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The Distant Crowd: Transactional Distance And New Social Media Literacies.
Full text linkSociality is not just a cultural phenomenon but is embedded in our genes as eusocial creatures (E. O.Wilson 2012). Learning is an innately social activity, and the processes of teaching, the passing of knowledge from
one generation to the next, are well-adapted to our eusociality. The size and nature of the groups we have evolved to form has, so far, been codetermined by exigencies of our situated existence as, initially, bands of hunter-gatherers, evolving into agricultural thenindustrial societies. Dunbar (1996) suggests the size of such groups is naturally limited. Though his research
has been challenged on multiple fronts (Russell, Shelley, and Killworth 1987; de Ruiter,Weston, and Lyon 2011), the vast majority of close social ties for any single
individual are limited to a relatively small number of other individuals, and our learning generally occurs in relatively small groups. Larger organizational forms
such as cities, nations, universities, or corporations are mainly constituted as hierarchies and networks that maintain close personal contact at a manageable number for any given person. The focus of this paper
is on describing how, after countless millennia of gentle evolutionary change, the Internet is challenging us to discover new forms of sociality and, with it, new forms of social literacy to help us become more effective learners and citizens
1978: Language escapes: Italian-Canadian authors write in an official language and not in Italiese
No full textThe important year for Italian-Canadian literature is 1978-1979, the year in which three writers separately and simultaneously made conscious decisions to write in a standard official language of Canada rather than in standard Italian or their immigrant dialect, Italiese. That year in Toronto, Pier Giorgio Di Cicco brought out Roman Candles the first anthology of Italian-Canadian poetry which augured the beginning of this new ethnic minority literature. As editor Di Cicco had deliberately decided that this anthology should include only work in English. In Ottawa in 1978 F.G. Paci published his first novel, The Italians in English and it soon became a bestseller. In Montreal in 1979 Marco Micone staged of his first play, Gens du Silence in standard French rather than in Italiese
Subaltern Approach and the “Sense” of History in Global Studies
No full textFrom July 10 to 12, 2013, I attended the annual conference of the European Global Studies Association at Roehampton University, London, UK. The theme of this year’s conference was “The Cosmopolitan Ideal: Challenges and Opportunities”. It was a small conference of nearly 200 delegates and aimed to critically interrogate the idea of cosmopolitanism as a notion that emphasizes the multiplicity of identities, belongings, and memberships that are possible across a plurality of communities. Aside from my ongoing research, publications, and program development within the field of Global Studies, this theme resonated with my ongoing project dealing with the significance of individual historical narratives towards inculcating a “sense of history”. My paper argues that a “sense of history” in terms of engagement with the past, as well as the construction of history, is often a process that is driven from above, by the social and political elite of the time. However, as the gulf between the histories of peoples and the state widens in this era of rapid globalization and the neoliberal retreat of the state, there is a greater need to bridge the gap between historical theory and the study of historical memory. My paper advocates for the social history approach of Subaltern Studies to broaden and deepen the understanding of global history and explores the significance of historical narratives such as The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill, 2007), Kiss of the Fur Queen (Tomson Highway, 1998) and Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958) to bring back the focus on peoples and processes, not only on events. There was a lot of gratifying discussion related to my project during and after my presentation, setting a very positive stage for the archival work that I embarked upon after the conference. Since this is an ongoing research, I am unable to share the draft paper in the public domain, however, the abstract of the paper follows below and I welcome any questions or suggestions through private communication.
