• Blogs and Bullets II: New Media and Conflict after the Arab Spring | United States Institute of Peace
  In this report from the United States Institute of Peace’s Centers of Innovation for Science, Technology, and Peacebuilding, and Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding, a team of scholars from George Washington University and American University analyze the role of social media in the Arab Spring protests of 2011–12. It builds on a previous report, published in 2010 by USIP Press, titled Blogs and Bullets: New Media in Contentious Politics, and applies its five-level framework for studying and understanding the role of new media in political movements. The authors utilize a unique dataset from bit.ly, the URL shortener commonly associated with Twitter and used by other digital media such as Facebook. With these data, the authors are able to test empirically the claims of “cyberoptimists” and “cyberskeptics” about the role of new media in bringing down autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya and in spurring protests in other parts of the Arab World, such as Bahrain.

• Zee launches Arabic-language TV station - The National
  One of India's largest media companies has invested $100 million (Dh367m) on a new Arabic-language TV station, and plans to launch three additional channels serving the Middle East.Zee Entertainment, which is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, went live with its Zee Alwan channel on July 1. The channel was officially launched yesterday.
• Obscure Film Mocking Muslim Prophet Sparks Anti-U.S. Protests in Egypt and Libya - NYTimes.com
  Angered by reports in the Egyptian media that members of the Coptic Christian diaspora in Washington had produced a crude film mocking the Muslim prophet, protesters climbed the walls of the United States Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and tore down the American flag. Later, a Libyan security official told Reuters that armed militiamen had attacked the United States consulate in Benghazi, killing a staff member. A a 14-minute trailer for the English-language film, which was posted on YouTube in July, attracted little attention until last week, when a version dubbed into Arabic was posted on the same YouTube channel and then copied and viewed tens of thousands of times more.
• BBC News - Arab, regional media outraged by prophet film
  There has been criticism in pan-Arab and regional media of the US-produced film which has provoked violent protests in Egypt and Libya. It features an actor portraying the Prophet Muhammad, which is forbidden in Islam. The film is reportedly being promoted by two US-based Egyptian Christians (Copts), and said to be directed by an Israeli American.

• Syria Turmoil Exposes Rifts Among Arab Intellectuals - NYTimes.com
  When the Arab Spring reached Jordan last year, a newspaper columnist, Muwafaq Mahadin, was one of the first to march with pro-democracy protestors demanding reforms in his country. He also backed Syrian demonstrators who began taking to the streets in March 2011. But a few months later, he made an about-face, aligning with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Like many other Arab intellectuals, he says he did so out of fear for the future of the region.
• Exploring the value of academic research in journalism - Knight Foundation
  Much has been written of late about the relatively low quality of academic research in the journalism and mass communication field. Since this is a critical time, the dawn of a new age of communication, there’s much to learn. The research gap is a major source of disagreement between professionals and scholars. Professionals argue that much research is unreadable and, frankly, useless. If you take the time, scholars counter, you’ll find important insights. Why do we care about research? It’s important to the future of journalism education because publication in the so-called peer-reviewed journals traditionally has been the number one criteria for faculty promotion and tenure. Yes, research beats teaching.

• Why didn't CNN's international arm air its own documentary on Bahrain's Arab Spring repression? - guardian.co.uk
  In late March 2011, as the Arab Spring was spreading, CNN sent a four-person crew to Bahrain to produce a one-hour documentary on the use of internet technologies and social media by democracy activists in the region. Featuring on-air investigative correspondent Amber Lyon, the CNN team had a very eventful eight-day stay in that small, US-backed kingdom. By the time the CNN crew arrived, many of the sources who had agreed to speak to them were either in hiding or had disappeared. Regime opponents whom they interviewed suffered recriminations, as did ordinary citizens who worked with them as fixers. Leading human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was charged with crimes shortly after speaking to the CNN team. A doctor who gave the crew a tour of his village and arranged meetings with government opponents, Saeed Ayyad, had his house burned to the ground shortly after. Their local fixer was fired ten days after working with them.

• Rights group blasts 'repressive' crackdown in Tunisia - NBC World News
  An international rights group called Monday for Tunisian prosecutors to drop charges against two sculptors for artworks deemed harmful to public order and good morals, a legal action seen as part of a clampdown on free speech in the country where the Arab Spring began.Human Rights Watch said that the prosecution of artists Nadia Jelassi and Mohamed Ben Salem in Tunisia, the country whose protests against its longtime dictator helped set off similar uprisings across the Arab world, violated the right to freedom of expression because the works did not incite or discriminate.

