Musings on the Nature of Online Community

So, some news to report…

Passed second assignment in 696 with flying colours so I am ready to start the last assignment - the preliminary proposal.

It appears that my thesis is actually evolving into a project as I have choosen to evaluate the effectiness of the Elgg software to promote the development of online community.  The test for my program advisor is that if you are testing or evaluating software in any way you are doing a project.  I am still a bit uncertain as my focus will not actually be on evaluating the Elgg software but rather the software will be the tool used to probe how online communities develop.  So, I guess I still need to clarify this further.  No doubt this will be part of the process of the next few weeks as I develop the proposal further.

I am excited to have found a possible target group to include in my study.  CBEEN, the Columbia Basin Enviromental Educators Network, is a  network of educators in my region who work collaboratively and independently on various projects.  The geographic region of the group is quite large so they are looking for ways to connect that do not include expensive face-to-face travel.  They are keen to share information on the projects they are running, successes they have had, problems they are facing, etc.  They are a group that has a number of charismatic members that others want to connect with and a number of members that are new to the field/network.  This is a group that wants to enhance its network by using online tools to connect so I think the Elgg software will be a good  fit.

I still have a large number of issues to address but my first meeting with them is on Friday so I will record their response/feedback at that time.

Anyone out there in Elgg land have any feedback on the process of installing and running Elgg.  This will not be my responsibility as they have technical support but the more information I can give them the better!

As I struggle to extricate myself from the world of children, flu’s and ear infections I find myself reading again about social networking and wondering just what the differences are between f2f networks and online networks. As always I defer back to a definition to get going:

Wikipedia (and many other sources of course) give the following definition:

A social network is a social structure made of nodes which are generally individuals or organizations. It indicates the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds.

So, in education the teacher tends to be the node, when doing collaborative work one person usually stands out as the node, in an organization the president, chairperson, etc. is the node and so on. Of course it is not that simplistic. Just being the boss or the leader does not make one the node. The node is simply the individual that connects other individuals to the organization or to each other. And on and on goes the discussion of what makes up a social network…

My query is what, if anything, makes social networks behave differently in a f2f or online environment? Is it the uncertainty about the rules of engagement when making online connections that is not present in f2f situations? In f2f face situations you can see when someone laughs at a joke, is displeased by an interaction is offering encouragement. There are so many cues in person. So, do online social interactions or relationships get stalled because there are so many unknowns? Unless the types of relationship that is trying to be achieved online is very well defined (teacher-student, boss-employee) are people generally wary of how interaction is to develop? I know I could certainly benefit from a personal development type course entitled “How to Develop Online Relationships” (professional that is - I have enough personal relationships, mostly under the age of 5, to keep me occupied for now!)

I guess that is still a roundabout way of saying I am still trying to figure all the value of blogging, social networking systems, online community and “all that jazz”…

Ok, finally have gathered some initial ideas for my thesis work on ESS. Still very much a work in progress so be gentle if you have a comment :-)

Description of topic:
My general topic of interest is how to reduce isolation and, in turn, increase connectedness for distance learners.  I have a number of thesis titles in various stages of revision but at this point I will suggest a general title:

Using Educational Social Software to increase connectedness for distance learners: A Case Study

Background:
The term social software gained acceptance in 2002 through the efforts of Clay Shirky and his “Social Software Summit”.  There are numerous complex definitions of social software but Wikipedia offers a relatively straightforward definition of the term:
Social software enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication and to form online communities. (Wikipedia, 2006)
George Seimens, the author of “Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age” offers a more precise definition that differentiates social software from other communication tools.  His definition reads:
“a tool that allows people to connect with others to share ideas and collaborate. The distinguishing feature of this type of software is the networked/connected nature of communication - a break from linear communication like telephones, email, etc.”
Social software is currently being used, formally and informally, in education and its potential to play a substantial role in distance education is being researched by Terry Anderson at the Centre for Distance Education Research (CIDER) at Athabasca University.  Anderson (2005) describes educational social software “as networked tools that support and encourage individuals to learn together while retaining individual control over their time, space, presence, activity, identity and relationship.”

