Comments for Eneas' E-learning and Digital Cultures Blog http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm Part of the MSc in E-learning at the University of Edinburgh Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:44:26 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on Micro-Ethnography Study of the Virtual Dublin Community in Second Life by lesley http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/micro-ethnography-study-of-the-virtual-dublin-community-in-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-25 lesley Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:44:26 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?page_id=75#comment-25 HI Eneas, I have always been fascinated with second life but never really managed to get to grips with it so your study proved of great interest to me. As Nicola mentioned above re the empty streets and then I recalled thinking exactly the same thing when I was trying to use second life myself......there was always a sense of isolation and silence which I thought was a bit creepy. I wasn't tempted in any way to spend the time in second life. the reason for this I'm not quite sure but I do think it centred around the fact that the avatars seemed alone even although they may be surrounded by other avatars - sorry, this might not sound sensible. Oh have just noticed Jen's reference above to spooky people less spaces - so maybe my thoughts weren't so silly. Do you think the members are more interested in being part of the second life experience especially? just a thought. I like the idea of a virtual visit to a country if developed expertly enough I think it would be an excellent idea. Not only would we have the world wide web but we could have the world wide world. lol This ties quite nicely into what I was saying to Sarah about her E on Japan. her project has completely changed my opinions and views and thoughts about Japan as a country, culture and lifestyle - I have been educated without leaving my sofa, so it's worth thinking about whether it would be possible to visit a country virtually and get a taste of country, culture and lifestyle...another thought for the tourist industry. HI Eneas, I have always been fascinated with second life but never really managed to get to grips with it so your study proved of great interest to me.
As Nicola mentioned above re the empty streets and then I recalled thinking exactly the same thing when I was trying to use second life myself……there was always a sense of isolation and silence which I thought was a bit creepy. I wasn’t tempted in any way to spend the time in second life. the reason for this I’m not quite sure but I do think it centred around the fact that the avatars seemed alone even although they may be surrounded by other avatars – sorry, this might not sound sensible.

Oh have just noticed Jen’s reference above to spooky people less spaces – so maybe my thoughts weren’t so silly.

Do you think the members are more interested in being part of the second life experience especially? just a thought. I like the idea of a virtual visit to a country if developed expertly enough I think it would be an excellent idea. Not only would we have the world wide web but we could have the world wide world. lol

This ties quite nicely into what I was saying to Sarah about her E on Japan. her project has completely changed my opinions and views and thoughts about Japan as a country, culture and lifestyle – I have been educated without leaving my sofa, so it’s worth thinking about whether it would be possible to visit a country virtually and get a taste of country, culture and lifestyle…another thought for the tourist industry.

]]> Comment on Micro-Ethnography Study of the Virtual Dublin Community in Second Life by Nicola Osborne http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/micro-ethnography-study-of-the-virtual-dublin-community-in-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-24 Nicola Osborne Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:58:07 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?page_id=75#comment-24 Eneas, like others I really liked the videos - they worked really well to get an early sense of what the space you were discussing looked and felt like. I thought the comment about 10,000 members but empty streets raised a couple of questions: that of the variant nature of membership - resident, visitor, one-timer etc. (something also flagged up by the questionable user stats discussed in Bill's ethnography); but in SL in particular I also wondered what role time zones plays in shaping the community. Your interview subjects indicated that there were perhaps two communities here already but I wondered further if there was a European community and a US community say - different relationships, hanging out spaces, interactions that relate back to the real world time differences. Eneas, like others I really liked the videos – they worked really well to get an early sense of what the space you were discussing looked and felt like. I thought the comment about 10,000 members but empty streets raised a couple of questions: that of the variant nature of membership – resident, visitor, one-timer etc. (something also flagged up by the questionable user stats discussed in Bill’s ethnography); but in SL in particular I also wondered what role time zones plays in shaping the community. Your interview subjects indicated that there were perhaps two communities here already but I wondered further if there was a European community and a US community say – different relationships, hanging out spaces, interactions that relate back to the real world time differences.

