vibrant cruise industry, it is seasonal, functioning mainly from late November to mid April. The cruise passengers spend far less money than the stay over visitors, and the industry suffers setbacks resulting from the uncertainty of the weather, technical breakdowns on the ships, and outbreaks of illnesses on board, among other things. Therefore, there is greater reliance on locally held activities to attract visitors.

Carnival and traditional folklore

The National Carnival Committee organizes several shows and contests that highlight the performing talents of citizens in music, dance, drama, creative costume making and calypso, which is a traditional music genre combined with lyrics that offer social and political commentary. These performances are held on covered stages with audiences seated in the open air, and the shows continue for several nights.

Steel pan champions, carnival 2015 – 2016, St.Kitts. Youtube video by Kevin Barrett

The grand climax is the carnival parade held on January 1st. This has been the main attraction for visitors from the region as well as the world, who have come in increasing numbers every year. The carnival parade which takes place on the streets of the town, features the traditional folklore bands and their music, as well as the more modern carnival reveler who dresses in costumes similar to those used in the Brazilian carnival. The e-portal will allow the government to promote carnival in a more efficient way than it did before. While some will still rely on the radio, television and print media to inform them, others will not. Soon, at the click of a button people living anywhere will be able to see what the program of festivities looks like, and they will then be able to make travel plans if they wish to participate.

Revelers parading in the streets of Basseterre, St.Kitts, January 1st, 2016. YouTube video by GoodVibes

Festivals promote the tourism product

Economic activity increases with visitor arrivals as hotel rooms are booked to capacity during carnival. Nationals living abroad often return home to enjoy the festivities and business places experience increased sales, in particular the car rental agencies and restaurants that are patronized by both visitors and nationals. This probably explains why the festival enjoys longevity, having first been formalized in the 1950’s. The carnival parade caters to a wide range of interests and age groups because some are attracted to the rich history of the traditional folklore section of the parade while others prefer the modern troupes. The Nevis celebrations,however, place more emphasis on cultural matters such as exhibitions of cultural artifacts, sale of traditional foods, and performances by folklore troupes such as the masquerades.

Masqueraders performing in the streets of Charlestown,Nevis. YouTube video by King Razah

The clientele attracted to the carnival and culturama parades is slightly different from the crowds that find the St.Kitts Music Festival appealing. This festival was created mainly in response to a call from the business sector to have activities in June to fill the long void between May and July. This period often saw a slump in business accompanied by major lay offs of workers in the tourism sector. Therefore, the festival was arranged differently. There were three or four nights of performances by local, regional and international singers, many of whom came from the United States. Their fans traveled with them and added to the increased participation. However, if the information did not reach the managers and promoters in a timely manner, some singers would have to opt out. This problem can now be addressed through the use of digital technology, and expectations for the next festival are high.

Music festival increases hotel occupancy

A visiting artiste at the 2015 Music Festival. YouTube video by King Razah

The influx of music festival visitors has helped to maintain hotel occupancy rates and keep hotel workers employed for a longer period. Instead of having mass lay offs in April or May, fewer numbers are sent home. They are able to work until early August, then get laid off until October or November. While this represents an improvement, more has to be done to find year round employment for these workers. The e-government portfolio cannot achieve all of the country’s goals, therefore, it will take partnerships between government and the private sector to find a solution.

Government and the Hotel and Tourism Association cooperate

Up to now the St. Kitts and Nevis Government and the Hotel and Tourism Association have enjoyed a close working relationship, although at times they share different points of view. Working together without including payment is an excellent foundation for starting what Lessig calls “sharing economies.” In a tiny nation state, neither side has adequate resources to build the tourism industry alone. Lessig explains that where social relations are developed without demands for payment, there is the development of a connected community that shares information and resources. The new digital technology could provide Government and the Private Sector with a cost effective way to promote the tourism product.

Marketing efforts and their shortcomings

In the past, besides meetings, advertisements on Channel 12 Long Island and other stations, there has been heavy reliance on widespread readership of the Visitor Magazine. This document is a publication produced by the Hotel and Tourism Association. It comprises several glossy pages of colorful pictures of landscapes, restaurants, food, duty free commodities and messages from the Minister of Tourism and the President of the association. In order to defray the cost of publication, paid advertisements are on every page. It is distributed free of cost in several countries of the world as a marketing strategy. Persons wishing to buy the magazine locally, pay a subsidized fee of US $5.00 each. It would not be wise to stop the production of this magazine, as there are customers who prefer the touch of paper and enjoy reading print material.  But, in the interest of economizing, some of the pictures and graphics could be displayed on the new website.

Display and explanation of the Visitor magazine. Cover shot of Cockleshell Bay St.Kitts by M. Kuester

The beaches are the patrimony of the citizens

For several years now, tourism has been the main contributor to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. However, in advancing the tourism sector and giving it the extensive exposure the internet allows, the country can possibly face the kind of development that not only ignores the need to protect the delicate ecosystem, but  one that can also deny locals the use of their beaches which are part of their patrimony. Therefore, the relevant legislation and enforcement must go hand in hand with any tourism development plans, in order to protect the country from these forms of exploitation.

