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CUNY Wired! Showcases the Best in Academic Technology Last month, CUNY demonstrated for New York City some exciting possibilities for educational technology. CUNY Wired!, a day-long conference and the first in an annual series, relied heavily on the work of graduate students using CUNY's New Media Lab (NML) to showcase educational technologies' potential. "The Graduate Center hasn't always had a lot of ways to support student work," says NML Managing Director Andrea Ades Vasquez. "But CUNY is pushing very hard to move to the forefront of technology." CUNY Wired! spotlighted NML projects created in concert with CUNY staff as well as the work of promising graduate students. The two forums held on March 15, 2002 focused on "3D Visualizations across Disciplines" and "Communication and New Media." Each discussion included illustrative examples of how technology can transform the learning process. Possibility in Three Dimensions Presenters in "3D Visualization" demonstrated new ways in which abstract scientific concepts like cellular evolution can be taught. The scientists demonstrated their 3-D renderings of cell structures and eon-long evolutionary processes designed to fire the audience's imagination. Such technology "gives us the ability to use our artistic sensibilities to make things clear," explained Dr. David Gillson of Lehman College. Another notable 3-D project was "The Lost Museum" (http://www.ashp.cuny.edu/LM/), a Web site recently profiled in The New York Times for its innovative take on social history and early 20th Century sensibilities as reflected in P.T. Barnum's infamous American Museum. The recreation of the ill-fated museum, destroyed by a fire in 1865, "takes advantage of the Web as a user-driven medium and it's potential for non-linear learning," explained head programmer LeeAnn Pomplas-Bruening. Set-up like a video game and providing multimedia clues as to who might have set the fire, the Museum is an engaging look at the last turn-of-the-century. It was also perhaps the best example of that which the NML is capable. Conference organizers were eager to demonstrate the numerous ways in which CUNY students were taking advantage of their new tools. Many of the best projects on display were those which had readily accessible benefits to society. While some student projects such as "19th Century Photography in the Age of Digital Reproduction" and "New Cultures of the Diaspora" played more with theory, others such as student Lei Zhou's computer model for solving urban traffic problems seemed more immediately applicable. Since the conference, Vasquez said, "[Lei] has been speaking with several people outside of the university" about applying her model. Other projects, such as the September 11 digital archive (http://www.911digitalarchive.org), demonstrated the ability of Web-based tools to unite communities. Touted as a way for ordinary citizens to engage in the process of creating materials contextualizing and teaching this important subject to future classrooms, the archive collects personal anecdotes and stories as a kind of evolving textbook. As presenter Fritz Umbach reminded audience members, we are all a part of this history and technology can give us a say in how it is eventually told. Conference Controversy While presenters and projects were warmly received, some of the discussion following the presentations gave voice to audience concerns. Some challenged members of the panel on the ethical implications of their work. How much can the presentation of biology and history change before it becomes sensationalistic, even "revisionist?" Indeed, pointed out one visiting professor, the kind of cellular theories demonstrated by Dr. Gillson positioning a slow, graduated evolution are only theories. Any graphic manifestation might be seen as a legitimization of claims too new to be properly – and traditionally – tested. Gillson countered that his software was meant as an interactive tool not a textbook. He stated that the value of 3-D graphics lay as much in their ability to be manipulated by curious students as in their ability to illustrate a convincing theory. A central point of the debate was the degree to which technology affects content. The most well-received projects were those combining new methods with new content, such as the social history of the Lost Museum, or the current events surrounding the 9/11 Digital Archive. When presenters tried to apply new techniques to established material however, support was less forthcoming. The arguments over Gillson's biological models, or presenter David Smith's Sinfonia software, which effectively replaces classical orchestra pits with synthesized members, may have reflected a resistance to a change in approach as much as an uncertainty about the potentials for the technology itself. This type of response is worth noting for its implications for those who would like to update office or Web technology with the support of our coworkers. People often demonstrate initial resistance to learning new tricks, and sometimes a new technology is best packaged with new content so it can be fazed into existing operations. Making CUNY a Digital Force in the Future It's clear that the NML is concerned with promoting what one presenter called the "new literacy" – that of computer learning and digital innovation. As such, the lab may be seen as an extension of CUNY's normal activities, but not representing its core mission. Vasquez hopes this will change. The NML was created in 1997 under the auspices of the existing Graduate Center, as CUNY bureaucracy only allows for two types of administrative entities: departments and centers. As a result, the NML is required to meet the specific needs of graduate students enabling their academic and professional needs. Along these lines the NML has formed partnerships with many New York corporations through its research and projects. By acting as a source of labor for corporate Web and software development the NML is then able to give students the chance to network and beef up their resumes with the most cutting-edge tools and opportunities. While only 12 student researchers currently use the lab full-time, plans are in the works to integrate the NML further into the CUNY system. Eventually NML staff would like to involve undergraduates and teachers from all departments. Ideally the lab would be a center of its own, becoming an integral part of the existing curricula and serving the entire CUNY community. Until that time Vasquez and CUNY Wired! hope to promote the lab's efficacy through continued projects and partnerships and it seems that their efforts are already paying off. Introductory speakers at the conference included Steven Brier, The Graduate Center's Associate Provost, and Louise Mirrer, the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Brier's comments were most telling and signaled a hopeful path for CUNY in the future. While he admitted that CUNY has been on the wane for several decades, Brier maintained that efforts are underway to recapture its former prestige. Among these efforts are the "cluster-hiring" of many new computer/media staff and the administration's full support of the NML. The addition of these employees will almost certainly raise the profile of the lab across CUNY campuses. Building a support network is a process. Convincing the CUNY community – not to mention, the general public – that new technology can appeal to more than just artists and theorists may prove one of CUNY Wired!'s more difficult tasks. As the conference demonstrated these applications need not be limited to the academic and may extend in any number of unpredictable directions. CUNY Wired! – http://www.cunywired.cuny.edu |
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