Short answer - my dissertation project for the MSc in eLearning at Edinburgh University.
"The purpose of this project is to assess to what extent a digital media
method can facilitate loss reflections in participants of the Carbon Conversations course. The role of the MEmorial is to raise awareness of a
particular issue via the internet (Ulmer, 2005) which can be viewed as a
form of activism (Pickerill, 2003)."
This blog follows me as I read Gregory L. Ulmer's book EM: Electronic Monuments and set about creating my own memorial to frogs. It will not focus on the pedagogical implications of using this as a tool for reflection or anything so very serious - I'll keep that for the dissertation.
Instead, I will try and capture the thoughts that popped into my head when creating my part of the Carbon Conversations
electronic monument, or MEmorial. The intention is that this will help others
undertaking the same task.
It may also reveal the deep workings of my mind - sorry about that :)
Assignment Intro
Below is the Assignment Intro quoted from Ulmer's Electronic Monument book. Throughout the blog, I will provide these Assignment posts to record the tasks followed by my own thoughts and activities.
"design... a MEmorial - for a disaster, [an] event of loss whose mourning helps define a community. The long-range goal is to "improve the world"; or, if not to improve the world, then to understand in what way the human world is irreparable."
In this case, I am quoting directly from page xxxiii. In further Assignment posts, it may be my own interpretation of the questions to assist in creating guidance for those who will volunteer to undertake this task with me (and my heartfelt thanks to those lovely people :) )
As this is connected with the Carbon Conversations course, we are reflecting on the loss of something as a result of our actions. The course asks participants to reflect on what will change in the move to a low carbon lifestyle.
This activity asks you what you would miss most, perhaps what we have already lost, as a result of our behaviour as a species. This can be anything - that is what makes it so interesting, we'll get an amazing insight into what is important to each of us.
Each of these insights will act as a potential "hook" which may attract others to think about changing their lifestyles too. Every change, every step counts.
"design... a MEmorial - for a disaster, [an] event of loss whose mourning helps define a community. The long-range goal is to "improve the world"; or, if not to improve the world, then to understand in what way the human world is irreparable."
In this case, I am quoting directly from page xxxiii. In further Assignment posts, it may be my own interpretation of the questions to assist in creating guidance for those who will volunteer to undertake this task with me (and my heartfelt thanks to those lovely people :) )
As this is connected with the Carbon Conversations course, we are reflecting on the loss of something as a result of our actions. The course asks participants to reflect on what will change in the move to a low carbon lifestyle.
This activity asks you what you would miss most, perhaps what we have already lost, as a result of our behaviour as a species. This can be anything - that is what makes it so interesting, we'll get an amazing insight into what is important to each of us.
Each of these insights will act as a potential "hook" which may attract others to think about changing their lifestyles too. Every change, every step counts.
Big question!
What would I miss most? What a question!
In the Carbon Conversations course, we reflected on the perceived "benefits" of a high-carbon lifestyle and what losing those benefits would mean to us. That included a more personal reflection of the impact of a switch to a low-carbon approach would be.
In later meetings, your group may also have talked about the impact not changing would have, I know our group did.
My background is zoology and environmental science, so my default approach was to think about what part of the natural world I would miss - what I didn't want to lose.
I thought about trees, I like trees and they do an amazing job making this world suitable for aerobic organisms like ourselves.
Then I thought about the soil - wonderful microbes busily restoring and regenerating soil and processing waste, the perfect recyclers. Use of chemicals and poor land management is seriously damaging these communities. Where would we be without them?
Did I go with these? Nope.
Did I reflect on the loss of our own species? Our many and varied cultures? No again.
I decided that the one thing I would miss most is the frog. My world wouldn't be the same without them.
The picture below is on my desk as I write - It's a Froggy Frog World by Jody Bergsma and the text in the ring the frogs are circling says Wealth - Prosperity - Abundance. Sounds like a good world to live in :)
In the Carbon Conversations course, we reflected on the perceived "benefits" of a high-carbon lifestyle and what losing those benefits would mean to us. That included a more personal reflection of the impact of a switch to a low-carbon approach would be.
In later meetings, your group may also have talked about the impact not changing would have, I know our group did.
My background is zoology and environmental science, so my default approach was to think about what part of the natural world I would miss - what I didn't want to lose.
I thought about trees, I like trees and they do an amazing job making this world suitable for aerobic organisms like ourselves.