Pictured above is South Friars Bay which has remained unspoilt over the years. Around 2010, a controversy developed as a local investor decided to build a restaurant on the beach. Other locals objected insisting that it detracted from the natural beauty of the landscape, and there were sensitivities sparked by a Canadian investor who had violated the law by constructing his home close to the shore of another beach. (The law specifies how many feet from the high water mark any construction can be allowed to take place). Efforts made by employees of the entrepreneur  to have Friars Bay accessible to tourists alone, were met with strong resistance, and government enforced the law that there must be public access to all beaches. Undoubtedly, some will still be tempted to follow the pattern of countries like Barbados where there are private beaches which locals are not allowed to enter. Therefore, while the websites lure prospective investors, it is equally important to have checks and balances in place.

Discussion – the possibilities

No one knows whether the tourism industry will remain profitable in the future, and because of this uncertainty, it would be wise for investments to be continuously made in digital technology to maintain competitiveness and encourage economic diversification. Additionally, some of the other advantages offered by the internet can be employed. For example, Lessig has an extensive discourse on “Little Brother”, a feature which allows the website to collect data about customers. While this may seem invasive, what it in fact does is to match clients to the goods and services they appear to prefer. Therefore, prospective visitors who surf the web, make queries and book hotels and activities, will provide indications of their preferences on the system,  and these can be compared with what else is offered. The information can be sent as a suggestion to the client who might wish to try something similar but new. This is a useful and cost effective way to expand the market. Lessig highlights the growth Amazon has experienced using this approach.

At the end of every National Carnival and Music Festival, the Ministry of Tourism employs  people to approach passengers in the departure lounge at the airport and invite them to respond to questions on a survey sheet. The information gathered is about impressions of the country, goods and services they bought, the quality of the festivities and improvements they would like to see in all areas. While data collection is critical, in the age of digital technology, there is a more efficient way to obtain that data. The present method of approach can anger a visitor who might have had a thoroughly enjoyable experience but is sleep deprived because many functions begin at 8 p.m. and the after parties go on until sunrise. Alternatively, a visitor might still be intoxicated after a full night of reveling, or might consider doing the survey a bother. These are situations which can produce data that is not reliable. By building innovation, the e-portals can offer tools that can be used to build a tourism data base. A partnership between the Ministry of Tourism and the Hotel and Tourism Association can be a positive move, because through the sharing of expertise, they can help to expand the market and respond to the needs of the clients.

A promising future

The decision taken to link the website to social media will prove invaluable in reaching a wide audience and encouraging dialogue on the issues. It can enhance what economists refer to as a “bottom up” approach to development, by encouraging participation by as many people as possible. In their article: The Structure of Online Activism, Kevin Lewis, Kurt Gray and Jens Meierhenrich state: “Social media have changed the world. The ability to connect instantly with friends, family, and strangers alike has transformed the way relationships are created and maintained and altered the very structure of our social fabric ( Brown 2011; Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe 2007; Rosenfeld and Thomas 2012). On a societal level, social media create unprecedented opportunities for information flow ( Sparrow, Liu, and Wegner 2011 ), affective expression ( Golder and Macy 2011), social influence ( Bond et al. 2012), and apparently even democratic revolution ( Allagui and Kuebler 2011).”

The need to preserve democracy

St. Kitts and Nevis is a young democracy, and was shocked that the Prime Minister for 20 years (until February 2015) could have created such a litigious atmosphere as a result of serious violations of the constitution. Many people are skeptical of any politician, and use social media to question and express their concerns. Some have realized that it was foolhardy to accept the former prime minister’s stance that he was elected by the people to make decisions for them, as this was the trust they placed in him by voting for him. The government website and e-government portfolios now allow them the opportunity to be informed and participate in the decision making process, and this augurs well for the future, but a democracy must be fiercely guarded if it is to work in the interest of the country. Therefore, the web should allow for the 6 preconditions for democracy as outlined by  Peter Dahlgren, namely, knowledge, values, trust, spaces, practices, and identities.

In order to actively participate in a democracy, individuals must be well informed and be able to access knowledge. The internet provides a variety of websites and other sources, but everyone does not have the means to access the information, so there is an information gap. With knowledge, citizens can engage in discussion, openness, reciprocity, and accountability. Those who operate the technology have an opportunity to be transparent. With transparency, trust can be established, but Dahlgren also argues that skepticism is healthy. These preconditions require  people to have spaces where they can meet and have discussions. The internet can assist by providing this convenient forum that will not necessarily have people moving to meet in a physical space. Democracy also requires practices which demonstrate a democratic life, and finally, the media can have a positive impact on identities with regard to having an empowered and valorized political community.

It is possible for the internet to help in the creation of a global public space, but there must be the political will. The website and e-government portfolio are in the early stages of development. Therefore it is not possible at this time to predict what the outcome of their establishment will be. However, it is important for the public to set benchmarks so that their expectations are clearly communicated to the authorities.

