The Multimedia Maven

Years ago as a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, I was asked to read and respond to the Letter in the Birmingham Jail written by the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963. That date is approximately five years prior to my conception. However, in spite of my non-existence when the words were spoken, I was vicariously and figuratively able to grasp the gravity and intensity of Dr. King’s intent. On this day, 46 years after the death of the “drum major for justice”, I honor his legacy by reflecting on his thoughts during his physical captivity. Think about it, his mind was always free in spite of his circumstance.

In his words, Dr. King says that he normally did not respond to his critics because it would waste time. Time is invaluable. It cannot be recreated or made. In his book, Maximize the Moment, Bishop T.D. Jakes emphasizes this point by taking you can always make more money but you cannot make anymore time. How much time is wasted fighting criticism and/or critics real or imagined? Be like Dr. King and only respond to that which is absolutely necessary. And realize that short of confinement, Dr. King may never have taken his time to address his critics. What is your time worth? Is it really worth your time to argue with a “fool?” Who is the bigger fool, the known fool or the one who attempts to reason with a known fool?

Dr. King was in Birmingham to support a local affiliate of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He was the President of the organization and promised each affiliate his assistance when the need arose. Freeze!!! First of all, the SCLC was a very organized network. They had a chain of command so to speak and an open-minded leader. Several questions come to mind. Who are you following and why? Are your leaders dependable? Do they show up when they are needed or send a representative or worse yet an excuse? Dr. King was so accountable that in keeping his word, he was willing to and actually did go to jail. Further, the organizations maintained consistent and clear communication. In a world with mobile devices, emails, text, snail mail, blogs, websites, video/audio conferencing and so much more, is your communication clear, concise and consistent? Dr. King had an effective strategy that helped him form an effective team with a specific goal and vision in mind.

Dr. King noted that the SCLC shared financial and educational resources. Nobody had a lot to save or to lose, therefore it may have seemed the sacrifices weren’t as great. During the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King led the charge to protect and promote principles like freedom and justice. Now, it appears that for some the goal is purely to save principal, money. Another important point that Dr. King made was that he was asked to come to Birmingham. He didn’t micromanage the team. He trusted their judgment and came at their request. True leaders trust their team. To not do so means that you are questioning your hiring practices. After all, aren’t the executives the ones approving employee hires?

Dr. King had a specific reason for being in Birmingham. He said, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” And this is the part of the letter where he wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” As so many continue to battle for diversity and equality, it may feel, at times as if those efforts are futile. Indeed, when marketers have an inside code “NUD” which stands for non-urban dictate which means that they refuse to market to communities of color, when some companies are using the recession as an excuse to eliminate sensitivity and other educational programs and when there is a clear imbalance in major corporate leadership as it pertains to women and minorities, it is often hard to remain on the battlefield. But fight on, we must. There is still injustice. The fight should not be for equality. That was the wrong goal from the start. Humans are equal by birth. Throughout the world, many lack equity. They don’t have access to resources. I don’t need to be in school with a dominant group in order to feel superior. If that’s the case, I have grave psychological issues and to some extent most minorities do as a result of environmental conditioning. What is really needed is access to the same equipment, quality of teaching and other necessary resources.

As America prepares for the majority to become the minority, and as the buying power of the minority exceeds one trillion dollars, it would behoove companies, churches, civic and non-civic organizations and community groups to figure out how to come together to achieve a common goal that should be survival and connectedness in a global economy. America is separated from the rest of the world geographically. It is imperative that we not be separated ideologically. (Read Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat for starters on this topic.)

Dr. King noted that the officials in the city of Birmingham hated the demonstrations but did not object to the conditions that warranted the protests. In other words, they hated the disease but ignored the symptoms and ways to prevent it. Most rational people understand that hate is not very productive in any form. When people react to mistreatment there is often shock and awe. But why does it take a victim of domestic violence to finally kill the abuser to garner the attention that was clearly needed? This analogy runs deep.

