Upon reading, "Giving Up Control in the Era of Open Business" (http://www.elsua.net/2013/09/03/giving-up-control-in-the-era-of-open-business/), one of the suggested readings for LRNT502 - Intro to Research, I am compelled to make some comments on the topic covered by the article. 
In this day and age of instant gratification, it is certainly no wonder that people not only require but also expect practically unlimited access to information - information of any kind, whether it be academic research and commentary, music, the latest news and gossip, films, TV shows. you name it! And the medium clearly exists to accommodate this need - the internet. And this need is completely understandable. 
We have been fed media at such a constant and relentless rate in the past twenty years that it is no wonder we are behaving as addicts: We need it. All the time. Every day. We crave it. And, like the addict, we will do whatever it takes to get that satisfaction, including pretending that copyright is not a real law. In a veritable sea of free information (and I use that word lightly, as nothing is really free), it is hard for people to see the value of intellectual property. And, like the addict, we will make self-justifications in order to enable our addiction. 
These self-justifications, in response to old-school criticism, take on many forms: "Well, he has made millions off that recording. How is my downloading it from a peer-to-peer site hurting him?" or " I just want to watch the crappy version of that new movie on my laptop to see if I like it and then I'll pay to go see the real thing." or "It's just a book? What's the big deal? I can go to a library and read it, why can't I just download the PDF to my device?" or "I'm just a poor student! I can't afford to pay to read this research!" and so on and so on.
Young, K. S. (1999), lists in her article, "Internet Addiction: symptoms, evaluation and treatment", a series of questions asked to participants in a study on internet addiction. They are as follows:

 1. Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think about previous on-line activity or anticipate next on-line session)?

2. Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?

3. Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use?

4. Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?

5. Do you stay on-line longer than originally intended?

6. Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of significant relationship, job, educational or

career opportunity because of the Internet?

7. Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?

8. Do you uses the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric

mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)? 

These are derived from a similar series of questions asked to a group of people suffering from pathological gambling. And we all know that gambling establishments exonerate themselves simply by posting signage reminding people that gambling is addictive and providing help services to deal with such addiction. However, this does nothing to solve the source of the problem: access.

So one of the key issues here would seem to be that, without access to media, people would not be so prone to view it as a free commodity, there for their use at any time, without much thought for any implications of its use. But how can we police the internet? It is impossible. So we provide and in fact, as users, pay for, the very medium that causes the problem. And do so willingly. If, indeed, there is no escape from this environment, then how do we go about enticing the user to realize the value of intellectual property? 

Kevin Spacey recently gave a talk regarding film piracy, coming from the perspective of an actor/producer who had just completed a full season of "House of Cards", a Netflix original series. He states the following after describing the release of the entire first season at once and that Netflix was the only network willing to allow them for go ahead full-force with production, without requiring a pilot first:

“And through this new form of distribution, we have demonstrated that we have learned the lesson the music industry didn’t learn: give people what they want, when they want it, in the form they want it and at a reasonable price and they’ll more likely pay for it rather than steal it."

Interesting. If you give the user choice and ultimately control, as the article "Giving Up Control in the Era of Open Business" points out, suddenly the consumer will pay a nominal fee to access it. So perhaps allowing the media-addict to have some sort of control over their own addiction  may be a solution. Most surely, the internet is not going anywhere. And the consumer will always do just that: consume. So if businesses, academic institutions, etc took the route of "yes go ahead and take it all, but for a small fee", in an effort of capitalize on this media-addiction, the landscape might evolve to a point where people don't simply take it because they can, but instead, take it because they feel some sense of shared ownership in terms of the intellectual property. That view would initiate a serious paradigm shift, in the world of academia in particular. You do the work but we all own it. Imagine a million readers giving you a penny each to download your research. Do the math. Ten grand. And who would miss a penny? Could you live off it? Probably not. But most researchers are not living off their research findings, are they? Given that so many are uploading research now for free, or for the exposure (you can die of exposure, by the way!), maybe a model such as this will work.

I will be very curious to see how the next decade evolves in terms of the online, media addicted consumer! There's only one  thing I know for certain: The article I read is correct, and so is Kevin Spacey and others: if you don't put the control into the hands of the consumers, you will not survive the coming age.

