This book analyses the values and processes that characterise DIY (do it yourself) digital infrastructure, relating networked initiatives to broader tensions in contemporary alternative media production, namely between ideology and practice in cultural and artistic networked initiatives. Adopting immersive and direct engagement methods, focusing specifcially on the case of A Traversal Network of Feminist Servers, this book shows that contemporary alternative media projects are defined mainly by the people and the networks they build — alternative infrastructures are about the process driving them, more so than the content produced. Small or local organisations intervene in infrastructures by building responses to extractivist platform models, but can be exclusive to the communities already involved in the process. Nevertheless, alternative media initiatives are culturally and socially significant, as they produce critical media discourses and network imaginaries that signify a call for better digital and technical literacy in society.
MULTIFILE
Educational institutions and vocational practices need to collaborate to design learning environments that meet current-day societal demands and support the development of learners’ vocational competence. Integration of learning experiences across contexts can be facilitated by intentionally structured learning environments at the boundary of school and work. Such learning environments are co-constructed by educational institutions and vocational practices. However, co-construction is challenged by differences between the practices of school and work, which can lead to discontinuities across the school–work boundary. More understanding is needed about the nature of these discontinuities and about design considerations to counterbalance these discontinuities. Studies on the co-construction of learning environments are scarce, especially studies from the perspective of representatives of work practice. Therefore, the present study explores design considerations for co-construction through the lens of vocational practice. The study reveals a variety of discontinuities related to the designable elements of learning environments (i.e. epistemic, spatial, instrumental, temporal, and social elements). The findings help to improve understanding of design strategies for counterbalancing discontinuities at the interpersonal and institutional levels of the learning environment. The findings confirm that work practice has a different orientation than school practice since there is a stronger focus on productivity and on the quality of the services provided. However, various strategies for co-construction also seem to take into account the mutually beneficial learning potential of the school–work boundary.
LINK