Dr. King also provides the four basic steps in a non-violent campaign. They are: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. Fundamentally, he was saying know what’s going on. Don’t act out of emotion. Get the empirical, factual data when making a claim. Then, be prepared to negotiate for an agreed upon outcome. You may not get everything you want, but be content with most of the things you need. Examine and face yourself to be sure that your motives are clear. Make sure you are not operating out of pride, jealousy, envy or a spirit of covetousness (taking something or wanting something that belongs to someone else). Once you have a sound mind, a clear plan and a clean heart, then go into battle unarmed because the weapon of justice is on your side. Dr. King went on to clearly state how the first three steps had failed in Birmingham that forced the SCLC to act. Note, he said direct action that implies a necessary boldness.

Dr. King clearly teaches that when people do not keep their word, hold them accountable in concrete and tangible ways. The SCLC had negotiated and agreed upon a course of action with the city of Birmingham. Unfortunately, the city did not hold up their end of the bargain.

What are you willing to sacrifice to get what you need? Dr. King stated that since the city could not be trusted, the SCLC members would literally give up their bodies to fight for freedom. That’s coal miner DEEP!!!!! Today, some people won’t give up their time, let alone their attention to even think about supporting a cause, let alone sacrifices their positions, homes, jewelry, cars and other material possessions. It’s funny the slaves and so many other generations gave up their lives for a generation they would never see and now it seems as if the living generations are willing to allow the gains of the past to create graves of the future. Again the warriors were fighting for PRINCIPLES NOT PRINCIPAL.

Dr. King strategically timed the Birmingham attack on the economic structure during the Easter shopping season. He knew that it was a major shopping season. Do you go off half-cocked trying to fight an opponent? Have you examined yourself and your tools to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared for a short- and/or long- term battle? In other words, don’t quit your job without a six to twelve month emergency fund in place. Don’t rush into a situation without understanding all or at least most of what is at stake. Strategize, Strategize, Strategize!!!!

Of course, plans can change so you have to be flexible. Dr. King knew the mayoral election was going to take place and he didn’t want the demonstration to interfere with the civic process in any way. Dr. King said, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.” He didn’t want any other issue to get in the way of the purpose. Be patient, wait for the right moment.

Dr. King talked about creating a situation that was so tense, people had to respond. He didn’t want the violence but he knew it was a possibility. Vanderbilt University Philosophy Professor Dr. Lucius Outlaw spoke during the MLK celebration at Belmont University two years in a row. I’ll never forget the phrase he uttered the first time we invited him to come. “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, this is not a resort.” The words seem more than fitting as I reflect upon Dr. King’s letter.

When there is a power deferential, Dr. King said, “Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.” The action the SCLC took under the leadership of Dr. King was a last resort. There is a time to wait and a time to act, wisdom teaches one to know the difference.

Some argue that Dr. King encouraged people to break the law. He responds to that charge by saying, “To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” Discrimination, segregation, alienation, prejudice, malice, racism, sexism, etc. distort the laws of creation and the universe. When this imbalance occurs, all of mankind suffers. History books have documented this type of destruction extensively.

Further, Dr. King was heavily criticized for the timing of the non-violent initiative. Here are his words of wisdom about time, “Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will.” In other words, some people manipulate time and people for their benefit. If something is wrong, once you are adequately prepared, then action must be taken to correct it. Dr. King adds, “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability…”

Some called the actions of the SCLC extreme. As Dr. King analyzed this claim he acknowledged what W.E.B. Dubois, Carter G. Woodson and others recognized long ago, the duality of the Black existence. Dr. King said, “One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, are so drained of self-respect and a sense of “somebodiness” that they have adjusted to segregation; and in part of a few middle class Negroes who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because in some ways they profit by segregation, have become insensitive to the problems of the masses.” What is the cost of complacency?

