Riga,16.12.2016

Ecosystemapproachesineducation:

Communicativeecologyandnetworks

KaiPatakpata@tlu.ee

SeniorresearcherinDigitalLearningEcosystemsTallinnUniversity,SchoolforDigitalTechnologies

Goalsoftheworkshop• Applyingecologicalprinciplesfromnaturalscienceinsocialscience?• Twocasestudies:adulteducationservicesforvulnerableyoungadults;onlineprofessionalnetworks• Methods:CommunicativeEcologyapproach;Networkapproach• Datacollection• Unitofanalysisanddatarepresentation• Representationofresults• Interpretingtheresultswithecologicalprinciples

Ecology/ecosystem– notjustthemetaphorbuttransferrableprinciples

andprocesses•Maingoalofecosystems:topermeatethetransformativeflow,Ecosystemproductivityasanabilitytoaccumulate,transform•Means:Networkofinterdependingspeciesandtheenvironment–connectivity,distribution,clusters

Informationflow

Knowledgetransformation

Knowledgeaccumulationinthesystem

Thenetworkstructure• ThepermeabilityofaAEservice ecosystemwilldependontheconnectionsbetweenservicesthatpassaccesstotransformativelearningopportunitiesandtheemerging side-pathsandhubsinthisnetwork thatcanredirecttheflows.

Ecology/ecosystem– notjustthemetaphorbuttransferrableprinciples

andprocesses•Means:• Diversityofspecies.Variationofspecimenwithinspecies

Speciesaskindofsimilarelements/objects/subjects

Nolearneristhesame,yetwehaveunifiedAEopportunities

Educationaldeficiency

Languagedeficiency

Socialconstraints

Disability

Culturalconstraints

Legislativeconstraints

Economicconstraints

Regionalconstraints

Personalcharacteristics

Etc.

Whatthisnetworkcanbeineducation?• Learningopportunities• Servicestoenableaccesstoservices• Differenttypeoflearnersthatneedtheseopportunities

Whatthisnetworkcanbeineducation?

• Communicativeactionsaboutlearningopportunities,learners,counsellors,AEeducators,devices,channels

ADULTLEARNER

BECOMINGINFORMEDOFORCONSTRAINEDOFAEOPPORTUNITIES

Ecology/ecosystem– notjustthemetaphorbuttransferrableprinciples

andprocesses•Means:Communicationandinteractions.•Withinandbetweenspecies.•Mutualawareness.• Directandindirect(signalsinenvironment).

Information,Signals,Meanings

INFORMATIONSOURCESANDTHEIRACCESS

Ecology/ecosystem– notjustthemetaphorbuttransferrableprinciples

andprocesses

•Means:• Coalitions,distribution,clustersofspeciesandorganisms•Mutualisms:synergy,parasitism,competition

Synergyofservices

Competitionofgoals

Ecology/ecosystem– notjustthemetaphorbuttransferrableprinciples

andprocesses•Means:• Accommodationtospecificconditions,fitnesstoniches• Feedbacklooptoandfromtheniches• Successivestagesofecosystems,dynamicallychanging

Nichesasabstractneeds’spacestobefit

NICHEasfitnessspace

Context1:VulnerableAdultLearners’AccesstoEducation

• Bigquestion:WhatcreatesvulnerabilitytoaccessHEeducation?• STEPS:DefiningAEServiceEcosystemcomponentsanditsnichesnotaccessibletovulnerablesubjects•WhatareavailableAEopportunities– coursesetc.?(kindofspecies)•Whatarevulnerabilitycharacteristics(kindofnichedimensions,thatdescribevariabilityofindividuals)

Context1:VulnerableAdultLearners’AccesstoEducation

•Whatareavailableservicesforadultlearningtargetingactivecitizenship?Whatareavailableservicesforvulnerablepeople?(kindofflowpathstobeactivatedbyindividualstoaccessAEopportunities)?•WhataremutualismsbetweenAEandvulnerabilityservicesinServiceecosystem?(synergiesasflowenablers,antagonismsasflowconstraints)?• HowcantheAEopportunitiesbeaccessedincaseofdifferent(combined)vulnerabilitycharacteristics?(whoarerestrictedfromAE?)

AEecosystemexample

• VulnerabilityisappearingasalacktofittocertainecosystemservicesandresultsinrestrictingAEopportunities.

CARETAKEROFMINORS

REGIONALACCESSLIMIT

EDUCATIONALDEFICIENCYLIMIT

SOCIALSERVICES:- CHILDCARESUPPORT- FREECHILDCARECENTERATAE

AESERVICES:- DORMITORY- SCHOLARSHIP- TRAVELALLOWANCE

- VALIDATIONOFINFORMALCOMPETENCESETC.

- TRAININGATWORKPLACES

SECONDARYEDUCATIONADULTGYMNASIUM

SECONDARYEDUCATIONBASEDVOCATIONALEDUCATION

CITIZENSHIPSERVICES:- FREELANGUAGECOURSES LANGUAGEDEFICIENCY

ETC.

BASICEDUCATIONBASEDAPPLIEDUNIVERSITY

SOCIO-ECONOMICDISADVANTAGE

opportunities services vulnerabilitycharacteristics

Whatdataareavailable?

• Servicedescriptions,interviewswithadulteducatorsandvulnerableyoungadults->network• ConsideringAEopportunitiesasactors and• AErelatedserviceenablers/constraintsasties• Vulnerabilitycharacteristicsasactors

Intheendoftheworkshopwetrytosearchandmapsuchdatacollectively

• Openquestions:• Howtostructuredata?• Whatcanbeseenfromdata?• Whatarelimitationsofdatavisualization?