]]> Comment on Micro-Ethnography Study of the Virtual Dublin Community in Second Life by jen http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/micro-ethnography-study-of-the-virtual-dublin-community-in-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-23 jen Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:40:07 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?page_id=75#comment-23 Eneas, the videos give such a strong sense of place and presence - your video tour and your explanations made me feel like I was getting a 'behind the scenes' take on this space. Your interviews raised some really good points about insiders and outsiders and, as has been said, about the relationship in the minds of community members between the virtual and the real Dublin. Like you, I also find the many people-less spaces of Second Life kind of spooky and uncanny (as Sian would say). These are ghostly spaces copied from infrastructures designed for crowds and for urban life. Eneas, the videos give such a strong sense of place and presence – your video tour and your explanations made me feel like I was getting a ‘behind the scenes’ take on this space. Your interviews raised some really good points about insiders and outsiders and, as has been said, about the relationship in the minds of community members between the virtual and the real Dublin. Like you, I also find the many people-less spaces of Second Life kind of spooky and uncanny (as Sian would say). These are ghostly spaces copied from infrastructures designed for crowds and for urban life.

]]> Comment on Micro-Ethnography Study of the Virtual Dublin Community in Second Life by silvanad http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/micro-ethnography-study-of-the-virtual-dublin-community-in-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-22 silvanad Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:18:43 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?page_id=75#comment-22 Hi Eneas, I thoroughly enjoyed your excursion through SL Dublin. And well done to be able to interview two members given the short time span we had to do this. What I find interesting is the fact that this community is a physical replica of a real place. Questions I have is what is the attraction of joining a replica of a real place as opposed to a constructed SL community? I can see why there are many people who visit just once - I guess it is a way to visit Dublin if you can't get to the real one. But those who are part of the community - it would be interesting to discover how they 'imagine' Dublin. Grace mentioned that it was a lot more than just about the music - but why a coffee morning in Dublin rather than in any other SL space? Is it about being Irish, or wanting to be Irish? Your mini ethnography raises lots of interesting questions. And I loved the videos. Hi Eneas, I thoroughly enjoyed your excursion through SL Dublin. And well done to be able to interview two members given the short time span we had to do this. What I find interesting is the fact that this community is a physical replica of a real place. Questions I have is what is the attraction of joining a replica of a real place as opposed to a constructed SL community? I can see why there are many people who visit just once – I guess it is a way to visit Dublin if you can’t get to the real one. But those who are part of the community – it would be interesting to discover how they ‘imagine’ Dublin. Grace mentioned that it was a lot more than just about the music – but why a coffee morning in Dublin rather than in any other SL space? Is it about being Irish, or wanting to be Irish? Your mini ethnography raises lots of interesting questions. And I loved the videos.

]]> Comment on Micro-Ethnography Study of the Virtual Dublin Community in Second Life by Arthur Hall http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/micro-ethnography-study-of-the-virtual-dublin-community-in-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Arthur Hall Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:22:29 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?page_id=75#comment-21 Eneas, thanks for the highly enjoyable and informative tour and interviews. This was a real eye-opener for me about SL. The questions which float around my mind are perhaps unanswerable but real nevertheless. They are: How many of the 10,000 are exiled Dubliners? How many are attracted by the Irishness image? Isn't there an inherent contradiction between calling the relationships 'real' but not wanting private details mentioned? Eneas, thanks for the highly enjoyable and informative tour and interviews. This was a real eye-opener for me about SL. The questions which float around my mind are perhaps unanswerable but real nevertheless. They are:
How many of the 10,000 are exiled Dubliners?
How many are attracted by the Irishness image?
Isn’t there an inherent contradiction between calling the relationships ‘real’ but not wanting private details mentioned?

]]> Comment on Micro-Ethnography Study of the Virtual Dublin Community in Second Life by Henry http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/micro-ethnography-study-of-the-virtual-dublin-community-in-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Henry Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:31:22 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?page_id=75#comment-20 Eneas, a nice insight into the workings of an 'ethnic' online community. It shows how powerful relationships can be between on- and offline identities and how they can possibly be complementary. I wonder how many of those are in SL. ALso interesting that most activity happens in pubs - just like in the real world. Eneas, a nice insight into the workings of an ‘ethnic’ online community. It shows how powerful relationships can be between on- and offline identities and how they can possibly be complementary. I wonder how many of those are in SL.
ALso interesting that most activity happens in pubs – just like in the real world.

]]> Comment on End of Week 4 by jen http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/2009/10/19/end-of-week-4/comment-page-1/#comment-17 jen Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:34:12 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?p=65#comment-17 hi Eneas - glad the NMOLP report was of interest. hi Eneas – glad the NMOLP report was of interest.

