Date post: | 30-Oct-2014 |
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Education |
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The Digital
One-DayIdentity, literacy and
community in (partially) synchronous distributed learning environments
Aim of the Digital One-Days3 events of current interest as new form of CPD
Online identity Digital literacy Communities (of practice) in HE (in the event, 2 have run)
Cover the topicsExploring the potential of
SynchronousDistributedCollaboration
Innovation and noveltyTopics are challengingThe environment is challengingThere is an interaction between the
environment and the topics
QuestionsMight identity, literacy and community
be threshold concepts in educational development?
Does the Trojan mouse effect persist in any new learning environment?Any novel medium with or through which
learning, is done serves to foreground not the medium but the meaning of learning
i,e, discussions about e-learning are really discussions about learning
OutlineThe environment
ElluminateBrookes Blogs
The learning designThe topicsEvaluationThe questions
ElluminateNew breed of collaboration tools allowing
people to be simultaneously present in an desk-top computing environment based on a classroom metaphor2-way voice & video communicationText chatGraphicsA “White Board” on which “Slides” can be
displayedPresenters Participants Icon-tools such as “hand-raising”, emoticons
(smiley faces), polling
UsesTeaching eventsMeetings Distributed/distant co-presence at
face-to-face events (conference streams)
BenefitsReduced travel – time, cost and carbon
saving (?)Recorded for replayDistributed groups
Disbenefits?Technical
The Internet is not like the movies: LagHardware/software compatibility Institutional firewalls
CulturalLiteracy: how to use the $%^&*! thingCommunity:
Interruptability, participation, open plan spaces Identity: representation of the self
Expectation management It is different from both face-to-face and “traditional”
on-line discussion-based distributed elearning
Learning DesignWebsite “home page”Email joining instructions and briefsFamiliarisation sessionsSimple activity flowBreaks and continuity
TopicsIdentity
Technical/politicalEgoSocial
LiteracyMulti-literaciesSkills and competenceSocial
CommunityImage: www.momswhothink.com
Community and literacy have become “aerosol words”
Constructed communities and constructed identities (where there is an intentional aspect) are problematic where authenticity is valued
Literacy is a function of community and identityDigital one-days introduce genre questions which
expose the inter-relatedness of these conceptsWith academic & digital literacy, communities
of learning & practice, and online identity (Facebook etc), these concepts are exposed as foundational or threshold concepts for doing and being in higher education
EvaluationSome considered the online interface ‘much richer
than face-to-face sessions’, found the different channels useful.
‘Interesting and productive environment’ effectively replicated a face to face workshop/seminar in terms of medium and activities.
Useful learning medium once acclimatisedBreakout groups worked well for engagement Interesting conceptual stuff from the panel
discussionExcellent questions raised The moderators and the participants with different
views of a very interesting topic, with moderation that made sure that all was somehow held together
The experience of taking part in online learning in this format.
The (useful) flow of presentation through to reflection and discussion
ChallengesA participant who thought the familiarisation
session went well referred to the session itself as ‘fraught with problems’.
Participant who came late took the first 30 minutes to catch up, experienced technical difficulties particularly with sound at first and did not manage to get a webcam working at all.
Communication a challenge in the medium. Sound problems
Difficulty with giving attention to a presentation for full 20 minutes
Bandwidth broke up audio in breakout groupsAttending an online workshop from the work place
different from attending a face to face events as the presence of the web, msn, email and telephone is distraction affecting concentration; needs discipline
QuestionsMight identity, literacy and community
be threshold concepts in educational development?
Does the Trojan mouse effect persist in any new learning environment?Any novel medium with or through which
learning, is done serves to foreground not the medium but the meaning of learning
i.e. discussions about e-learning are really discussions about learning
Thank you
George Roberts, Rhona Sharpe, Patsy ClarkeJosie Fraser, Helen Keegan,
Helen Beetham, Richard Francis, Frances Bell