Dr. King went on to write that “The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation…” This should all sound frighteningly familiar. He attempted to stand in the gap for the two extremes.

In the past people marched, boycotted and protested to express their frustration. Now the concerns Dr. King expressed about pent up anxiety and anger seem to be ringing true. He said, “The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides–and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history. So I have not said to my people: “Get rid of your discontent.” Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action.” What are you doing to deal with the frustration of dealing with overt and covert racism?

Dr. King was often accused of being an extremist. A label that he eventually accepted as he reasoned that in the Christian Bible that Jesus, Amos, Paul were considered by some to be extremists. He also mentioned Abraham Lincoln, Paul Bunyan and Martin Luther. His thought process led him to this poignant question, “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?” What is your answer? I’m an extremist for love.

Of course, Dr. King challenged the clergy and the church. “In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.”

Here is what else he said, “But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.” No commentary needed.

“Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world? Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ecclesia and the hope of the world.” Remember, this is from 1963.

There were those who helped willingly and for them Dr. King was grateful. “But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom, They have left their secure congregations and walked the streets of Albany, Georgia, with us. They have gone down the highways of the South on tortuous rides for freedom. Yes, they have gone to jail with us.”

Dr. King finishes his letter by explaining that the violence peaceful protesters suffered at the hands of the police did not disturb the sensibilities of his critics. He also acknowledged that his letter was lengthy due to his solitary confinement. What do you do when you are forced to be alone? What are you thinking? Are you meditating and praying? Or are you just envying and complaining?

In the final analysis, any biologist will tell you that humans are the only race. Watch the PBS documentary, Race, the Power of an Illusion. Black and White do not exist anywhere else in the world the way they are used in the US. They are extremes that fundamentally don’t exist beyond political reason and rationalization. We are the United States of America to divide us internally is to make us vulnerable externally. Focus on what we have in common and right now that should be surviving in a global economy where other countries are clearly exploiting our weaknesses on a continuous basis. All hands are needed on deck to battle for justice here and abroad.

Happy Birthday and thank you Dr. King,

Dr. Syb
A Child of the Dream, Born in 1968

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The Comcast NBC Universal deal is done. The ink isn’t dry but of course, the stain is already visible. Yet another huge media consolidation so close after the divorce of AOL and Time Warner. For most people, the new arrangement won’t have much impact unless, Comcast raises their rates once again. This would be an extremely short sighted strategy. Given the massive financial success of iTunes, it is amazing that other companies would not replicate this model. Comcast Universal (the name I’m giving them for now) could yield huge profits if they would lower the barrier of entry and make their services more affordable to more people. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom dictates that they will exploit the opportunity and potentially alienate subscribers forcing them to flee to Hulu, Netflix, iTunes or to the Internet in general.

As for diversity, please, most industries do not understand basic biology. When biodiversity is compromised, species die. It’s just that plain and simple. Just ask Bill Nye, the science guy. This is America’s tragedy, we are among the most diverse populations in the world, yet we do not know how to leverage that cultural wisdom. Corporations that understand balance are doing better than those that do not. Comcast Universal needs to be responsible and present a sustainable model for the future. To learn more about what different media companies own, visit the Columbia Journalism Review’s “Who Owns What” site.

With that said, to Comcast’s credit, their revenue model is far more feasible than the major broadcast networks. Since television’s inception in the 1940s and 1950s, ABC, NBC and CBS have primarily depended on advertising dollars to sustain their business. It was beyond shortsighted to depend on one revenue stream. (Hint, if you only have one source of income in your house, you are not the brightest bulb in the bunch either.) Comcast generates revenue from subscriptions, advertising, pay per view, On Demand and a myriad of other sources. As long as they don’t exploit the pay for play or itemize their audience into obscurity, they should be able to maintain. More industries need to understand this concept and diversify their portfolio.

