When I address the issue of how people interact in online learning environments, the most important aspect I try to understand is meaning-making in the online environment- I try consider affordances and constraints in both a technological and psychological aspect using AT- as in how the online environment makes these communications possible in response to the design of the online interactions, the contraints in the types of dialogs, the timing of interactions, multicultural interactions, the goals of the users, the work activity of the users and try to gauge on how effectively the design of the online space meets the needs/goals of the users.
I also wonder as technologies become more and more a part of all human interactions where these tools will end up in the spectrum of meaning-making-- do the affordances and contraints of the online forum control the meaning-making potential or do the users? So if a meter stick falls in the woods does it measure something? Is the meaning embedded in the tool or in the use of it?
Also an issue for me - the quality of the data when researching online- I miss the ability to talk with people about their goals, visit their classes and observe --- to understand their work from a closer perspective. Can I address meaning-making without this quality or granularity of understanding? Is that e-CHAT or virtual CHAT?
Donna
Donna L. Russell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Instructional Technology
Curriculum and Instructional Leadership
Suite 309
School of Education
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kansas City, MO 64110
(cell) 314.210.6996
(office) 816.235.5871
russelldl@umkc.edu
http://r.web.umkc.edu/russelldl/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peg Griffin" <Peg.Griffin@worldnet.att.net>
To: "'eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity'" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 2:18 PM
Subject: RE: [xmca] constraints, affordances and semiotic potentials
> And, as Ann Brown often reminded me, effectivity is a necessary complement
> to affordance in the Gibson world. How does that fit into your commentary,
> please, bb?
> Peg
>
Donna L. Russell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Instructional Technology
Curriculum and Instructional Leadership
School of Education
University of Missouri-Kansas City
(email) russelldl@umkc.edu <mailto:russelldl@umkc.edu>
(website) http://r.web.umkc.edu/russelldl/ <http://r.web.umkc.edu/russelldl>
(cell) 314.210.6996
_______________________________________________
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Feb 01 2006 - 01:00:10 PST