Week Five #ededc

This last week has moved my thinking to new places. I feel I have bottomed the artifact argument for myself. Understanding existent artifacts in the digital domain as what they are, simply reproductions, a degeneration of that existent artifact (to different extent). To Born digital artifacts (inclusive of existent artifacts as mash-up) having relation to multimodal interpretation for better mean-making. This journey has taken me from Velázquez, Manet, sound of a red square to Picasso to #edcmooc flags, markers and signs (previous posts). I happy to leave that argument now.

The #edcmooc weeks, in association with discussion within those weeks have shifted my attention to environments, spaces, sense of self and how that has potential to change mindsets, emotion etc. Environment has massive implication for learning and teaching, this seen through many years of classroom dynamics. Learning and teaching environments in the digital domain, for instance VLE in my opinion are inadequate. The only digital environment that affords me a sense place, and has the potential to change my mindset is Twitter. Twitter in my opinion does not do this by attempting to replicate the existent in anyway, Twitter builds sense of place through metadata, by describing web content. Twitter very much interprets space, virtual space as thought bubbles (?). Thoughts that allow the user to navigate through web content.

In my previous post where I relate well designed retail experience and art galleries with artifacts that reside in those environments (and thier relationship to one another), opposed to fascination. I begin to draw associations with multimodal space, sound image etc. that reflect and enhance artifacts within those environments, with potential to effect my interpretation of those artifacts. I know very little about retail, but do know a little about design, and the seductive nature of good design (in whatever form that needs to take). A little like Twitter? I can browse until I find interest or fascination that draws my attention via bite size thoughts of others, just enough so I’m not overwhelmed me.

It’s interesting when viewing the photograph above (taken at the weekend), to consider the relationship between artifacts within that analogue domain. What are the relationships between the dominate artifacts within this domain, those which carry complex meaning and need to be deciphered to those that carry more practical semiotic values?

I’m looking forward to these next two weeks investigating virtual communities. This should give me greater insight into how people (users) walk and breath in the digital domain. This, I’m sure, will prove inspiration to develop thinking around environments. Retail experience (although at odds with education) appears to ‘economically’ fall into line with the current education climate, spectacle etc.

Fascinating