Using Free-Time Online for Civic Benefit

     In the video "How Cognitive Surplus Will Change the World" (Below) by Clay Shirky, he discusses the notion of a culture of generosity. He defines primarily in a concrete example of a daycare that started a "fine" for parents who picked up their children late, and how the number of parents picking up their children late actually rose, and remained high even after the fine was suspended. Yet, throughout the video he discuses the culture of generosity in the terms of how sharing of one's creative talents via online tools, can lead to wonderful civic projects, that can indeed be enjoyed by all.       As for how the "culture of generosity" can be employed in the classroom, I can see many possibilities. Ideally, I would like to have my students participate in some type of service project or social justice issue, in a concrete manner. I understand that the first step would be a create a culture of generosity within my classroom, perhaps through peer tutoring; where students are paired to help one another in the classroom. Then I would like to evolve this generosity to the level of the school, such as helping the students organize an appreciate luncheon for the custodial staff and other members that can be under-appreciated at a school. Lastly, it would be for the students to participate in a larger community project that hopefully touches their community. I know these are big ideas, and that it would not all be done in a short period of time, but I do believe that it would be an attainable project.       What it means to say that "Free cultures get what they celebrate," there is a reference to all of the "free time" that people use to create and share things online.  Shirky goes on to describe how we should celebrate people who use their free time to create online projects that have a greater civic benefit. That being said, it would be great to have a classroom blog that shares about the "culture of generosity" in the classroom, and potential service projects, that could inspire other educators.      On a last note, this weekend I plan to create a couple of videos for my niece and nephew on their course content. I hope that it will be useful to not only them, but perhaps their classmates, and others. Hopefully, my 20% project can be at least a small contribution that can be considered a civic benefit. It is my intention to make the videos spoken in Spanish, so that it can specifically target the students in Spanish dual-immersion middle school programs, like my niece and nephew.