Challenges/successes experienced in conducting the research

The initial challenges that I experienced were the result of internet instability, and the possibility of losing documentation. These limitations were in part, the result of researching technology use that is quite recent. Another difficulty I faced was determining how to utilize the type of  video footage that is available. Compiling the information was totally dependent on the availability of the internet service. For a few weeks now, it has been unstable to the point where I was afraid of losing unsaved material. Fortunately, very little was lost. Also, there is always a challenge in doing research on anything that is relatively new. Because the e-portal is ‘a work in progress’, the analysis will be limited to the information that is available at the time of writing. Additionally, many members of the public who were contacted by me for a comment, were unaware of the innovation. Therefore, with time, data based on public opinion, will be gathered. The other area of concern is that most of the videos available are unedited, or ‘raw footage’. While some may see this as demonstrating an unprofessional finish, there is also a positive side. Unedited videos often present a realistic picture that viewers can relate to.

My research experience showed very clearly how much more impact a message could have by using pictures, music and videos rather than written text alone. The nostalgia created by these images proved motivational, and it was difficult to resist unfolding a story which had meaning on several levels. A quick comparison of this document with research papers I completed in the past, brought an even greater appreciation of how the use of media reenacted an experience that took place many miles away, yet could be enjoyed by anyone who logged on and accessed this blog. In many respects, this was a learning experience which involved using certain aspects of digital technology for the first time. The end result, was the creation of an engaging discussion with appeals to sight and sound, and a demonstration of how powerful an argument can be when text and digital media are combined.

Conclusion

Once the objectives of the new e-portal are met, the use of moving and still images combined with voice, music, color and words will bring new meanings to the messages being conveyed, and will encourage greater interest and participation. No longer will there be such heavy dependence on written texts which are limited in conveying meaning. In a changing world where more digital technology is being employed, small developing countries such as St.Kitts and Nevis, must ‘get on board’ if they are not to be left behind in a fiercely competitive global market. Digital technology challenges all of us to become literate in this area as literacy is no longer limited to reading and writing. Today, strong communicators send their messages through multimodal media and effectively sell their products and services. St.Kitts and Nevis needs to promote what the country has to offer, and so stimulate much needed growth using digital technology.

Sources Cited

Anderson, A. (2016, March 8). E-Gov Launch end of meeting comments. Retrieved April, 2016, from www.youtube.com

Anderson, A. (2016, March 8). End of Meeting Comments. Retrieved April, 2016, from www.youtube.com

Anderson, A. (2016, March 8). E-Gov Portal Technology Roundtable. Retrieved April, 2016, from www.youtube.com

Anderson, A. (2016, March 8). Stachio Williams Demonstrations. Retrieved April, 2016, from www.youtube.com

Barrett, K. (2015, December 27). EBJ Harmonics out of St.Kitts. Retrieved April, 2016, from www.youtube.com

Bowcott, O. (2015, February 12). UK Privy Council overturns St.Kitts and Nevis boundary changes ahead of polls. Retrieved April, 2016.

Brantley and others v Constituency Boundaries Commission. (2015, February 12). Retrieved April, 2016, from www.youtube.com

Dahlgren, P. (2014, February). Media and Political Engagement – citizens, communication and democracy. Retrieved April, 2016 from https://www.sociologicalscience.com/

Eyman, D.(2015). Digital Rhetoric. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.

Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis Constitutional Order of 1983. (1983). Statutory Instruments 1983 No 881

FinCen Advisory issued on SKN Passport Abuse. (2014, June 5). Retrieved April, 2016, from https://www.fincen.gov/statutes_regs/guidance/

G. (2016, Jan 2). New Year Day St.Kitts Sugarmas 2016. Retrieved April, 2016, from www.youtube.com

Hayles, K.N. (1999). How We Became Posthuman. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, Michigan Press.

John Benjamin and Others V Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Another. (1997). Retrieved April, 2016. Suit No 56 of 1997

Lessig, L. (2008). Remix, Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.

Lewis, K., Gray, K., Meierhenrich, J. (2014, February). The Structure of Online Activism. Retrieved April, 2016, from https://www.sociologicalscience.com/  Volume 1

McPhail, J. (2016, April17). International telephone interview with Jamiella McPhail [Telephone interview]

(n.d.). Retrieved April, 2016, fromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Kitts_and_Nevis

Nisbett, G.E. (Producer). (2016). Visitor Magazine [ video]

Principles of Data Visualization – what we see in a visual. (n.d.). Retrieved April, 2016, from http://www.fusioncharts.com/

Razah, K. (2015, July 4). Christopher Martin at St.Kitts Music Festival 2015. Retrieved April 2016, from www.youtube.com

Razah, K. (2015, August 6). Sylvester Masquerade Troupe. Retrieved April, 2016 from www.youtube.com

St. Kitts and Nevis Government ePortal (2016). Retrieved April, 2016, from:

https://www.gov.kn/

St.Kitts and Nevis Government Information Service (2016, March). Retrieved April, 2016 from http://sknis.info/

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The Four Seasons Accord. (1994). Retrieved April, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The creation of the internet has resulted in a number of positive advancements internationally, especially in the sphere of activism, where the process has been revolutionized. Internet activism involves the use of social media such as Facebook, twitter, YouTube, email and podcasts to facilitate online advocacy in the form of cyberactivism, e-campaigning, and e-activism. Organizations and individuals are therefore able to use their digital devices to lobby, raise funds, organize events, campaign and draw awareness to issues on which action should be taken.