I was pleased to see that Comcast understands that the audience wants what they want, when, where and how they want it. If only the movie industry would finally stop promoting a film and release it on the spot on iTunes, Netflix, in theaters, on DVD, on mobile devices, etc that would severely undercuts piracy. But I digress.

If you’ve read this far, you are very committed and interested. Many people don’t have or take the time or the attention span to focus for any length of time. So here’s your reward. Comcast’s new position is an opportunity for entrepreneurs. Don’t focus on the negative, focus on the positive. What opportunities are now available. If I am an aspiring artist, producer, director or writer with an innovative idea that will reach emerging markets, I am getting in position to present my ideas to Comcast now. HBO is the clear leader (”It’s not TV, it’s HBO) in its field. Comcast needs to be prepared to forage for it’s own survival in a landscape that has been shaped by HBO. In order to do that, they will need an infusion of fresh water, new ideas, new voices and a new paradigm.

In the end, it really doesn’t boil down to the survival of the fittest, it is the survival of the richest and that doesn’t just mean money anymore. And now Comcast has an arsenal, let’s see if they shoot blanks or bullets.

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In my hasty brain dump, I neglected to mention one of my favorite tools, the Flip Camera by Pure Digital. I guess I was more focused on free tools. The Flip Camera is available on eBay, walmart.com and from any number of outlets. It is a wonderful device because it allows you to record up to 60 minutes of video (depending on the version). It has a USB built in so you literally plug it into the computer. It also has editing software. When you see my clips on line, that’s the camera I’m using most of the time. Once I figure out how to disable the autoplay feature on Twitcam video, I may switch gears.

The Flip Camera does not allow you to plug in an external mic but it offers sound that will get the job done in close settings or places where the speakers are generating great sound. When I attended the Presidential Inauguration in January, that’s the camera I used.

For those who have the iPhone 3G, there is a video camera built in that allows you to skip the video transfer step. A reporter at CBS in Miami shot and edited a package using only iPhone video. No time for the quality discussion. That’s not my purpose here. My job is to let you know about resources. People are using them, you don’t have to do so. If you want to use a tool great, if not, great.

A tool for podcasting is BlogTalkRadio, Here’s their description on the website: “BlogTalkRadio is the social radio network that allows users to connect quickly and directly with their audience. Using an ordinary telephone and computer hosts can create free, live, call-in talk shows with unlimited participants that are automatically archived and made available as podcasts. No software download is required. Listeners can subscribe to shows via RSS into iTunes and other feed readers. Our network has produced hundreds of thousands of episodes since it launched in August of 2006.” I’ve had students cover sports stories using this tool. They could do play by play and provide analysis following the game.

Livestream and Ustream allow you to capture events live. Again, you can archive the clips. And you can use more than one camera. It is a great exercise to have students figure out how to cover an event using this technological tool.

They still need substance, historical data, etc. If they don’t read and research, they don’t have anything to share. The tools are just a way to reach people, to tell stories, to share information.

Other thoughts:

1. Have students Twitter or Facebook an Event
2. Students can use Coveritlive to cover a story and interact with their classmates in real time.
3. Promote your story or event on Twitter and Facebook, be creative but not annoying, track your success and write an article about it.
4. Partner with professionals, high schools or any other entity to enhance the learning experience, use skype, tinychat, coveritlive etc.
5. Have students create Tutorials on new tools they find. This is an invaluable resource for the masses who don’t know what they don’t know. It’s also a way for you, the educator to learn the tools.

Another point worth noting is that when you try something innovative, whether it fails or succeeds, you can get positive coverage about the experiment. When University marketing departments figure this out, some faculty will be encouraged to try more creative things. It’s crazy, but some failure sells, either the story about it or the lessons from it.

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As I prepare to teach this fall, I can’t help but take some time to assess the tools that I have in my toolbox and think about which ones to use and why. Just because I know a website application exists doesn’t mean that I need it.

