As i said in my first blog i am a bit of a tecnophobe so my enthusiasm towards web 2.0 and its affects on our everyday lives can be fairly biased.
Although i am intreged by the concept of social networking and the idea of building realtionships between 'strangers' i am slightly scepetiacal about how positive it is to be able to get hoards of information at the touch of a button.
Platforms such as 'google' are a fantastic source of knowledge but could it create a generation of laziness or complacency? where the need for practical discussions or experiements to find the answer could become secondary to the search engine.
I agree and embrace that web 2.0 has allowed people to extend their 'exisitng proffesional networks' (feenberg & Bakardjieva 2004) and that this can have massive positive impacts on peoples proffesional and social lives.
My outlook on this subject interms of education is still fairly sceptical however i am open to the use of tecnology within this course, changing my oppionion!
I think your reference to strangers is an interesting one, especially in a profession where word of mouth and presence on stage are so important. More please.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post, Emma! I found it thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteSorry if my tangled-up thoughts made this to become a irrelevant comment, misunderstanding the context.
I feel that as a research method, the Web2.0 requires capacity in a different skill to traditional ways(Library books, interview etc.)It is easier to access wider range of information easily and quickly, but more difficult to select valid and relevant information from the vast quantity and varied quality. I believe that one cannot be 'lazy' to fulfil this intellectual task.
Children tend to look for 'the correct answers' perhaps to get good marks on exams. but in higher education and in an professional environment, there are no such thing as 'correct/wrong answer',and therefore makes it easier for the web user to regard information as information, be it statistics or personal opinions.
The word 'generation' in your post got me thinking; is the 'lazy and complacent' use of Internet (lacking media literacy and relying on the web for 'correct answers' rather than 'information') stay with the Web2.0 generation children, or is it transitory, caused by the mismatch of characteristics between education(look for a correct answer) and research tool(provides vast information)?
I hope to learn to harness this tool and utilise it wisely for research and communication during my study, in order to enhance my future career.
You have really touched on some important issues here Emma. The notion of 'digital strangers' is a really good one. What does it take to know someone? How much do we need to know about them in order to engage with them on a professional level? I think there is a lot more than can explored about the nature of our relationships on-line, esp as you remark in the light of the hordes of information that is out there. I think I might do a blog post on it..stay tuned!
ReplyDeleteThere is the concept of the digital native generation, which is a highly contested and argued idea, but simply as wikipedia puts it.. ' a digital native is a person who was born after the general implementation of digital technology, and as a result, has had a familiarity with digital technologies such as computers, the Internet, mobile phones,and digital audio players over their entire lives'.
The interesting point here is that all not digital natives are technologically proficient. And indeed perhaps the complacency that you identify doesn't come from the ability to access information but the knowledge that they know they can if they choose to train themselves how to...
There is a great article about the implications of people believing in the notion of the digital native and its implications for education. It is by Bennett, Maton and Kervin called 'The ‘digital natives’ debate: A critical review of
the evidence' (you can access it here..http://www.savie.qc.ca/BaseConnaissances/upload/pdf/Bennett_Maton_Kervin-2008_Index2018.pdf)
Part of their argument is that we all assume the net generation or digital natives all possess superior technological knowledge and use that in all aspects of their life. It comes to Mina's excellent point, is there a mismatch between the uses of web 2.0 instruments, not so much between the education and research functions but between how non-digital natives like myself have designed learning and research environments?
A really fascinating debate, lets keep it going!
A big issue in today's learning Peter. There are some ideas here - the 'stranger' and the 'digital native' that seem to act as a point of impasse for flowing in a web environment. I do think that the human elements common to all communication are a part of the picture - there are the issues of being able to communicate locally (people you know and in a similar environment) and global (worldwide). Also Audience... who are we speaking to? aka your points about the digital generation and what that means.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your comments!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Peter that there are so many questions to be asked regarding 'digital strangers' for me there is a very real and interesting comparision to be had with a conversation's happening in 'real life' and on the web. I find it intriguing how the discussions had online can often be so much more bold and open when talking to someone for the first time compared to waiting with a stranger at a bus stop and talking about the weather.
As you said Paula there is also the isssue of out online audience which again raises more questions how private is the communication space of web 2.0, how private do we want it to be?
In terms of education Mia i agree that the levels of how web 2.0 is used as education progresses is different, however i still wonder; does this mean that our teenagers can retrieve information more efficiently thus almostly completley neglecting their experiemental nature?
lots of questions, controversial answers, great!