Online activism has been particularly appealing because it allows users to spread a message far and wide within seconds. Therefore, it enables rapid communication with thousands of people, and often this communication is aimed at creating awareness of the need for social and political change. Through this medium, public opinion can be shaped, action plans developed, information shared, and those who were unaware, can be alerted to act.

In this regard, a number of strategies are employed. These include: the creation of slogans, pictures, written details, blogs, on line petitions, videos, images, and the use of mobile applications on cell phones. In a world of instant gratification, this procedure is embraced, as it involves less effort, and much can be achieved simply by clicking a button. Many I phones have signifiers which serve to alert users of particular information or messages, and this proves effective in attracting attention.

Aaron Swartz will forever be remembered for his pioneering work in helping to create Reddit, an effective digital invention which garnered immense support against The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). If these two acts were allowed to become law, they would have infringed a number of fundamental rights, including freedom to access information that was important for the public to have, as this information would impact their lives. Once Reddit was used to raise awareness, Wikipedia blocked or limited access to internet users, as a means of protest. Later, Google, Mozilla and Flickr joined in. Support grew as people marched in protest and hundreds of emails opposing the bills, were sent to Congress. There was also a petition posted on Google. The result was a decision by the law makers to review the legislation, and for the time being, to shelve passing the laws.

Another effective use of social media was the successful campaign conducted to elect President Barak Obama. He was the first presidential candidate to engage in political activism online in order to employ a major campaign strategy. The lasting impact has been a major shift in the way campaigns are now conducted, using digital devices. President Obama included people with digital expertise on his team, and they built communities who bought his ideas and identified with them. There was a major focus on connections and user engagement.Twitter spread the slogan “Yes We Can,” and established a wide outreach. The electorate appreciated the idea that their opinions mattered, and this helped to develop relationships based on trust.

The outcome of this type of activism was that participation grew as people began to feel that they had the power to make a difference and this in turn, gave them a sense of ownership. Nearly one billion dollars was raised through small donations on social media and cell phones. Memes also played a role as they became important in getting messages across to the voters.  However, Barak Obama’s memes were not the only ones on social media, as his opponents took the opportunity to post memes that were parodies of him, and some of these went viral, possibly attracting more support for Obama. The 2016 presidential candidates have been making full use of social media in their campaigns, attracting people to Facebook likes as well as twitter tweets and re-tweets. This process allows for online data collection, termed user data mining by which data is collected and analyzed on a large scale. Besides allowing the campaign officials to determine the size of the following that various candidates attract, they are able to use the information to predict donor behaviors and get people out to vote.

                                                Will this meme hurt or help Donald Trump?

Information about funds raised could be used in the candidates’ favor, or against them. An embarrassing outcome was experienced recently by Republican front runner Donald Trump. In an interview on CNN television with Anderson Cooper, Trump boasted that his campaign was self funded. He indicated that the donations he received were very small. Cooper had done his due diligence in checking the data, and informed Trump that he had received donations of some 9 million dollars and that was not small. An unintended outcome of the use of social media in campaigning is, therefore, transparency in reporting monies received.

Although social media has often been successful as a tool for advocacy, it has not always met the expectations of the organizers. Several factors might be responsible for this. For example, where people do not have access to the internet or I phones, their participation could be limited to the conventional campaign methods. Additionally, if the users do not have some degree of digital literacy, this could be problematic. In some instances, fear of censorship by the authorities could reduce the impact of online activism. Also, those who abuse their privileges by hacking, could have the negative impact of reducing confidence and therefore, involvement in the process.

It has been argued that activism through social media was unsuccessful in stopping Joseph Kony and his group from engaging in rape and child abduction in Africa. Some people believe it was in fact successful because social media caught the attention of the world and rallied support from millions. Others felt that a strong message was sent to people engaged in such atrocities, and so restricted their actions. The problem here, is that all outcomes are not always measurable, and if online activism failed to help the authorities find the victims, this does not mean that it was a complete failure. In these cases, public awareness is critical, and if this awareness leads to action such as putting public educational programs and other structures in place so that a proactive approach is adopted, then this would represent an important achievement.

YouTube video

Kevin Lewis, Kurt Gray and Jens Meierhenrich argue that the Save Darfur Cause launched against genocide on Facebook, allowed them to examine what turned out to be “a massive online social movement,” but, “the vast majority of Cause members recruited no one else into the Cause and contributed no money to it …In the case of the Save Darfur campaign, Facebook conjured an illusion of activism rather than facilitating the real thing.” This is unfortunate, as the members who joined but did not work could not have been committed to the cause and the researchers indicate that as time passed, “more and more people did less and less.”

