Campus Session 3 Module 1 Professional Networks

This took place on 20^th November and we started by coming to an agreed understanding of what networks are. Identifying those networks and drawing them out can be useful a map of networks can be useful and out by mapping out our networks both professional and personal.

We discussed the various networks we had mapped out further. Some questions we asked were….

• Are there any crossovers between groups – are there some networks with the same members in each?
• Which networks are more important to us in our professional practice and our learning and development?
• Which networks are peripheral to us … that we are part of but not actively?
• Do we put in (contribute) as much value as we get out of the network?
• What happens when we actively contribute to a network?

Theoretical approaches to networks were discussed as set out in the Reader for this part of the module:

• Co-operation (tit for tat)
• Affiliation (sense of belonging)
• Social constuctionism
• Connectivism
• Communities of Practice

We then revisited the networks we had mapped out and assessed if any of the above approaches could best be used to help us understand our participation and our activity in the our various networks.

Connectivism led to a discussion on the location of learning and knowledge. A question about where knowledge is located immediately brought the response that it’s in our head. How does it get there? It could be via having some information (from a book or a person) and linking this with experience. Or it could be from experience alone. Therefore, looking at a network through the lens of connectivism we tried to locate the knowledge – it was contained in the nodes on the network. It could be that the larger nodes have greater knowledge because they are linked to a greater number of nodes that others.

While there are no right or wrong answers to the above what is useful about this reader and the tasks is that it forces us to examine our professional networks and evaluate them for improving our professional practice and promoting learning, development and knowledge.

Reflective Practice Feedback

Today, I have had chance to read through some of the blogs and see how everyone is progressing. By now, everyone should have moved on from the first section of the module (Professional Communication Technologies) to the second section (Reflective Practice).  The campus session (2) on Reflective Practice has been reported well on by Sarah Robinson and Melanie Brown, both of whom worked together on an exercise. Having a partner like this to listen to acts like a mirror – which is a familiar tool of reflection we use daily!

Reading the blogs shows that there has been engagement with reflective practice readers from Hannah Stewart who offers a highly insightful view on her wiki and applies theoretical perspectives to professional practice. Sarah Robinson in her post reminds us that reflection turns experience into learning.  Emily Hunt’s post is well worth reading and has already generated a lot of comment from peers on the personal application of Kolb & Gardner.

There was a range of blog posts on Journal Writing including Bethany Wells who demonstrates boundless enthusiasm for the practice and Clare Orlandi who referred us to Dumbledore’s contribution from Harry Potter.

Thanks to all of the above for being inspirational. 

Ethics Campus Session 2: Module 2

The theme of the campus session on 30^th October was Ethics.  We started by discussing the Ethics reader and looked to gain a common understanding of what Ethics means, the different approaches to Ethics and how they apply to Professional Practice. Ethics from the word Ethos comes from Greek and means character.  Wrapped up in Ethics is the notion of promoting good and preventing harm. We came up with some words which encapsulates Ethics for us. Suggestions were:

Beliefs

Morals

Values

Health and Safety

Rules

Honesty

Respect

Obligation

The Reader explains the approaches to ethics proposed by various thinkers through the centuries. These offer us a way to interpret and can inform how we handle the range of ethics dilemmas we face. JS Mill’s approach has been ascribed as Consequentialist – and this approach argues that the end can justify the means of an action if the action is for the greater good. The Deontological approach by contrast argues against this. A wrong is a wrong and can never be justified. Hence, lying is always wrong. Kant’s view is that if lying is permissible then lying will be become intrinsic and therefore we will never know whether one is lying or not and therefore this would not be helpful for social good.  Then there is virtue ethics first proposed by Aristotle which is about the habitual actions of the character. This is about not being honest just on Fridays, say, rather the character needs to be honest every day.

How grey the area of ethics is became clear when we discussed the case study of photographer taking a picture of a dying child in a war zone rather than helping the child. He was adhering to his professional code of practice and by taking the photograph the plight of children in a war zone could be viewed by a greater audience. A clear example of tensions that occur in professional practice in relation to ethics. 

Ethical principles can change with time and geography. Practices which are considered ethical in one part of the world can be considered unethical in others. Ethical principles can sometimes translate into Statutory regulations (rules) eg The Human Rights Act.

There was a discussion on the movie “The Black Swan” where the issue of unhealthy eating can be harmful in the world of dance. The balance is fine between maintaining a slim physique against long term health. Other issues in the movie included manipulation and drug taking. 

Then everyone thought about Ethics applies in their own professional practice and Codes of Practice were produced in class - check these clips out:





Nearly every profession has produced some code of practice and there are many examples of these given in the Reader.  Follow this link to Code produced by the Council for Dance Education and Training. If you are engaged in this type of work evaluate how this matches your own personal ethical stance and that of your workplace. Assess whether there are any conflicts between the personal, professional, organizational and social ethical principles.

The Reflective Practitioner

Moving on to the second theme of Module 1 you should draw upon Reader 2 to provide you with context and meaning as you make your way through the various tasks. Reader 2 provides you with a brief overview of the main theorists on reflection and there is both a list of references and a bibliography at the end of the Reader which you should follow up on to enhance your learning and deepen your knowledge. All these materials are available in our library or you can through the SCONUL scheme consult these works at a University Library near you. I also include here a brief guide on the Learning Journal which I produced some years ago which you might useful as you address the tasks ahead.  It refers to Campus Session dates (please ignore these as they are irrelevant). I look forward to seeing your blogs as you proceed through these tasks. 

