Monthly Archives: February 2012

my hatred and my attraction: writing, writing, writing……

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Week 8, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

It is not a secret that my written language skills are poor. They start to develop very late. Regardless of my good education and that I learned the “know-how” of reading and writing since pre-school. I did not acquire THE writing skill. Amazing!

I remember my pre-school teachers testing me on how many words per minute I could read, as well as if I knew my vocabulary or if I was able to spell. However, I do not remember teachers asking me if I understood the meaning of the words, or teachers who could explain me the root of words and the art of writing.

Undoubtedly, the “know-how” to write is not the same as to have THE writing skill. It was not until my PhD that I face the fact: I do not have the writing skill. It is a shocking fact. Later, while talking with a dear friend of mine who is a good writer, she informed me that I actually speak carolingio not even Spanish!

Oh man! I have a long path and a hard work in front of me.

However, I decide to succeed on my PhD, despite the lack of writing skills. Then, and perhaps as a logical consequence, some kind of hatred and impotence towards writing emerged. I have a pressure to advance and it is expected that I know how to write, and the lack of the writing skill is holding me back. So frustrating! The only solution: write, write, write, write…..

Nevertheless from hate, love can emerge. Suddenly, I start to understand the purpose, the beauty and the importance of writing. The game of words and meanings. But overall, I start to gain inner awareness of the importance to share a written message as clearly as possible to others. Writing help us to think.

Still I am very, VERY, behind in my writing skills, but now I want to learn to write. Still I feel frustrate and angry, but the attitude has changed somehow. It is taking me time, and it will take me more time. But the important thing is: I want to learn to write. Perhaps, one day, I will be able to do it!

book review – berlin at war

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Week 7, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

Book: Berlin at War. Life and death in Hitler’s Capital, 1939-45
Author:  Roger Moorhouse
Type of book:  History
Theme: The WWII experiences from Berlin residents.
Thesis:  The perception and experiences of the WWII from the eyes of Berlin residents.

The book has a series of categories relevant to understand how the Berliners lived across time, before the war until its end. The categories include food (rationing food, clothing, interaction with other immigrants, discipline, fears, propaganda, weather). For me, it is the first book I read which focus mainly on “ordinary” German citizens, instead of the Nazis or the Jewish.  The information and research done for writing the book is vast and well documented. If one wants to gain more insight of a specific topic is possible to search for it on other sources.

The author helps the reader to understand and to focus on one specific category per chapter – e.g. food – simultaneously one is connected to the wider historical context. The process allows the reader to immerse in the scenes and descriptions of the book, reflect on them, and at the same time one is not lost in them.

I did not want to stop reading the book, I enjoyed it and at the same time was an eye opener. Earlier, I read the amazon’s reviewers and someone mentioned that there were other similar books before this one, so this book was not adding nothing new. Perhaps the comment of the reviewer is true, and it will be interesting to read the other books. However, as someone that picked the book randomly from a bookshelf at the airport, because the title and topic called my attention, I am very pleased that I bought it and I feel I learned from it.

Berlin at War

Berlin at War

pay attention to context: from gamification to pleasurize

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Week 6, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

The first time I heard about gamification was with the work of Jane McGonigal and later in a video of Jesse Schell, I even have read about this new system of evaluation relating grades to experience points.

McGonical and Schell are leaders on the arena of game design. Schell’s book, The Art of Game design, in my humble opinion is a gem. However, in regard to the topic of gamification, I have my doubts. I do not find the gamification arguments convincing. My impression is that the proponents of gamification are losing the point of games, play-space and real life. Myself, I subscribe to those individuals who think that gamification sounds like a  disguise of a behaviorist conditioning of everyday activities for competitive societies.

The reason I am writing about this topic is because a friend of mine, Javi, wrote about gamification, and an interesting exchange of ideas emerged. He put me to think when he wrote that: gamifiation is a trend, supported with the idea that marketing agencies want to utilize game design techniques but they do not really know how, specially with a critical mass of players and a new generation coming.

Of course Javi gave me food for the thought, specially when I think on a new generation which is used to reality shows and having all pervasive….

In order to reply to Javi’s comment I watch the video he suggested me:  The Pleasure Revolution: Why Games Will Lead the Way by Schell (embedded below).  The actual reflection of Schell makes more sense to me than the earlier explanation of gamification. Schell bases his analysis on the positive psychology and context.  He changes his focus from gamification to pleasurize or improved motivational design.  To me, as you can imagine from the title of my dissertation hypercontextualize games, I found more common ground with the actual reflection of  Schell than in earlier talks. Perhaps more posts about the topic will emerged.

My conclusion, at this moment, from my talk with Javi is: yes marketing strategies will change. They must change in order to survive. I still think that gamification might not be the way. However, I think we will be finding more ARG and transmedia activities than earlier. Nevertheless, whatever is the new marketing path,  CONTEXT will be its key concept and resource.

To the time!

my first book review – purge

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Week 6, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

Here I write my very first book review. I want to learn to do this.
Book: Purge
Author:  Sofi Oksanen
Type of book:  Novel  (mix of crime and historical fiction)
Theme: Personal events on the life of two women at different periods of time
Thesis:  The interpretations of events on each ones’ life knitted with the personal aim and the influences of the society each one lives in.

The novel develops on the story of two characters: Zara and Aliide. Both stories are individual, but they  are also interlinked when one sees the big picture of both stories.  Zara’s story is based on the present  (around 1990s), she is a russian woman descendent of Estonian. Aliide’s story is based on the past, she is a estonian woman from the time of the second war.

The historical moment plays a role in each of the main character’s story. Each character has the pressure of the economical, social, historical and human challenges of her time, in addition to her personal limitations. Furthermore the psychology of the characters, showing their feelings of hope, shame, betrayal, guilt, denial are strongly describe along the novel, in concordance with their historical moment.

Very well writing, and the author (Sofi Oksanen)  lets us travel along different layers of time to follow the stories of both main characters. Invite us to think and to wonder about the characters and their time. It is mandatory to read all the book, any page can expose fundamental details to understand future or past sections.  Therefore, the book requires concentration.

I message between lines, that I have interpreted from the novel is: No all what you see is what it is, and there are a lot of stories behind each moment we live….. and most of those stories are unknown for us.  Additionally, all of us, in any period of time, have fears and we wish to be loved and accepted.

Purge - British Cover

Purge - British Cover

it matters what you discover

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Week 6, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

Preparing a lecture is actually challenging.  For me, the defiance is also personal because I enjoy to learn and I often dislike to be sitting in a lecture room.

On Monday night, a friend of mine,  Alia,  post a link to Noam Chomsky interview:  The purpose of Education.  Often I discover something when I listening to Chomsky, and this talk is not an exception. One of the multiple things that call my attention in this talk is: the idea of education that promotes enlightenment. My own path as a learner has been a bumping process of searching, exploring, trying and reflecting.  I am also in congruence that the technology is neutral.  Oh well, better listen to the talk.

From the last comments Chomsky mention an anecdote that help me to harmonize myself on how to prepare the courses: “what it matters is what YOU discover”