It is difficult to understand how Facebook could be blamed for this failure. Furthermore, the suggestion that when large numbers sign up supporting advocacy on social networks, this acts as a disincentive to others to follow through and take action, cannot be applied as a generalization. We can, however, agree with Lewis, Gray and Meierhenrich that “the nature  and scale of the typical activist’s involvement with social media have remained important but unexplored topics.” There are many instances when organizations and individuals have experienced tremendous success as a result of online activism.

 

Kelly A. Parkes, Katie S. Dredger and David Hicks highlight the critical functions of ePortfolios in supporting student reflection and growth. These tools encourage student teachers to take responsibility for their own learning and to engage in improved delivery of the curriculum and self evaluation. The challenge here is for students to embrace and effectively employ the new technology, using it as a means of providing scaffolding for their students, as well as assessing their progress in learning and development. One of the invaluable outcomes of this activity is the kind of metacognitive awareness that allows the student teacher to rationalize the choices he makes and to articulate his pedagogical decisions.

The ePortfolio supports networking, helps to create important linkages, provides students with a database, and allows for organized storage of student work that has been compiled over a period of time. Through the use of ePortfolios, students have an empowering forum for discussing issues, engaging in information-sharing and offering comments to their peers. The creation this community of learners, supports the development of critical thinking and decision making, both of which challenge students to make revisions that would improve the quality of teaching. The final outcome of this engagement, would be student autonomy.

As I read the article by Parkes, Dredger and Hicks, I thought of the blogs I had created for EGL 614, and  decided to evaluate them individually, then reflect on how collectively, they have contributed to my own growth as a student. Incidentally, this class introduced me to a dimension I had not experienced before as I had never created a blog. Therefore going on various websites to find those which allowed me to create a free blog, was an adventure. After I made a choice and started my first blog, there was a challenge. I needed to add a photograph I had taken, and the relevant icons did not respond. I was puzzled and reached out for help. The reaction I got was ‘are you using Safari?’ I replied in the positive. His immediate reaction was to advise me to use Firefox as Safari would not allow certain actions if it was not satisfied that the website I was on was a safe one. I took the advice and added my media without any problems. This was empowering. Not only was I able to create my first blog, but I was also able to add the media I had selected. Learning by discovery was fun after all.

Blog 1 – Gwen

This was my new experience which included cropping my photo and embedding it. When I completed that task, I felt uncomfortable writing about myself. In my culture this is seen as immodest. Therefore, I had to come to terms with my inhibitions. A few days later, when I reflected, I became convinced that this type of writing could be an excellent starting point for students who were shy or had difficulty generating ideas for compositions.

Blog 2 – Virtual Duet

I have always appreciated Nat King Cole’s singing. I was not as interested in Natalie Cole’s songs. However, when the duet was created, I was amazed by the technical possibilities of the realistic presentation of a father/daughter duet so many years after the father’s passing. I enjoyed the music video and connected this to theories of erasure and remediation, and reflected on the prospects for preserving art for posterity. I also envisioned a classroom setting in which students read the historical context then watched the music video and wrote about it. This would be an ideal way to engage students.

Blog 3 – Holmes in a Digital World

Exploring how technology was used to present major themes in this video gave me ideas as to how improve my lesson planning. I could incorporate a video using the digital technology as a teaching tool for students of drama. Not only would they be able to experiment with the technical tools, but they would also be able to use their creativity to highlight the social, moral, political and other issues of the drama. The Holmes video could be a starting point for looking at flickering signifiers, the signified, the ubiquitous nature of the iPhone and its impact.

Blog 4 – Women in Development

This blog provided material that could be used in Cultural/Social Studies classes. I was moved to write after reading a section of A Cyborg Manifesto. The literature prompted me to look at other works by feminist writers with differing view points and then take a closer look at the United Nations Women and Development programs. Students could be encouraged to read further, then engage in debates on such questions as: How can Women’s Equality be achieved in a world that is so diverse in culture, economics, religion and social structures?

Blog 5 – Clean Fun Playing Farmville

My blog on this topic was inspired by frequently looking at my daughter playing Farmville. I often questioned what advantages other than recreation could be derived from this engagement. I was moved to research the topic and learned of the educational values such as evaluating, planning, executing plans and realizing benefits – all important life experiences. I also learned that there was no empirical evidence to prove that playing video games was addictive. In creating this blog, I also had the opportunity to embed a video and learn that digital tools existed for people to create their own avatars and games. This could certainly be a project that could intrigue students, and it would cater for different learners including those who are visual and tactile learners.

Blog 6 – Research Methods Evolve

The assigned readings demonstrated the benefits and limitations of close and distant reading. This proved informative for anyone making a choice about teaching methods. It was fascinating to see how technology has taken the art of teaching to the point where a practical laboratory session can be conducted in a virtual lab rather than a real lab. This activity would definitely appeal to students who are not afraid of experimenting with the technology, or who are already technology savvy. While print texts still have a role in education, and will not be a thing of the past, the increased use of digital technology in the Science classroom is promising.