 

Learning Diary from Rosemary McGuinness

Monday 15th October

Today is the start of Week 3 and as your module handbook states you should be moving on to tackle the second set of tasks. At this point it is useful to review how the first set of tasks were handled. Not everyone appears to have managed to complete all the tasks but what has been achieved collectively so far is quite impressive. Clearly the two most important tasks were the CV task which gets you to think about your knowledge and learning gained thus far in your professional practice through both your education and your work and Task 1B.

Compiling a CV is an exercise designed for potential employers but in doing this you should be engaging in an element of self analysis and asking internal questions such as what am I good at and where could I could develop or what direction would I like my future career to take.

Sarah Robinson has taken on board some advice about including achievement on a CV and reworked hers while Emily Hunt provides some advice found on the BBC website in her blog. 

Task 1B was handled well by Anastasia Hadjigeorgiou who drew out the notion of Collective Intelligence in Web 2.0 while Melanie Brown applied the Web 2.0 readings to professional practice as well as highlighting some downsides. Hannah Stewart succeeded in including both the readings in her 1B task as well as referring to other student blogs and there was early evidence from Jonny Howard that he had actively looked at other student blogs for pointers in his own learning and development.

In the video task, Chelsie Johnson stated that she was looking forward to learning from others and Emily Hunt was exactly spot on with her timing at exactly 45 seconds while Lee Taylor chose a graphical interface on his video offering.

The Web offers the opportunity to look outside the student blogs and the recommended readings for resources to stimulate us. Katy Thorpe has embedded a thought provoking resource on her recent blog post. It’s a slide show called “Shift Happens” and thank you, Katy for bringing this to my attention. I was struck by some of the stark statistics contained in the presentation and rather than be depressed about it I take courage from the fact that we humans are highly adaptable and that in Higher Education what we are keen to do is to develop in our future graduates the skills of critical thinking and analysis which will see them through a lifetime.  Technologies come and go and mastering these is something we will succeed in doing as we need them for our professional practice or communication. What is of deeper importance is learning more about our discipline and professional practice and to manipulate the relevant technologies to enable this to happen.

Ken Robinson's talk on TED covers some of the same ground in Shift Happens but also recognizes the different styles of learning and the importance of creativity in the curriculum and I commend it to you. 

Campus Session 1: Module 1 - 9th October

We had a brilliant session today with eager and willing contributions.  We spent the first 20 mins giving space to read an article referred to in the Professional Communication Technologies Reader and located under the Module Tab (Specific Links) in Libguides then everyone fed back the importance of the article they had read to the group.

The first article discussed was by Lankshear and the themes identified were discourse and how we communicate through it. The concept of literacy also arose. Both “discourse” and “literacy” were discussed further in the group. The discourse discussion was placed in the context that language gives meaning to professional groups. The discussion on literacy moved from ability to read and write to consider the necessity to master information literacy and media and communication literacy.

A question that Gruber posed about the Web 2.0 world is how much information is trustworthy and what is the truth of knowledge. Reich’s view of Web 2.0 was that it lowered the cost of participation and considers who uses it and how it is constantly developing.  Ullrich et al illuminated understanding of constructivism in that knowledge cannot be taught but is rather learned and assessed the contribution that Web 2.0 makes towards this approach to learning. O’Reilly’s distinctive contribution is that Web 2.0 is delivered as a service rather than a product. Themes of information literacy emerged in the Lorenzo article alongside issues of security and the implied risks from the ability to change information on Web 2.0 platforms. Bruns’ ideas on “produsage” emphasizes the collaborative sharing of information in order to support the knowledge management agenda.

This was a very useful exercise in that it got participants actively involved in reading the texts, making notes and reporting back. In the time available no-one actually had time to finish reading their article but yet, at the end of 20 mins, all were surprised by how much they had achieved. It was also useful to hear about the different authors and participants could identify particular articles which they would like to delve further into in order to help them complete Task 1b.

After all that reading we played a game. Everyone was given a card with a word written on it and were asked to provide a definition of the word so that everyone could guess what it was. This exercise was fun and useful in that we could ensure a common understanding of the meaning and use of these words. Try it yourself at home to come up with a definition for…

• Web 2.0
• Blog
• Wiki
• Plagiarism
• Learning
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Convergence
• Knowledge

We went off to consider “Communication” at a deeper level and we formed into three groups and three different kinds of communication were considered. These were:

• 1 to 1
• 1 to Many
• Many to Many

The groups identified examples of each of the above and suggested particular advantages to each. The following was fed back…

1 to 1

Examples are phone calls, letters, e-mails, face to face meeting. Advantages suggested were that it was non-filtered, personal, intimate, more to the point and relevant.

1 to Many

Examples come from the broadcast media and include newspapers, radio, TV. The advantages are that it is a reliable resource, there is control therefore less confusion and that it’s for mass consumption (therefore efficient?)  Downsides were also considered such as influence of ownership of broadcast media and whether it is propaganda or censored.

Many to Many

Examples are social media such as Facebook, Conferences, Blogs and You tube. The advantages are that more questions can be asked, there is more energy and there is the opportunity to create through performance.

What can happen to a piece of communication in each of the above? 

Consider that such a piece is taking a stand from a position of A. In 1 to 1, there is the chance that the position could shift to B or even C. In 1 to Many, the position does not move from A. It has been broadcast and there it remains at position A. Such pieces can raise discussion etc. but the actual piece remains static. In Many to Many, the position can shift the entire alphabet from A to Z and back again over a period of time which links in with the “long tail” referred to by Ullrich et.al.

We concluded the session with each group doing a short presentation on

3 WAYS PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES CAN ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

If I could do my degree again what would I do differently?

Professor Tara Brabazon is joining our School in Middlesex in January and she has produced a short podcast which is worth taking 12 mins or so time out to listen to...