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Course summary: algorithms and the lifestream

Starting EDC was daunting – reading the instructions on how to set up our lifestreams, I wondered how I would manage to deal with all the technical aspects of the course. Ten weeks and 105 posts later, this memory seems very distant now. And I have to say that, in the end, it was much easier than expected and posting on my blog on a daily basis almost became second nature.

Block 1: cyberculture

I found the cyber culture block difficult to get into because the themes were quite alien to me. While it was relatively easy to find information to explore this topic, I initially struggled to link it to education.

Aside from learning more about the various themes, these first few weeks were mainly about setting up the algorithms in IFTTT such as:

  • Setting up a rule to post YouTube and Vimeo videos when I hit ‘like’;
  • Adding articles to Pocket;
  • Showing tweets and retweets that are tagged #mscedc

The algorithms seem very transparent, however, what is unclear is how other algorithms shaped my lifestream. I realised that social, geographical, cultural etc. aspects were feeding into the selection of my content without me being able to influence it.

Block 2 : community cultures

Reading the literature on online communities and working in education has given me a sense of how beneficial virtual communities can be. While I found reading and commenting on other blogs very inspiring, I mainly focussed on what is going to be assessed, i.e. posting weekly summaries and reading the required articles. Being more of a lurker myself, I often wondered how I would have behaved if participation hadn’t been encouraged. I found Kozinets’ article particularly useful to understand how people behave differently online and how they can each benefit from online communities. Not only can they ‘have real social benefits, but also they have powerful effects on people’s sense of identity’ (Kozinets 2010, p.29). Online communities are no longer just a place for people with specialist interests; they can also play a big part in our everyday lives as well as in education.

Towards the end of EDC, everyone’s world changed completely due to the effect of the coronavirus. With schools and exam centres being closed in many parts of the worlds, many institutions are looking to provide education through online learning. It is too early to say how successful virtual communities will be in terms of replacing physical places of learning but we have already seen how people are finding creative ways to socialise online such as participating in virtual book clubs or an Instagram series to teach cooking. This will be vital for many people in order to overcome loneliness due to social distancing/isolation.

Block 3: algorithmic cultures

Overall, I enjoyed the last block most, possibly because our lives and algorithms are so intertwined. As mentioned above, I began to realise that my selection of content for my lifestream was in no way all due to my decisions. How were the videos and articles I shared through IFTTT affected by algorithms? Would I have found different sources if I lived in another country or was of a different gender? Technology had a big impact on my decisions and, at the end, it has become impossible to say which actions were performed purely by me. As Knox (2015) points out: ,[r]ather than technology being framed as simply the passive instrument of predefined educational aims, here the algorithm represents a much more complex relationship between humans and non-humans in education, pointing towards an increased entanglement of agencies in the production of knowledge and culture.’

Algorithms are everywhere and, no matter how much or how little we use technology, they are part of our lives. What this block and in particular the various algorithmic plays reinforced was that algorithms are in no way neutral. ‘Far from being objective, impartial, reliable and legitimate, critical scholars argue that algorithms possess none of these qualities except as carefully crafted fictions’ (Gillespie 2014a in Kitchin 2017, p.17). When relying on automated decisions in education, we need to be mindful of this in order not to discriminate students. Behind every automated decision lies a form of human judgement.

During the course of EDC, I have also become aware of the issues surrounding plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin. The majority of my lifestream consists of material that has been created by someone else. Yet, somehow, my lifestream is unique, reflects my learning journey and includes reflections based on what I have read and watched. How would an algorithm rate this assignment? Undoubtedly, it would detect a lot of ‘plagiarism’. This goes to show that Turnitin should be used with caution and perhaps tutors need to go back to reading students’ assignments more closely without making assumptions based on machine-generated results.

References

Kitchin, R. (2017). Thinking Critically about Researching Algorithms. Information, Communication & Society, 20:1, 14-29, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2016.1154087.

Knox, J. (2015). Algorithmic Cultures. Excerpt from Critical Education and Digital Cultures. In Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory. M. A. Peters (ed.). DOI 10.1007/978-981-287-532-7_124-1.

Kozinets, R. V. (2010). Netnography: doing ethnographic research online. London: Sage.

