About
Mark McGuire
My name is Mark McGuire, I live in Dunedin, New Zealand, and this is my personal blog. Thank you for taking the time to visit this site, which I launched on 30 November, 2009. This is my first concerted effort to create a place for my own views, ideas, and work. In past years, I created blogs to support individual courses that I teach at the University of Otago (I am a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Sciences). This blog, however, is my personal space, where I try to think beyond the confines of my job and geographical location and contribute to discussions on much larger issues. This is an experiment in Open Education and Informal Learning, as well as an effort to connect conversational spaces that are usually separated through the use of different places, passwords, permissions, and practices. This is a work in progress; a developing practice with no predetermined goal or objective, other than to connect to others who share my interests and concerns, and to engage in open conversation. It is fueled by my interest in Open Learning, and by the widely-shared belief that digital networks, like healthy physical communities, can be used to further the public good.
I studied Architecture and Fine Art in Canada before setting up Mediatrix Inc., a design and consulting company based in Toronto. As well as working as a graphic designer, I guided several book and magazine publishers through the transition from conventional to digital design and production. I earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Canada, as well as a Masters in Information Science from Otago and a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Auckland. I moved to Dunedin, New Zealand from Toronto in 1993 and joined the Department of Design Studies at the University of Otago in 1994, where I worked as a Senior Lecturer until the end of 2010. On 1 January, 2011 I accepted a position in the new Department of Applied Sciences.
My research interests include open education, online communities, digital media theory and practice, Communication design, science communication, and soundscape design. My recent publications focus on these issues. I teach primarily in communication design and new media theory and practice. I am interested in interdisciplinary and collaboration. I am a lifelong learner, and I am learning what it means to be an Open Scholar. This website part of that effort. I invite your comments, emails <mark.mcguire@otago.ac.nz>, and Twitter messages (@mark_mcguire).
Lovely bio Mark. The intentions for this blog are clear and laudable. One thing though, you may want to change “bogs” to “blogs” in the second sentence.
My personal blog is linked from this comment but I also have http://socialspacestation.com.
Hi Mark,
A very rich profile and we have some common interests too. I would love to find out more about your work/research around the use of images and text.
Speak again soon.
Chrissi
Hi Mark,
very interesting Blog, looking forward to read more of your research / work!
Greetings from Germany,
Christian Lima Dehne
Hi, Christian. I enjoyed reading your useful and well-focussed blog at http://dehnelimafilm.wordpress.com/ (I posted a comment in response to Juliana’s recent post about a pitch). I’m now following you on Twitter as well. All the best!
Mark
Thanks a lot Mark, just saw your reply and your comment on our post now. Still getting used to wordpress and Twitter, but it’s great to meet people all over the world!
Have a good day and talk soon.
Christian!
thank you for sharing your interesting ideas. Just a hint: The link to your recent publications is broken: http://www.design/people/staff/markmcguire.php
Hi Mark, given your teaching/research interests I think you would really like to meet Lisa Harris @lisaharris from the University of Southampton who is designing lifewide learning modules for students across disciplines as part of Southampton’s curriculum innovation strategy http://www.southampton.ac.uk/cip . Just thought I should share!
Hi Christina. Thanks very much for the link to Lisa’s work. I’ve been reading through it. I’d love to meet with her, but I am now in London and will be leaving for Toronto tomorrow. I met with some amazing people at Coventry, who are responsible for the #Phonar (photography + narrative) course (http://phonar.covmedia.co.uk/). I’ll follow up with Lisa online. I was very please to be able to meet you, Chrissi, Francis Bell and other’s at Salford. We must all continue to keep in touch and support one another. All the best with your PhD submission, and congratulations in advance on the rave reviews that will inevitably follow. Your are doing important work!