everything 2.0? social software, emergent learning spaces and the ethics of web 2.0 Dr Steven Warburton King’s College London Fellow: Centre for Distance Education [email_address] http: //warburton . typepad .com

where are we now? social nature of learning social-constructivism and situated learning negotiated meaning through dialogue collaboration, community and creativity socio-technical and cultural changes ambient technology, ubiquitous computing fluidity between individual, group, community and network digital immigrants, digital natives, net generation web 2.0 read/write web -> consumer becomes producer complexity, emergent behaviour and emergent classifications the rise of social software

social nature of learning

social-constructivism and situated learning

negotiated meaning through dialogue

collaboration, community and creativity

socio-technical and cultural changes

ambient technology, ubiquitous computing

fluidity between individual, group, community and network

digital immigrants, digital natives, net generation

web 2.0

read/write web -> consumer becomes producer

complexity, emergent behaviour and emergent classifications

the rise of social software

VLE – institutional space bounded content based assessment driven discussion (structured) critical discourse -> critical thinking blogs – personal space open dialogue driven autonomous and reflective aggregation -> community journal metaphor -> learner identity the hybrid online learning environment

VLE – institutional space

bounded

content based

assessment driven

discussion (structured)

critical discourse -> critical thinking

blogs – personal space

open

dialogue driven

autonomous and reflective

aggregation -> community

journal metaphor -> learner identity

Questions? will students blog? how often will they blog? how does this compare to internet or free-form blogging ( style and voice )? can blogs facilitate community formation (by augmenting social presence ) ? Framework: Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) research instruments: content analysis [blogs], questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.

Questions?

will students blog?

how often will they blog?

how does this compare to internet or free-form blogging ( style and voice )?

can blogs facilitate community formation (by augmenting social presence ) ?

Framework:

results: an overview a range of bloggers from enthusiastic (20%) to occasional (30%) to non existent (50%) similar to other reported studies: Walker 2003; Brooks, Nichols and Pribe 2005; Kruger 2005; Ramsden 2006. blog posts contained indicators of social presence yet they were often marked by formal (and lengthy) commentaries on the course materials a marked resistant by students to blogging in contrast to prolific blogging by the course tutors

a range of bloggers from enthusiastic (20%) to occasional (30%) to non existent (50%)

similar to other reported studies: Walker 2003; Brooks, Nichols and Pribe 2005; Kruger 2005; Ramsden 2006.

blog posts contained indicators of social presence yet they were often marked by formal (and lengthy) commentaries on the course materials

a marked resistant by students to blogging in contrast to prolific blogging by the course tutors

disrupted spaces VLE/institution: formal internet and social software: informal educational blogs (social software): an emergent learning space blurring the boundaries between formal and informal traditional student (resistant) negotiation of meaning net generation?

tensions e-learning: dominant models, developments and drivers: reusable learning objects quality frameworks standards (SCORM, LOM, QTI) digital repositories (silos) scripted learning activities (IMS LD) content delivery and assessment via VLEs self centred knowledge acquisition a hierarchical industrial model that can respond to increasing student numbers and pressures on staff time the rhetoric of web 2.0 and social software architecture of participation democratisation collaboration always beta autonomy and ownership personalisation emergent classifications critical mass, complexity freedom and empowerment an open distributed model with flattened structures and community-based knowing

e-learning: dominant models, developments and drivers:

reusable learning objects

quality frameworks

standards (SCORM, LOM, QTI)

digital repositories (silos)

scripted learning activities (IMS LD)

content delivery and assessment via VLEs

self centred knowledge acquisition

a hierarchical industrial model that can respond to increasing student numbers and pressures on staff time

the rhetoric of web 2.0 and social software

architecture of participation

democratisation

collaboration

always beta

autonomy and ownership

personalisation

emergent classifications

critical mass, complexity

freedom and empowerment

an open distributed model with flattened structures and community-based knowing

problematizing web 2.0

understanding blogs as a situated practice interpretative flexibility the utility of blogs (like the internet cf. Hine 2000) is created through a process of negotiation and interpretation in specific contexts of use technology as text technology is read differently by relevant social groups and can be said to be different for each

interpretative flexibility

the utility of blogs (like the internet cf. Hine 2000) is created through a process of negotiation and interpretation in specific contexts of use

technology as text

technology is read differently by relevant social groups and can be said to be different for each

when is a blog not a blog? let us mark a clear differentiation between: internet blogging as “a contemporary contribution to the art of the self” ( Miller 2004 ) blogging as social action made possible by a shared set of understandings and educational blogs as specifically situated and contextually negotiated use of technology as opposed to blog as genre

let us mark a clear differentiation between:

internet blogging as “a contemporary contribution to the art of the self” ( Miller 2004 )

blogging as social action made possible by a shared set of understandings

and

educational blogs as specifically situated and contextually negotiated use of technology

as opposed to blog as genre

formal and informal spaces if we blur formal and informal learning spaces how do students build certain competencies: develop critical self awareness? judge value and quality (disciplinary knowledge)? develop intellectual tools? engage in purposeful activities (metacognition, understanding their own learning processes)?

if we blur formal and informal learning spaces how do students build certain competencies:

develop critical self awareness?

judge value and quality (disciplinary knowledge)?

develop intellectual tools?

engage in purposeful activities (metacognition, understanding their own learning processes)?

ethical issues and web 2.0

open systems consumers becoming producers blogs, wikis, youtube, podcasts, slideshare, del.icio.us: what happens to authenticity and trust? [in]coherence [dis]orientation information overload quality? quality (of education) becomes an ethical issue

consumers becoming producers

blogs, wikis, youtube, podcasts, slideshare, del.icio.us:

what happens to authenticity and trust?

[in]coherence

[dis]orientation

information overload

quality?

quality (of education) becomes an ethical issue

consent personal, autonomous, owned how do we reconcile personal freedoms and institutional responsibilities (e.g. censorship) public and private domains respect for and protection of student privacy (comfort in an online life?) student visibility/invisibility do we disturb the quiet learner identity performance adding personal spin, managing reputation, transparency tracks and traces the permanence of blog posts what are our responsibilities, where are we accountable?

personal, autonomous, owned

how do we reconcile personal freedoms and institutional responsibilities (e.g. censorship)

public and private domains

respect for and protection of student privacy (comfort in an online life?)

student visibility/invisibility

do we disturb the quiet learner

identity performance

adding personal spin, managing reputation, transparency

tracks and traces

the permanence of blog posts

what are our responsibilities, where are we accountable?

some conclusions avoid creating the binary of (e)learning 1.0 and (e)learning 2.0? it is a metaphor that ignores process remove the baggage of ‘2.0’ and address fundamental questions about our ethics and how we support our underlying educational values and beliefs sensitivity to the context into which we introduce new technologies: interpreting and negotiating meaning with our students and each other understand students as a much more diverse social group with differing perspectives embrace complexity

avoid creating the binary of (e)learning 1.0 and (e)learning 2.0?

it is a metaphor that ignores process

remove the baggage of ‘2.0’ and address fundamental questions about our ethics and how we support our underlying educational values and beliefs

sensitivity to the context into which we introduce new technologies: interpreting and negotiating meaning with our students and each other

understand students as a much more diverse social group with differing perspectives

embrace complexity

thank you Steven Warburton King’s College London [email_address] http://warburton.typepad.com

Steven Warburton

King’s College London

[email_address]

http://warburton.typepad.com