Blog 7 – The Vice of Regulation

In researching the issues raised in the video ‘The Internet’s Own Boy,’ I found myself looking critically at the theme of social justice and how adults sometimes react when they feel threatened by anyone, but in particular by the brilliance of a child genius who is posthuman. It is likely, that with the advance of digital technology, more children will be posthuman at an early age. Then all of us, teachers as well, must make the decision as to whether we will harness and support this capability for our educational, cultural and economic advancement, or make criminals of those who dare to go beyond the boundaries of human expectation.

Blog 8 – Sustaining the Masquerade Tradition

This blog takes a close look at the pedagogies which could be useful in motivating students to learn and participate in the cultural art form of masquerading. The most useful approaches would be to build on prior digital knowledge, provide scaffolding where necessary, then withdraw it as students demonstrate that they can move ahead on their own or can achieve their goals by working in collaboration with their peers. The activity would give students the opportunity to explore and create. This program can be extended beyond the classroom to include organizations that are engaged in the preservation of cultural dances.

Conclusion

My blogs encouraged me to look at life through two main lenses – the student, then the teacher. All of the blogs provided invaluable information for the creation and delivery of curriculum. They also encouraged research and collaboration and gave invaluable exposure to new technologies. Cynthia L. Selfe quite rightly, concludes: “The changing nature of communication does suggest, however, that the teaching of rhetorically based strategies for composition – the responsibility of introducing students to all available means of communicating effectively and productively, including words, images, sound – remains the purview of composition teachers.”

 

 

My first blog featured an avatar of the masquerades, who symbolize one of the folklore traditions of my country, St.Kitts and Nevis. Historical records in the National Museum indicate that this group of dancers first performed over 300 years ago while they were still enslaved.Today, they continue to attract large crowds of residents and tourists to their performances which are very much like street theater, as the dances are primarily done in open spaces on streets and courtyards.

The masqueraders wear tall head gear made of colorful peacock feathers, sometimes with masks attached. Additionally, they dress in brightly colored pants and shirts with fringed aprons that reach just above the knees. The entire costume is decorated with bells, mirrors and ribbons of many different colors. They also carry tomahawks  which are used in one of their dances. Dance experts have identified aspects of the European and African genres in some of their dances. For example, The performances would usually start with the Quadrille, a dance dating back to 17th century France. Next they would do the Fire Dance, skilfully dancing on one foot and moving to the center of a circle that they have made. Following this, they would perform the Fertility Dance, simulating the Mating Dance from Africa. Other performances could include the European Waltz, the African Wild Moos, the Rhumba, the Jig and the Boilla.

Traditionally, the dancers were all males of different age groups. However, by the early 20th century, performances began to decline as some dancers died, while others were too ill or infirm to participate. Women became increasingly interested and joined the troupes in their performances. If the decline was allowed to continue, the cultural art form would have ‘become extinct’. Therefore, the Ministry of Education embarked on a project to sustain the Masquerades. Performers who were still active traveled around the country, teaching the dances to the primary school students, showing them samples of their costumes, and explaining the historical significance of the masquerades who represent a cultural blend of our Amerindian, African and European heritage. This proved rewarding as many students became excited and got involved.

While I applaud the Ministry of Education for taking this bold step, I am concerned that the teaching methods used will not continue to engage the youth who now live in a digital world and frequently use devices such as i phones, i pads, Amazon Kindle readers and computers. A critical opportunity will be missed if teachers do not also take advantage of the range of possibilities offered by this cultural art form to teach Composition, History and Culture across disciplines, using digital technology. Cynthia L. Selfe argues ” in an increasingly technological world, students need to be experienced and skilled not only in reading (consuming) texts employing multiple modalities, but also in composing in multiple modalities, if they hope to communicate successfully within the digital communication networks that characterize workplaces, schools, civic life, and span traditional cultural, national, and geopolitical borders.”

I believe that teaching the art of masquerading should not be limited to demonstrations and dance practice sessions. But, in addition to these, students can engage in their own research activities on the internet websites, use social media such as Facebook or Twitter as a forum to exchange written information and ideas. They can also be encouraged to create games and avatars symbolizing the masquerades, and view video performances by the group. These added activities, while encouraging enthusiasm, can help create better thinkers, writers and readers. Selfe quite rightly states: “Aural and video compositions sometimes reveal and articulate meanings students struggle to articulate with words; audio and visual compositions carry different kinds of meanings that words are not good at capturing.” This is yet another exciting adventure students can engage in as they communicate through sound and movement and develop forceful appeals through pathos, logos and ethos.

St.Kittstourism.Kn

St.Kittsheritage.com

Selfe Cynthia L, Multimodal Composition, Resources for Teachers

 

Aaron Swartz’s experience with the courts is convincing testimony of the fact that all men were not created equal and cannot expect to receive equal treatment. From an early age, Swartz demonstrated a remarkable facility for understanding and using digital technology. His motor skills, exceptional reading abilities, use of his higher cognitive skills, capacity for exploration, and his leadership potential that were recognized from as early as age three, set him apart from others. His parents and siblings, discussed with pride Aaron’s ability to learn how to learn, to successfully interface with technology and to genuinely commit to sharing his knowledge with others. This goal-oriented young man saw computer programming as an excellent problem-solving resource. Therefore, he built websites including watchdog.net and openlibrary.org and made a major contribution to improving technology.

