This article by Melanie McBride and this article by Brian Lamb both deal with the modern phenomena of mash-ups and remixes.  In todays modern society remixes are found everywhere from music to movie (music being my personal favorite) and are almost a day to day commonality in our society.  We can hear and see them everywhere from the radio to YouTube as more and more people are experimenting with different media sources and outlets.  Both articles deal with mash-ups and their impact on today’s society and the controversy surrounding them.  Lamb raises a common concern with remixes in that they may be considered “unoriginal” or “plagiarized” because you are taking other peoples work and just changing it for your benefit.  I see it as a completely original process because it is you the creator who is shaping and manipulating the information to complete and completely original piece just using others beats or images.  Another fascinating thing about remixing is that it is really a product of today’s modern society but the idea of remixing has been around for a long time, we as a people are only now just harnessing it and showing the ideas true potential.  Also, this being everywhere in modern society it is starting to infiltrate into our school system and can be a legitimate teaching tool to help kids grasp certain concepts by using a more modern and recognizable method.  We are all products of our environments and as a child who grew up in the 90s and 2000s I have been surrounded in technology so the use of it in education helps, because it is what I know best.  Inserting the use of mash-ups or remixes into the classroom can help students to express themselves more constructively and learn the material more readily than some more outdated techniques.

Personally, my favorite forms of mash-ups is when it comes to music because there are so many options and possibilities that can come from just one beat or song.  I have literally heard hundreds of remixes and mash-ups of songs that it makes my head spin but it is really an amazing thing to see take place in front of your eyes.  And, when it comes to teaching, songs and remixes can really help students grasp difficult concepts or remember difficult facts.  I know songs and general beats help me remember certain facts like the periodic table, dates and people, and especially math.  Billy Joel really took advantage of this phenomena in his song “We didn’t start the fire” which basically just listed important people and events of the 50s, 60s, and 70s and the crazy thing is that it worked.

I could go on and on about mash-ups and remixes because I find them extremely interesting and I am really excited to see what we are going to do in class with it.  I hope it’s music related because in case my radio show about Bonnaroo didn’t tip you off, I love music.