So what tools are part of an instance of ESS?  Most currently include individual and group blogs, comment features, wikis, file repositories, RSS and FOAF (Friend of a Friend) capabilities, searching and linking capacities, and more elements are being added
.
At this point in my investigation I still have numerous questions regarding the use of this software to increase connectedness for distance learners, specifically whether or not it really has the capacity to increase connectivity.   I came across an interesting conversation (on a blog) between David Tosh, one of the developers of Elgg and Graham Atwell which validated my skepticism about the central role blogging is currently playing in educational social software tool.  Atwell (2006) states, “learning is a social activity. Blogging does not, on its own, support the social aspect of learning - neither does it support communities of practice.” Their conversation goes on to suggest that ESS tools, which include much more than blogging software, seem to be achieving some level of success in developing online community.  This is certainly a debate I will continue to follow as I do further the research for my thesis.

Related Areas of Research:
The following are connected areas that I intend to research as I build my thesis proposal.  I have compiled a lengthy list of references on the following but will not include them in this posting (but feel free to ask for them if you are interested).
• Isolation for Distance Learners
• Communities of Practice
• Communities of Inquiry
• Online communities
• Social Capital
• Social Networks
• Lifelong learning
• Connectivism
• Computer Mediated Communication
Tentative Research Plan:
The research could focus specifically on Elgg (elgg.net ), an ESS tool which is currently at the development stage.  Athabasca University is currently testing a version of the tool called Me2U at Athabasca U ([Click to view link] ) and Dr. Terry Anderson has plans to do research that will focus on using Me2U to enhance the learning experience for self-paced undergraduate learners.  The initial plan for this research is to incorporate blogging, and the use of the ME2U software in particular, in a number of undergraduate courses and base the research study on data collected through this process.

My interest, in terms of my thesis work, would be on researching the use of educational social software at the graduate level or possibly at the level of the adult or lifelong learner.  It seems a long way off at this point but my vision would be to either involve members of the CDE community in Me2U to be used as subjects in my research or to solicit subjects from those already using the Elgg software.  More on this part of the plan later…

Brief Article Summaries:

Anderson, T.  (2005).  Distance learning – Social software’s killer ap? In ODLAA (Ed.),  Proceedings of the Open & Distance Learning Association of  Australia:  Adelaide:  ODLAA. [Click to view link]

Anderson discuses the role social software could play in balancing the desire that many distance learners have for a balance between maximum freedom and the opportunity to work collaboratively with other students.

Dickey, M. D. (2004)The Impact of Web-Logs (Blogs) on Student Perceptions of Isolation and Alienation in a Web-Based Distance-Learning Environment. Open Learning v19 n3 p279-291.

Dickey describes a case study involving distance learners using weblogs and reports her findings on how the use of blogs affected learner feelings of isolation and alienation.

Tosh, D., and Werdmuller, B. (2004). Creation of a learning landscape: weblogging and social networking in the context of e-portfolios. [Click to view link]

This is an earlier paper by the developers of the ESS tool Elgg.  Although in this paper they are focusing mainly on e-portfolios they ask many questions that pertain to the efficacy of educational blogging and educational social software. Questions that I would like to explore further.

I hope this initial post is not too overwhelming and that you have made it this far.  Please comment if you have the time.

Thanks,
Donna

References:
Atwell, Graham (2006). Blogging and Communities. The Wales-Wide Web. [Click to view link]

Siemens, G. (2004) Social Software.  Elearnspace. [Click to view link]

wikipedia (2006). Retrieved February 2006 from en.wikipedia.org

I think I have finally come to a better understanding of what Web 2.0 and Elearning 2.0 are thanks to:

Stepehn Downes’ “Web 2.0″ [Click to view link]
George Siemens’s “Connectivism” [Click to view link]

Downes discusses many of the technological aspects of Web 2.0 but makes it clear that it is the social/communicative aspect that differentiates the “read/write” web from its predecessor.

I also like what Seimens has to say about patterns and connectivism. Not being one of those people who can keep reams of information in my head at all times I often wondered what really differentiates my learning abilities or patterns from others.

Here are a few quotes that jumped out at me -

Downes makes the following clarifying point: “For all this technology, what is important to recognize is that the emergence of the Web 2.0 is not a technological revolution, it is a social revolution. “Here’s my take on it: Web 2.0 is an attitude not a technology. It’s about enabling and encouraging participation through open applications and services. By open I mean technically open with appropriate APIs but also, more importantly, socially open, with rights granted to use the content in new and exciting contexts” Davis (2005 [Click to view link])

Seimens also explains his learning theory, connectivism, with the following:

“Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories.”
“…chaos states that the meaning exists – the learner’s challenge is to recognize the patterns which appear to be hidden. Meaning-making and forming connections between specialized communities are important activities.”
“Principles of connectivism:
• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.”