Swartz was undoubtedly posthuman, a characteristic that is explored by N. Katherine Hailes. She articulates concepts of the posthuman view as privileging “informational pattern over material instantiation,” considering “consciousness…as the seat of human identity in the Western tradition,” thinking “of the body as the original prosthesis we all learn to manipulate,” and configuring the “human being so that it can be seamlessly articulated with intelligent machines.” This means that the posthuman body, is directly comparable to computers, cybernetic mechanisms and robots. Because of these talents, Swartz won the admiration of many but was greatly feared by others who saw the possibility of being exposed if certain information was downloaded and placed in the public domain.

When Swartz decided to teach himself and quit school because teachers were domineering, disliked being questioned and showed a preference for pedagogies that relied heavily on memorization  and regurgitation, this was a serious indictment against the system of education. I question how is it in the twenty-first century that any teacher could ignore tried and tested teaching methods such as validating students as knowers, modeling critical thinking and higher-ordered reasoning skills and situating learning in the students’ own experiences? Nevertheless, Swartz left, engaged in his own learning, found his niche and developed his skills using digital technology as a tool for information sharing.

His growing awareness of the negative impact of capitalist ideology on a society in which large wealthy corporations exercised control over the fundamental right of people to access information about issues that affected their lives, contributed to his decision to advocate for freedom of information, in its most meaningful sense – education of the masses. Those who admired Swartz and supported his ideals included the owner of the world wide web, Tim Berners Lee and his close friend Lawrence Lessig who contended that there was a new way to define copyright so that only some rights would be reserved. This would afford the public access to material (that did not have rights reserved). Swartz was outspoken about his views that the creative process involved building on something that had been created before, further, that free and open communication had been guaranteed under the First Amendment. He stated:”Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves.”

He was therefore convinced that data stored by organizations such as JSTOR, were not serving a useful purpose if they remained hidden from the public. Additionally, Swartz suspected that some of the stored data might uncover corruption. As a result, he made a fearless decision to engage in what he considered civil disobedience. He noted that the public had limited access to important legal public records. For example, in order to get certain documents, users were compelled to download PACER, which required them to first use a credit card for payment. He questioned  why, government grants and tax payer’s money were being used to pay for intellectual journals, yet the public still had to pay again if they wanted to access these materials? Why should corporations amass huge profits from those who could afford to pay and exclude those who did not have the means?

Swartz made a decision to ignore the copyright laws which protected the corporations, and download files by going into the basement of MIT and attaching the necessary equipment. This was a decision to boldly confront the government, MIT and JSTOR. What happened next, could be described as a ‘knee jerk reaction.’ Such a reaction is aptly explained by Frantz Fanon: “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with that core belief.” The establishment was firmly of the view that it was a criminal offense to hack into data protected by the copyright laws. The other concerns were of no significance to them.

Ironically, the mission statement of the US Copyright office is: “To administer the nation’s copyright laws for the advancement of the public good, to offer services and support to authors and users of creative works; and to provide expert impartial assistance to Congress, the courts, and executive branch agencies on questions of copyright law and policy.” Swartz must have been painfully aware of the contradiction that existed between these words and his reality.

The developments that ensued and were made public, proved tragic. Swartz was subjected to ‘cruel and inhumane treatment.’ This included an FBI stake out near his family home, the involvement of the Secret Service, arrest and physical abuse by the police, intimidation and threats, the offer of a plea bargain in which Swartz should plead guilty, and in exchange serve 3 months in jail, 1 year’s probation and forego computer access. Swartz did not consider himself a criminal and would not accept being banned from computers, therefore he refused the plea deal. He fought, with solid support from the public, and stopped the law entitled SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) from being used against him.

Just when he thought victory was in sight, the authorities increased the felony counts from four to thirteen, eleven of which were based on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which could function like a ‘one size fits all.’ Some were optimistic that Swartz could win that case. However, he realized that he was up against the politics of fear and anger which caused the courts on July 14th, 2011 to indict him on a range of counts for a prison sentence of up to 35 years and fines amounting to 1 million dollars.

Aaron Swartz was broken and exhausted. He was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment in 2013 without making use of the opportunity to fight back. The coroner determined that Swartz had committed suicide. Few have accepted that explanation, and Aaron’s father contends that the government killed his son. It is clear that Aaron was given a longer prison term than someone who committed murder. No one can say for sure exactly what Aaron was going to do with the files he downloaded. All we do know is that he insisted that the law was never intended to stifle creativity or free speech. Was the action taken by the courts an acceptable way to create a deterrent? Few can accept this argument. The message the courts appear to have sent to us is that they were prepared to sacrifice Aaron Swartz on the ‘altar of expediency’ in order to protect government and big business from possible negative exposure.

