Technology and Community

Reaching a Bigger Pond: tools and technologies for forming community Community Engagement Showcase Melbourne, March 20th, 2009

INTERNET = NETWORK The task is to shape part of it into your own community .

INTERNET = NETWORK The task is to shape part of it into your own community . http://www.flickr.com/photos/27126314@N03/2956992219/

Community?
What are the essentials of COMMUNITY? (thoughts from audience)
Support
Friendship
Shared vision
Connection
Purpose
Safety net
People
Belonging
Common interest
Red wine!

“ It ain’t community.”
Shane Hipps on YouTube

PHONE FEEDBACK
Phone in your thoughts on Technology and Community:
Text 22556 and your message to +61429883481

I asked my Twitter network, “Do you think you can create community with technology?” (see replies on slides 39 – 41)

Community or Network?
I believe what happens online is connection —not community .
… at times online connections can be more life-giving than many of our offline relationships, but they are not the same.
Online connections are good. They can be deep and good for our souls. But when we turn them into an online community, they can, and do, impact our face-to-face interactions. When we spend more time staring at a glowing monitor than we do into the eyes of those we love, it might be time to shut off the computer.
(Anne Jackson http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/02/the_social_netw.html )

Community or Network?
COMMENTS IN REPLY TO ANNE JACKSON:
… there are many disconnected people out there who have no particular community that would be enhanced by their going offline. For them, for right now, the connection is their community .
Let's not cheapen any act of intentional, good-willed human-to-human outreach as something less than an expression of authentic community. I doubt Paul wrote his (virtual) letters with anything less than a profound sense of community in his mind and heart. Communication builds community.
I'm surprised at the number of people framing this conversation in stark binary thinking. Physical = community. Virtual = something else . In reality, any definition of "community" must embody nuance and color and deeply shared imagination.

Community or Network? DOES COMMUNITY HAVE TO BE FACE TO FACE? http://www.flickr.com/photos/maiac/711198150/

Community v Network http://www.flickr.com/photos/choconancy/161004139/ Group A (Community) Group B (Network) Domain (professional focus) PLUS Personal (support, encouragement, friendship ) Domain (professional focus) is the subject of all activity and communication

Internet and Community- what happens?
You connect less with some of the people around you in your daily life
You connect with people you already know via a different medium (online)
You connect with people you would otherwise have had no contact with

Online Community – what’s the appeal?
You connect less with some of the people around you in your daily life!
You connect with people you already know via a different medium (online). (You get to know people differently)
You connect with people you would otherwise have had no contact with

Online Community – what’s the appeal?
You can connect with multiple people with similar interests at the same time (many to many communication.) (Group discussion)
Some simply prefer communicating online

Types of Community
Face to face group starts to communicate online (eg Appetite For Success , TAFE SA)
Group who live in close proximity meets online and decides to meet f2f (Twitter in WA and Victoria)
Geographically dispersed group meets online

Purpose of Community?
Professional development
Connecting remote learners
Trying to establish a sense of togetherness with f2f learners
Modelling a way of learning for the 21 st century (lifelong learning; networked learning)

Learning in the 21 st Century
“ You’re going to need a gang!” (Mike Seyfang)
..that can assist educators and learners filter, make sense of, and manage the incessant flow of information” (Siemens and Tittenberger )

One of My Gangs - the Webheads
“ an experiment in world friendship through online language learning”
300 + members

Webhead Origins - The Palace

Where do Webheads fit? Face to face Community IT Community IT Individuals + WEBHEADS = + IT Community

Where are the Webheads? in approximately 50 countries

Webheads Today
In 2009, the Webheads community is alive and well (weekly meeting, daily communication, many gather each year at the international TESOL convention in March, several met for the first time in Argentina a few weeks ago….)

How/why has this community survived?

How/why has this community survived?
HUMAN FACTORS
TECHNOLOGY FACTORS

Which tools for what task?
Home Base (portal)
Communication Channels
Collaborative Workspaces
Artefact Storage
Resources
Promoting Events

What would my community look like?

The Communication Channels
Several modes of communication (email, discussion boards, Instant Messaging, blogs, wikis, voice tools, webcams, virtual classrooms, websites, parallel universes, micro-blogging)
THE EMAIL LIST IS STILL THE LIFEBLOOD

Synchronous Meetings
Tapped In :
Weekly regular event (Tapped In)
Instant Messengers, Virtual Classrooms > voice interaction; webcams

Virtual Classrooms (Web Conferencing)
Big Bucks
Elluminate (free 3 person vroom @ http://elluminate.com/vroom/ )
(Or free inside EdNA Groups)
Very affordable:
iVocalize ( http://ivocalize.com/ )
Discover-e (Australian) http://www.compued.com.au/discovere/
Free
Wiziq – new, but seems good http://www.wiziq.com/
DimDim – integrated with Moodle
Vet Virtual – Framework initiative; still unstable; worth watching http://vetvirtual.external.utas.edu.au/default.aspx?page=32