Still so much to learn… 

Well, it is 3:55 am and officially the beginning of the end (even if the end is still very, very, very far off!)  I start my first thesis credit this week through Athabasca.  Planning to focus on some aspect of social software and/or blogging in education but still a bit fuzzy.  Seems at this point that I have plenty of time to figure it out as I still have four credits to complete but I suppose time will while itself away as it always does.  I must admit that when I was totally ignorant about the possibilty of blogs I thought they were a self-indulgent waste of time.  Thank goodness parenting has taught me to admit and embrace your mistakes and here I am blogging away and having a good time of it so far - hee, hee, hee.  Hopefully I will still be laughing in a year or so when this is finally done :-)

This is the third night I have tried to stay awake to get started on my course.  The teething one year old did me in the other two nights but I seem to be getting a reprieve for the moment.

This is written in response to Terry Anderson’s post called PLE’s versus LMS: Are PLEs ready for Prime time? James Farmer does a good job of answering some of the questions I have in The Inevitable Personal Learning Environment Post

I find it hard to conceptualize how PLE’s would actually function on the larger scale - ie for every student engaged in some form of online learning. Who/what would provide the space for a student’s PLE, would they be free, would direction be given on how to set one up, would the development of one be the sole responsibility of the learner and would the incentive simply be the fact that a PLE would be a requirement, like a notebook and pen, for formal learning? Or is it time to get past these ideas from traditional/formal education and really visualize a new paradigm?

All those questions aside, the idea of a PLE becomes extremely appealing when I break it down to the level of the masters program I am currently working on. I have completed over 3/4 of the program and all I really have to show for it are numerous bits of writing scattered through the folders of the three computers in my house, 9 very large binders full of course material that I’ve dragged with me through 3 major moves in the past year and a list of marks that I can access through the university LMS.  Gone are the collaborative web sites I worked on in a few courses.

If I had ability to compile work through blogs and e-portfolios that were connected through my PLE I would probably have developed, if nothing else, a stronger sense of accomplishment with regards to my degree.

I am just trying to get my head around the uses of blogs in education. Really appreciate the discussion that this post has generated as well as all the other mind expanding ideas that are out there on ESS, blogs, PLE’s etc.

Still a lot to learn….

I am doing reading/research/writing into the use of blogs in education and will be including some thoughts and reactions relating to this topic over the next while. Keep in mind that these are just reflections on readings and a way to air out my ideas so please do comment but do not get too excited if you do not agree. And don’t hold me to all of these ideas in the future! I am new to blogging and really just want to figure this out and see how blogs can work in education.

The following is in response to an excellent blog posting by Leigh Blackall called “Die LMS die! You too PLE!”

On the need to “keep” the writing done as part of a course discussion - I really think that the use of a discussion board or a blog should be examined in terms of the purpose for each and the role each plays. DB’s and blogs are different tools and should be applied as such. DB’s should be used to generate discussion and, just like in verbal discussion, the information generated should be allowed to ‘disappear’ when the discussion ends at the end of the unit, course or program. During a face-to-face discussion we do not usually feel the need to transcribe or retain everything that was said. Instead we put the important stuff in a journal, diary, include it as part of a book or publishable paper and carry on. The human memory works in such a way that even if we tell ourselves that this piece of information is something we never want to forget we will invariably forget it. That is why humans have used various methods to pass on important information throughout history – verbal story telling, writing/publishing books, mass media, the Internet.

So use discussion boards to get ideas out there – to ‘throw them around’, ‘air them out’ – and then if you really want to hang on to them, copy and paste them into your blog and you will have them forever (and you can access them again or your great-great-great grandkids can blow the dust off them in 100+ years). So, in summary, use DB’s to discuss course related topics and use your blogs to weave stories of everything relating to school or the personal that interests you enough to record for future use or for posterity.

Alrighty - this is the first post to my very own blog. I have a blog on Me2U at Athabasca University (http://me2u.athabascau.ca/) but I feel the need to test out an individual blog. Kinda fun so far :-)

I am a graduate student at Athabasca U and doing research into the educational social software with Dr. Terry Anderson at CIDER (Canadian Institute for Distance Education Research) and I am going to hide away in this corner of the blogosphere were I am free to be a lowly ol’ student and write about whatever strikes my fancy - work, research, master’s thesis, kids, skiing, etc.

More to come later.

Test 2 post to donawanablog site :-) I have already tried one but it is gone off into the blogoshere. “Open the pod bay doors, Hal…”