]]> Comment on Visual Artefacts: Two Expressions of Evolution by Nicola Osborne http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/2009/10/14/visual-artefacts-two-expressions-of-evolution/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Nicola Osborne Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:48:06 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?p=51#comment-16 Eneas, I really liked both of these. I took the image from 2001 with Marshall McLuhan to almost refer back to the Dark Ages and the idea that humanity is not smart enough to know what is worth keeping, that it must reinvent and resists progress once it ceases to understand the reason for this progress. This reading probably shows how many years I spent learning Latin at school and tutting horribly at the thought that engineering, sanitation and culinary skills had been actively suppressed for centuries in the UK after the Romans left. It seems wantonly destructive and I have my fears in the way legislation around terrorism seeks to limit what is possible in digital spaces and copyright of, for instance, genetically engineered or modified biological products, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, seeks to close innovation down rather than open up and progress thinking. That's not to say that either attempt is completely successful but it is a valid area for concern I think. We are still trying to work out what the income model is for information in many ways and copyright and patents are hopefully not going to be the only route to sustainable business in a digital future. Classroom wise I wasn't surprised to see that little had changed but I am disappointed that, despite (or perhaps because?) of the end of corporal punishment in schools we still feel the need to treat schooling as a matter of unpleasantness, of surveillance, or enforcement. I was chatting to someone today and telling them that I was off to do "fun homework" and they looked appalled and made a joke about how that was paradoxical. I think enjoyment of learning is gradually becoming more normalized but by the looks of where classrooms are still at there is a heck of a long way to go... Eneas, I really liked both of these. I took the image from 2001 with Marshall McLuhan to almost refer back to the Dark Ages and the idea that humanity is not smart enough to know what is worth keeping, that it must reinvent and resists progress once it ceases to understand the reason for this progress. This reading probably shows how many years I spent learning Latin at school and tutting horribly at the thought that engineering, sanitation and culinary skills had been actively suppressed for centuries in the UK after the Romans left. It seems wantonly destructive and I have my fears in the way legislation around terrorism seeks to limit what is possible in digital spaces and copyright of, for instance, genetically engineered or modified biological products, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, seeks to close innovation down rather than open up and progress thinking. That’s not to say that either attempt is completely successful but it is a valid area for concern I think. We are still trying to work out what the income model is for information in many ways and copyright and patents are hopefully not going to be the only route to sustainable business in a digital future.

Classroom wise I wasn’t surprised to see that little had changed but I am disappointed that, despite (or perhaps because?) of the end of corporal punishment in schools we still feel the need to treat schooling as a matter of unpleasantness, of surveillance, or enforcement. I was chatting to someone today and telling them that I was off to do “fun homework” and they looked appalled and made a joke about how that was paradoxical. I think enjoyment of learning is gradually becoming more normalized but by the looks of where classrooms are still at there is a heck of a long way to go…

]]> Comment on Visual Artefacts: Two Expressions of Evolution by arthur http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/2009/10/14/visual-artefacts-two-expressions-of-evolution/comment-page-1/#comment-15 arthur Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:25:05 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?p=51#comment-15 I wonder if the classroom images really represent the action and interaction in the classroom. Still photos can't really generate dynamic can they? In my experience things have changed greatly in the past 30 years. More group and pair activities, more discovery-based learning etc. Perhaps the shell hasn't changed enough to keep pace with the creatures inside? I wonder if the classroom images really represent the action and interaction in the classroom. Still photos can’t really generate dynamic can they? In my experience things have changed greatly in the past 30 years. More group and pair activities, more discovery-based learning etc. Perhaps the shell hasn’t changed enough to keep pace with the creatures inside?

]]> Comment on Visual Artefacts: Two Expressions of Evolution by Henry http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/2009/10/14/visual-artefacts-two-expressions-of-evolution/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Henry Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:04:37 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/eneasm/?p=51#comment-13 I always ask my colleagues what has changed in pedagogic terms since Socrates? Answer: we went indoors and are wearing more clothes There is hardly any other walk of life which has seen fewer changes. Well captured Eneas. I always ask my colleagues what has changed in pedagogic terms since Socrates?
Answer: we went indoors and are wearing more clothes

There is hardly any other walk of life which has seen fewer changes.
Well captured Eneas.

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