The Role of Voice
Immediacy
More personal contact
TOOLS:
Yahoo Messenger, Skype, Virtual Classrooms
Image courtesy of mosmanlibrary

http://btresource.flexiblelearning.net.au/index.html

http://mediaonthemove.flexiblelearning.net.au/

Free Tools for (asynchronous) Spoken Conversations
Chinswing (now Voxopop)
example (advanced EFL listening)
Vaestro
VoiceThread
Voice Thread example (LearnScope)
Webheads anniversary

WEBHEADS WEBSITE(S) – the Artefacts
Collective and individual spaces (pages, blogs, wikis)
Photos (people, colleges, places of work, family)
Writings on individual pages
Resources created by the community
All of this can be shared via the Web

Which tools for your community? Matters http://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/1387269271/ Licensed under Creative Commons CHOICE is affected by CONTEXT

Other possible complementary tools:
Twitter/ Yammer
Gathering your Tweets
eg http://twemes.com/accessace
Live Polling ( Poll Everywhere )
Survey Tools (Zoomerang, Survey Monkey)
Mobile Phones
audio/picture blogging
Net to SMS ( SMSpup [free], Telstra)
Maps: Frappr, Google, Flickr

Responses to Live Poll ( Poll Everywhere ): on Technology and Community:
the y generation don’t see a difference between the online and offline communities. They go home from school to My space.
One person can be connected with many communities. Online places can strengthen your existing connections. Find like-minded souls wherever you can.
each technology has social & political direction built in. accepting technology without critical evaluation is unscientific & dangerous it works well if combined with f 2 f. emotions are complicated and not clear on line
Religious communities begin with someone they can't see...can't hear...and can't touch. Maybe God needs a Facebook profile
Good in its place, but what's its place?
can be a way to continue a face to face community which you have physically left behind

Responses from my Twitter Network
In response to the question , “Do you think you can create community with technology?” people replied:
JoHart : @mikecogh # accessace absolutely isn't that we are doing right here in Twitter?
marudelcampo : @mikecogh # accessace Of course you can create communities using technology. Twitter, Ning and YH Groups are some examples. All the best Mike
DishMopTop : # accessace I rely on Web 2 for my community as work in solitude. Takes some time to build it up though

leogaggl : @mikecogh # accessace without tech they would probably never meet - so in the words of Barack 'YES WE CAN' :P
leogaggl : @mikecogh seems to be lots of 'communities ' starting IRL due to twitter - tweet-meets such as @SATUB # accessace
StonyRiver : # accessace - For Sure - in both Quality and Quantity - With technology we may have One Human Race
rhysatwork : @mikecogh of course you CAN create it. But can also use tech to aid in improving community. now using Ning 4 Kindy committee :) # accessace

@ mikecogh #accessace certainly you can but it seems to be that they don’t stay alive for a long period of time.
@ mikecogh #accessace tech communities allow you to reach out further to include 'distance' members
@ mikecogh #accessace talking about communities come and join http://tinyurl.com/5jz27o , http://tinyurl.com/6p4coo & find out for yourself

Flickr Maps

Survey Tools Eg Zoomerang Survey Monkey More at http://users.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/mfo/zoom/results.htm

Community Home(s)
EdNA Groups (Moodle)
Own Moodle ($1000/yr approx)
Google or Yahoo Groups
Facebook, Ning
Protopage (eg http://www.protopage.com/elearning07 )
Netvibes
Second Life

Second Life Image courtesy of Jo Kay http://www.flickr.com/photos/jokay/3354082811/

Cornerstones: Technology -
Enables regular group and one on one communications
Brings together people who otherwise may be unknown to each other
Affords multiple channels of communication
Provides for individual and collective needs
Provides shared public and permanent record for all to see
Allows everyone to contribute to this shared record

The Internet is….
“ not about dot coms, online malls…. It’s not about routers, servers, browsers.…In fact, the Internet isn’t even about technology. It’s about us. The collective us.”
COMMONSPACE: Beyond Virtual Community:
Surman & Wershler-Henry; 2001

“ The Read/Write Web” (Tim Berners Lee) Original photo by Hummanna

Can you build relationships... …online?
Can you build social capital …online?
Can we develop community … …online?
YES WE CAN!!
THE BIG QUESTIONS……

Webheads Theme Song Audio at http://webheadstheme.wikispaces.com/ CHORUS Webheads – all over the world Webheads – we’re all over the world 24/7 – we’re online It doesn’t really matter – whatever the time Someone’s there to answer the CALL CHORUS You want to know how to do it right Or maybe you’re lonely in the middle of the night Someone’s there to answer your CALL CHORUS You want to join your class up across the world Or you want an expert to talk to them live Someone will answer your CALL CHORUS You’re going on a journey to a foreign land Want to meet a friend there to show you around There’ll be someone there to answer your CALL CHORUS Learning together – sharing our views Living together – sharing our news Always someone there – on the same wavelength CHORUS

THANK YOU 
[email_address]
http://protopage.com/michaelc

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Technology and Community

by michaelc on Mar 22, 2009

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Technology and Community — Webinar Transcript