We spent some time outlining our interests and experiences in social software, what we hoped to gain from the course, and the types of social software we would like to use to support the course.
(Apologies as I’ve undoubtedly spelt names wrong, and if I’ve misrepresented anything, please add comments or edit to correct my hastily taken notes.)
Tim Neumann – Working in the technology unit at the LKL, supporting staff and students with using technologies for teaching and learning. Is critical of assumptions that are made about social software and its uses and isn’t convinced that they work well. Has used blogs before, seen many wikis projects fail horribly, and used social bookmarking, but finds it perhaps more of a timewasting than useful exercise and questions notions of purpose, function, use and value. Question of whether certain types of SoSo are useful for particular kinds of groups such as closed special interest groups or very large groups unable to meet physically. He is interested in the use of the wiki for this discussion group and has some technical background in this area, which he hopes to enhance. He thinks it’s a good thing to collaborate.
Natasha Aljani – Is open-minded about her expectations of the course but sees it as a CPD opportunity. She thinks the idea of using a wiki to develop ideas and approaches is a good idea. Remit includes engaging diversity, using educational technologies to support discourse across library and information professionals. Has used a wiki as part of a course teaching research methodologies.
Sarah Price – LKL researcher, background in cognitive psychology. Interested in the learning potentials of social software, particularly in relation to collaboration and mobile technology.
Jana (?) – PhD student at Sussex, looking at the nature of digital knowledge and the evolution of the encyclopaedia into wiki form; has used wiki in teaching courses with undergraduates; P2P (peer to peer) and file sharing technologies, mostly for music. She is critical of collective ventures and would like to analyse the experience, is interested in knowledge sharing and how to implement the use of technologies in teaching and learning. Interested in critically exploring ideas of collective intelligence, and analysing structures of wikipedia, and learning more about SoSo at a practical level. Would use wiki as support for the course.
Yan – In first term of PhD at the Institute of Education. Taught critical thinking to children in Palestine, experienced in using logo software, interested to find out more about SoSo, is currently unsure of its effectiveness.
Arthur – LKL researcher in mathematics education. Uses Flickr in personal life and is using a wiki for a forthcoming conference; interested to learn more about the context of social software.
Tina Rowe – As a learning technologist at imperial college, is asked about SoSo on regular basis, also reliant on several types of SoSo in personal and professional life. Interested in investigating SoSo to support collaboration across institutions and distant field projects that WebCT does not enable. Interested in construction of knowledge in collaborative learning environments.
Lyndsay Grant – Learning researcher at Futurelab; interested in investigating the learning potential of SoSo in different cultural contexts such as the formal context of schooling and the more emergent communities growing out of specific shared interests; also where SoSo is heading – what will change as participation broadens. Carried out small study using wikis in school. Both wikis and blogs could be useful support, depending on the kinds of conversations or collaborations we want to have. Discussed the kinds of changes that have taken place over the last year and asked what they might mean for teaching and learning… wondering whether we are on the cusp of something bigger or whether SoSo will peak and crash (or evolve into something else). Would like to learn more about the potential of SoSo, particularly in relation to its use with/and by young people. She is currently using a wiki as part of her learning project.
Mark van Harmelen – University of Manchester. Interested in systems that help people learn, and the role of social software where learning only has meaning in social settings. Has used social systems to find other people, and to find sources of funding. Interested in personal learning environments (PLEs), and integrating mobile handheld learning with social aspects of learning, and the uses of tagging. Suggested assembling a range of SoSo tools to create our own learning environments. Would like to come away from workshop with sufficient knowledge to ‘get out there’ and ‘get involved’. Likes the idea of constructing a collaborative wiki together. Sees it as a kind of personal learning diary. Referred the group to ELGG (www.elgg.org) – ‘the learning landscape’ which was set up in an attempt by a group in Edinburgh to get back to the original meaning behind the concept of e-portfolios.