Here are my thoughts so far:

Coveritlive is a liveblogging tool that could be used when an educator is at a professional conference. He or she could live blog and interact with students in the process. Participants can ask questions. The questions can be posted on the blog with moderator’s approval. Now that Coveritlive allows other moderators and gives the option to incorporate Twitter feeds, in addition to embedding videos, adding images and polls and many other very useful features integrating it in a course makes sense. Students can use it to cover stories and share educational experiences in real time. You can embed the code on your website and the session is archived. This is fertile ground for research. Think about it, not only could you research the topic but also the cognitive process. It takes quite a bit to cover an event, answer questions in real time and keep up with the Twitter feed, etc.

Utilizing audio/videconferencing to enhance the classroom experience is an inexpensive way to tap into expertise. Students at Howe Public Schools in Oklahoma under the leadership of Tammy G. Parks have been using Skype to interview professionals. They also produce CLE Live an online show for free, barring the cost of computers of course. It has been a very positive experience for all involved. Likewise, you can invite industry leaders to participate in liveblogging as well.

If you claim to be an educated person, stop saying you hate something before you try it. You want students to care about topics, they don’t know. Yet, when faced with something new, some of you are not setting a good example. Twitter is just a tool. You don’t have to use it. However, you should understand how to use it in order to do right by your students. In short, use Twitter for research. Go to summize.com and search any topic in real time. If you get a Twitter account, use Twellow to find people to follow. Download Power Twitter to improve your interface. Add Tweetdeck to separate followers into groups on Twitter. Let students find knowledgeable people in the field of study. Once you have followers, ask relevant questions. Follow the links that people share. Read them. This is a research tool and much more. It is a critical tool in the news gathering and disseminating process. Don’t over TWEET. Don’t SELL. Use it wisely, strategically.

Twitcam is a new addition to the Twitter arsenal. It combines the real time micro blogging tool with the ability to go live thanks to a partnership with Livestream. You could lecture from an onsite location, provide regular updates for students, students could do the same.

Facebook is much more than just a social networking site, you can experiment with setting a up a group like my Mass Media class inspired by Brian Steffen’s Media Law and Ethics group (please join them and help us educate the future). I have no idea if this will work. I know I post many, many links on media on a regular basis. How much will students read? Will students interact with each other? non-classmates? Will they post articles? Will they understand the concept of crowdsourcing? A lot of that burden falls squarely on my ability to facilitate. At least, we have a place to do so.

Blogs, been there, done that. I had blogs for 3 classes last semester. They are still there, Practicum Pioneers is one example. We, Paul Chenoweth and I had students create tutorials about different web applications from OOVOO to then Mogulus which is now Livestream. There were too many blogs for me to manage. I still advocate making sure students know how to set them up, post to them, make comments and how they are used in their respective fields of study. Students should also read and follow relevant blogs as well. They should use Google Reader or a similar application to follow syndicated blogs which is basically what RSS is. If you go this route, be sure you don’t commit to monitoring the site on a 24/7 basis. Empower students to check each other’s posts.

Of course, what is a course without You Tube. Whether you create videos or watch them, this can be a useful tool. A professor can tape his/her lecture post a short clip on You Tube or a longer clip with better quality on Vimeo. Students can interview people for research or video tape relevant art or what have you. The possibilities are really endless.

For social networking, consider using Tumblr, Ning, or Kick Apps.

To capture anything that’s on your computer screen for up to 5 minute use Jing Project. That’s how my students recorded their tutorials.

I’ll stop here for now, please share other tools and let me know how you use them.

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Check him out at: Speed of Creativity

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At Oklahoma University presenting to high school teachers on multimedia and learning a lot too.

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I’m on the run but here’s my take on the new Spotify application for the iPhone. Check out the company and here’s the video on the new application on You Tube. Thanks to Mashable for the article.

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During the Q & A after her talk at the Open Video Conference , Lizz Winstead answered a question about the Jim Kramer/Jon Stewart exchange. (Google it if you missed it.)

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