Connections as Humanity
George Siemens on Nov 18th 2008
CCK08 has been a wonderful learning experience for me. As we move to wrapping up the course formally, I’m starting to shift into reflection mode. Not surprisingly, my main focus is on connections.
I’ve had an interesting three weeks where the importance of varying types of connections has been brought to the forefront.
First, I’ve discovered that Australia has very poor internet connectivity. My travel schedule included stops in Sydney, Mooloolaba, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Katoomba. Of the numerous hotels, only one in Sydney provided a sufficient quality internet connection for me to participate in weekly activities (Skype and Elluminate) in CCK08. For the bulk of the trip, I felt removed from the course activities. Fortunately, the course was in the very able hands of Stephen, Dave, and learners. Still, I found the inability to access discussions very isolating. Time is one barrier (Wed and Fri session happen at ~ 2 am in Australian time), but I was able to attend most of the sessions. The bigger barrier was the consistent inability to participate in the course at the level I would have liked. My habits and activities changed quickly as well – recording video, uploading large files, and posting podcasts were put aside. Access to technology determines how we are able to participate.
Secondly, space and location mean very little. I was physically presenting at conferences and conducting workshops, yet I was involved in most of what I would have been doing if I had been at my office at U of Manitoba (with the exception of high-bandwidth activities, of course). I managed to keep somewhat current with email, collaborate with Dave Cormier as we finalized plans for our Introduction to Emerging Technologies course, work with Jay Cross and Tony Karrer to finalize our corporate trends conference, started blogging for E-LEARN 2008 (this week in Las Vegas), etc. I basically functioned as if I was “there” (namely, wherever there is).
For example, I landed in Vancouver yesterday after at 15 hour flight from Sydney. After making my way through security, I delivered my presentation on adaptive strategy to the Corporate Trends conference and hosted a discussion with David Weinberger. And posted a few thoughts in the conference Ning site, replied to CCK08 discussions, followed up on discussions in a digital literacies course I’m teaching to Palestinian and Malaysian educators, and so on…
I can function as if space and location are not issues. Which raises a bigger question: can I use the technology well? While it’s interesting to communicate and participate in online conferences and conversations around the world and in different time zones, the blurring of space requires a growth in prudence and self-awareness. We (ok, I) need to be aware of our limits. While technology changes, human nature and our need for self-care does not.
Thirdly, being human is still requires face-to-face time (in contrast to my point above). While in Australia, I received the unfortunate news that my Grandmother – still living my birth country, Mexico – had passed away. News arrived to my siblings in Manitoba. And I was informed via email, SMS, and Facebook. A touching and heartfelt posting in Facebook by my sister served as a eulogy to mourn, to hope, to reflect, and to honour my Grandmother’s transition. Yet, for this instance, space and geography loomed large as barriers. I appreciated the ability to be able to be in direct contact online, but would have preferred to mourn together with family in physical contact. Perhaps part of what I’m learning from the blurring of space/time through the web is that perfect opportunities (such as to mourn together with others in the physical world) can at least be partly replaced with online opportunities. In this instance, my choices were not: perfect, partial replacement, or not at all. My choices were between partial replacement and not at all. I appreciated the partial, but longed for the perfect.
Filed in Uncategorized | 16 responses so far
Oriol Miralbell Nov 18th 2008 at 02:56 pm 1
Thank you George for your efforts to be connected and for sharing these experiences of your connectedness while travelling from one side of the planet to the othe end.
I whad lunch today with a Professor and colleague of the Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona, J.L. Molina, who is an excellent professor and a great expert in Social Network Analyisis in Spain and he belives that our connections over the Internet ar cool communications (as Mc Luhan has called them) and most relations belong to the so called weak links.
But as connected Internet users, we leave different realities. Some of our strong links, probably the strongests, the ones of our closests relatives, coexist with the weak ones (the students of CCK08) in the same environment and you have to deal with both.
What makes us more involved in our relations is that we integrate these relations on the internet with our personal and privaye emotions, what we would not do in face to face meetings. Our social protocols would’nt accept such a behaviour. Beeing alone in front of the PC screen and interacting with the mouse and the keyboard, we play as we were integrating this virtual relationship in our real life. It reminds me to the book de Second Self of Sherry Turkle, where children talked about electronic toys as if they were persons, and machines used to cheat in the games.
My experience in the CCK08 (I must apologize for not haveing followed all the streaming sessions) is that I had the opoortunity to be part of this community of CCK08 during these weeks without having to change very much my normal life. And that’s probably the most attractive thing for most people. Strudents coming to study in our elearning university (UOC) decide to come because the flexibility that e-leraning gives to them, but than they discover that they get involved in communities that keep them connected with othe people who help them learning.
Thank you George and Stevena and all the students of CCK08 for sharing your knwoeldge and shedding some light to new paths that I have discovered in thes weeks.
Oriol
Rodd Lucier Nov 18th 2008 at 03:05 pm 2
George,
Please accept my condolences on the passing of your grandmother. It has been interesting to me to see how more and more, people are coming to use Web 2.0 tools to celebrate the lives of those who’ve died.
