Networks of Studios

 Several weeks ago I spent a few posts thinking about classrooms as studios, and about networks vs. studios.

What about extending this theme so that it changes, merges, and becomes networks of studios?

The empowering, absorbing space of the studio joined with the power of the network...

What would this look like? Networks of studios would allow students both reflective spaces and personally absorbing spaces. Networks of studios would have students working in - depth on their own projects in a studio format, and then sharing them across their network, and with the world at large for the purposes of reflection, for critique, for further refining and advancement. These networks could become powerful learning spaces as they link students from different societies and cultures across the globe. Students fom other backgrounds, other languages, other cultures, priorities, and understandings would bring an entirely new level of critique to student work. How your podcast is perceived by students from other parts of the world would drive home the idea of global understanding for students. A student who creates a vlog entry on a topic that is understood in our part of the world could gain a completely new perspective on their creation when it is considered by students from another culture. The power of the network and its relevence in our society needs to be undisputed.

Networks and studios as learning models do not need to be diametrically opposed to each other, they may bring missing pieces together.

As one further step, we have seen the power of virtual networks grow in breadth and power, but what if we also consider the idea of virtual studio? A studio can be located in a virtual space (Second Life or some other space created for this purpose), it may be virtual in what it creates, and it may be virtual in where the team members are located and in how they are brought together. Do we have sufficient tools and computing power to be working in virtual studios? The power of the studio is in its "immersiveness" and I wonder if we are there yet with the techncial power we have.......

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