Recording thoughts about the first steps of a socia media journey is a bit like conducting a virtual reflexive ethnography. An ethnographer is always connected to the object of their research, which is why reflexivity is important. But let's not get all 'postmodern'... I am just thinking about Hine's book on Virtual Ethnography.
In the ELSS course, we're asked to reflect on learning, with some of the learning also achieved 'by doing' (using SM) as well as by the traditional reading and online discussions. The course isn't about research, but having to maintain a blog reminds me strongly of my MEd project where I did something similar (but without public access). The 'field site' is the distributed environment (to use R&M's phrase) offering a rich social media ecology (Blogger, Flickr, Blackboard, Twitter and probably other platforms in future). Instead of going to a specific field site (eg Bb), I also followed field connections, eg links to other students' blogs. The 'participants' are peers and tutors, whom I partially know and with whom there is 'safety' because of their connection to OB Uni. But there is also the odd person who's stumbled upon the blog or twitter postings - the unknown...
The comparison stops there, though! Reading and respondents to fellow students' posts is really engaging (intermittently so because that's the nature of any online experience) but that's all that is needed for the course. No online interviews and data analysis. Phew!
In the ELSS course, we're asked to reflect on learning, with some of the learning also achieved 'by doing' (using SM) as well as by the traditional reading and online discussions. The course isn't about research, but having to maintain a blog reminds me strongly of my MEd project where I did something similar (but without public access). The 'field site' is the distributed environment (to use R&M's phrase) offering a rich social media ecology (Blogger, Flickr, Blackboard, Twitter and probably other platforms in future). Instead of going to a specific field site (eg Bb), I also followed field connections, eg links to other students' blogs. The 'participants' are peers and tutors, whom I partially know and with whom there is 'safety' because of their connection to OB Uni. But there is also the odd person who's stumbled upon the blog or twitter postings - the unknown...
The comparison stops there, though! Reading and respondents to fellow students' posts is really engaging (intermittently so because that's the nature of any online experience) but that's all that is needed for the course. No online interviews and data analysis. Phew!
Thank you for this thought provoking posting.--p@ c
ReplyDeleteThank you for a thought provoking posting and also for useful links that you provide.--p@ c
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