The primary idea that I drew from Howard Gardner’s work ‘Minds Viewed Globally: A Personal Introduction’ is something that I have been trying to hone in on, develop and make myself aware of throughout my degree and within my professional, and somewhat my personal life.

This concept I am talking about is future thinking.

In particular when it comes to education, Gardner’s work does touch on some key ideas that I feel should be prevalent and considered in modern education and training. I think the idea of change is particularly relevant when considering how education works, and it shows in the direction that many educators are taking. Without taking into account change, and what it can do, you may find yourself left behind. It is mostly relevant in my mind due to the face that the world is changing every day, and so are technologies, attitudes and ideas.

On a positive note, it seems this change is making its way to lower education institutions, with many primary and high schools adopting technologies and ideas that keep their students studies relevant to the times. One example I can think of is my old school now offering certain classes in 3D printing, purchasing printers and even providing a program whereby the students can build their own fully functional 3D printer.

Without these types of forward thinking, education specifically could become less and less relevant in modern society, as access to this information is so readily available already. Change must be made by all to stay afloat, to stay relevant and to stay a part of the modern society that we currently reside in.

Time in todays society is seen as a commodity more than anything, especially in the professional work environment. As discussed by Barbara Adam in her piece ‘Finding Time in a Digital Age’ there are certain aspects of life such as work which are accelerating the fastest, primarily due to technology.

This concept of work is one that concerns me very much so, and I have talked about time and time again in my own pieces of writing. Whilst the foreseen future was one whereby labour and human interaction in the workplace was diminished and limited, the trend has definitely taken a full 360 degree turn since developing those ideas. Whilst there are definitely industries becoming more automated and less reliant on paid worker contributions, for the most part the ‘human touch’ is still needed and is very prevalent in almost every industry.

The main issues that I would like to deal with are those surrounding the idea of ‘presence bleed’ and the consequences and implications that a concept such as this entails.

‘Presence Bleed’ is another way to describe working outside of paid work hours. For instance, those emails that you read or reply to at night when you have time after having a break, or those calls that you answer outside of your billed hours that you are paid for.

Industries, in particular communication industries are finding this much more prominent, and a more common occurrence than previously, due to advancements in technology. These advancements pave the way for easier access to employees outside of hours they are required to help under contract.

Whilst all of this may make a company more productive and create further growth for the company, and perhaps the individual within the company, where does it end? When does the job that you are hired to do cease and when does it begin? These hard questions must be asked by not only people suffering from this issue, but everyone, as work is not the be all and end all of everything. It is just the beginning.

Calvin Newport’s work ‘The Clarity of the Craftsman’ brings up many interesting points. Many of these points do come across as quite controversial. After discussions with multiple fellow students and experienced professionals I personally don’t see most of the assertions made by Newport as very valid.

I note that there are reasons as to why people work where they do. They may gain fulfilment from helping others, or they may give others fulfilment etc. However I feel to say that in most cases his idea of the Craftsman Mindset isn’t necessarily the one whereby most decisions are made. Though many people would try to see themselves as being not selfish, to say that most people do what they do because it enables them to focus on what they can give to the world is rather limiting.

I agree that many people may see it this way, but unfortunately the majority the human race is selfish in nature, in some respect or another. Though this concept of being passionate about work is not necessarily all down to being selfish, the definition given by Newport needs some attending to, as that is the impression that it paves the way for.

The main issue Newport’s article has is it’s completely biased and opinionated nature. For a topic such as this, there is no line that can really be drawn in the sand. There is no right or wrong answer as the answer is different for everyone.

Today I feel that we find ourselves in a tricky situation, with many possible outcomes.

There are multiple ways that the whole entertainment and media industry could end up in, and it is disconcerting. With the global trend of the consumption of media moving so rapidly towards youth consumption, it begs the question as to how we manage to cater for multi-generational. As discussed in Chris Lederer & Megan Brownlow’s work, whilst it may be easier to advertise/pitch products and services to older generations, the younger generations, under the age of 35 are where the real money is being made these days, especially in digital media consumption.

In the long term whilst the idea of marketing to generation Z and Y may produce more money, the current audiences consuming media cannot be ignored. It is important to always look to the future, and towards the upcoming trends in the industry, and to be aware of this trend is crucial to understanding how to construct and manage an entertainment and media company.

However the question that I feel this notion, or mindset begs, is what happens to the production of these materials in the present? Do we make the early call and go forward with what trends are currently heading towards? Or do we slowly migrate to this different medium of content aimed at the Z and Y generations? I feel either way, some part of entertainment and media will be lost in this process. We won’t be able to see an image blown up on a daily newspaper, allowing us to capture the true essence of what the image is trying to represent. Regardless even though the media produced today is showing strength in the current Z and Y generations, it will be completely different sooner rather than later.

So, just taking a page out of Adrian’s book to promote my dads company. Though they wont be considered as very high quality backlinks by google, doubtfully making any difference in page rank, might as well give it a shot.

Check out the Paintbusters website here, because everyone reading this is clearly interested in cladding their house.

😉

Check out this video regarding the decision to discontinue community television. Interesting to see the famous individuals we now know in their beginning.

So taking Sam’s and now Jane’s ideas, here are my favourite two quotes that I found…. interesting in the week 7 readings.

“Mind-deadening television”

• Not necessarily accurate assumption of how we consume television and media.
• We do not all sit down and watch TV as if we are dead to the world.
• It may engage us into political talk and conversations, or create a public, through watching content such as the news.

“The summer was a sizzler”

• Just a rockin’ quote for an Aussie.