VIDEO EXAMPLES!

http://mashable.com/2009/08/19/youtube-social-good/ Here are some examples of good short videos!

2/24

Today, we heard some awesome "spark" presentations in class. You offered your ideas to the group--and once you offered up your ideas, they belonged to everyone. Today, we began to form groups.

I need EVERY PERSON IN CLASS to email me a quick report on what they're up to with their group right now, no later that MONDAY NIGHT. You can find my email on the syllabus.

You will spend this week beginning to work together. Consider this an engagement. On Friday, one week from today, you will firmly commit to your group and your collective project--no exceptions, no changing.

For those of you who were in class today, reach out to your classmates who weren't here for the presentations--Darron, Bianca, Nunnaputt, Will, and Dimir. We need full participation to be successful. Your resources will be diminished in two ways without everyone's participation: first, because you will lack their person-power--their ideas and labor--and, because with fewer people, your budgets for resources for your project (buttons, equipment, etc) will be slashed.

Darron, Bianca, Nunnaputt, Will, Dimir, if you're reading this, it's not too late! But it will be, after next week. Reach out to your classmates and join a group!

Assignments!

For this week, in addition to working on your group's piece of Let America Be America Again, your group also needs to research and teach the class about a social movement or campaign. You'll have 5-7 minutes per group in class on Friday. Find out the history, claims, and tactics of the movement or campaign.

Along with identifying the "who, what, when, where" of the history, make sure you attend to these two questions:

What does it believe needs to happen? (claims)

What does it DO to convince people to make happen what needs to happen? (tactics)

Group 1: Anti-nuclear movement

Group 2: Zapatistas

Group 3: Same-sex marriage rights

Group 4: Free software/hacker rights

2/10/12 update

On February 17: As a group, you will deliver a presentation about a recent grassroots movement or campaign (as assigned by Sunday night on the blog) and, as a group, you will perform, publicly, on campus, together, "Let America Be America Again." This will be apiece of street theater on campus.

Looking ahead: On February 24--that's TWO WEEKS AWAY--you will deliver a spark proposal as an INDIVIDUAL. This will be your idea for a "Be the Change" project for an America Speaks working group to take action on this semester. MAKE IT GOOD. So start thinking about it now! We will vote to decide which ideas we most want to work on this semester.

Please see the syllabus for details on both these events.

Syllabus!

Did you lose your syllabus? You can see it here!

Your missions!

This week, we're looking at direct action and political theater! Your group has a mission: to investigate something, and deliver a 5-7 minute presentation TEACHING us about it on FRIDAY IN CLASS. This is important, because you will engage in some species of direct action, demonstration, or political theater in your projects--so you need to learn about some techniques for it!

Last Friday you formed four groups, each including one member of the Group Formerly Known As Perseverance.

Group including Wultden: Sit-ins and occupation. What is it? What are some important examples (look at: lunch counters, Tiananmen, Tahrir)? Why was it effective?

Group including Mili: Marches! What is it? What are some examples of what it looks like (look at: march on Washington, Take Back The Night)? Why was it effective?

Group including Jesus: Guerilla thearer. What is it? What were some EXAMPLES of it? Why was it effective? (Consider: Abbie Hoffman's action on Wall Street in 1967--what happened there, and what was the point?)

Group including Will: Zap! What is zapping? Who used it? Why was it effective? What are some important examples of it? How is zapping related to d0xing and other personally targeted actions?

As ever, be in touch with me (profpoole at gmail dot com) or Kemar (kbennett at bhcc dot edu) if you have questions!

America Speaks 2/3

TODAY IS FRIDAY. The first thing you can do for your project is: watch this!

http://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out.html

By Sunday morning, your specific challenge for your group for this week will post to the blog! Execute it! You'll need to investigate a political theater, art, or direct action and present about it in class.

Also, work together with your group on rehearsing SEVERAL DIFFERENT ways of doing your assigned section of Let America Be America Again.

America Speaks 2/3

EDITED!!!

AS A GROUP, investigate your assigned social media campaign or organization (assigned below)

Consider:

what is the issue or campaign that the organization is taking on?

how are social media and online organizing used to get the word out or inspire change with respect to that issue?

why were these strategies effective in this case?

give at least three examples of EFFECTIVE use of social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, etc) in your assigned organization/campaign.

AS A GROUP, teach the rest of us about it in 5 minutes (approximately) on Friday!

Perseverance (Wultden, Mili, Jesus, Will): your campaign or organization is: SOPA

Christ punchers (Taek, Dennis, Jonny, Silver): your campaign or organization is Occupy Wall Street

Francesca, Mercedes, Nunnaputt, Bianca, Ethan, Ateejoon (what's your group's name?): your campaign or organization is 350.org

Also please read:

http://www.thenation.com/article/156447/what-malcolm-gladwell-missed-about-online-organizing-and-creating-big-change

And watch:

Clay Shirky, How Facebook, Twitter, and Cellphones can change the world