Then I thought about the soil - wonderful microbes busily restoring and regenerating soil and processing waste, the perfect recyclers. Use of chemicals and poor land management is seriously damaging these communities. Where would we be without them?
Did I go with these? Nope.
Did I reflect on the loss of our own species? Our many and varied cultures? No again.
I decided that the one thing I would miss most is the frog. My world wouldn't be the same without them.
The picture below is on my desk as I write - It's a Froggy Frog World by Jody Bergsma and the text in the ring the frogs are circling says Wealth - Prosperity - Abundance. Sounds like a good world to live in :)
Step 1 - Find the News
Monitor the daily news until you find a report or story that troubles you. There is no need to analyze or interpret the incident or situation. Instead, gather details. (Ulmer, p65)
News and links
- Disease, habitat loss and climate change threatens amphibians
- Climate culprit for frog deaths
- Solving the mystery of the bizarre deformed frogs
- Launch for amphibian 'life raft'
- Tiny frog claimed as world's smallest vertebrate
- Why we must save the frogs
Step 2 - Start an Archive
Start an archive of pictures and text found on the Internet that could [act as a visual representation] of your news event as a scene. [Take] this technique one step further by using found materials (photographs, personal anecdotes, toys and other objects). [See] the Internet as a collage engine. (Ulmer, p71)
Carbon Frog Loupe
Definitely a collage moment - chose a car to link a high-carbon lifestyle with frogs. Loupe is a great tool that finds pictures for you and I like that you can click on the images to see the originals and see other links on the web you might not have thought of. Shame it doesn't easily resize...
Waahaaayyy!
Not such a "green" amphibian here - Toad is obsessed with his motor car. My response to my mum when she asked if I had passed my driving test was "Poop poop!" - she knew exactly what I meant, such was the power of the Toad in our family history :)
It's in the cards...
Ulmer mentions the Tower tarot card as a symbol of disaster and change. It made me think about symbolism associated with frogs and I checked out two card decks and provide the links below. The pictures are nice too :)
From Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals by Jamie Sams and David Carson with images by Angela C. Werneke. Image link courtesy of The Purple Pathe
Frog (and frog people) cleanses negativity from the environment. Importance of relaxing and replenishing our own energy so that we can support others in turn - cleansing of self linked to cleansing of the land (see Lady Wolfdreams for full quote of card text).
From The Druid Animal Oracle by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm with images by Bill Worthington. Image link courtesy of Indigo Readings Blog
I love Bill Worthington's images - always more than they appear at first sight. In this case, it's not just the frog and frogspawn, but also the toadstools, cranberry (also called frogberry) and the frog's spindle (orchid). Willow is there too, as willow is linked to water like frog.
Card represents sensitivity, medicine and hidden beauty and power. Interesting that it is the sensitive and delicate skin of the frog which is a weakness when facing a polluted world that is its strength here - teaching us sensitivity to others and to our environment. Again, encouraging us to heal ourselves - "the frog brings medicine, and medicine brings healing". Speaks of marrying the frog (makes me think of the Frog Prince fairy tale) - facing difficult circumstances will bring us rich "rewards" in the end. Brings us full circle to the Tower - change might be difficult, but all we can do is hope that positive change brings positive rewards...
From Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals by Jamie Sams and David Carson with images by Angela C. Werneke. Image link courtesy of The Purple Pathe
Frog (and frog people) cleanses negativity from the environment. Importance of relaxing and replenishing our own energy so that we can support others in turn - cleansing of self linked to cleansing of the land (see Lady Wolfdreams for full quote of card text).
I love Bill Worthington's images - always more than they appear at first sight. In this case, it's not just the frog and frogspawn, but also the toadstools, cranberry (also called frogberry) and the frog's spindle (orchid). Willow is there too, as willow is linked to water like frog.
Card represents sensitivity, medicine and hidden beauty and power. Interesting that it is the sensitive and delicate skin of the frog which is a weakness when facing a polluted world that is its strength here - teaching us sensitivity to others and to our environment. Again, encouraging us to heal ourselves - "the frog brings medicine, and medicine brings healing". Speaks of marrying the frog (makes me think of the Frog Prince fairy tale) - facing difficult circumstances will bring us rich "rewards" in the end. Brings us full circle to the Tower - change might be difficult, but all we can do is hope that positive change brings positive rewards...
Step 3 - Find the Connections
Overcome the dangers of compassion fatigue by finding the connection between your own life experience and the loss (disaster). This is a MEmorial - find the "me".
