Author Archives: friesenn

What's "The Canadian School" of Media Theory?

Posted on March 3, 2012 by friesenn

  (Hint: It’s NOT the same thing as the Toronto School of Communications.) I’ve been working with Darryl Cressman on an article on “Die kanadische Schule” for a German Handbook of Media Studies. The piece will be translated and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Friedrich Kittler, Media Theory, Writing | Leave a comment

The Multiversity and Learning on a Shoestring Budget

Posted on February 25, 2012 by friesenn

An excellent article has just appeared in The Times Higher Education Supplement: “Cap and Gown Learning on a Shoestring Budget.” It focuses on low- and no-cost educational options that are starting to emerge as Open Educational Resources are not only … Continue reading →

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"Certain Media Biases:" Lecturing via TV, Radio, Text

Posted on January 23, 2012 by friesenn

In completing a research project looking into McLuhan, media theory and education, I’ve been reading about an early experiment on “certain media biases” and the pedagogical form of the lecture. Download a .pdf of the initial report, originally published in … Continue reading →

Posted in Lecture, Marshall McLuhan, Media Theory | Leave a comment

German Documentary: McLuhan – Visionary of the Media Age

Posted on December 16, 2011 by friesenn

German Documentary: M. McLuhan: Visionary of the Media Age from Norm Friesen on Vimeo. (The entire broadcast can be viewed here.) Interviewer: …but [he] wasn’t a systematizer Martina Leeker (media studies, Cologne): …that makes it perhaps difficult to work with him … Continue reading →

Posted in Friedrich Kittler, Marshall McLuhan, Media Theory | Leave a comment

RUOpen? OERu and Open Learning

Posted on December 13, 2011 by friesenn

A presentation by Wayne Mackintosh, hosted at a panel on Open Education held at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) on Oct. 20, 2011. Wayne Talks about openness in education, OERu, and points to some possibilities for TRU’s future role in it. … Continue reading →

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Open Learning 2.0? Aligning Student, Teacher & Content for Openness

Posted on December 12, 2011 by friesenn

Just completed a paper outlining a new model for exploring openness in education. This model is developed by and for Open Learning at Thompson Rivers University, and the paper is co-written with Judith Murray, VP of the Open Learning division. … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Ed | 1 Comment

(Re)Inventing the Internet: Critical Case Studies

Posted on November 15, 2011 by friesenn

Just received the cover design for a book I’m editing with Andrew Feenberg. Here’s the table of contents, and below, some sentences to appear on the back cover: This book examines examples of controversy and contestation from the Internet, focusing on … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Theory, Students, Writing | Leave a comment

Bundled, Buried & Behind Closed Doors

Posted on November 15, 2011 by friesenn

Bundled, Buried & Behind Closed Doors from Ben Mendelsohn on Vimeo. A short documentary, sounding almost like a commentary and update on Innis’ Empire & Communications: It reminds us that the Internet is very much a physical infrastructure, with one … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Theory, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Friedrich Kittler (1943 – 2011)

Posted on October 19, 2011 by friesenn

Yesterday (Oct. 18), marked the end of the life & career of a media theorist who played an important role in changing what media studies is and (maybe?) might come to mean. One German newspaper (the Baadischer Zeitung) said this … Continue reading →

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Live Streaming Event: How open is *your* Education?

Posted on October 12, 2011 by friesenn

This event brings together two international experts in open and global education, to discuss the future of education: Dr. Wayne Mackintosh, a committed advocate and user of free software for education. He is the founder of WikiEducator (www.WikiEducator.org), an international … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Ed, Presentation | Leave a comment