Aaron’s views as expressed in this video, leave no doubt that his main concern was for the general good of society and their right to information and free speech.

 

James Paul Gee provides empirical evidence to support his claim that good video games incorporate the principles of good learning. In his article Good Video Games and Good Learning, Gee discusses sixteen learning principles which can be identified as positive qualities of these games, and having played many himself, he takes the opportunity through his writing, to share his personal discoveries. These experiences, he is convinced, demonstrate that thinking and learning are promoted through engagement in these games.

Many researchers, including Tom Bissell, point to the possible negative impact of specific games. As a parent, I too have questioned whether the benefits of playing video games outweigh the disadvantages. I was particularly concerned about violence, profane language and the absence of role models which can negatively impact young minds. Additionally, I am convinced that virtual reality is in fact actual reality for many, as there is a very thin dividing line between the two concepts. However, the advent of the virtual game, Farmville, in 2009, was welcomed as clean fun that could be enjoyed by all family members.

Farmville was created by Zynga of San-Francisco and launched on the social networking website, Facebook, in June 2009, as a free application. On February 4th, 2010, Microsoft MSN Games launched Farmville on its own site. There were then over 88 million monthly active users and the Facebook fan page had 22 million fans. It was immensely popular partly because of the structure of the game which had as an objective to create a real time strategy game (RTS) for Facebook. But credit must also be given for the use of remediation by the developers as they applied other existing technologies to create the new product. For example, they used the concept from the avatar generation engine from a previous game called YoVille.

Players of Farmville would create an avatar and receive a plot of land on which they could raise animals and plant crops. These crops had different costs and varied gestation periods. The growth times were calculated to be realized in real time. Players could communicate with their Facebook friends by clicking a button, if they needed assistance or wished to buy or sell produce or animals at prices fixed by the game. They could also collaborate with Facebook friends to raise barns on the friends’ plots. But, if the crops were not harvested when they were ripe, they died. Therefore, players had to pay attention to the varied harvesting times and work to get as much virtual currency as possible to buy more land, seeds, livestock and decorative elements. The rewards included accumulating ribbons and earning bragging rights.

My daughter, who was a teenager at the time, became interested and found the game, colorful, attractive and engaging. I observed her with amusement as the game made so many demands on her time, that in an effort to maintain ‘profitability,’ she would rush home to get on the computer so that she could attend her crops. She enjoyed interaction with her Facebook friends, and game requests would end in animated conversations on the phone. Soon, however, I became concerned as study and rest times were interrupted for the game. Fortunately, I did not have to intervene. When the pressure became unreasonable, she abandoned the game, but not with any bitterness. She explained that she enjoyed the freedom to make decisions, learned  invaluable lessons about negotiating, trading and developing business skills, her social skills also improved through constructive discussions with friends, or through networking.

It was not difficult to make connections with the arguments presented by Gee. My daughter had to apply her knowledge to solve problems and maintain a viable ‘farm,’ and all of this was done within the confines of the rules established by the game. She became committed to the tasks she had to perform, developed a new identity as an entrepreneur, taking risks as she made decisions, and for a time, she lived in that virtual world. Therefore, included in the learning principles she was exposed to were identity, interaction, production, risk taking, agency,challenge and consolidation, explore, think laterally, rethink goals and performance before competence.

The principle of identity entails having the learner assume a new identity and commit to it through the activity. Interaction involves real dialogue which facilitates feedback, while production helps players to utilize their creative skills. All of these actions involve risk-taking which is the result of exploration. But because it happens in a game, players are not afraid to take risks, as a matter of fact, this becomes part of the fun. Failure does not depress players, instead, they learn that it is one of the possibilities of taking risks which have agency as a major reward, since they can claim ownership for their actions. Although Farmville was not a difficult game, players faced a number of challenges related to survival and success. The game gave them the freedom to choose how they would solve problems and apply these solutions in the future. Sometimes, as they explored and applied new reasoning to the game, players would adjust their goals accordingly. Farmsville also gave individuals of many age groups an opportunity to perform before they became competent at the game, thus allowing room for reflection and strategic planning.

The game won a number of awards including the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, 2010 game Developer’s Conference Best New Social Online Game Award and the the DICE Social Game of the Year Award. However, although there was major growth in the number of players, there was an equally rapid petering out of those who initially participated. Introspection by the creators revealed that the participation grew bigger and faster than they could manage and they had to scramble for additional staffing. They realized that new crops and buildings were needed to motivate players to continue, and in maintaining a metrics-driven company, speed, internet efficiency and meeting the expectations of players were important.

Therefore, they created an enhanced Farmville 2 in which crops could be crafted to feed the animals, lumber could be used on new buildings, and players could tweak their virtual farms as much as they wished to, then they could sell the products in their market. A very important adjustment was the time change. In the new game the real time pressures were removed. Players could engage in just ten minutes of activity and return to the farm at a later time if that was convenient for them. With time, we will be able to judge the value of these changes and whether the improved game gained the anticipated momentum. Undoubtedly, good games can and do make a contribution to learning

 

 

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