Logos & Mythos: the political dilemmas of Web 2.0 in an accreditation-driven educational environment Contact : Michael.Begg@ed.ac.uk Learning Technology Section College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine University of Edinburgh Michael Begg, Rachel Ellaway, David Dewhurst, Hamish Macleod

Logos & Mythos Who are we? And why? Educational Informaticians Academic Skunkworks ICE 2 “In a Glass Darkly” Proximal Developers Being proximal we are “at odds” occasionally “threatening” and usually “awkward” at an institutional level So… US! Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

Who are we? And why?

Educational Informaticians

Academic Skunkworks

ICE 2 “In a Glass Darkly”

Proximal Developers

Being proximal we are “at odds” occasionally “threatening” and usually “awkward” at an institutional level

So…

It was a simple proposition Web 2.0 is lovely Institutions are old fuzzy wuzzies They don’t like it up ‘em …But Logos & Mythos Don’t Panic! Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

It was a simple proposition

Web 2.0 is lovely

Institutions are old fuzzy wuzzies

They don’t like it up ‘em …But

Logos & Mythos What’s the problem? What is Web 2.0, and where are the standards? Why do institutions say they like it, and do so little? Who is implementing this - and who owns “it”? From where does the claim arise that its going to make things better? What makes us “us” and the institution “them”? Is Web 2.0 for us or them? And students? … So Wee bit of Panic! Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

What’s the problem?

What is Web 2.0, and where are the standards?

Why do institutions say they like it, and do so little?

Who is implementing this - and who owns “it”?

From where does the claim arise that its going to make things better?

What makes us “us” and the institution “them”?

Is Web 2.0 for us or them?

And students? … So

Logos & Mythos P.O.V 1 - institutions eLearning increasingly embedded, but open to individual interpretation Institutions now reliant upon technocracy for increased activity, increased numbers, increased distances Growth of “managerialist” “top down” “centralist” processes Often overbearing - and largely unsubstantiated - caution over committed implementation of user-centred technologies Implementation (if any) at teaching not reflected in alignment of assessment Underlying framework Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

P.O.V 1 - institutions

eLearning increasingly embedded, but open to individual interpretation

Institutions now reliant upon technocracy for increased activity, increased numbers, increased distances

Growth of “managerialist” “top down” “centralist” processes

Often overbearing - and largely unsubstantiated - caution over committed implementation of user-centred technologies

Implementation (if any) at teaching not reflected in alignment of assessment

Logos & Mythos P.O.V 2 - Web 2.0 Definition open to interpretation, few standards Powerful corporations steer the democratisation of content Implementation “hype-cycle”… but a lot of good work out there! Underlying framework Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

P.O.V 2 - Web 2.0

Definition open to interpretation, few standards

Powerful corporations steer the democratisation of content

Implementation “hype-cycle”… but a lot of good work out there!

Logos & Mythos P.O.V 3 - Learning Technologists Role, purpose and function open to interpretation (see a pattern?) Professionalism? Activities aspire to pedagogical interventions but largely amount to enhancement of existing centralist administrative paradigms and tasks Direct eLearning activity carried out at a sub-institutional level, in cahoots with individual teachers, equally operating beneath the institutional radar Learning Technologists delivering eLearning as a partisan activity Underlying framework Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

P.O.V 3 - Learning Technologists

Role, purpose and function open to interpretation (see a pattern?)

Professionalism?

Activities aspire to pedagogical interventions but largely amount to enhancement of existing centralist administrative paradigms and tasks

Direct eLearning activity carried out at a sub-institutional level, in cahoots with individual teachers, equally operating beneath the institutional radar

Learning Technologists delivering eLearning as a partisan activity

Logos & Mythos P.O.V 4 - students HE is now - and has been for some time - a system of accreditation Students are complicit in this so… “ the suggestion that students are engaged either willingly or subconsciously with their own education as a means towards accreditation rather than a period of their life devoted to the self enriching and societal advancing qualities of academic engagement begs the question – who are the partisans fighting for?” Underlying framework Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

P.O.V 4 - students

HE is now - and has been for some time - a system of accreditation

Students are complicit in this so…

“ the suggestion that students are engaged either willingly or subconsciously with their own education as a means towards accreditation rather than a period of their life devoted to the self enriching and societal advancing qualities of academic engagement begs the question – who are the partisans fighting for?”

Logos & Mythos Towards Logos High occurrence of “personal interpretation” with regards to eLearning, Learning Technologists and Web 2.0 Lack of concrete definition for Web 2.0 Lack of common standards within Web 2.0 Little of substance in institutional adoption (or lack of) strategies SPIRE (JISC funded) explored usage Work required to explore alignment of institutions, L-Techs and Web 2.0 - political and personal constructs So… Towards Logos Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

Towards Logos

High occurrence of “personal interpretation” with regards to eLearning, Learning Technologists and Web 2.0

Lack of concrete definition for Web 2.0

Lack of common standards within Web 2.0

Little of substance in institutional adoption (or lack of) strategies

SPIRE (JISC funded) explored usage

Work required to explore alignment of institutions, L-Techs and Web 2.0 - political and personal constructs So…

Logos & Mythos The politics of Web 2.0 engagement Dialectic between corporate and individual Potential value beyond Web 2.0 to address power and influence more fully Questionnaire returns? Socio-economic positioning Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

The politics of Web 2.0 engagement

Dialectic between corporate and individual

Potential value beyond Web 2.0 to address power and influence more fully

Questionnaire returns?

Logos & Mythos Personal construction of domains Personal Construct Psychology Elicitation - new phenomena “anticipated” by existing knowledge and beliefs Reifying personal belief structure Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

Personal construction of domains

Personal Construct Psychology

Elicitation - new phenomena “anticipated” by existing knowledge and beliefs

Logos & Mythos Soap Opera Reprise New democratic tools being offered by multinational corporations To institutions who love the idea but cannot get under the skin While partisans work beneath the radar to provide “good stuff” To a user-base more interested in getting their certificate of attendance Soap Opera Reprise Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

Soap Opera Reprise

New democratic tools being offered by multinational corporations

To institutions who love the idea but cannot get under the skin

While partisans work beneath the radar to provide “good stuff”

To a user-base more interested in getting their certificate of attendance

Logos & Mythos More than soap The relationships between institutions, practitioners and applications are personally construed and collectively positioned in socio-political terms The terms can only be negotiated when irresistibly clear for all to see Such terms are not negotiated through championing individual activity or hollow dogmatic reservations All factors are relevant (Art Worlds) It is unreasonable to expect the logical exploration of Web 2.0 (or 3, or 4) to NOT include consideration of personal and institutional politics, power and philosophy More than soap Ideas in Cyberspace Education 2007: Loch Lomond, Scotland

More than soap

The relationships between institutions, practitioners and applications are personally construed and collectively positioned in socio-political terms

The terms can only be negotiated when irresistibly clear for all to see

Such terms are not negotiated through championing individual activity or hollow dogmatic reservations

All factors are relevant (Art Worlds) It is unreasonable to expect the logical exploration of Web 2.0 (or 3, or 4) to NOT include consideration of personal and institutional politics, power and philosophy

Thank You! Contact : Michael.Begg@ed.ac.uk