Write your own version of a moment of connection with your news event - you may find this in a childhood memory. (Ulmer, p143-4)
Is there a unifying thread through the news stories or websites? Can you treat your news story as an image or a scene? (Ulmer, p93-4, synopsis)
What about the story is troubling? What is the larger implication of the story? Reflect on your news story and what it means for you. (Ulmer, p118-119)
Write your own version of a moment of connection with your news event - you may find this in a childhood memory. (Ulmer, p143-4)
Is there a unifying thread through the news stories or websites? Can you treat your news story as an image or a scene? (Ulmer, p93-4, synopsis)
What about the story is troubling? What is the larger implication of the story? Reflect on your news story and what it means for you. (Ulmer, p118-119)
My disaster
I've noticed, with my choice of movie clips in this activity, that my inner child has a strong connection with frogs (or toads). I hadn't realised that before doing this.
I can also think of two connections between frogs and me in my life - like Ulmer's activities, I'll write this in the third person to see if that gives me an external view of my internal experience (or something like that anyway :) )
Where's Beany Frog?
With a child's simplicity of thought, Beany Frog was exactly that - a bean-bag frog, handmade with big, bulbous, beady eyes. He was probably more of a toad, the adults thought, but to her he was Beany Frog.
He had a pleasant hissy, floppy way of moving and was a satisfying, dense and comforting weight in her small hands. And then one day, he was gone.
"Where did you last have him?" she was asked. That was a silly question - he was Beany Frog, he was always there. But not this time.
She was very upset, nothing could replace him - he left a space in her life much bigger than would be expected for a beanbag toy. She learnt what it meant to lose something important, something that, for all the wishing in the world, couldn't be brought back, not even by her parents and they could do anything!
One day, many years in the future, the family were packing up the house to move to a foreign land. The mother was sorting old toys and games into piles - for charity, for friends, for keeping. Then, she laughed and her sensible, grown-up daughter looked to see why.
As her mother turned, she held up a non-descript bundle of floppy material. The beans hissed through the flexible body and Beany Frog appeared. The daughter took him and felt the satisfying weight in her sensible, grown-up hand. She put him on her pile of belongings to move with the family.
He was back; he would stay this time. He was Beany Frog and he was always there.
Treefrogs in Canada
Two friends, Q and Z, sat down to talk. They had finished their undergraduate study and they wanted to celebrate.
The money saved this year wasn't in a pot for university; time for a holiday. They didn't have to be back for the new academic year, they were free.
And, they agreed, they were going to Canada - big spaces, big skies, big bagels. Q had family there, an aunt and uncle, a place they could stay, and they would travel to other places, take their time and absorb and learn.
The aunt and uncle lived in a house in a national park, a protected area. Z had just completed her degree in zoology, and was in seventh heaven, much to the concern of Q and her aunt.
"Just so long as I don't wake up and find you've brought the frogs into the house!" Q said.
Because there were frogs - hundreds of frogs. Z listened to them that first night, what a glorious sound! (Listen to the treefrog (c)Doug Von Gausig) In the daytime, she peeped behind the postbox, under the eaves, any dark place and there they were, snug in the shade and peeping back. At night, they came out, covering the ground - little frogs everywhere.
She found, if she sat on the ground and stayed very still, they would come to her. They didn't like any sudden movement; they vanished when her friend tried to take a picture so the only memory remains in her mind.
She would sit there with tiny frogs over and around her; she was a thing to be climbed. Best of all was when they wandered up her hands - if she moved very slowly, she could bring the hand closer and look at the tiny creature holding on to her finger with perfect fingerpads. The careful way they would turn, placing each finger gently; the speed they would jump away if she moved too quickly. She learned to move calmly and s l o w l y.
She would look at the frog, and the frog would look at her, and time stopped - for as long as the frog chose to stay.
I can also think of two connections between frogs and me in my life - like Ulmer's activities, I'll write this in the third person to see if that gives me an external view of my internal experience (or something like that anyway :) )
Where's Beany Frog?
 |
| This is my Beany Frog |
He had a pleasant hissy, floppy way of moving and was a satisfying, dense and comforting weight in her small hands. And then one day, he was gone.
"Where did you last have him?" she was asked. That was a silly question - he was Beany Frog, he was always there. But not this time.
