Month: February 2020

AdriVivio has shared a tweet- Varsity Blues

Lifestream

Some contentious opinions in this article linked below about allowing fewer young people in HE. However I agree with “higher education should not be a commodity bought and sold; it should challenge and provoke students independently of the demands of business and trade”.

Ed tech won’t solve the problem of academics being pressured  by their institution to administer high scores and minimise failure rates.  Cash strapped Uni’s are competing for students; higher scores and easier material will minimise dropout rates. Graduates though, are not meeting the needs of employers. Apprenticeships might work better; these students could instead funnel their ‘University fees’ to better use with industry-focused training. Besides, as per this article, ” the Sutton Trust found in 2015 that the lifetime earnings of someone who takes a higher apprenticeship will outstrip those of the average graduate from a university”.

#mscedc
https://t.co/e9xgV3qC3P

http://twitter.com/AdriVivio/status/1233877483369484291

Review of Kozinets

Block 2: Community Cultures, Education, Lifestream, Weekly Summary

Benefits of online community community development

Initial research on the online social environment detailed how lack of social cues made people discount the value of online social group- they were seen as ‘less than’ face to face interactions.

However (Walter 1997 & Bayne 1999 as quoted by Kozinets 2010) showed that groups are getting around that by expressing missing nonverbal cues in written form’- emoticons. Textual messages became ‘imbued with features intended to replicate a face-to-face communication’, and as a result gained some ground in terms of quality of interaction.

Another advantage of participating on an online communities is that participants enjoy a ‘status equalization effect’ – status characteristics, such as age, sex, and race, cultural background are unknown in the online space (unless the user reveals them) resulting in more open communication and less dominance. Online communities therefore benefit from stress reduction, self-acceptance, and informational value, and contribute to people’s sense of identity (see, e.g., McKay et al. 2002 as quoted by Kozinets).

The charts and diagrams in the Kozinets 2010 paper were interesting to me but the one that I zoned in on was the development of community below. I recreated it on powerpoint.

community development

It considers the relationship between the person and the central consumption activity that they are engaging in, with and through the online community. If this consumption activity is not particularly important to them, their relationship to the online community is going to be more distanced. The greater the centrality of the consumption interest to the person, the higher the interest level and concomitant level of activity knowledge and skill. This is a measure not only of self-identification, but of identity and interest combined with expertise.

The benefits of online community (as listed in the first paragraph), are a function of time and online activity. Moving from the lurker status where one has weaker skills, weaker social ties and superficial consumption, to an Insider’s strong social ties to the online community, takes time and commitment.  Can this be adequately applied to temporary online learning communities such as Moocs? Moocs are generally short courses where the vast majority of users are auditors. A Mooc auditor will enter the Mooc community from initial curiosity. Ideally, What began as a search for information transforms into a community and a sense of belonging and understanding.

In reality however, auditors would find it difficult to develop a deep relational exchanges within the online group if they have limited interaction and low interest in the core consumption activity.

 

Kozinets, R. V. (2010) Chapter 2 ‘Understanding Culture Online’, Netnography: doing ethnographic research online. London: Sage. pp. 21-40.

Bayn, Nancy K. (1999) Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. As quoted by Kozinets (2010)

Walther, Joseph B. (1992) ‘Interpersonal Effects in Mediated Interaction: Relational Perspective’, Communication Research, 19: 52–90. As quoted by Kozinets (2010)

#mscedc Pin on Pinterest- Connected learning

Lifestream, pinterest

Connected learning from Mizuko “Mimi” Ito, cultural anthropologist and Research Director of the Digital Media Hub.

connected learning infographic

https://dmlhub.net/

The text on the image is tiny, so I wrote the relevant bits below my commentary.

when I look at this image I think about Linked in learning- the site which we have access to as Univ of Edinburgh students. Every course that we complete, we receive a certificate which is automatically displayed on our ‘linked in’ profile for a potential employer (and profiler!) to see. The Linked in Learning educational model has captured a growing market that links learning in school, home and community.

When academic studies and institutions draw from and connect to young people’s peer culture, communities and interest driven pursuits, learners flourish and realise their true potential.-Mizuko “Mimi” Ito

From the diagram;

Connected learning is equitable, social and participatory. Fusing students’ interests, friendships and academic achievement.

Production Centred– Actively producing, creating, experimenting and designing promotes skills and dispositions for lifelong learning in rapidly changing work and social conditions.

Interests, research has repeatedly shown that when the topic is personally interesting and relevant, learners achieve much higher learning outcomes.

Shared purpose. The potential of cross-generational learning and connection unfolds when centred on common goals.

Peer culture Socially meaningful participation (contribute, share, give feedback), = growing knowledge ecology.

Openly networked -Learning is supported in multiple settings when learning is linked in school, home and community.

Academic success as an avenue towards economic and political opportunity. When academic studies and institutions draw from and connect to young people’s peer culture, communities and interest driven pursuits, learners flourish and realise their true potential.

Just Pinned to #mscedc: Mizuko “Mimi” Ito, cultural anthropologist and Research Director of the Digital Media and Learning Hub, was the Tuesday Keynote at the 2013 TIES Conference. There is a lot of talk today about social media and video games distracting and socially isolating children, but Ito is optimistic… https://ift.tt/32ocW8y