WHAT/WHO IS CIRCE?
- South Europe hackmeetings
- A clear political background (centri sociali, grass-root
movements…) - Differents skills (hacking, translations, training, philosophy, social media strategy…)
WHAT DO WE DO?
Workshop and seminars
- for parents, adults, teachers, educators
- for children, teens, young adults
- for activists, journalists, researchers
…Tinkering with technologies since the 90’s
TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT
De-gamification lab @ csoa Forte Prenestino - Roma
- 15 kids (9 to 12 years old)
- 3 operators
- 1 computer
- 1 projector
- 1 whiteboard
LAB DEVELOPMENT
Welcoming, breaking the ice, creating a convivial space
- We observe together
- We share what we learn
LET’S ANALYSE SOME GAMES
- SPACE INVADERS
- PONG
- TETRIS (different versions)
- PAC-MAN
- PRINCE OF PERSIA
- DOOM2
- MONKEY ISLAND
- MOLLEINDUSTRIA
Pong
Pacman
Tetris
Prince of Persia
Doom
MAKE A LIST OF THE KEYWORDS - Key ELEMENTS
- Colors
- Sounds
- Scores
- Story line
- Rank
- Levels
ANALYZING YOURSELF AND THE OTHERS
- What do you feel when you look at these images?
- Which elements keep you glued to the screen?
- How does your body react to the different phases of the game?
MAKE A LIST OF THE KEYWORDS
- Anxiety
- Desire for a better performances
- Stiffness…
SHIFT TO APPS/PLATFORMS
- Which apps/platforms do you use on a daily base?
- We choose one (i.e. YouTube)
- We observe the interface and spot some video games elements
WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM PLAYING?
- apps & social media work like video games
- they are designed to create addiction
- it works for everyone: this is a social issue
HOW DID WE LEARN?
- tinkering with machines, together
- sharing is caring
→ this is an HACKER ATTITUDE
HACKER PEDAGOGY AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
The method is the content
Learning as a creative process (not the filling of an empty bottle)
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AS A WARM “DIFFERENT” SPACE
Caring
Caring the relationships
- among the group participants
- among the learning environment
“magic space”
- a Temporary Autonomous Zone
- a safe place where we can question ourselves
Group warm up
- take our time!
- atmosphere of creative possibility
Trainers warm up, too!
- be aware of resistances and expectations
- BWO: ice-breaker games, sociometries, dances…
Set
- lights, music
- furniture, food & beverages…
- masks!
…
…
Evocative inputs
- Storytelling
- audio-visual material
- “guided imagery”
EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN STARTING POINT TO LEARN
- what did you notice?
- what moves you?
The hacker attitude
- no pre-established program
- follow your curiosity
CROSS EYED VIEW
- critical approach
- look outside & inside you at the same time
A BOX OF CREATIVE TOOLS
Transform the inputs you’ve noticed
It could be done through:
- enacting scenes, role playing
- creating narratives, writing poetry
- editing and mixing digital contents
- drawing
…
…
…
IMAGINE
- enabling imaginary skills
- fool, bizarre, impossible solutions are welcome!
- Fantasy and science-fiction environments
TECHNOLOGY OF DOMINATION > COLONISATION
- Colonisers are scared about mixing
- colonisers wants to avoid contamination
- wants to impose the coloniser point of view, presence, domination
THE iPhonedroid WAY: tech colonisation
- no mix with other devices
- impose its way, its aestetic, its procedures
- it is closed to any contamination
- close hardware, close software, close world
- you cannot open up, change OS, etc etc
- no hacking allowed!
- but people LOVE it!
HACKER PEDAGOGY AS A DE-COLONISATION PROCESS
- hacking processes: “put your hands on”, open and transform the device (métissage)
- find your way
- imagine your procedure
- share it! > hack yourself
THANKS!
Davide Fant - Critical / Hip-hop Pedagogy, Experiential Learning, Media
Education, precarious
Agnese Trocchi - Aesthetic research, Writing, Net-art, Videomaking, precarious
Carlo Milani - PhD, translator, precarious
Vivien García - PhD, translator, precarious