She was very upset, nothing could replace him - he left a space in her life much bigger than would be expected for a beanbag toy. She learnt what it meant to lose something important, something that, for all the wishing in the world, couldn't be brought back, not even by her parents and they could do anything!
One day, many years in the future, the family were packing up the house to move to a foreign land. The mother was sorting old toys and games into piles - for charity, for friends, for keeping. Then, she laughed and her sensible, grown-up daughter looked to see why.
As her mother turned, she held up a non-descript bundle of floppy material. The beans hissed through the flexible body and Beany Frog appeared. The daughter took him and felt the satisfying weight in her sensible, grown-up hand. She put him on her pile of belongings to move with the family.
He was back; he would stay this time. He was Beany Frog and he was always there.
Treefrogs in Canada
 |
| By Duncan Rawlinson (thelastminute) |
The money saved this year wasn't in a pot for university; time for a holiday. They didn't have to be back for the new academic year, they were free.
And, they agreed, they were going to Canada - big spaces, big skies, big bagels. Q had family there, an aunt and uncle, a place they could stay, and they would travel to other places, take their time and absorb and learn.
The aunt and uncle lived in a house in a national park, a protected area. Z had just completed her degree in zoology, and was in seventh heaven, much to the concern of Q and her aunt.
"Just so long as I don't wake up and find you've brought the frogs into the house!" Q said.
Because there were frogs - hundreds of frogs. Z listened to them that first night, what a glorious sound! (Listen to the treefrog (c)Doug Von Gausig) In the daytime, she peeped behind the postbox, under the eaves, any dark place and there they were, snug in the shade and peeping back. At night, they came out, covering the ground - little frogs everywhere.
She found, if she sat on the ground and stayed very still, they would come to her. They didn't like any sudden movement; they vanished when her friend tried to take a picture so the only memory remains in her mind.
She would sit there with tiny frogs over and around her; she was a thing to be climbed. Best of all was when they wandered up her hands - if she moved very slowly, she could bring the hand closer and look at the tiny creature holding on to her finger with perfect fingerpads. The careful way they would turn, placing each finger gently; the speed they would jump away if she moved too quickly. She learned to move calmly and s l o w l y.
She would look at the frog, and the frog would look at her, and time stopped - for as long as the frog chose to stay.
Froggy World Phrasr
Love this - put in the words or sentence that works with your theme and hey presto, a lovely wee combined image. Simple, but I like it.
Froggy World by Sharon
...or create your own, it even finds the photos for you!
Froggy World by Sharon
...or create your own, it even finds the photos for you!
Reflection, Meditation
For me, the unifying themes are:
But I'm not alone - just searching for a definition of "greenback" took me to these two webpages - and brings me back to my first thoughts about trees too :) (greenbacks - money growing on trees? :) )
- "green" (the colour, the environment, the lifestyle choice)
- "pollution" (man-made chemicals of many kinds polluting the environment, upsetting the balance)
- "greed" (chemical companies, big business, consumer drive for bigger and better - "greenbacks")
But I'm not alone - just searching for a definition of "greenback" took me to these two webpages - and brings me back to my first thoughts about trees too :) (greenbacks - money growing on trees? :) )
Step 4 - Create an Advert
Adverts have to grab our attention in a short timespan, to "get their message across". Consider adverts that you are familiar with - can you make any connections with your news story?
Use your imagination - could you open a space in this advert, or create your own advert, to grab the attention of the public. How can you highlight the problem and grab the attention of a new audience? (Ulmer, p122-3; 183-4)
Use your imagination - could you open a space in this advert, or create your own advert, to grab the attention of the public. How can you highlight the problem and grab the attention of a new audience? (Ulmer, p122-3; 183-4)
Advert - The Perfect Lawn
This grabbed my attention but I couldn't think how to make it work as an advert - Jean-Charles de Castelbajac kills Kermit the Frog (and friends)
And this makes me laugh and laugh :). Notice the "American" beer is brewed in the EU - does that make it a low-carbon "local" brewery? :)
In the end, I thought about the EverGreen advert:
I thought that perhaps a new version would incorporate advice from Freddie on having a frog (and hedgehog) friendly lawn - wouldn't look as nice as the images, a little bit more overgrown and boggy, but still beautiful - easy, peasy. Interesting how advertising encourages us to "make" something that nature can do quite well on its own, though maybe it depends on your definition of "perfect"
And this makes me laugh and laugh :). Notice the "American" beer is brewed in the EU - does that make it a low-carbon "local" brewery? :)
In the end, I thought about the EverGreen advert:
 |
| Image linked from SourceWire News Distribution article |
I thought that perhaps a new version would incorporate advice from Freddie on having a frog (and hedgehog) friendly lawn - wouldn't look as nice as the images, a little bit more overgrown and boggy, but still beautiful - easy, peasy. Interesting how advertising encourages us to "make" something that nature can do quite well on its own, though maybe it depends on your definition of "perfect"
Step 5 - Consultation
[U]ntil the [loss] is acknowledged [given a value] there is no hope of altering the behavior (p. 140) . How can we go about "giving voice to all those condemned to silence" (p. 207)
Reflect on how we could commemorate this loss (Ulmer, p. 210) as a result of our actions as a species - a "sacrifice" of something that is important, at least to us.
