Create World 2008 hosted by Apple University Consortium (AUC) on 8-10 December 2008 at Griffith University; Brisbane was informative and also enjoyable. The 3-day event offered a range of performances, presentations, and technical development workshops.
The hands-on workshops addressed some key tools in educational technology such as end-to-end podcast systems and film editing suites. Another workshop was focused on Creative Commons as a way to avoid certain copyright dilemmas.
The panel discussions raised some interesting questions relating to disciplines within Arts and Humanities:
‘Research on Trial’ explored the components and criteria of research and how it applies to the scheme of research within the Arts. The main question that the panel discussed was what exactly is research and how do we measure it in Arts and Humanities?
‘A Digital Roadmap for NCRIS and the HASS Sector’ consisted of an update on the NCRIS landscape and explored the needs of Australian HASS researchers. The National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Sector is a programme introduced by the Australian Government in 2004. Professor Paul Turnbull from Griffith University described the current status of NCRIS; provided examples of key projects in the USA; and invited an open discussion for future strategies.
‘Digitised creation and digital creation: Will the new medium drive out the old?’ This panel attempted to address the issue of old media vs. new media. The discussion included issues such as the relation between pre-digital and digital creativity; the genre and medium issues; and also contemplated the possible results of the double existence of the digital and pre-digital traditions.
The presentations were varied, but there seemed to be quite an emphasis on Second Life, the popular virtual environment. Three of the presentations focused on the use of Second Life in education. However, I personally have my doubts about the use of Second Life in Arts. I can see the possibilities for subject areas that require simulated environments, but I cannot see how the study of Arts and Humanities subjects in Second Life is transferable to the real world.
The media production team at the University of New South Wales presented an overview of their developments and media strategies. This was an exciting presentation of UNSW’s holistic approach to media delivery solutions at the university.
The performances were entertaining. ‘Topology’ explored the natural musical tone embedded in human dialects. They demonstrated this by performing an orchestral piece coinciding with some famous speeches made by Gough Whitlam and Martin Luther King.
‘Jam2Jam’ performed a real-time musical piece comprised of three separate performers. Two of the performers were present on stage while the other was in a remote location- they maintained contact through Skype video conferencing. Jam2Jam is an application, which allows users to collaborate on musical projects from remote locations.
‘Cinematic Theatre in Action’ presented a fusion of live performance with the magic of the big screen. The performance was designed using Quartz Composer, a new and exciting programme that is inbuilt in the Mac OSX developer platform.
Detailed information about the sessions can be found on the ‘Podcast Program of Create World 2008’: http://createworld2008.edublogs.org/. Here, you can listen to podcasts from the presenters and more. The creators of the site, Allan Carrington and his team, have implemented Wimba voice tools, which allows anyone the option to record their own comments as a podcast with the click of a button. The podcast comment is then automatically uploaded to the site. You can also leave text comments if you wish. You’re all invited to get involved in discussions.
For further information on CreateWorld and other AUC activities, visit the CreateWorld website: http://www.auc.edu.au/Create+World+2008