• Anchor dons hijab for 1st time on Egypt state TV - JPost - Middle East
  In a country where more than 70 percent of women wear a headscarf, according to Egypt’s newly appointed information minister, it stands to reason that at least one of them could be seen on television, anchoring a news show. But until now, there was nary a scarf in sight, as state media upheld an unspoken, long-standing ban on having any woman with her head covered serve as a newsreader or anchor in official television programs.

• India channels target Mideast viewership | GulfNews.com
  By adding new channels and offering HD capabilities on existing ones, India’s satellite TV majors are aiming to get a better lock on to their viewership numbers in the Gulf. By doing so, the broadcasters hope to tap into an advertising market that is estimated at $30 million (Dh110 million) to $35 million and, more importantly, growing at a fairly healthy 5 to 10 per cent.

I was sitting on the train the other day listening to episode 1 of Dr Ruben Puentedura’s Game and Learn Series (our first series that we are reflecting on for The Pod Book Club) and my mind began wandering off to thinking about the fact that I wasn’t just listening to a podcast, but that I was actually PD-ing myself in the process. Yes, very obvious to some but I just wanted to explain why I really thought about it then and why I think it will very effective professional development for me.

1. I can do it anytime and anywhere I like.

I suffer from a modern day affliction – super busy-ness. It’s a common condition which leaves me, and all other sufferers, severely lacking in time. So to be able to use time more effectively is a good thing. (yes, it’s ok to sit there on a train and just stare out the window and think about nothing and we could all do with a bit more if that,  but if you’re in the mood to think about something…) It was early in the morning this particular day so I was all alert and ready to learn

2. It’s bite sized chunks – easier on my brain

You know that feeling when you are at a conference or workshop when your brain switches off but the presenter doesn’t? Well with pd-ing myself I have control over how much information I’m exposed to at any one time. This lets me give myself more time to absorb things to a deeper level which lets me get more value out of whatever it is I am learning about. Quality over quantity.

3. It’s stuff I really want to know about.

I’ve chosen the series I want to listen to because I’m interested in learning more about games and education right now. So, it’s perfect timing and relevant to a resource I’m developing as well as ones I have ideas about developing next year. It’s the sort of information I need right now, not just something i’ll learn about and will consider doing something with in the future. Because I am interested now I’m more likely to follow up links and further my knowledge with extended reading or listening depending on what resource I come across.

I was thinking about this because I have to update my PD log for school and any listening to podcasts that I do will count towards the hours of PD I need to do for teacher registration requirements.

Of course this not the only way one could get PD, but for me it’s very effective especially when as part of The Pod Book Club I’ll be posting reflections on what I’ve learnt and will be able to engage in online conversations with people who are much cleverer than me! Those connections are what will top it all off and I’ve got access (as we all do) to the author himself if I need further clarification. So:

Relevant topic + podcast format + my PLN = watch out world I’m learning!

Please share your stories of PD-int yourself with all this online goodness that we have. Also got a good podcast series for me?!

Oh and of course this is a good reminder of what it is we teach, when and how to our students.

The other day as I was faffing about in cyberspace looking for some stuff on tech integration frameworks, I came across a podcast by Dr Ruben Puentedura (@rubenrp) and tweeted about it. That was seen by
Darren Kuropatwa (@dkuropatwa) in Canada, an awesomely smart Canadian educator who has a very funny accent and keeps caribou in his backyard, and he recommended another series of podcasts by Dr Ruben about Gaming. This is an interest of mine so I went and found them straight away. Darren then tweeted:

and I said

We decided on a hashtag and so now I present to you the #podbkclub. You are more than welcome to join us. Here is what it is:

We are going to ‘book club’ podcast series. We’re starting with Ruben Puentedura’s ‘Game and Learn’ series which has 14 episodes. We’ll listen to one per week and then on Friday/Saturday (cause when it’s Friday in Canada it’s Saturday here when any reasonable hour is concerned) we will post a reflection in whatever form we like wherever we like on the web and tag it with the #podbkclub hashtag. So reflections could be:

• a written blog post or series of tweets
• an audio blog post
• an image
• a video
• a drawing
• a combination of any or all of the above using any tool you like – the only limit is your imagination.

Only rule is that it had to be easy to find, which is where the #podbkclub tag comes in. Whatever you post wherever you post it, please tag it with ‘podbkclub’ then tweet it including the #podbkclub hashtag. Make sense? Easy!

We will try to set up a #podbkclub chat on Twitter. See how we go – stay tuned for info on that!

This Fri/Sat (Oct 28/29) is when we kick off with our first reflective post on Episode 1 of the series. Look out for us and come join in!