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Weekly summary: week 9

youtube on a laptop
Image from pixabay

This week has been all about the algorithmic play. I spent a lot of time playing with the Youtube recommends algorithm and trying various ways to understand and manipulate it. It would have been naïve to think that I could figure out the algorithm within two weeks. I was baffled by a lot of the recommendations but I believe that there is a reason for suggesting these videos to me. What this exercise has taught me is how complex algorithms are and that no matter how aware we are of them, they can be very powerful in influencing our behaviour. This thought was reinforced by Kitchin’s (2017) article who stresses that algorithms aren’t purely technical and objective: ‘Other knowledge about algorithms – such as their applications, effects, and circulation – is strictly out of frame’ (Seaver, 2013, pp. 1–2). As are the complex set of decision-making processes and practices, and the wider assemblage of systems of thought, finance, politics, legal codes and regulations, materialities and infrastructures, institutions, inter-personal relations, which shape their production (Kitchin, 2014).

Another topic I explored on my lifestream this week was the rise of personalised learning. I can see why people get excited about it but, as with everything to do with Big Data, people often seem to forget the ethical side.

References

Kitchin, R. (2017). Thinking critically about and researching algorithms, Information, Communication & Society, 20:1, 14-29, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2016.1154087.

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Weekly summary: week 8

First week of the final block – that came round quickly! I was really excited to start this block as I find the topic fascinating.

After commenting on some brilliant artefacts from last week, I delved into the literature for algorithmic cultures. Interesting, but also slightly worrying to me, was the use of data collection in education that integrates ‘bodily events, such as facial expressions, biophysiological responses, or neural signals’ (Knox et al, 2020: 35). Investigating this trend further in my lifestream, I was wondering what significant benefits these technologies have. Can technologies really pick up emotions better than teachers? And even if they do, how would we use the data?

The article also discussed using technology to persuade learners to make better choices, in short ‘nudging’. Tracking of students’ behaviour and emotions can be used to ‘shape students’ choices and decisions’ (Knox et al, 2020: 39). As with all forms of data collection, we need to ask whether the use is ethical and in the students’ best interest. Letting machines make decisions for us, arguably takes away some of the freedom and creativity that graduates will need to be successful in later life.

Image from pixabay

I also started with my algorithm play after trying out some of these software algorithms. I decided to look into the YouTube recommends algorithm. It will be interesting to see if I can find out what factors other than viewing habits come into play and whether the results can be easily influenced.

References

Knox, J., Williamson, B. & Bayne, S. (2020). Machine behaviourism: future visions of ‘learnification’ and ‘datafication’ across humans and digital technologies, Learning, Media and Technology, 45:1, 31-45, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2019.1623251.

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Weekly summary: week 7

This was the final week of our community cultures block. I’ve played around with Evernote for the first time but I spent most of my time to think back to MOOCs, what communities mean for learning and how to express my findings in my micro-ethnography.

It is understandable how the introduction of OER and MOOCs was embraced by many with the promise of accessibility and narrowing the global digital divide. Research now often highlights the limitations of MOOCs in particular. Ross et al. (2019) summarise the issue in their article Critical approaches to valuing digital education: learning with and from the Manifesto for Teaching and Learning: ‘The limitations around the re-use of some MOOC content; socio-political issues around who creates and who ‘consumes’ MOOCs; the status of for-profit MOOC platform providers; attempts to create walled gardens to better capture MOOC learner data: these and other issues have generated heated discussions about who benefits from this educational trend and to what extent the promise of openness is fulfilled by these courses (Almeida 2017; Bady 2013; Decuypere 2018).’

Community (by pixabay)

After investigating the community culture of my MOOC more closely, I had mixed feelings about who benefits. Undoubtedly, students can access well-thought out teaching materials and apply their knowledge by thinking about issues in their own cities, for example. With no tutor presence, hundreds of posts without replies and a Twitter handle that hasn’t been used for several years, I nonetheless felt that the course providers are the big winners. Once created and up-and-running, not much effort is needed to collect student fees year after year (if they choose the verified certificate route). I find it therefore easy to agree with Knox (2015) in that ‘[the] drive for technologies that facilitate our ‘community learning’ have simultaneously embroiled education in a Silicon Valley culture, motivated by data acquisition and profit.’