 

                                                                   References
Young, K. S. (1999). Internet addiction: symptoms, evaluation and treatment. Innovations in clinical practice: A source book, 17, 19-31.

One of the blog entries for this assignment is to respond/react to another fellow student's blog post. After browsing through the ones posted so far, one by Carol Borscevski, who I had the pleasure of doing some teamwork with, caugth my interest. In her blog entitled, "Clear as Mud: Scholarly Reflections of a MALAT Student", she posted, "Research traditions, cultures of inquiry, epistemological frameworks in social science research… oh my!?!", in which she discusses Phenomenology. It just so happens that this topic was one of two I discussed in my most recent blog and this culture of inquiry is particularly alluring to me. So I thought I'd join in on her discussion of this very interesting concept.
She points out that Phenomenology focuses on exploring/describing the lived experience of an individual in regards to a phenomenon (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998, p. 98). She further explains her view that research such as this requires a clear set of guidelines in order to rid the researcher of preconceived notions and bias, in an effort to describe any experience with complete objectivity. 
In my own blog (http://wpinhorn.blogspot.ca/2014/08/in-this-blog-i-am-going-to-talk-little.html), I used the example of a live musical performance as a source of researching the experiences of both the audience and the performer and described that there are a myriad of simultaneous experiences occurring at once in this particular scenario. I would find this to be a fascinating study but, having read Carol's observations, I am now concerned with how I would remove bias, given that I am a professional musician and perform regularly in this context. Would it be too difficult for me to be completely objective, given this fact? Would I bring my own experiences to the table, underpinning my research, without even being aware of it? 
These questions concern me. However, Carol does point out that phenomenology does include the concept of epoché, bracketing, or phenomenological reduction that has the express purpose of eliminating bias. I will admit that I am not as familiar with this as I would like to be and, if I am to pursue a phenomenological research paper or use it as the core of a thesis, I will certainly need to delve deeper into the process. I am learning from reading Carol's blog that it is not enough to simply be drawn to a particular culture of inquiry or even believe that it will make for a compelling research method. I will need to ensure that it is the best vehicle for mindful inquiry, the most important element of any research.
So how can a musician truly research music using this culture of inquiry without bias and with real purpose? It is something I want to do but can I do it without influencing the outcome? Next steps for me: investigate these questions much more to seek the answers. Thanks Carol for setting me out on a new path!

In this blog, I am going to talk a little about the two cultures of inquiry that strike a chord in me as I consider what path to take in terms of a thesis or a research paper and as I consider what my research might entail - Action Research and Phenomenology.
As I examine Action Research, it seems to align with my own thinking quite well, especially if I can focus this research on my own students, in an effort to improve the lives and learning experiences of students, one of the many joys of being an educator. Some investigation into this area exposes seven key aspects to the process of Action Research and I think examining the process is a good place for me to start. They are:

1. Selecting a focus - What elements or aspects of students' learning do I want to examine?
2. Clarifying theories - What do I believe really works or is at work in this area?
3. Identifying research questions - The all-important meaningful inquiry - what do I really want to ask and why?
4. Collecting data - How do I go about collecting valid and reliable data? Does it align with my classroom environment? Am I using a variety of independent sources to ensure validity? Will my classroom itself provide a rich environment for data? What particular method(s) will I use?
5. Analysing data - What is the data saying to me and why is it saying it? why am I interpreting it in this particular way and am I unbiased?
6. Reporting results - How will I share the findings beyond the institution of my study? Informally with colleagues? Publish? Simply use it for my own purposes and not share it at all?
7. Taking informed action - How will I put my findings and interpretation of the data to use?

I find the process of asking the above questions motivating. Already, I am thinking of areas of Action Research that could work well, not only for my potential degree requirements from Royal Roads University but also to enhance my own professional environment and professional development. Loni Davis' podcast in which she clarifies the difference between academic and applied research has helped me to understand where I should start from if I take the route of Action Research.
The second area that intrigues me does so mostly because I am an artist, I think. Phenomenology focuses on the study of “phenomena”: appearances of things, or things as they appear in our experience, or the ways we experience things, thus the meanings things have in our experience. As a musician, the experience of live musical performance, in front of an audience, is a remarkable occurrence, in that there are a myriad of distinct experiences occurring at once.

