Our electronic networks are enabling novel forms of collective action, enabling the creation of collaborative groups that are larger and more distributed than at any other time in history. The scope of work that can be done by noninstitutional groups is a profound challenge to the status quo. (p. 48)

• What kinds of work can be done by noninstitutional groups today that could not be done ten years ago – and how does this change society?

The rungs of the ladder, in order of difficulty, are sharing, cooperation, and collective action… Sharing creates the fewest demands on the participants… Cooperating is harder than simply sharing, because it involves changing your behavior to synchronize with people who are changing their behavior to synchronize with you… Collective action, the third rung, is the hardest kind of group effort, as it requires a group of people to commit themselves with undertaking a particular effort together, and to do so in a way that makes the decision of the group binding ton the individual members. (pp. 49-51)

• Describe your experiences with sharing, cooperation, and collective action.
  
• How do new online tools make these behaviors easier to accomplish?
  
• In what ways might they be more difficult?

Reference:

• Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody. New York: The Penguin Press.
  

Image Source: Flickr user Mzelle Biscotte

Technorati Tags: shirky education qandqshirky

Shirky’s Thesis:

Group action gives human society its particular character, and anything that changes the way groups get things done will affect society as a whole. This change will not be limited to any particular set of institutions or functions. For any given organization, the important questions are “When will the change happen?” and “What will change?” The only two answers we can rule out are never, and nothing. The ways in which any given institution will find its situation transformed will vary but the various local changes are manifestations of a single deep source: newly capable groups are assembling, and they are working without the managerial imperative and outside the previous strictures that bounded their effectiveness. These changes will transform the world everywhere groups of people come together to accomplish something, which is to say everywhere. (p. 23)

• What changes do you see happening in education?

Policing time is finite, but the willingness of humans to feel wronged is infinite. (p. 14)

I know that online tools offer incredible power and potential, often eliminating boundaries of time and geography. Nevertheless, because much of online communication takes place by reading and writing, there can exist an increased potential to offend.

• Have you ever been “wronged” or offended online?
  
• What happened?
  
• What could have been done to avoid the offense?

One of the most severe punishments that can be meted out to a prisoner is solitary confinement; even in a social environment as harsh and attenuated as prison, complete removal from human contact is harsher still. (p. 15)

• How can online interactions be perceived as a solitary experience?
  
• In what ways is online correspondence more social than face to face?

When we change the way we communicate, we change society. (p. 17)

• True or false, and why?

Reference:

• Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody. New York: The Penguin Press.
  

Image Source: Flickr user fdecomite

Technorati Tags: shirky education qandqshirky

As I've stated a number of times before, I think Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody presents a number of landmark ideas that demand further attention.


In an attempt to continue the conversations in which I have participated on a number of different occasions (and to begin a few more with fellow members of my graduate cohort at Utah State University), I have decided to write a series of posts to this blog that isolate various quotations within the book. I will also follow the citations with questions that I think every educator should attempt to answer, for the concepts introduced by Shirky have tremendous implications for teaching and learning at every level.

Technorati Tags: shirky education qandqshirky

Two days later, here are some of my thoughts regarding this year's version of EduBloggerCon.

Short, Shallow Version Beginning with IMHO:

• Ewan hopes for an EduBloggerCon that includes far too many /plug your ears, Bud/ sages on the stages /end ear plugging/. Besides, it's easy to gripe. Why not help with the planning or offer solutions?
  
• Mark has done a fantastic job with proposing possible solutions. His list of well-thought-out possibilities (under the heading Looking Ahead) should be considered before tackling future events.
• Jeff's concerns are valid and should equally be addressed as we move ahead.
  
• Will and company lead many of the impressionable whether they like it or not. Likewise, EduBoggerCon will only be what we make it. "We", in this case, refers to those that care enough to stick through the rough patches. Bugging out early does nothing for providing solutions. Ryan's advice might apply here.
  
• Vinnie's third factor was dead on. This was the EduBloggerCon of out-streaming, out-tweeting, and out opinion-ating. Again, you can choose to either report the conversation or actually participate in it. It's very difficult to do both well.
  

Longer, More Extensive Version that I've Been Formulating for Several Days

To begin with, social capital exists in every society. According to Shirky (2008):

When your neighbor walks your dog while you are ill, or the guy behind the counter trusts you to pay him next time, social capital is at work… Societies characterized by a high store of social capital overall do better than societies with low social capital on a similarly wide range of measurements, from crime rate to the costs of doing business to economic growth. (p. 192)

While there exist a number of definitions for the term social capital, I see the concept as a descriptor of how well members of a community care for each other.

