Post 5: Data

by rianadas

The concept of Transversality was the centre of this weeks learning’s. We were probed to consider the boundaries we place on ideas or practices, and the way that these boundaries are broken or evolved in order to create something new or improved. In other words it refers to extending an idea. In nearly all media industries today, boundaries are being annihilated through use of Smartphones and moreover the Internet. In particular, the essence of industries such as Journalism, Music, Education and Film are being altered significantly as revolutionists endeavour to ‘step outside the frame’.

The case of Sal Khan and his revolutionary idea of “Khan Academy” is an example of a ‘transverse’ idea. Taking the typical classroom setting and transporting it to the personal homes of students – pupils were now able to learn at their own pace, rewind and re-watch video tutorials on their computer as they pleased, aiding their learning phenomenally. This example has set the scene for new methods of education. Education is making a move to online modes allowing people in geographically remote areas to access it, also appealing to those with daytime commitments. Another example of this is Rheingold University: http://www.rheingold.com/university/ and the site Massively Open Online Courses at http://www.moocs.co/.

The move from old broadcast media to ‘new media’ such as the Internet, phone and tablet apps has thoroughly changed the face of journalism today. As information is available so quickly and in quite rich forms such as in-the-moment pictures or video footage, the time delay in traditional journalism has rendered it pretty much obsolete in the fast-paced, online world. Also, society’s preference for the visual has resulted in the birth of data visualisation or information graphics, which transforms dry data into pictorial graphics, charts and graphs to get the message across in a richer format. Fernanda Viegas, a Visualisation Researcher from Stanford University speaks of how important it is for journalists to learn how to incorporate visualisation and infographics into their work to increase their appeal and accessibility to people of all walks of life. Emerging technologies and possibilities are also discussed, in particular, the upcoming notion of interactive infographics – transforming the scene ever further.

References:

,  and Spike Morris (2013): Khan Academy founder on the future of teaching http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/video/2013/apr/23/khan-academy-future-teaching-video

Viegas, Fernanda. Wattenberg, Martin. Frys, Ben. (2010) Journalism in the Age of Data http://datajournalism.stanford.edu/