The importance of making connections… with real people cannot be overstated. Though I have been unable to travel and to physically meet with the majority of my online colleagues, the use of voice and video-chat have been instrumental in helping me to deepen my connections with members of my PLN and selected course-mates.
Within the CCK08 course, auditory and visual connections with George and Stephen have been effectively brought to bear, and in future offerings of courses such as this one, my hope is that these tools will be more effectively leveraged by the participants themselves.
Ed Webb Nov 18th 2008 at 04:06 pm 3
My condolences, George, on your loss. I appreciate your sharing your insights on that along with the other thoughts above: the affective dimensions of connective learning, and electronically-mediated connections more generally, have been a fascinating aspect of our collective journey through CCK08.
One of my students/advisees lost his grandfather this past weekend, and I have been able to interact with him only via email. On the one hand, it is utterly inadequate as a medium for offering support. On the other, it is certainly better than no contact at all. And I definitely draw strength and support from my networked community, even when I have never met them physically. I hope there will be more room for discussions of those aspects in our continuing relationships, however mediated.
DolorsCapdet Nov 18th 2008 at 08:41 pm 4
Hi, George,
I understand perfectly what he says. Since the first world, the precariousness of the connections is exasperating. We are accustomed to a work pace that is only possible from a situation technologically privileged.
But unfortunately, this precariousness, for many it is the daily reality.
__________
PD: I very much regret the loss of his grandmother, let me express my sincere condolences.
High-Speed Internet Coming to Africa - elearnspace Nov 19th 2008 at 12:55 pm 5
[...] been suffering connection issues (see my post here). Earlier this year, I was in Accra for Elearning Africa. The connection issues were significant [...]
ailsa Nov 19th 2008 at 05:40 pm 6
Thanks for sharing your experience of mourning through web based connections. Seems its some of the odd applications that make us more thoughtful about how web based connections matter. I have also had a really hard time connecting to the CCK08 moodle while visiting in Aus. My other internet connections seem fine. Seems a weird gremlin in the system.
Lisa M Lane Nov 20th 2008 at 02:06 am 7
I too am sorry for your loss, and understand the reassurance of having some connection when you cannot be there in person. We do not “connect” with mouse and keyboard, we connect with people, and those connections can be meaningful. But when one already has deep ties that are held together by physical presence, the online environment can seem very cold, even when the emotions shared are warm. I’m glad you were able to feel the warmth even while so far away.
Reflections on Personal Connections « Lisa’s CCK08 Wordpress Blog Nov 20th 2008 at 02:51 am 8
[...] Filed under: Musings — lisahistory @ 11:40 pm Tags: cck08 I happened to read George’s blog post about his grandmother passing while he was far away, on an evening where I skimmed around the course blogs and comments, looking myself for some [...]
Sui Fai John Mak Nov 20th 2008 at 09:11 am 9
My condolences, George, on your loss. My mum in law passed away last week and I am still mourning. It’s sad to lose our closest love, and I feel strongly the need to pay sincere respects to our ties, especially the strong connections. Let’s pray for our respects to our dearest.
John
DolorsCapdet Nov 20th 2008 at 04:40 pm 10
It’s hard to go through something like that, John. Unfortunately I lived this experience ten years ago. Please accept my deepest sympathy.
Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers Nov 21st 2008 at 01:53 pm 11
Hi George,
Sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother while you were travelling. I remember when I couldn’t attend my grandfather’s funeral — the person I was always the closet to in my life, til my son was born. I wish I had had the internet back then — it would not have been perfect — but I appreciate that life is not perfect. I’m touched that you shared your experience with us. Thanks Jo Ann
mrsdurff Nov 21st 2008 at 11:46 pm 12
Wonder how long we will allow someone else to determine our participation in online activities? When will the masses take matters into their own hands?
Can any of us (meaning me) use the technology (whatever that is) well?
Condolences on the passing of your grandmother.
Free Readings Online » Blog Archive » Media Literacy: Making Sense Of New Technologies And Media by George Siemens - Nov 22 08 Nov 22nd 2008 at 05:52 am 13
[...] Internet Coming to Africa I’ve been suffering connection issues. Earlier this year, I was in Accra for Elearning Africa. The connection issues were significant [...]
Maru del Campo Nov 22nd 2008 at 10:14 pm 14
Hello George!
Receive my deepest condolences for your loss. Grandmothers in Mexico have a very important role in keeping family together.
I’m glad to hear that you could be present despite the distance.
I want to tell you that I appreciate all the effort, time and dedication that you and Stephen have placed in this curse.
Thank you very much.
Best regards. Maru :X
CCK08: Week 11 End of Term Feeling? « Clyde Street Nov 23rd 2008 at 08:03 am 15
[...] George’s post about the humanness of the issues raised in CCK08 was touched by personal sadness and loss. At the end of this phase of CCK08 I do believe our connections have celebrated the personal. Rom Harre once wrote that “we should treat people as if they are human”. It reminds me too that we are not an island .., that we can reach each other. Heli’s post tells me just how important this work is … “I am shy, I am not a talkative person even in using my mother tongue and this is my first blog in English. I know I cannot network globally in Finnish…” [...]
Jorge Crom Nov 24th 2008 at 03:49 pm 16
George, gracias por compartir.
Jorge