To give relevance to my thoughts at the end of Week 1, I’d like to state my original learning outcome. The reason I am here is this -

to develop a clear understanding of digital culture and the potential opportunities it offers adult education
to widen participation in e-learning
to develop new opportunities for individuals to acquire academic and vocational skills and qualifications, using flexible, blended and e-learning methodologies
to develop my career as an e-learning professional.

My reason for declaring my personal motivations are this. It is these outcomes that bring me to digital culture. It is not my growing awareness of technology and a need to embrace it in order to retain credibility in my profession. It is my desire to harness the potential of Web 2.o technology and create new opportunities. For me, I see the social need before the technological potential.

My personal learning objectives fit neatly with the course outcomes -

have a critical awareness of the key concepts emerging from the study of digital culture

be able to assess the implications of this thought for the history, development and deployment of online education

be able to synthesise these ideas in order to develop criticallyaware, media-specific pedagogies for online learning

have developed practical skills in the use of social media and the presentation of academic discourse online

Week 1 of the course has centred around analysing the pros and cons of digital culture. Issues of power, empowerment, democracy and participation appear at the forefront of discussion. Hand offers a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of digital cultural studies: those relating to the digital as ‘promise’, and those which see it as ‘threat’. As a developer of distance learning, I am naturally enthusiastic about the potential of digital culture to empower individuals to engage and interact with information and communicate more readily. However, my enthusiasm has been challenged by darker impressions -

“The figure of the consumer-citizen takes centre stage where the processes of political management and engagement are inseparable from mass-mediated and customized forms of consumption. Information, instead of being an empowering force for cultural democratization, operates as a substitute for authentic knowledge, particularly where institutional and organizational uses of information centre upon the construction of preference databases.” Hand 2008, p39

I accept to some extent, the darker forces of digital culture. It is true that like satellite TV, there is an overwhelming image that increased choice and availability breeds simply dumming-down and exploitation. But just because huge amounts of the internet has been consumed by pornography and Ebay, does not mean all its users need fall like lemmings into its dark force.

“In essence, where the older communications networks of the nation-state system were vertical, hierarchical and one-directional, the digital information industries made possible by the Net promise horizontal and inter-actional patterns of circulation and flow.” Hands 2008, p24.

The key for me is the true potential of digital culture rests with the user, not the medium itself. I believe much of the negative rhetoric towards the internet is perceptional rather than actual. The technology evolved before society did. Therefore, as consumers, we have often felt as though we are playing catch up. Hence this sense of – machines are using us.

So take my origninal stand point – why am I here. Why are we here? The aim of this course is to broaden our understanding of digital culture. I imagine like most participants, I’ve felt lke a fish out of water this week. I don’t really Facebook or Twitter, so to suddenly be faced with an avalanche of communication from classmates and tutors is daunting. I’m playing catch up – but for a specific reason. So long as I retain focus on my original aim, I believe I can realise the potential for my own learning to be enhanced via the shared contributions of the class.

Of all the Tweets this week, one stands out that adds to my main focus. During an exchange on the aparent freedom and lack of parameters of the course, Jan responded that perhaps we will feel more focussed once we consider the course assessments.

Just like real society, digital culture should retain a sense of purpose. What’s the meaning of life?what’s the meaning of digital life?

Tags: digital culture, e-learning, Hand