Title: Subaltern Approach and the “Sense” of History in Global Studies
Abstract: In the 1980s, the scope of enquiry of Subaltern Studies was applied as a corrective to the dominant Eurocentric history writing, particularly in the South Asian postcolonial historiography. In its early commitment to social history, Subaltern Studies re-invented ‘subalternity’ by divorcing itself from Engel and Gramsci to invent a distinctive subalternity in which the nation was being re-configured, re-imagined, and re-theorised, exposing the breach between popular and national history. Subaltern Studies became an original site for a new kind of history from below, a people’s history free of national constraints, a post-nationalist re-imagining of the Indian nation on the underside, at the margins, and outside nationalism. Additionally, the intellectual efficacy of the term “Subaltern” enabled its adoption in fields such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and literary criticism.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, as the Cold War came to an end, critical attacks on the public sector under Reagan and Thatcher widened what many scholars began to see as a permanent rift between people and states. In more contemporary times, the gulf between the peoples and states has been widening worldwide as global capitalism fights states for power over national resources; through the emergence of the processes of globalization and the concentration of capital on a new level that is apparently outside the effective control of the state machinery; and the emergence of a new plurality of sites of resistance, social groupings, movements, regions, and subcultures. In this milieu, the paper will explore if the social history approach of early Subaltern Studies could enrich the texture and interpretation of contemporary global history? In particular, it will explore the usefulness of engaging with our interconnected global experience through individual historical narratives such as those provided by The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill, 2007), Kiss of the Fur Queen (Tomson Highway, 1998) and Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958).In the 1980s, the scope of enquiry of Subaltern Studies was applied as a corrective to the dominant Eurocentric history writing, particularly in the South Asian postcolonial historiography. In its early commitment to social history, Subaltern Studies re-invented ‘subalternity’ by divorcing itself from Engel and Gramsci to invent a distinctive subalternity in which the nation was being re-configured, re-imagined, and re-theorised, exposing the breach between popular and national history. Subaltern Studies became an original site for a new kind of history from below, a people’s history free of national constraints, a post-nationalist re-imagining of the Indian nation on the underside, at the margins, and outside nationalism. Additionally, the intellectual efficacy of the term “Subaltern” enabled its adoption in fields such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and literary criticism.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, as the Cold War came to an end, critical attacks on the public sector under Reagan and Thatcher widened what many scholars began to see as a permanent rift between people and states. In more contemporary times, the gulf between the peoples and states has been widening worldwide as global capitalism fights states for power over national resources; through the emergence of the processes of globalization and the concentration of capital on a new level that is apparently outside the effective control of the state machinery; and the emergence of a new plurality of sites of resistance, social groupings, movements, regions, and subcultures. In this milieu, the paper will explore if the social history approach of early Subaltern Studies could enrich the texture and interpretation of contemporary global history? In particular, it will explore the usefulness of engaging with our interconnected global experience through individual historical narratives such as those provided by The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill, 2007), Kiss of the Fur Queen (Tomson Highway, 1998) and Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958)
An Interactive OER Course Development at Athabasca University based on ODL Principles
No full textOn October 16-18, I attended ICDE 25th 2013 conference hosted in Tianjin of China. At the conference I presented a paper titled: “An Interactive OER Course Development at Athabasca University based on ODL Principles to Increase Completion Rates in Calculus”, which was written by Dr. Sandra Law and me. This paper documents an Inukshuk Wireless-funded project that involved the design and development of an authoring tool (Athabasca University Tutor Authoring Tool or AUTAT) that was used to create a set of standalone learning modules intended for use by students struggling in first-year calculus courses. Introductory calculus is a popular course at universities across Canada but has one of the lowest completion rates of all courses offered at the introductory level. Interactive components of the just-in-time learning modules were designed using the AUTAT.
This paper was awarded as a) The Honorable Mention of the Best Paper of ICDE25th; b) ICDE Prizes for Innovation and Best Practices of 2013; This award recognizes all of the work done by a team of AU employees (learning designers, editors, web specialists, visual designers, Flash specialists, and faculty) to move mathematics instruction into the online environment and to participate in the open education movement (by providing the learning modules and the AUTAT to the world at large through the AU OCW site http://ocw.lms.athabascau.ca/course/view.php?id=5). We would like to acknowledge the assistance of content experts and instructional designer from member institutions within the Canadian Virtual University (CVU) for their reviews of the modules. The work completed on this project has informed course design in mathematics, e.g. use of MathML (W3C recommended format for displaying mathematics online).Failure rates in first year calculus courses are high in most post-secondary institutions across North America and other parts of the world. This Inukshuk-funded open education project involved the development of five stand-alone pre-calculus learning modules. These modules were designed to increase retention and completion rates for learners in first year calculus courses and to support learners enrolled in first year calculus by providing just-in-time instruction in five areas. One of the major challenges of the project was developing dynamic activities that could support the display of a variety of mathematical formulas. To this end an open source Flash-based authoring tool was developed called the Athabasca University Tutor Authoring Tool (AUTAT). This paper explores the design and development of the AUTAT based on the needs assessment and design principles discussed
Introducing MOOCs to Africa: New Economy Skills for Africa Program
Full text linkMOOCs as a type of globally-networked learning environment (GNLE) could become a very useful delivery model in the developing world – but not necessarily when tied to a specific platform like Coursera. If developing countries allow themselves to be locked in to a certain MOOC platform, they may have to adhere to the foreign values put forth by the platform owners. As a result, developing nations may lose some of their autonomy and exclude potential local partners who may not be a part of the same platform (Siemens, 2013). This exclusivity will make developing countries vulnerable to the effects of cultural imperialism, and prevent true collaboration with other developing countries that may be facing similar issues
Agoraphobia and the modern learner.
Full text linkRead/write social technologies enable rich pedagogies that centre on sharing
and constructing content but have two notable weaknesses. Firstly, beyond the safe,
nurturing environment of closed groups, students participating in more or less public
network- or set-oriented communities may be insecure in their knowledge and skills,
leading to resistance to disclosure. Secondly, it is hard to know who and what to trust in
an open environment where others may be equally unskilled or, sometimes, malevolent.
