The first week on the ELLS has come to an end, and a requirement is to reflect on learning on this part of the course. This is a great idea, not just to reinforce learning, but also to track what needs to be done or thought about when starting the social media journey.
The technical part of it was trivial, which is a mixed blessing. The ease of setting up various facilities (this blog, Flickr and Twitter, and before this, delicious and LinkedIn) obscures the bigger issues of identity and privacy (I haven’t hit copyright yet, but no doubt this will come).
The Mason and Rennie book has a lengthy quote from Lou on page 57. This sparked off a number of ideas partly about my reluctance to use Flickr, but most importantly in terms of understanding the reluctance that some students might have in using social media.
My reluctance to use Flickr are showing my visual work has several reasons. Because I am new to Flickr I see it as amorphous, or as I said elsewhere, as a kind of uncurated exhibition. Lou's quote really help me to understand how Flickr can also be a social space when she identified the benefits of tagging and of linking up with other individuals to comment on pictures. (Oh, and her work is really amazing - a striking visual ensemble!) Lou also talks of 'blurry moving roles' which resonates with me because, in using Flickr, I show myself to be a learner (I've been working on my 'visual voice' in evening classes for the last 10 years ). I haven't got the same confidence and depth of knowledge as with issues of learning teaching and assessment.
This set me thinking about isssues in beginning to acquire social media presence in an unfamiliar space, which could be of relevance for my students.
The technical part of it was trivial, which is a mixed blessing. The ease of setting up various facilities (this blog, Flickr and Twitter, and before this, delicious and LinkedIn) obscures the bigger issues of identity and privacy (I haven’t hit copyright yet, but no doubt this will come).
The Mason and Rennie book has a lengthy quote from Lou on page 57. This sparked off a number of ideas partly about my reluctance to use Flickr, but most importantly in terms of understanding the reluctance that some students might have in using social media.
My reluctance to use Flickr are showing my visual work has several reasons. Because I am new to Flickr I see it as amorphous, or as I said elsewhere, as a kind of uncurated exhibition. Lou's quote really help me to understand how Flickr can also be a social space when she identified the benefits of tagging and of linking up with other individuals to comment on pictures. (Oh, and her work is really amazing - a striking visual ensemble!) Lou also talks of 'blurry moving roles' which resonates with me because, in using Flickr, I show myself to be a learner (I've been working on my 'visual voice' in evening classes for the last 10 years ). I haven't got the same confidence and depth of knowledge as with issues of learning teaching and assessment.
This set me thinking about isssues in beginning to acquire social media presence in an unfamiliar space, which could be of relevance for my students.
- There is the "new comer" effect which might be more imagined than real as the online community at large doesn't notice new arrivals.
- There is also the "beginner" or "novice" effect through which we don't want to be perceived as ignorant; this can be ignorance about the conventions and/or expected behaviours of the online social space or it could be about the contents of a social space (eg Flickr and visual materials).
- When we start with a social media platform, we started the border of a community which we don't always know about. Wenger (of 'Communities of Practice' fame) has a lot to say about borders and border practices such 'brokering', which might be useful in understanding what newcomers to an online social space might be feeling and in shaping the behaviour of e-tutors.
Blush
ReplyDeletethanks for your comments on my work.
What you say about being a novice is very true - on something like flickr which is now huge it is easy to be invisible. So it does provide an opportunity to put your toe in as far as you want. What I love is that you can use it in ways that are appropriate to you - curated or not.
In a formal learning context though people could feel exposed if they don't respond in a very visual way.
I did one course on a VLE with alot of artists and they found the reliance on text very frustrating so that's when something that allows people to present themselves in imaginitiave and visual ways comes to the fore.
Also re your second point - my experience is that there are usually alot of guides for newcomers about conventions but it can take alot of time to find these.
Look forward to seeing you there; )
Blush - thanks for your lovely comments on my work.
ReplyDeleteyour point about the new comer effct is true but you are right - flickr has become so huge that you can remain quite invisible too. You can reveal yourself as appropriate for you, which is great but being forced to do so as part of a learning activity could present some major challenges for people who don't respond well to the visual nature of it all.
I do think that comunities like this tend to produce quiate alot of guides and info for newbies but it can take a very long time to find it.