Garry’s Rambles

This is an interesting and important perspective from Europe on their policies to encourage a Digital Europe by their Media Chief, Vivienne Reding. I also noted on the same page another link that makes a strong and important statement on Internet Piracy. Whilst we have had some good reports (eg the Cutler Review) on Innovation which calls for a review of IP arrangements in Australia, and the Gov 2.0 initiative is encouraging more open forms of communication with government, education and training, I fear, will take a more conservative risk averse approach. For example, this approach to Queensland teachers using social network sites with students is but one recent move. In regards to IP, many teachers, and students, are now being encouraged to publish works on the Internet. In these ‘mashups’, really teachers have been ‘mashing up’ material from multiple sources for years, (eg the roneo, the photocopier) only now they can make them public and all too often the rights associated with use are too confusing, too complex and so the easy solution is to say ’stop it’. A strategy to encourage a Digital Australia would be to enlist teachers as digital citizens.