Ceaselessly Exploring, Arriving Where We Started and Knowing It for the First Time

Richard Davies

doi:10.1007/s11217-016-9515-6

Abstract

In this paper I explore the implications of the increasing social and sociable uses of new, mobile internet associated technologies (MIATs) for online learning. In particular I focus on tablet computers as at the vanguard of this shift. Drawing on discourses of technobiophilia and phatic communion, the propositions explored in this paper are that: (a) that internet associated technologies have been shaped by and reflect the ways in which humans engage with objects and each other in the physical world, (b) that of particular significance for MIATs are frequent small scale social interactions between users, and (c) that a more detailed consideration of these affordances would enhance online learning. I develop this account by considering the potential role of relationships for supporting the development of socially cohesive learning groups and the enhancement of online learning. In particular I focus on the need for partiality within a learning group and mechanisms for managing conflict. I conclude by offering two broad principles for a more sociable online learning experience.

Highlights

This paper explores the implications of the increasing social and sociable uses of new, mobile internet associated technologies (MIATs) for online learning
The last 15 years has seen a significant change in mobile technologies supporting social interaction, and & Richard Davies Rid11@aber.ac.uk
The focus on the humanising of the web (Oinas-Kukkonen and Oinas-Kukkonen 2013), of a concern with phatic communion using internet-associated technologies (Wang et al 2011, 2012), the language of technobiophilia (Thomas 2013), and the more ubiquitous ‘web 2.0’ all emphasize a focus on exchange, user generated content and more relationally informed modes of engagement

Summary

Introduction

This paper explores the implications of the increasing social and sociable uses of new, mobile internet associated technologies (MIATs) for online learning. The focus on the humanising of the web (Oinas-Kukkonen and Oinas-Kukkonen 2013), of a concern with phatic communion using internet-associated technologies (Wang et al 2011, 2012), the language of technobiophilia (Thomas 2013), and the more ubiquitous ‘web 2.0’ all emphasize a focus on exchange, user generated content and more relationally informed modes of engagement This is not to claim that the internet did not previously have a social dimension. The propositions explored in this paper are that: (a) that internet associated technologies have been shaped by and reflect the ways in which humans engage with objects and each other in the physical world, (b) that of particular significance for MIATs are frequent small scale social interactions between users, and (c) that a more detailed consideration of these affordances would enhance online learning. I conclude by offering two broad principles for a more sociable online learning experience

Framing Sociable Online Interactions

Developing the Phatic and Relational Aspects of Online Learning