Remix, Rojak and Learning

A new form of learning, remix is slowly gaining popularity as students learn by creating new forms of online content using existing content. Remix is the reworking or adaption of an existing work where the existing work is superimposed on other work creating active learning by the participators.

But rearing its problematic head in discussing remix are those twin imposters copyright and plagiarism. Dr Dale Spender argues that so called plagiarism is just part of the way student learn. For her remix is a new and fast way synthesising information. In remix students download text and music they take bits and pieces mix and match them and make something new out of something borrowed. But academics are out of touch if they clamp down on this, according to Dr Spender.

As education staggers to a new order of learning based on the often cited low attention span of its generation Y learners remix offers gamers and web users the ability to combine and to remix learning on their terms. Online communities learn through interaction sharing of information and creating alternative version of the original work while at the same time engaged in positive learning.

For educators, remix complicate the learning picture while offering some promise. What exactly constitutes a valid original work? What are the implications for how we assess and reward creativity? Attitudes about authorship are undergoing a radical change. Audience and author are sometimes indistinguishable for example, Wikipedia. For the young there ability to cut and paste a well phrased thought makes them claim it as their own.

Bright young things who remix content on the web consider themselves participating and borrowing content. Copyright begin to lose its meaning. IT merely provides tools for self expression. It doesn’t create genius. If we dismantle copyright the result could be the likely dismantling of the Mozart’s of the future.

For copyright there are creative commons sites that allow users to use material that is free of copyright permission. It attempts to circumvent the copyright conundrum by providing a middle ground between restrictive copyright and material in the public domain. The Singapore creative commons website is at http://creativecommonssingapore.wordpress.com/