Context2:Onlineprofessionalnetworks

• Sampleofthreadsfromprofessionalnetworksinhealthcareandconstruction

• Unitofanalysis:turn-takinginthread

• Inductivecodesforcontentcategories

• Frequencyoftiesbetweeninductivecodesinthreads

• SNAdataofsequentialturn-takingsinthreads

CsvfileGephy.org SocialNetworkanalysistool

Context2:Onlineprofessionalnetworks

• Sampleofthreadsfromprofessionalnetworksinhealthcareandconstruction

• Unitofanalysis:turn-takinginthread

• Inductivecodesforcontentcategories

• Frequencyoftiesbetweeninductivecodesinthreads

• SNAdataofsequentialturn-takingsinthreads

Pata,Santos,Burchert,2016

Mappingtheflowsofknowledgetransformation

Context2:Onlineprofessionalnetworks

Context1:VulnerableAdultLearners’AccesstoEducation

• Bigquestion2:HowknowledgeofAEopportunitiesandthewholeAEServiceecosystemiscommunicatedtoindividualswithvulnerabilitycharacteristics?• Subjects:AEprovidingstakeholders,AEpolicy-makers,vulnerableyoungadults• Focusingparticularlyoncommunicationsubjects’(WHO?),-places(WHERE?),-contexts(WHEN?WHY?),-content(WHAT?)andexisting/missingcommunicationflowstoAEopportunitiesandservices

CommunicativeEcologyapproach• Aholisticapproachtounderstandingthedynamicinterrelationshipsbetweensocialdimensions,discourseandcommunicationstechnologyinbothphysicalanddigitalenvironments•Mediatechnologiesshouldbeexaminedanddesignedintheircontextofuse,withreferencetotheusers'widersetofsocialrelationships,thenatureofthecommunicationitselfandothermediainuse

JoTacchi

McLuhan:Mediaecology

Altheide:Ecologyofcommunication

CommunicativeEcologyapproach

• Thereisnotasingle,agreeduponcommunicativeecologymodel• Asetofethnographictoolstoexaminehowanewformofmediaortechnologymayormaynotbeintegratedintoexistingcommunicationpatterns• Qualitativemethods:observation,interviews,diaries,artifacts,contentanalysis,participatorydesignetc.

Communicativeecologydata

• Scopeofdatacollection:holistic,externaloverview/internalperspective,spacebounded,time-scope•Mapping:drawingtheconceptualmapsandcreatingorcollectingoralorwrittendescriptions• Person-perspectivemapping• Communityperspectivemapping

CommunicativeEcologycharacteristics• Context-dependent:• anchoredingeographical/digitallocationandmaymoveseamlesslybetweentheselocations;• contextuallydefinedaffordancesofplacesthatmaybefitforsomebuthinderothers

• Successivedynamicallychangingstages:• dependentofitsinhabitants’lifestyles,stagesmaybesocio-culturallyanimated

• Activitydependent:• work/formal/leisure/domestic/personal

ComEco3

JoTacchi slide

https://comcultgirl.wordpress.com/tag/technology/

FigurebySingh

http://www.slideshare.net/abhigyan1107/design-challenges-for-sustainable-mobile-community-communication-services-for-indian-urban-slums

FigurebySingh

http://www.slideshare.net/abhigyan1107/design-challenges-for-sustainable-mobile-community-communication-services-for-indian-urban-slums

Chininthorn etal.(2016)figure ExplorationofDeafPeople’sHealthInformationSourcesandTechniquesforInformationDeliveryinCapeTown

CommunicativeEcologycharacteristics

• Threeintricatelyentwinedandmutuallyconstitutivelayers:• Social(socialstructures,networks),discursive(themesorcontent)andtechnological(communicationmedia,devicesandapplications,communicationmodels)• preliminarystepisolatedlayers’analysis

• Dimensions:• global/local,networked/collective,online/offline

Context1:VulnerableAdultLearners’AccesstoEducation

• Bigquestion2:HowknowledgeofAEopportunitiesandthewholeAEServiceecosystemiscommunicatedtoindividualswithvulnerabilitycharacteristics?• Holistic– tovulnerabilitycharacteristics,nottoparticularstereotypes?• Externallyobserved?• Places,activitiesasperson-perspectiveswhohascertainvulnerabilitycharacteristics• Ecosystemstages,time-scopeaslearningperiods

Workshopactivityinpairs

• FindoneAEopportunitytypeinbasic,secondary,vocationalorhighereducationlevel(e.g.readacurriculumsyllabus)• Findwhatinformationisavailableaboutaccess/restrictiveconstraintstothisAEopportunity(insyllabus,atwebpage,atministrypage)• FindwhatsocialandotherservicesareavailabletosupportvulnerableyoungpeopleaccesstothisAEopportunity(atwebpage,atministrypage)• WhatvulnerabilitycharacteristicsareconsideredinaccessingthisAEopportunity• Fromwherewasinformationfound?

Workshopactivityinpairs• Mapyourfindingsintheformatthatcouldbeusedfornetworkanalysis(excelspreadsheet)

goo.gl/GRjTJ7

Workshopactivityinpairsgoo.gl/GRjTJ7

Workshopactivityresults

• WhatvulnerabilitycharacteristicswererestrictingaccesstoAEopportunities?

• Trytomaponthepaperthediscursivelayer(WHAT?)andmedia-technologylayer(WHERE?)ofthecommunicativeecologyofAE