Between exaltation and retreat - complexities in an international space for learning
| Type of publication: | Misc |
| Citation: | 625 |
| Year: | 2005 |
| Month: | 2 |
| Note: | Bell, Zaitseva 23-25 February 2005 - Between exaltation and retreat k, 27.05.2007 |
| URL: | http://www.malts.ed.ac.uk/ice2... |
| Abstract: | "Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer." Howards End (1910), E.M. Forster "But we have speech, to chill the angry day, And speech, to dull the rose's cruel scent. ... There's a cool web of language winds us in, Retreat from too much joy or too much fear." 'The Cool Web' (1927), R.Graves. On the Collaboration Across Borders (CAB) project, we have the opportunity to explore both the possibilities presented by international online student collaboration, and the barriers to realisation of these possibilities. Tutors from different universities (usually from different countries) organise collaborative activities for their students that are achieved by online communication rather than by face to face meetings. This paper will examine the roles of culture and language (in their broadest senses) in such collaborations. Culture is a widely used notion in Sociology in the understanding of various groups of people within society: diverse groups differentiated by nation, language, age, etc. Culture consists of values or abstract ideals held by the group; the norms that they follow; and the material goods that they create, including language and technology, (Giddens, 1993). In the pilot study that preceded the CAB project, we tended to view culture as synonymous with the nationality of the student group but gradually became aware of nuances that demanded a more flexible approach to cultural analysis. Similarly our approach to language has developed from a focus on the tutors' agreed language to be used in the activity, with language use sometimes an integral part of the activity, to a recognition that students will adopt different styles, employ emoticons and may benefit from activities where all students share the same language of instruction, (Zaitseva, Whatley, Bell, & Shaylor, 2004). In the first quotation (widely used on Internet sites), the character Margaret's belief in the power of communication to break down barriers, to "connect", echoes some early claims for the liberating and democratising effects of Computer-Mediated Communication, (Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, 1984), that have been called into question by later research that identifies the importance of social and cultural contexts, e.g. the gendered nature of CMC (Herring, 1994). We reject technological determinism in our exploration and welcome the diffidence of the second quotation that recognises that language can allow us full expression of our feelings and also a safe coolness that permits us to retreat from them. This also fits quite well with the source of the ethos of our project, namely the UNESCO Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. We believe that recognising spirited connections and tolerant coolness can enrich our understanding of possibilities and barriers in online student collaboration. References Giddens, A. (1993). Sociology. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Herring, S. (1994). 'Gender Differences In Computer-Mediated Communication: Bringing Familiar Baggage To The New Frontier'. Paper presented at the American Library Association annual convention, June 27, 1994, Miami. Kiesler, S., Siegel, J., & McGuire, T. W. (1984). 'Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication'. American Psychologist, 39, 1123-1134. Zaitseva, E., Whatley, J., Bell, F., & Shaylor, J. (2004). 'Peer-Evaluation In Multi-Cultural Context: Language And Culture Issues In International Collaborative Project', Paper submitted for the CELDA Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, December 2004. |
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| Added by: | [ADM] |
| Total mark: | 0 |
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