Stephen Downes

Re: Groups and Networks

Anymouse, September 25, 2006

Alex here. Your cogent visual synthesis, for want of better words, WAS of interest to people at the conference in Auckland today . It was also of great interest to me to hear from those people tonight whom you speak of being dis-interested. Perplexed, confronted, provoked, confused, challenged perhaps but certainly NOT disinterested. However, your entitled to your opinion, as you are the choice to make haste to move on elsewhere. As you've quoted several times in the brief eye-to-eye's you've afforded me and the group in this last 48 hours , a river can be viewed two ways ( possibly three ). It's either an impediment to one's progress or it's a vessel to better things.....it inevitably connects to something and either presents for it's viewer as a bridge or as a conduit to greater things. I take it your needing the time we all need to reflect and calmly de-frag the hard-drive. No one enjoys smelly socks in a shared hotel room. I respect your choice to vacate ' the show-and-pony' show as some have termed this loosely joined rabble babble and take the bus. Meanwhile "we" will try and get the heart of why the content of such salad bowls upset so many at the educational picnic we call teaching. See you in Wellington - emotions permitting. [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

Re: Groups and Networks

Anymouse, September 25, 2006

Hi Stephen, Nice comparison - seems to be of the moment - Stephen Heppell was just talking about (I para-phrase) "Big organisations doing big things for people last century and this century seeing people enabling each other to do things" - I've a feeling I've not done him justice there, but you get the idea. He has a list of trends that you can see echoing your list. http://www.learnometer.net/trends_discussion.html Your diagram also chimes with a thought I had watching your Bogota video. There is something very primitively human about socialising, but in many respects we're prevented from allowing the free expression of that part of our nature (part of the constraints of our cultures and "civilization"), but on rare occasions something amazing happens when we forget constraints and truely express our natures - I think we saw that in your video in the park with band and the dancers - I thought it was very profound. To me what they were doing physically was expressing the same nature as we're witnessing online. It seems to me that some sorts of constraints on our social nature have been removed and we're witnessing activities and behaviour in society (all be it virtually for the moment) that hasn't really been seen before (or perhaps this is the same thing poeple saw in the 60's&70's?) It also reminded me of the way John Seely Brown talks about our innate intent to learn (para-phrased again). I wonder where we will be going and how quickly in the next few decades if these two innate capacities in humanity are released from the kinds of constraints seen over the last few millenia? Look forward to your book! Phil [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

Re: Groups and Networks

Anymouse, September 28, 2006

Thanks for a very interesting diagram on groups and networking. I guess each of us will interpret it in our own way, depending on our personalities and other factors. When you said "my own understanding of how interaction ought to occur, in networks" that implied a value judgement on the superiority of network interaction over group interaction. To me your diagram appealed as a way of analysing human behaviours that will change over time and between different people. In other words, ar any one time human behaviours could fit as a pattern along your dimensions rather than in one column or another. Putting the individual at the heart of their own network is important to that individual and to the analysis of their connectedness with others. When we overlay lots of individual netowrks though, it is interesting to see where the 'pools' are and those may also be the subject of analysis. I am fascinated by computer-mediated communication and though much has been written about it, I think that is still analysis to be done particularly in areas such as power and gender. Frances Bell [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

Re: Groups and Networks

Anymouse, September 30, 2006

Hello Stephen, Thanks for analayzing the concept of groups and networks and putting it up for people to view and understand. Groups have always been closed, and hence restrict progress. They also breed a certain "frog in the well" psychology, even if it is a well read, elite group. Networks as you have perfectly said, allow diversity, and diversity teaches plenty of things that a closed environment cannot. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Regards Parag [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

Re: Groups and Networks

Anymouse, October 29, 2006

can i do this? [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]