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Comment on Eli Appleby-Donald’s Linked form evernote: My micro netnography by cpsaros

Eli, amazingly presented work and what an interesting area to focus on! You work has elicited lots of discussion and I find the ‘peer feedback’ you’ve received on this post very entertaining. 🙂

I think peer feedback serves a very good purpose both in online and face-to-face learning and it allows students to co-construct meaning together, but I wonder if it would ever be accepted in face-to-face classes to the extent it is being used in MOOCs. Would students who physically attended a course, even if it was free, be content with accepting final feedback from their peers? I don’t think so. I think, judging by the ethnography we’ve seen in MSCEDC, MOOCs are no longer as massive as they once were and if organisers are going to be continuing with the model and expecting people to engage in a meaningful way, the feedback methods will need to change.

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Comment on Stuart Milligan’s Micro-ethnography by cpsaros

Hi Stuart,

Great post, l like how you managed to incorporate lots of different kind of media for an engaging post.

It was really useful to do this course with you. Kudos for sticking with it! I don’t think I would have stuck with it as long as I did without your insightful observations. You summed up what it was like being on the course very accurately.

It was interesting to experience the different dynamics of the two courses (EDC and IoT) with the same person. I thought it was fascinating that we were never able to connect on the IoT. Had we not had the connection we did from EDC, we would not have been aware that the other was on the course. Although I did feel that we were guilty of a bit of ‘jiggery-pokery’ and colluding behind the scenes ;).

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Comment on Colin Miller’s My Micro-Ethnography and Week 6 round-up. by cpsaros

Comment on My Micro-Ethnography and Week 6 round-up. by cpsaros

Hi Colin,

Wow, it is evident you’ve spent a lot of time on this and observed your chosen MOOC really comprehensively.

Firstly, kudos for using NVivo! I have had some experience with it and tried to use the wordle feature for my own ethnography but found it wasn’t particularly useful in pulling out key concepts. I also keep forgetting how to do the things I want to with it.

A comment you made really resonated with me, ‘MOOC users are not here to form community in the way that the type of online communities referenced by Kozinets are which led him to draw up the various matrix and diagrams in his paper. ‘ This is something that sat with me during my own ethnography. I think the communities he studied were different because they were bound by a shared interest or passion, people joined those communities because there were limited opportunities to connect with others. MOOC communities seem to have ‘a try before you buy’ mentality. Participants might not be very interested in the content before they start so they don’t have the motivation to develop relationships within those communities.

Thanks for your insightful micro-ethnography.

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Comment on MSCEDC MOOC Ethnography by hwalker

Comment on MSCEDC MOOC Ethnography by hwalker

Hi Chenée,

Thank you so much for your positive feedback. I have to say that I really struggled with the ethnography: firstly I became embroiled in ethical questions and then I wasn’t able to get permission to quote the course participants. Brilliant of you to make the connection with Sterne – I didn’t! And yes – anxiety and a sense of being disorientated by the hubbub and volume of activity are responses which I’ve frequently experienced both on the MOOC and in this module!

I had to be pushed by my partner to include the personal images: it sits uncomfortably with me to blend my private space with this public one (I know that this is something which you reflected on in your own lifestream (http://ift.tt/2lzTVtX)) but he felt that I needed to reference why the medium of the MOOC wasn’t working to deliver the sort of mindful experiences which I get from other areas of my life. I think it works but I still feel a little uneasy about this ‘collapse of context’.

And brilliant that you skate: are you in a roller derby team? If not, what sort of skating do you do (way, way back, I was a figure skater; that’s something Anne Powers and I have in common). We could start an MSc skating club…

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Comment on Helen Walker’s MSCEDC MOOC Ethnography by cpsaros

Comment on MSCEDC MOOC Ethnography by cpsaros

Hi Helen,

This is such a wonderfully rich artefact again. I really loved how you incorporated the themes around body from Block 1 into Block 2. You brilliantly supported Sterne (2006) by incorporating the sound of typing, breathing and a heart beat to demonstrate how over-whelming and anxious being involved online can sometimes seem.

I also loved that you gave a us a glimpse into your personal life too. I took up rollerskating last year and I saw you are able to skate, so that’s something we have outside digital education in common. I’ve found this block particularly interesting because communities seem to grow better by incorporating the personal. Really lovely work. 🙂

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Comment on Cathy Hill’s Weekly Summary Week 6 by cpsaros

Hi Cathy,

I’ve been having a look at your blog over last few days and it’s really easy to read. In the mass of information that is a lifestream, this is no easy feat. I think the one of the challenges as a lifestream blogger is to try and contextualise one’s thoughts so that they form a coherent narrative that others can understand. I think you’ve done this really well. I’m jealous of how easy it is to find everything. I wish I could do something similar but while I’ve tried to juggle content and interacting with the community, the technical functionality of my blog has fallen behind.

I thought I’d stop and comment on this particular post because ‘The Hoxton Street Monster Supplies’ shop from you image is a minute’s walk from my flat in London. I’ve gone past the shop hundreds of time and always wondered about the fantastic things they sell. 🙂

The feelings of anxiety and exhaustion are not yours alone. I think we all feel the time pressures and insecurities of having to produce work that is of a very high standard. It is increasingly demanding to have to reflect on our own learning and that of our EDC community’s whilst studying thousands of others in our different MOOC communities.

When I stop to consider the amazing work that is being done by our peers, I am in awe! Although the incredible work inspires me and I get to see brilliant things I would never have thought of, I start measuring myself against others and my insecurities get the better of me. I make unfavourable comparisons thinking I will never be as good. What helps me overcome this is to remember some of the ideas I’ve had would never have been possible without seeing the marvellous work of others. It seems you do the same. Thanks for inspiring me to try and make my blog easier to navigate.

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Comment on Eli Appleby-Donald’s blog: A little bit of chat, a little bit of community building by cpsaros

Hi both,

I’m so pleased to be learning some Scottish slang. I definitely want to learn more! Maybe we could have a word of the week. 😉

Some really interesting points made about students with different needs. I think we are so focused in face-to-face education with meeting students’ needs, I was wondering how this is translated into the educational spaces in MOOCs. Is this something those educators should take into consideration, or should they run the course they want to and allow the participants to meet their own needs? What happens if those participants don’t really know what it is that they need because they don’t have the experience? It’s definitely given me something to think about.

I think having a Skype chat as a regular thing is a great idea. Good idea to set a topic, maybe give someone the job as moderator so we don’t speak over each other (something I was conscious of doing because I was so excited to chat to you guys!) Can’t wait for next time.

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Comment on Linzi McLagan’s Visual Artefact #mscedc by cpsaros

Linzi, thanks for this beautiful and perplexing image. The colours are wonderful and very tranquil.

When I first saw it, it made me think of life in utero, perhaps this was because of the fetal position of the body and the heart-rate reading over-lay. Are you trying to portray us as the creators of technology or technology as our protector and nurturer? Thanks for this thought-provoking artefact.

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