We present partial solutions to these problems through the use of collective intelligence,
discretionary disclosure controls and mindful design
Kaska Elders’ Perception of Environmental Change
No full textVegetation change can be driven by recurrent disturbances, such as wild fire, landslips and avalanches, which are recognized by Kaska. Other changes may be driven by climatic change and shifts in weather extremes. All Elders agreed the long periods of extreme cold they experienced in their youth no longer occur. Kaska Elders in the Southern Yukon have also been observing shifts in the timing of seasonal changes, the seasonal growth of plants and the fruiting of the berries in response to climate change, and in response to industrial activities. Elders noted an increase in the variability of the weather from year to year and season to season, making prediction of environmental conditions difficult. This variability also affects the animals. Diminishing song bird abundance was particularly noted, and may relate either to global climate change or to pervasive changes and loss of habitat in the environments where these birds winter
Matroreform: Evolving to a “New” Motherhood”
No full text“New” motherhood is initiated through everyday maternal practices and evolves motherhood at its most fundamental level. In a process called matroreform, women unwittingly and/or intentionally choose what they do and do not want to replicate from their own experience of being mothered. From a broader perspective, how we enact mothering and who we are as mothers indicates and represents acceptable and non-acceptable motherhood practices to ourselves and to society. The term matroreform was coined by feminist maternal scholar, Dr. Gina Wong. It is a transformative maternal practice and is “an act, desire, and process of claiming motherhood power … a progressive movement to mothering that attempts to institute new mothering rules and practices apart from one’s motherline” (Wong-Wylie, p. 135, 2006). Preliminary qualitative research data will demonstrate how mothers reform motherhood. This presentation will explore ideas and generate discussion on a ‘new’ motherhood
Two School-Based Mental Health Services: One Systemic Approach
No full textThis presentation focuses on the development, operation, and evolution of two school-based, mental health consultation services operating in private and charter schools in Calgary, AB, Canada. First, I describe the Family-School-System Consultation Service, a targeted mental health consultation service available for over 100 private and charter schools in Calgary, AB, which has operated since 2001. I will: examine the challenges inherent in providing services to a diverse constellation of schools; describe the family systems foundations of the consultation service; describe the consultation process, including ethical challenges, and rationale for who attends; and describe the service delivery and staffing model, and how each position/skill profile supports systemic support.
Secondly, I will describe the Wellness Empowerment Program, a whole school mental health program serving two schools that exclusively educate Muslim students. I will examine: the community engagement and development process; describe the tiered service delivery approach, and provide some service examples, featuring family support and family counselling.
Finally, I describe a model for conceptualizing systemic service delivery in schools, which has emerged from our project team’s experience delivering services: the InterSSCT (“intersect”) approach. The elements of InterSSCT are:
interfaces between social systems, including formal and informal social structures (school and cultural communities);
systems, the context in which services are delivered;
skills – capacity building in students and school personnel, and school-based family counselors’ role in doing so;
connections – school-based family counselors’ work to maximize connection between family members, between school and family, and within the school, to facilitate a sense of belonging and connection;
transitions -- faltering through transitions (within the school day, throughout the school year, or between family life cycle stages) can contribute to problems.
Participants will discuss how school-based counsellors can use “InterSSCT” to conceptualize and plan interventions
Testing under Pressure
No full textThe CAST conference is an annual conference hosted by the Association for Software Testing, out of the United States. The theme this year was on experiences, with an intention to draw many new speakers. I submitted an application, trying to apply lessons learned in the emergency services to the test industry.
In the end, much of the presentation focused on the role of Best Practices, a term stolen from the business world, and how they impact the work we do. I advocated instead for an approach tailored on our own context and situation, and discussed methods of minimizing risk when dealing with limited information and high pressure situations.
The format is critical to understanding the outcomes of the conference. 45 minutes speaking, followed by a 30 minute question period. The audience was highly engaged and the room near full. It’s a very open setting, which shaped the format and content of the talk in what I think were positive ways.“For most of us, testing shares more in common with emergency response than with airplane maintenance. In a perfect world we’d check the torque on every bolt, and leave the runway with 100% certainty every flight. Most testers don’t have that luxury; we’re thrown at problems, and have to solve them as quickly as we can, with whatever tools we have. We’re expected to quickly understand new contexts, to deal with high pressure, low resources, and rapidly evolving situations. I’ll be comparing my experience as a firefighter to my experience with testing. We have to imagine the worst case: we enter a scene with little or no information, an urgency of action, and limited resources. It’s imperative to get in and out quickly, to prioritize the critical, high impact response, and to handle whatever unexpected challenges the job is going to throw at you. Every situation is different, and there’s never enough information, so how do you prepare for the unknown?