1. The private and personal experience of the performer - no-one but the performer exists in that world of perception and it is full of fleeting moments of passion and emotion.
2. The performer's experience of being the "performer", under scrutiny by the live listening audience, existing in the same space and sharing a collective experience with the audience.
3. The audience's experience of being the "audience", evaluating the performance and the performer, existing in the same space and sharing a collective experience with the performer.
4. The audience's collective experience as listener's to the actual music - the art.
5. The individual audience member's experience as a listener to the actual music - the art.

As you can see, this is a complex set of simultaneous experiences and could lend itself very well to Phenomenological research so this is intriguing indeed. And since I have personally experienced all of the above roles or experiences, I am keenly interested in a more detailed analysis of these: What are the common experiences? What are unique experiences? Are there experiences that I have not even thought of perceiving? Are there some that I am simply unable to perceive, given my own life and personal perceptions? Does the individual piece of music or a particular performer create specific experiences for the audience and/or the listener?
Each of these two cultures of inquiry are alluring to me and I am eager to delve  even more into how I might position my research as I go forward in this program. As I have said in other blogs, time will tell. That and a lot of serious thinking...

Blog 4:

So to date in LRNT 502 I have covered Cultures of Inquiry and Critical Review of Literature as main topics. There have been other areas that we have delved into but these appear to be the two main ones. In these blogs it is important for me to relate my learning at RRU to my life, both personal and professional. So here are some of the connections I see so far, along with some ideas these connections are spurring:
1) I do a lot of "research" as a teacher, in particular as a teacher of music and its connections to technology. I have to stay on top of the latest innovations and, as a performer, use these innovations in my own work. My challenge now is to take this regular research and transform it to the work of academia, concentrating on cultures of inquiry and applying a critical eye and ear to my own research. I am hoping that much of the true academic research I complete as part of this program will be applicable to my own daily work, as well as to the institution I where I teach.
2) The understanding of Cultures of Inquiry is enabling the choices I have to make regarding research easier and is making me think more often of which of these cultures of inquiry I use regularly. I am going to pursue the possibility of aligning my research with my own college's Applied Research department and work with them to create a research topic that I will be able to share internally. Do I want to be published, as some of our online sessions have focused on and as most surely many of my cohort do? I really don't think that this is very important to me, at least not as important as my research being used by my college and affecting some positive change therein.
3) Personally, as I learn more and more at this higher level of education, I am gaining an academic confidence that I did not expect to have come so quickly to me. This is a wonderfully positive occurence and I expect it to only improve as I go forward through my courses and ultimately move into my research.
So there are lots of connections and it appears that the more I try the see them, the more there are! I look forward to finishing this course with a strong academic standing and moving on to the next area of study. So far, I have learned a great deal from these first two courses.

Blog three: where am I so far?

Having completed one individual assignment and two group assignments so far, I am beginning to see connections between this program and my own professional career. The various cultures of inquiry and their applications, as discovered in our most recent assignment, have me thinking with more rigour about which path I will choose for research, thesis or research paper, and I am moving closer to what my research topic will be.
Given that this blog is part of this MALAT program, my next steps should be to seek out other blogs from students who have completed this program and also to investigate my own institution's Applied Research criteria, in an effort to perhaps apply my own research path directly to my work environment and have the results of my research utilized by the institution. This could serve as a driving motivation when selecting the topic and culture of inquiry. In other words, let the tail wag the dog!
I have many interests outside of music and education and I am struggling somewhat with whether or not I should stay within the boundaries of these two areas or stretch out to more peripheral areas for my source when deciding on my research topic and the question or questions I will need to apply to it.
I am interested to see how the remainder of this Introduction to Research course and subsequent courses between now and January, 2015 will assist me in making my choices. I am realizing that, although the adjustment to student life has not been easy at my age, the process is illuminating and I find myself eager to continue with my studies. I will take this as a good sign and it also helps me to realize that I truly am learning from this program. There are connections between the content and my real life and career that are motivating me to continue. And the affect it is having on me as an educator is monumental. Nothing makes a teacher a better teacher than becoming a student! I think it should be a requirement of employment: take at least one course of some kind every year or two.
So, until my next inspiration to write something here, I will head back to my schoolwork and my potential decision regarding research. Hopefully by the next time I write here, I will be one, or maybe even two, steps closer to deciding.