This is where we bring all our reflections together as a group.
Think of a structure that could bring all our individual losses together in one "monument". Think of the public monuments you know of - would you use a similar structure or design one unique to this memorial?
Take note of your thoughts. The group will discuss our monument designs and ideas.
Reflect on how we could commemorate this loss (Ulmer, p. 210) as a result of our actions as a species - a "sacrifice" of something that is important, at least to us.
This is where we bring all our reflections together as a group.
Think of a structure that could bring all our individual losses together in one "monument". Think of the public monuments you know of - would you use a similar structure or design one unique to this memorial?
Take note of your thoughts. The group will discuss our monument designs and ideas.
Memorial design
This MEmorial is tied to our decision to go on living a high-carbon
lifestyle or to switch to a low-carbon one. The Carbon Conversations
course asks us to reflect on what that means to us individually, the MEmorial asks
what does that personal choice mean to the world.
What part of this world do I not want to live without? I know that, when our group meets, we may find it is not a list of species, it could be anything.
This is hard for me to reflect on. In some weird way, I don't really want to think about it, even though I know it's a good thing - you can't move on until you've mourned, until you've faced the loss and kind of accepted it.
What if you're not ready to accept it? I guess that is what it means to acknowledge and memorialise something, the action helps the acceptance and frees you up to do something about it.
This is the heart of other projects such as MEMO and The Life Cairn - saying farewell to the species we have lost. I've also captured a feed of tweets tagged #SavetheFrogsDay which coincided with me finishing this activity - a nice synchronicity. (The next Save the Frogs Day is April 27th 2013 :) )
We could look at options similar to this on Twitter, or maybe a completely online space would work - reach the most people, be part of the Carbon Conversations website? Could we collect images with something like Wallwisher (easy to embed and add to) or Pinterest (we could add a follow button on the CC website)? Will that feel "real" enough for us? Do we need something we can touch? Is too much of our life on screen? This is something I would like to chat about with the group.
I will change my lifestyle to save frogs. (Not that I think my own small changes can save them alone, but I believe it can help, even just a little.)
Maybe other people will too, maybe they hadn't thought about it until they see our MEmorial, maybe one of the other images/links will be the hook that inspires them to change.
I'm looking forward to meeting with the group and seeing where we go from here :)
What part of this world do I not want to live without? I know that, when our group meets, we may find it is not a list of species, it could be anything.
This is hard for me to reflect on. In some weird way, I don't really want to think about it, even though I know it's a good thing - you can't move on until you've mourned, until you've faced the loss and kind of accepted it.
What if you're not ready to accept it? I guess that is what it means to acknowledge and memorialise something, the action helps the acceptance and frees you up to do something about it.
This is the heart of other projects such as MEMO and The Life Cairn - saying farewell to the species we have lost. I've also captured a feed of tweets tagged #SavetheFrogsDay which coincided with me finishing this activity - a nice synchronicity. (The next Save the Frogs Day is April 27th 2013 :) )
We could look at options similar to this on Twitter, or maybe a completely online space would work - reach the most people, be part of the Carbon Conversations website? Could we collect images with something like Wallwisher (easy to embed and add to) or Pinterest (we could add a follow button on the CC website)? Will that feel "real" enough for us? Do we need something we can touch? Is too much of our life on screen? This is something I would like to chat about with the group.
I will change my lifestyle to save frogs. (Not that I think my own small changes can save them alone, but I believe it can help, even just a little.)
Maybe other people will too, maybe they hadn't thought about it until they see our MEmorial, maybe one of the other images/links will be the hook that inspires them to change.
I'm looking forward to meeting with the group and seeing where we go from here :)
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