Remix

I downloaded the app “Edjing” from App store and was relieved how easy it was to understand how it worked. When I opened the app I received a question if I would like to have a short introduction of how the app works. I followed a few steps and then it was my turn to work on my own. I found a song in their list called “Boys don´t cry” by Grant Lee Phillips. It´s a very peaceful song which I thought could be interesting to work around and try to do more energetic. I thought it was really funny to remix and a big reason is because of the app´s features. It wasn´t too complicated and I think it´s a really good start to try this app if you have never been remixing before. My understanding is that you start on the left side and determine the beat and the sound effects you prefer. You choose the music on the right side and in the middle you press the button “sync” to synchronize your choices with the music.

I was working with music mixing which is one way of remixing. Except from the music and sound, remix has expanded to also involve moving and static images taken from the Internet, films or personal archives (Knobel & Lankshear: 2008, p. 22). There are many ways of remixing and I will give you examples on one “photoshopping“ remix, one “machinima” remix and one “anime music video”.

Photoshopping is when you edit a photo and change the content in some way. You can for example take a picture of you and replace your face with the face of a celebrity, and you can also if you want change the background so it looks like you are somewhere else. Machinima is a combination of machine and cinema and is a process where fans create movies by using videogame animation engines. When you create machinima it means that you tell a story by using elements and resources within the game. An anime music video is a video where the resources are clips of animated Japanese cartoons taken from television series or movies (Knobel & Lankshear: 2008, p. 23-25).

Photoshopping remix – The link gives an example of a photoshopped picture where Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama don´t look like they use to do…

https://www.google.se/search?q=photoshop&biw=1280&bih=699&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIgveG5dSJyAIVpRemCh2_zQKY#imgrc=PcNzBDFCP11B2M%3A

Machinima remix – This link shows how a man walks out from his house and ends up in the middle of a game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m9j9CgKX4o&list=TLTM8ivllfhfYxq7ljAcU3x3rZDd0KDafc

Anime music video – The following link shows us short clips from ten different resources together with appropriate music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDLyW1LNScA

 

Reference

Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2008).”Remix: The Art and Craft of Endless Hybridization”. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(1), 22-33. http://opac.library.usyd.edu.au:80/record=b2647834~S4 (2015-09-22)

A new board game

We created a board game about the music during the ‘90s. We included the most popular and well known artists and vocal groups during this decade, to ensure that the people who will play the game already have knowledge about who the famous artist and groups are. When we are ready to take an action that we want to succeed, we are thinking really well, but if we rather let us think about something without any action or interest, we think very poorly (Edutopia, 2012). With this said, we wanted to create a game where the players felt happy and curious about the game and could bring their previous experience into it. The previous experience is very important for having the opportunity to learn which James Paul Gee gives an example on. He tells us that if two people get the same book to read, the one with most experience about the book is also the one who will have the best opportunity to learn (ibid.).

The game we created is pretty easy where the goal is to go from the ´90s to the 21^st century after answering the questions correct. You hit the dice and jump as many steps as it shows, and when you end up on a Q-marked square you have to answer a question.

An engaging dynamic is something the principles of gaming can create which encourages people to develop competencies and skills as they focus of the activities of the game (Educause, 2014). If we would develop this board game further, we would also have information squares so you really get a feeling from the music industry back then. This will give you as a player various opportunities to develop your competencies compared to how the current game looks like. I think our idea is interesting and is absolutely something that would engage people!

 

References:

Educause. (2014).”7 things You Should know About Games and Learning”. 2014 (October) Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-games-and-learning (2015-09-13)

Edutopia (Producer). (2012). “James Paul Gee on Learning with Video Games”. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnEN2Sm4IIQ (2015-09-13)