Discussion about e-portfolios and VLEs (virtual learning environments)
A group discussion followed around the buzzword ‘e-portfolio’ and the question asked – whether anyone was using, or had used, one and an invitation to share ideas on what they are, how they work, who uses them, why, with what measure of success, etc. A key issue that arose for comments was how to distinguish between emerging/self-directed and institutional learning platforms. The content of an e-portfolio was outlined as a platform including (but not necessarily limited to):
§ chat or discussion
§ uploading of files of various types
§ invitations to users
The discussion moved on to the decisions to be made between purchasing a VLE, such as WebCT or using Open Source Software, such as Moodle and any particular issues tied into ‘buying into’ the open source environment. The original concept of e-portfolios was about providing a repository for work over time and from different places, providing a space for reflection on learning; this concept hijacked as an assessment and validation project, with all schoolchildren required to have an e-portfolio by 2008.
elgg is an open source VLE closer to the original concept; a “system for reflection” with bloglike features including tags.
WebCT is a common VLE used in Higher Education includes chat, discussion boards, email, ability to upload and download documents, etc. Plans are underway to integrate elgg with WebCT.
Moodle is another VLE developed in an open source framework – issue that institutions wary of open source and emergent software because of fears that it will not be supported or break down.
Carey – Began to use blogs and wikis while learning html programming. Research activity has focussed on modes of representation and communication in learning, looking at gestures and image; how practices of communication are constructed and the role and formation of learner identities; issues of multimodality and new technologies. In looking at modes of representation with new technologies, there is a need to understand what has been designed as part of the system and what has been designed through processes of participation and interaction with users. Questioned huge claims of how social software will bring about social democracy. Interested in notions of sociality and technology use in social settings, currently looking at curricular knowledge and construction of learner identity, more recently focussing on multimodality and technology use and its impact on learning, in particular, looking at design and interface and trying to understand strengths of technology (design of system –v- use of system). Interested in comparing SoSo to existing and prior technologies – such as email, games, etc. to see how their use compares.
Steven Warburton – Kings College, School of Law. Interested in web 2.0 and SoSo developments, and the move from a web of pages to web of data, with users being able to reuse and repurpose multiple sources of data to filter information and make it more relevant, e.g. BBC Backstage – opening access to BBC’s metadata. (See also related BBC announcement that their next website revamp will look to MySpace as a model, including personal blogs, user-generated content, etc). Developing a fully online MA, interested in how SoSo works in distance learning and distributed learning situations. Also interested in changes in practice. Uses wikis as part of a conference.
Tim demonstrated his use of Google Map/Flickr to map the London Marathon and stimulated a group discussion on his rationale for building the map. Used it to check out the route and his engagement in the route… found it useful. Social, historical, commentary, context.
Steve suggested considering Writely for collaborative online word processing, but this is not currently taking new signups. Tim suggested AjaxWrite which is a similar, new, free version. See also Hydra, a note taking device that allows multiple simultaneous entries.
Sarah questioned whether if we use a wiki we need to define a structure for our documents, and a purpose, or whether it could emerge organically more like a blog. Wilma and Mark are working on a draft user’s guide.
The group looked at the ALT wiki and discussed the purpose of the LKL wiki, interested to see where it would go, thinking about structure of Wikipedia and ideas of new knowledge being constructed, and ability to change knowledge. There was some discussion over control of the wiki and the idea that a wiki that is rapidly ‘locked down’ in order to manage the structure of content… takes away from the notion of collaborative development.
An aside from Wilma, as she watched this – does “collaborative” mean the same thing as “open” and can the notion of an “open” forum also have boundaried?
Yishay and Carey will distil some of the interesting themes and issues emerging from this introduction and post on the wiki or blog as a starting point for structuring our discussions in the following sessions. Some of these touched on were:
· Interplay between role of software structure and role of collaboration; ideas of what different types of softwares are good for and why certain practices associated with with certain types of softwares – is it something inherent in the technology or simply that people have become used to using them in certain ways
· What wikis and blogs (and other types of SoSo) are good for and why.
· Whether tools change the ways learners think
· Perceptions of SoSo for young adults and children – can they use them and, if so how would they do so (are they doing so)
· What’s the dominant structure (if any) of SoSo
· What’s the role of collaboration
· How to use the wiki and blog – do their roles differ – and if so, how
