Web 2.0 communities for lifelong learning: a case analysis

Antonio Fini & Maria [email protected] [email protected]

Web 2.0 Communities Web 2.0 Communities for Lifelong Learning. for Lifelong Learning.

A Case AnalysisA Case Analysis

AACE E-Learn 2009 – Vancouver (BC)

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Antonio Fini E-learn 2009 27/10/2009 |2

BackgroundBackgroundLifelong Learning Informal learning

Web 2.0


Lifelong Learning and e-learningLifelong Learning and e-learningA multi-level structure

Calvani, Bonaiuti e Fini, 2008

Contesto complessivo

La rete

Mondo e -learning 2.0social networking , connessioni con comunitˆ professionali , newsletter

Incontri , workshop in presenza

Corsi, package , L.O., Open Resources

Eventi live Blog, wiki

Social networking


Group, Network, CollectiveGroup, Network, Collective

Dron e Anderson, 2007

GroupConscious Membership

Leadership and organization

Rules

Time limited

NetworkShared interests

Fluid Membership

Friend of a friend..

Reputation and altruism

Rules and structures are emergent

Collective

Synergic aggregation

Lack of membership

Lack of rules

Wisdom of crowds


Telling stories…Telling stories…

We tell stories about other people and for other people. Stories help us to keep tabs on what is happening in our communities.

Scientific American, 2008


The context: LTEThe context: LTE• Laboratorio di Tecnologie dell’Educazione

Educational Technology Lab• Università di Firenze - Facoltà di Scienze della

Formazione, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Educazione, dei processi culturali e Formativi

• Active since 1985• Graduate courses• Teacher training

– Adult students– Teacher interested in Ed.Tech.

www.scform.unifi.it/lte


LTE as a LTE as a communitycommunity• Staff• Collaborators and res.fellows• Course participants

– Professors– Students– Former students (Alumni)

• Others.. (colleagues of…, friends of.., ecc.)

• Needs/Intentions/Wishes:– Keep in touch!

• “The course is over.. And now? Please keep in touch …”– Share and collaborate– A “personal” (e-portfolio) and “social” environment– Beyond the LMS.. – Manage informal learning, beyond and after the “course”– Support for a professional network

LTE

StaffCollaborator

s

Students

Alumni

Teachers

Others


Bridging…Bridging…• Our working hypothesis:

– Formal• Course management

–Moodle– Informal

• Blog, e-portfolio, story-telling, social networking

–Elgg


Tosh, 2005

LTEver: An Elgg based solutionLTEver: An Elgg based solution

•Open Source•Technologies:

•Php/mySQL•RSS•FOAF•OpenID

Main Site: elgg.org

Similar experiences:•Athabasca Univ. (Canada)•Univ. Of Brighton

(GB)


LTEverLTEverwww.lte-unifi.net/elgg

Home page

Multiuser Blog Tag cloud


Main features of LTEverMain features of LTEver• Blog

– A personal web space for reflection and telling stories– Aggregate other personal blogs / any external RSS based system– Support for podcasting/video/foto sharing– Tagging

• Dashboard– A “showcase” customizable with widgets

• Files– A personal repository of files (also shareable)

• RSS– Including relevant external feeds via RSS

• Profile– Each word becomes a tag!

• Network– Friends, colleagues, mentors, animators– Communites

• Each uses can create open/closed communities– Semi-openness: each user can invite colleagues

A system-wide feature:• User Access Control


• Semi-open community– No self-registration – only invitation– Importance of the invitation

• Co-optation / Reputation / Trust

• Service offered by a University– Implicit reliability and visibility

• Added Value: professional usefulness, filter operated by trusted people

• Sense of community

Why not simply

?

Special featuresSpecial features


• Quantitative– Data from Elgg database and logs

• Qualitative– Surveys– Interviews

• Social Network Analysis

• Usability

ResearchResearch


Something from stats..Something from stats..• Participation

– Nielsen and the 1-9-90 theory

– In LTEver (december 2008):• 66% of content created by 10% users;• 59% of active users wrote less than 10 posts/comments;• 26% only one

– The long tail

La "coda lunga" in LTEver

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Numerodi utenti

Contributi(post+commenti)


Other interesting dataOther interesting data• Posts from external blogs

– From 41% in 2007 to 62% in 2008– Not the “primary place” in the net but a sort of “repeater”

• Blog posts and comments as conversations?– …yes…

• 33% with at least one comment

– …but only in the short time:• 88% less than 7 days between post and last comment• 66% less than 3 days• 17% same day


Contesto complessivo

La rete

Mondo e -learning 2.0social networking , connessioni con comunitˆ professionali , newsletter

Incontri , workshop in presenza

Corsi, package , L.O., Open Resources

Eventi live Blog, wiki

Social networking

Users’ voiceUsers’ voice• Why did you join?

– Curiosity– Connectedness– Professional development– Sharing

• Why to be active?– Sharing– Pleasure

• Reasons for inactivity– Lack of time– Inadequacy

• Is it a learning environment? (75%: Yes)

• Could be a good support for LLL? – For education field: 70% Yes– Other fields: 60% Yes

From the 2008 survey


Some criticismSome criticism

“…go beyond simple “sharing”; inside communities nothing grows without someone who takes care of nurturing and development...”

“… I don’t know how but we should develop a stronger membership. Sometimes it seems a showcase in which everyone shows off. To be a real community we haven’t yet a common goal…”


• An experience “in the middle”– Between formal and informal– Between institutional and personal– Between groups, networks, and

collectives– Between social software and LMS– Between university and job

• Further research– Sustainability– Pre-requisites of participants– Key figures– Generalizability and transferability to other domains

ConclusionConclusion


Thank you!Thank you!

Contact:Antonio Fini

LTE - Laboratorio di Tecnologie dell’Educazione

Università di Firenze

www.scform.unifi.it/lte

[email protected]

www.lte-unifi.net/elgg/anto

This work is published under a Creative Commons License