Presentation Slides for Goldsmiths Conference 2014 and link to Liveblog notes

Developing digital literacies for practice-based massive open online communities of interest - a social enterprise model - Chris Follows (University of the Arts) Goldsmiths Conference 2014

Abstract

This presentation aims to explore and question the challenges, motivations and benefits of staff and students participating in open online learning communities and engaging with open educational practice, as a casual observer and/or as an active contributor. 

Chris will summarise a broad selection of the key findings, issues and lessons learned from across DIAL and process.arts including: 

Stewarding the digital stewards; managing and curating multiple online communities of interest, stewarding the stewards Supporting online OER communities; the DIAL communities of practice approach to developing digital literacies 
Collaboration: Departmental collaboration and local strategy change 
Fear of digital (institutional and individual): skills, competencies, awareness damage to traditional practice and reputational risk.

Read more about the conference here.

Liveblog notes from the morning at Goldsmiths Doug Clow's Imaginatively-Titled Blog New Technology in Higher Education

Panel 1 Developing Digital Literacies (room 326)

(1A) Developing digital literacies for practice-based massive open online communities of interest – a social enterprise model

Chris Follows (University of the Arts, London)

Six art schools round London. Basically, communities of practice. Project called DIAL – Digital Integration into Arts Learning.

At UAL, we have two online courses. Not talking about those as such. Blended learning. I’m looking at outside the curriculum, developing communities there. The idea of independence, learning without the motivations of marks.

Project part of JISC Digital Literacies programme. The approach was to get individuals, staff, students, to say they struggle with digital challenges. We had a project to support those staff doing things off the radar, not supported by day to day training programme. Develop the communities of practice (Wenger). Learning together. Create resources for others to use and adapt. Strange project – what does ‘digital literacies’ mean? Digital learning is quite complex. A framework for going from complex situation to more straightforward. Glossary of terms – CoP, OER, ‘Open’, DLs, MOOC, CC, VLE, Drupal.

Open education – developed their own definition. Unrestricted, don’t have to log in, can be re-used.

Over time at UAL, have done a lot with open education through funded projects. In the beginning, grassroots, were just getting on with it. Started a site a while ago, process.arts. Got funded projects – KULTUR, UAL Research Online, JISC UKOER ALTO & UK, SCORE Fellowship at the OU, JISC Developing Digital Literacies, Open Educational Practice Unit – online, talk this afternoon. Quizzes don’t really work in practice-based subjects like arts. From 2014, a lot of DIY. People want to produce their own learning environments, so Bring Your Own Environment. People will do it if they want, might need support. And MOOCs.

Read Doug's liveblog notes in full here - http://dougclow.org/2014/05/30/goldsmiths-leu-conference-designing-learning-landscapes-1/