More metaphors for digital cultures and the digital divide

It's a great infographic. It talks all about how digital cultures are dividing single countries (in this case the US) along more than simple education, wealth, or race lines. Of course, there are these divides, and of course one could argue that as you go down the societal privilege line, if you are black or aboriginal, poor, and don't have a great education, then you are not going to have access to the Internet, the web, the net.

But let's think about this. Digital communities are only one type of community. A fellow MOOCer showed us where he was learning this week (in a pub in Ireland - go +Jamie Simms and +Melody Polson!) and I have to admit I was waiting in the dentist's office for my appointment. The pub is probably as good an example as any to use as a metaphor for digital cultures and learning. Not everyone can get into a pub and stay there - you have to obey the rules (don't spit on the floor for example), you must have a reason to stay (someone interesting is singing, all your friends are there, beer), and you have to have the blessing of the pub owner (you have to be spending money). For generations people have been living and learning together in informal places such as pubs because they can learn from each other and they can collaborate to solve problems. In a pub you will learn and solve problems with people you know but it's also been my experience that you will learn from those you don't as well.

So back to digital cultures and learning. A digital culture is one more type of pub. People will congregate and problem solve (see kickstarter and other crowdsourcing locations), people will rally and add information to topics (see reddit and all the anonymous groups) and people will learn from each other and teach one another (hallelujiah YouTube and Vimeo!) The problem is, learning in a digital environment has a price, like a pub, and it isn't for everyone. A pub is good if you drink in public, if you like lots of people and potentially lots of noise, if you are the right age, economic status, race, religion... I could go on. A digital learning environment is a lot like that. It isn't a park. It isn't free and that's why it will never be a great equalizer like the ads we saw in class this week. (Did you notice the ultra anglo environments by the way in both commercials?)

I personally don't think you have to live or learn in a digital environment to get the most out of the world but I do think you have to have agency to make that choice on your own. If we are going to do one thing as a healthy privileged lot of educators, we need to work on helping those around us who don't have a choice to get in or who don't even know its an option to have that opportunity. #EDCMOOC

eLearning and anthropology connections

eLearning and Digital Cultures MOOC

So this course has begun by asking us to examine utopia and dystopia with regard to the concepts around technology in education. I'm reminded of two things that I haven't thought about in a long time. The first is my experiences as a linguistic anthropology student in my undergrad days. The second was this guy:


http://www.startrek.com/database_article/data

For those of you not familiar, this is Mr. Data from the American television show, Star Trek the Next Generation. Data is a character who is an Android; modeled after a human and built (or born) to be as human as possible. In fact, he displays all of the aspects of human behaviour and many of human thinking. Data can create, can reason, can develop and share his opinion, can make friends and have emotion-based relationships. Data represents a utopian view of human technological advances. He is the 'better' human because he doesn't age, he is symmetrical and evenly proportioned (which passes consistently for attractive). He is also kind, artistic (in his own way) and thoughtful toward the people about whom he cares. The thing is though, from Mr. Data's perspective, his personal internal existence is an eternal dystopia.

Mr Data is trapped in an endless loop of wanting to really be human. He approaches human in so many ways and demonstrates so much humanity you might wonder how close he really needs to be to truly be human. But he isn't; and this is the dissatisfier. He can't tell jokes. He can't feel extremes or emotions. From our perspective, the technology is perfect; from inside the sentient being, it is otherwise.

Which brings me to the second thing I thought of: the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and Occam's razor. According to the Sapir-Worf hypothesis, people who speak a language together share a similar worldview because their ideas and the expression of those ideas is governed, limited, and moulded by the language they use. Following this, the translation of ideas from one language to another is relative to the shared worldview of the different language speakers. Essentially, people's language cloaks the information and ideas in relative terms.

What does this mean for Mr. Data, technology and education?

Educational technology can be seen as the savior of education by providing ideas and opportunities for many more people to share ideas and multiples of opinions and new creations. But it can also be seen as a limiter by only showing people what someone has deemed appropriate, linked, and 'close' to the work environment or the 'real' world. For the creators of this learning, like the people that Mr. Data works and lives with, it is good enough. Their perception of learning from within their experience as experts, learning designers, subject matter experts, etc. the training delivery, performance support and activities are going to bring about change to benefit both learner and environment. From within the learning experience though, the pre-determination of what is being taught in which format can limit and feel like something is missing, something is almost like the real work world... but not quite the same. Technology can limit how a person thinks about what they are learning.

We can't just believe that technology (from immersive simulations to paper support tools) is going to solve a learning problem. We also can't believe that the introduction of new technology or changes in how learners access learning opportunities is going to disrupt or limit a learner's opportunity. The focus really has to be on the learner; on Mr. Data. Helping the learner to construct a new reality and perhaps shift their mindset to apply information and create new meaning for themselves.

#edcmchat