In our small community - think 200 EduBloggerCon-ers versus 18,000 NECC-ers - social capital exists but unfortunately ours appears to a society characterized by a pathetically paltry store. Events transpiring at EduBloggerCon clearly demonstrate this.

Sad, to say the least, so first the positive then the negative.

On the bright side, our community does have at least some traces of social capital. When Paul Wood, for example, kindly volunteered to help Vicki Davis by timing smack-downers during her session – social capital was at work. When six or seven people stayed after EduBloggerCon to help Steve Hargadon set up computers for the Open Source lab – social capital was at work. That’s the good news.

The bad news, at least for our growing community, is that other events transpiring at EduBloggerCon indicate that we’ve got more issues - as a community - than many would like to admit. Now I’m not talking about camera crews, I’m not talking about boom microphones, and I’m not talking about Pearson. Rather, I’m talking about support, giving when it might not improve your Technorati rating, and I’m even talking about what can easily be perceived as cocktail parties. Yes, I said it: Cocktail parties.

What I’m really talking about is this:


Without question, the "session" pictured above was an engaging, educationally rich, likely transforming experience for those precious few involved. It was unplanned, spontaneous, and informal. Additionally, it was likely exhilarating, enlightening, and oh so Edupunk.

Did we not all come to EduBloggerCon – often at our own expense – with hopes of engaging in an experience just like this?

Nevertheless, the scanty fortunate pictured above represent less than 1% of the people that actually attended EduBloggerCon. Moreover, as others gradually attempted to join in on this cocktail party of learning, when the party became too large, those that were truly invited quickly dispersed – with few of the elect deciding to return to the larger fold.

Aren’t we all here for the learning? Aren’t we all here for the rush? Nevertheless, because our community is growing – and at an exponential rate – the ability to provide such experiences for every interested individual becomes increasingly difficult. Notwithstanding, as problematic at this struggle may be, I think it would be in every educator’s best interest for us to identify the best possible ways to provide this kind of engaging, transforming, and edupunk-rich learning environment.

In my opinion, the best part of EduBloggerCon was when we all gathered at the end of the day to discuss what went well and what, frankly, didn’t. It was there that we were able to better come to terms with both how we felt about Pearson’s intrusions and how we hoped to approach our fold’s growing numbers. And while we could have benefited from the insight of those that had so hastily dispersed, I think it was clear in the end who was dedicated to helping our community grow – in spite of the growing pains we might be experiencing - and with hopes of including everyone interested.

As our grassroots community continues to grow, here’s to the hope that we might all stick together in this effort to provide everyone with the kind of learning experiences we remember having when the grass was much shorter.

Image Source: Flickr user derrallg

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After an educational day at this year's EduBloggerCon, I thought I'd better figure out where I'm supposed to be for the rest of the duration. Here's a quick run-down of some of the things I hope not to miss (because I'll be directly involved in each):

Tuesday, July 1

• 11:00am-12:00pm, Bloggers' Cafe - Social Networking and Professional Development
  
  This will be a NECC Unplugged discussion to which I hope to contribute, likely to be a continuation of the excellent discussion we had this morning (my favorite session of this year's EduBloggerCon).
  

• 2:00-3:00pm, HGCC 217 A - Social Networking in Education
  
  I am extremely excited to participate on this panel with several progressive educators (Steve Hargadon, Steve Dembo, James Klein, Michael McVey and Dennis O'Connor), each of whom has much to add to the discussion surrounding social networking and education.
  

Wednesday, July 2

• 8:30-9:30am, Bloggers' Cafe - Blogging and Twitter Etiquette
  
  I will be facilitating this discussion with David Jakes, Kristen Hokanson, and Scott Swanson. Based upon a few of the ideas we've begun to explore here.
  

• 1:30-2:30pm, HGCC 207 A - The Walls Came Down: Incubating Collaborative Learning Environments
  
  This is a panel based upon a number of exciting events that have occurred during the last year. We hope to illustrate a number of possibilities now afforded teachers and students given the kinds of collaborative tools now freely available. With Vicki Davis, Kelly DuMont, Robin Ellis, Carolyn Foote, Kristin Hokanson and Beth Ritter-Guth, I hope to discuss what we've learned in our experiences with OpenPD and offer an objective perspective to the use of new tools.
  

Image Source: Flickr user max03

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