The fifth MOOC Talk was delivered on Monday, October 28 by co-presenters, Greg Stapleton(on behalf of the original presenter Rex Smith) and Professor John Delano. Mr. Greg Stapleton is the Circulation Community Manager at the Times Union Center in New York's capital, Albany. He works as the overseer of the Richmond Program, which involves helping local teachers using newspapers and related curriculum guides, lesson plans and social media to attain standards set by the New York State Department of education and newly developed nationwide Common Course standards. Mr. Stapleton has served in various capacities as an adjunct faculty member at several capital region colleges teaching journalism, mass media theory and contemporary media issues . He is currently teaching technical writing and mass media at SUNY Cobleskill. He received his masters degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University and also pursued Public Communications at the College of Saint Rose.
Newspapers emerged to the main scenes in the mid 1800's during the revolutionary period for two main reasons: To get political views known and spread throughout the nation as well as promote local businesses. This is how the Times Union Center began operating in Albany in 1856 to disseminate information about businesses in the capital region. It gradually became a money-making venture. The old model of communication involved a gap between the creators of information and the consumers which was bridged by media. Between the 1950's and 1960's, the feedback loop was added which made it possible for consumers of information to write letters to the editors. The new model of communication is referred to as the social media age and it began between the 1980's and 1990's. It includes emails, feedback in the form of posts and comments, websites and less newspaper. It also involves a two-way mode of communication. Media goes directly to information consumers on a one-on-one basis meaning that the kind of messages sent to consumers is directly related with their various individual styles of living and therefore it suits their personal interests, wants and needs. The sharing of information has become a lot more complex as it involves the new multiple planetary model which means information is shared in a plethora of ways through multiple channels. For example, if I share information on a social media network such a facebook, my friends on the network can share it with the friends too if they like the content of the information.
The Society of Professional Journalists require that media literacy put out by the members of the media is nothing but the truth, must be unbiased, straightforward, abiding by their code of ethics, full of integrity. There is clearly a difference between journalism and a slanted piece of information and therefore there is a requirement for the Times Union Center journalists to check the truthfulness of the information they make available for consumers. Their journalists turn to useful websites like www.snope.com, which works as a definitive internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation. The New York News Publishers have a curriculum for teachers to use in elementary and middle schools in teaching their students using the right approaches. Bloggers use social media to promote their works and get sources, share ideas to reach a larger audience. It has become more evident that our generation sees through a slanted viewpoint and therefore it has become necessary for bloggers and journalists alike to use mass social media which allows peer reviews, critiques and feedback to ensure quality material is provided for information consumers. The attainment of power requires even greater responsibility and therefore the education of the next generation on news media literacy through the use of social media is very critical.
The second part of the fifth MOOC Talk was moderated by Professor John Delano. He is a distinguished professor and associate dean at the University at Albany (SUNY Albany). He is a leading scientist in the entire nation and has conducted research on the origin of life and the composition of the planets. He earned his masters in geochemistry at SUNY Stony Brook in 1977. He has also done research in the field of astrobiology with NASA and the National Science Foundation. He had the honor of providing a testimony before a Presidential Commission in 2004 where he addressed NASA's strategic goals for state flight. In 2011, he received an Excellence Award from the University at Albany Alumni Association. He has taught for nearly three decades at the University at Albany. His part of the MOOC Talk focused on science literacy which was based on the topic: Global Challenges of Climate Change-Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin (1968). The Science magazine, one of the leading science periodicals dedicated an entire issue to Hardin's work on environmental degradation and pollution. The word "commons" as used in the above mentioned topic refers to any situation of unregulated open access that is unsustainable.
Professor Delano branched off to take a look at the peculiar case of the Yosemite National Park, which encountered staggering noise and pollution caused by 88,000 ski-mobiles. This led to government regulations since the park was left in ruins. It has become imperative that regulations are put place to regulate capitalism, immigration, the use of low efficiency cars, the size of families and the population, military adventures to seize resources, universality of human rights and access to public lands to mention a few. Sustainable development has also become very necessary. The definition provided by Professor Delano is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to that, according Hebert Stein, that which is not sustainable will end. According to a Native American proverb, we do not inherit the environment from our parents we borrow it from our children. Professor Delano went on to provide the population age structure for developing and developed countries. About 32% of people in developing countries are under 15 years old versus 17% in developed countries. The death mortality rate was likened to 35 crashes of 747 aircraft per day without survivors which is quite alarming. The reindeer population in St. Matthew Island prior to 1940 was negligible as only 29 were counted. The animal population soared to a high of 6,000 in the following years before dropping sharply to just 42 due to a very harsh winter!
Planet Earth could be considered as a life boat that sinks with continuous loading. Carbon dioxide emissions and municipal waste must be controlled in order to reduce environmental issues globally. According to the presentation, "humans are trapped in an endless 'Tragedy of the Commons,' unless governments impose solutions on them." "Injustice is preferable to total ruin." "Responsibility is a product of definite social arrangements" and finally ancient ethics are ill-suited in today's complex world. Science literacy involves multiple disciplines that fit within the metaliteracy framework from a social, legal and environmental standpoint to mention a few. It is very complex and therefore requires global action, which can be heavily promoted using the metaliteracy model to make consumers of information well informed on such important issues of concern. The field of science has many branches and therefore with the help of global action and education through the use of metaliteracy a major difference can be made to reduce all the environmental issues to the barest minimum as people become more aware of how important their individual roles are in achieving the collective goal.
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