Blog entry number two of what will be many!
I've been reflecting on the textbook for LRNT502, Mindful Research in Social Research, and I find that I am quite interested in the various approaches to research. Having not ever really done any true, long-term research (longer than a few days surfing the web for something! lol!), it is cool to think that there are many ways that I can tackle a research question and that formulating the question properly is so important in terms of taking the correct research path.
Of course, some of these "cultures of inquiry" would be fairly obvious to most, such as doing quantitative research. How many people do X while they are in Y situation while striving to achieve Z, etc.? Numbers and stats are where most people's minds head to when thinking about research, I believe. But, clearly, there is more to it that that and for many types of pressing questions, such an approach to researching a topic would fail right out of the gate. So I am feeling compelled to be certain to get as much as I can from this course, as I feel it will form the foundation for much of what is to come throughout this Masters program.
Some days, I have my doubts about being able to compete on the level required to do strong work for this program but then I hear that many are feeling similar and that feeling fades away and becomes something more akin to excitement. What will my research area be? Will I enjoy it? Will it contribute in some way to the world or will it simply contribute to my personal growth? Will it enhance my professional career? Will it be, like, hard and stuff? (lol!)
Only time will tell, I guess, but as I settle in to my studies I am feeling more like this is where I should be right now; i.e. I made the right choice. And if I've learned anything in my years on this rock it's that life is ALL about the choices one makes, good or bad.
So tonight (yes tonight for me as I'm 4.5 hours ahead of most everyone, except for Michelle R. who is in Qatar and literally on the other side of the clock!), we have a guest speaker, one of the authors of the text. I am very interested to see what he brings to us in this session. It has been a while since the publication of this text so surely he has progressed in his field and will have some new insights for the cohort. It should be interesting and informative.
Until next time, I leave you with this little quote from a famous little green dude of Star Wars fame:
"[Luke:] I can't believe it! [Yoda:] That is why you fail."
I try to make this my mantra as I continue my studies and my life. Might work for you, too! :-)

7.6.2014

So this is my first blog ever and I'm supposed to use it to connect my Masters in Learning and Technology (MALAT) from Royal Roads University to my real life and passions. So where to begin? Hmmm...Ok, so I'll start with what brought me to this course of study: music and technology. 
I'm a professional keyboardist and music educator and I have been using music software technology since it hit the market back in the early 1980s. I worked for many years as a Keyboard Product Specialist in a large music store and, strangely enough, in all the bands I have worked with through my many years of performing, all my band mates simply assumed that I would know the tech stuff because I was the keyboardist. If there was ever any technical issue at all, they turned to me. So there really was no escape from technology for me. I learned by doing at a time when no-one was teaching it. 
I started a music teaching studio in 1983 complete with a digital piano, a music computer, and drum machine, and several sound modules. I could create MIDI recordings of my students' lessons, have software notate what they played right there in front of them, and have little kids play the same piece over and over but with a different timbre on each pass. I worked as well as a music teacher at a private music school, complete with multiple keyboards and headsets in a lab, where I could tap into any of the individuals, listen to them play, converse with them and give them pointers privately over headsets, then move on to another in the group. It should be no wonder that I found the connection between technology and education so fascinating.
My teaching experience, performing experience, and formal music education eventually led me to an opportunity to start up a Music Industry and Performance program at College of the North Atlantic, in Newfoundland and Labrador. I incorporated as much technology as I could into the lab/classroom environment but after many years of teaching music at the college level, and using technology on a daily basis in order to do it, I decided that I wanted more than to just use it; I wanted to better understand WHY we use it, HOW others are using it, and WHERE the future might bring it. That led me to to Royal Roads University and the MALAT program.
So this is where I will start my first blog, by looking back to see where this interest in tech and education started for me. Let's see where it will eventually take me...