References

Knox, J. 2015. Community Cultures. Excerpt from Critical Education and Digital Cultures. In Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory. M. A. Peters (ed.). DOI 10.1007/978-981-287-532-7_124-1

Ross, J., Bayne, S., Lamb, J.(2019).Critical approaches to valuing digital education: learning with and from the Manifesto for Teaching Online. Digital Culture & Education, 11(1), 22-35.

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Weekly summary: week 6

This week has been very busy with travelling so I didn’t have that much time to spend on my lifestream in the second half of the week.

The tutorial was really helpful and it was great to share exeriences about our chosen MOOCs. It made me think more about the ethical issues of my micro-ethnography. I’m going to post a message on the forum that I’m planning to use for my study to make others aware. I originally thought that I wouldn’t have to do this because I’m not planning to identify anyone but Jeremy clarified that just because someone isn’t identified we have the right to use the content they have shaped. And just because something is public doesn’t mean that it is ethical to use in research. boyd & Crawford (2012:672) raise some important questions: ‘Should someone be included as a part of a large aggregate of data? What if someone’s ‘public’ blog post is taken out of context and analyzed in a way that the author never imagined? What does it mean for someone to be spotlighted or to be analyzed without knowing it? Who is responsible for making certain that individuals and communities are not hurt by the research process? What does informed consent look like?’ They remind us that ‘In order to act ethically, it is important that researchers reflect on the importance of accountability: both to the field of research and to the research subjects.’

References:

danah boyd & Kate Crawford (2012) CRITICAL QUESTIONS FOR BIG DATA,
Information, Communication & Society, 15:5, 662-679, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2012.678878

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Week 5 summary

Aside from reading more of this block’s literature, I used this week to do more research on MOOCs, ethnography and online communities. In particular, I find the discussion around ‘lurkers’ fascinating. Considering myself a lurker, I always feel that the term has a negative connotation, which is why I enjoyed the blog post ‘The benefits of lurking in higher education’. Lurkers seem to make up the vast majority of online communities and I do believe that a lot of learning can happen by ‘passively’ following a forum/discussion.

As Kozinets (2010:40) sums up: ‘Recent developments in ethnographic online research reveal how much online communities are changing notions of the self, systems of social support, personal and work relationships, institutional power, and social activism.’ Ethnographic research, however, can also have serious ethical implications as the case of Alice Goffman illustrates.

I also had the chance to think more about my mini-ethnography. There is an activity in my chosen MOOC that has a vast number of posts, yet hardly any discussion/interaction so I would like to further explore this activity. In terms of presenting my findings, I’m thinking about using Prezi as it seems to be a nice way to present text and images.

I sometimes still struggle with the freedom we have in this course although I enjoy finding relevant articles and video for my lifestream and seeing what others are posting. Reminding myself each day to post something on my blog seems to be a good way to keep in touch with the material and further reflect on the readings. I’m looking forward to next week’s tutorial to find out how my classmates are finding the experience.

References

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

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Week 4 summary

Week 4 marked the start of a new block which I was quite excited about. Although we briefly dipped into MOOCs in IDEL, I’m looking forward to exploring the community aspect a bit more. In the MOOCs I’ve taken so far I never really paid much attention to the discussions so it’ll be interesting to see what I can find out in my ethnography.

faces
Community (Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

I started the week off with looking at and commenting on other visual artefacts. It was really impressive to see such creativity and wide range of media used to explore different themes.

I then began to look at different MOOCs for my ethnography. Since I recently started Chinese classes I thought a Chinese beginners class would be great but the forums weren’t very exciting. There wasn’t much of a discussion – students just wanted to know whether their homework was correct. I then come across this course on Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs by edX. I find the topic very interesting but also found the discussion boards quite lively. I’m not sure what angle to focus on yet but I’m hoping to narrow it down next week. As I mentioned in one of my posts, I found the constant advertising by the provider very distracting and wondered what the real purpose of MOOCs is.

While reading some of the literature for this block, I also explored some key terms such as ethnography, netnography and communities of practice. I found it hard to find the time this week to do much reading but hoping to catch up next week.

