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

http://digident.brookesblogs.net/

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