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Week 3 summary

This week we had our first tutorial in Google hangouts. It was great to hear the voices of some of my classmates and also to get some clarification on what’s important for our lifestreams.

I’ve been setting up the RSS triggers in IFTTT which was quite time consuming but it’ll be great to see the comments on my page.

Our task this week was to produce a visual artefact for this block. I chose to do a slideshow in Spark and then host it on YouTube. I’ve never really done anything in Spark but I found it very intuitive (more so than PowerPoint). I chose the theme ‘being human’ – it’s been fascinating to think about what makes us human, where are the boundaries between humans and technology and what does being human mean for education. My technical skills are very limited but, nonetheless, I’m quite pleased with what I’ve produced in a relatively short time. The other artefacts that I’ve seen so far have been brilliant, both thematically and technically and although I feel slightly intimidated, I’m also grateful to work together with so many talented people.

I’ve also been trying to think how the themes of this block link to education. I find a very important aspect of teaching is the teacher—student relationship. How, then, can we trust non-humans? Are we relying on technology too much? One particular technology that comes to mind is Turnitin. Most institutions seem to use and trust it without questioning the ethics and potential disadvantages behind it. I’m hoping to explore this and other links between technology and education further during the rest of the course.

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Week 2 summary

I started this week off with reading more about singularity. Will there be a point when machines take over the world and if so, when would we reach that point? Undoubtedly, it wouldn’t be as comical as portrayed in The Intelligence Explosion. Whether you believe in the theory of singularity or not, it can act as a trigger to reflect on humanity and its relationship with technology.

I also wanted to think more about transhumanism and found the review of the book To Be a Machine by Mark O’Connell particularly interesting as he investigates what people are actually doing to become more machine-like. To lighten up my lifestream I listened to a couple of Kraftwerk songs, which I found very relevant to this block. Being German myself, I went for the German versions.

For my film review I chose Robots of Brixton, partly because of the message ‘history repeats itself’ (fascinating how people, and robots, don’t learn from their mistakes) but also because I found the animation and soundtrack stunning.

I haven’t explored IFTTT much further this week but I’m hoping to get a chance next week. My preferred mode is still saving articles to Pocket although I sometimes find the delay between saving an article and it showing up on my lifestream a little frustrating. Ideally, I would like to save an article and then go straight to my blog to add a comment and edit the tags/categories. Despite not liking Twitter very much, I will make an effort to use it more because I feel it’s easier to interact with my classmates.

I’ve also been gathering ideas for my visual artefact although I don’t have anything concrete yet. Hoping for some inspiration next week!

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Week 1 summary

Before setting up my lifestream I was a bit apprehensive. The technical aspects and the need to engage on social media sounded very daunting. Seeing the initial activity on my classmates’ lifestreams amplified this feeling. Everyone seemed really creative and had a lot to say about topics that weren’t very familiar to me.

After initial problems with getting videos and tweets from IFTTT to embed into my blog, I actually enjoyed browsing the internet for relevant articles, videos and images to include in my lifestream. More precise instructions in the course guide about how to set up Youtube and Twitter would have been helpful but I felt a sense of achievement after working it out myself. So far, I have only created applets for Twitter, Youtube and Pocket but I’m sure I will explore more over the coming weeks. I only signed up to Twitter when I started IDEL and I still don’t use it very much. I would describe myself more of a lurker when it comes to social media, which is probably why I prefer Pocket at the moment.

Aside from the technical issues, I also struggled with the freedom we have in exploring the block’s themes. Having just completed IDEL where I knew exactly what I had to read and which activities I had to complete, I felt slightly confused. There is a wealth of fantastic information out there but, at the same time, the sheer amount of information and how to navigate it can feel overwhelming.

robot
Robots featured heavily in this week’s film festival. (Image by kalhh from Pixabay)

I joined both film festival tutorials this week, which were hosted on watch2gether. I thought the platform worked really well and, again, I felt slightly intimidated by the knowledge of my classmates. Nevertheless, I found most of the clips very powerful and I enjoyed being challenged to think about cyborgs, technology, relationships and what it means to be human. Can’t wait to further explore the themes from this week.