Anonymity and Learning in Digitally Mediated Communications: Authenticity and Trust in Cyber Communication

316 Pages·2011·1.49 MB·English

by  Bobbe Baggio and Yoany Beldarrain

Anonymity and Learning
in Digitally Mediated
Communications:
Authenticity and Trust in Cyber
Education
Bobbe Baggio
La Salle University, USA
Yoany Beldarrain
La Salle University, USA
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baggio, Bobbe.
Anonymity and learning in digitally mediated communications : authenticity
and trust in cyber education / by Bobbe Baggio and Yoany Beldarrain.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: “This book investigates the impact of anonymity and its effects on
online identity and learning, and reveals issues of authenticity and trust,
which are at the heart of online learning”--Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-60960-543-8 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-60960-544-5 (ebook) 1.
Education--Computer network resources. 2. Internet in education. 3. Online
identities. 4. Internet--Safety measures. 5. Truthfulness and falsehood. I.
Beldarrain, Yoany. II. Title.
LB1044.87.B42 2011
371.33’44678--dc22
2010049831
British Cataloguing in Publication Data
A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library.
All work contributed to this book is new, previously-unpublished material. The views expressed in
this book are those of the authors, but not necessarily of the publisher.
Table of Contents
Foreword.............................................................................................................vii
Preface..................................................................................................................ix
Acknowledgment................................................................................................xx
Section.1:.
What.is.Anonymity.and.Why.Should.You.Be.Concerned?
Chapter.1
The.Other.Side.of.Digitally.Mediated.Learning:.Anonymity.vs..Trust..........1
Objectives ..............................................................................................................1
Introduction ...........................................................................................................2
Background ...........................................................................................................2
A Different Perspective .........................................................................................6
Looking Ahead ....................................................................................................13
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................18
References ...........................................................................................................19
Chapter.2
A.Code.of.Ethical.Conduct.for.Global.Learning............................................22
Objectives ............................................................................................................22
Introduction .........................................................................................................23
Background .........................................................................................................23
Ethical Conduct in the Face of Inevitable Change .............................................27
Looking Ahead ....................................................................................................34
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................36
References ...........................................................................................................37
Chapter.3
Intellectual.Property.in.an.Age.of.Open.Source.and.Anonymity..................39
Objectives ............................................................................................................39
Introduction .........................................................................................................40
Background .........................................................................................................40
Changing Times and Far Reaching Impact ........................................................43
Changing Technologies, Changing Ideologies ...................................................46
Looking Ahead ....................................................................................................51
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................54
References ...........................................................................................................55
Chapter.4
E-Governance.on.a.Global.Campus.................................................................58
Objectives ............................................................................................................58
Introduction .........................................................................................................59
Background .........................................................................................................60
Going Global ......................................................................................................62
Looking Ahead ....................................................................................................69
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................76
References ...........................................................................................................78
Section.2:.
What.is.Identity.and.How.Does.it.Impact.Learning?
Chapter.5
How.Safe.is.Your.Identity?.Security.Threats,.Data.Mining.and.
Digital.Fingerprints/Footprints........................................................................84
Objectives ............................................................................................................84
Introduction .........................................................................................................85
Background .........................................................................................................85
Security Threats ..................................................................................................87
Data Mining and Profiling ..................................................................................88
Digital Fingerprints and Footprints ...................................................................91
Looking Ahead ....................................................................................................97
Conclusion ........................................................................................................103
References .........................................................................................................104
Chapter.6
Emergence.of.a.New.Identity..........................................................................107
Objectives ..........................................................................................................107
Introduction .......................................................................................................108
Background .......................................................................................................108
Building the Virtual Community ........................................................................114
Looking Ahead ..................................................................................................123
Conclusion ........................................................................................................126
References .........................................................................................................127
Chapter.7
Academic.Integrity:.Ethics.and.Morality.in.the.21st.Century.....................131
Objectives ..........................................................................................................131
Introduction .......................................................................................................132
Background .......................................................................................................133
Challenges and Strategies for Quality Assurance ............................................138
Looking Ahead ..................................................................................................144
Conclusion ........................................................................................................149
References .........................................................................................................150
Chapter.8
The.Blending.of.Work,.Play.&.Learning.Online:.The.Pajama.Effect........155
Objectives ..........................................................................................................155
Introduction .......................................................................................................156
Background .......................................................................................................157
The Art of Getting Things Done ........................................................................162
Looking Ahead ..................................................................................................169
Conclusion ........................................................................................................175
References .........................................................................................................176
Section.3:.
What.are.Some.Approaches.for.the.Future.of.Teaching.and.Learning.Using.
Digitally.Mediated.Communications?.
Chapter.9
What.was.Good.for.the.Goose.is.No.Longer.Good.for.the.Goslings...........181
Objectives ..........................................................................................................181
Introduction .......................................................................................................182
Background .......................................................................................................182
Creating a Learning-Centric Environment .......................................................188
Looking Ahead ..................................................................................................198
Conclusion ........................................................................................................204
References .........................................................................................................207
Chapter.10
Designing.for.Authenticity...............................................................................211
Objectives ...........................................................................................................211
Introduction .......................................................................................................212
Authenticity Issues in Online Learning Environments ......................................218
Looking Ahead ..................................................................................................226
Conclusion ........................................................................................................229
References .........................................................................................................230
Chapter.11
The.Use.of.Avatars.and.Virtual.Worlds.for.Learning..................................234
Objectives ..........................................................................................................234
Introduction .......................................................................................................235
Background .......................................................................................................236
Learning in Virtual Worlds................................................................................244
Looking Ahead ..................................................................................................253
Conclusion ........................................................................................................256
References .........................................................................................................257
Chapter.12
Groups,.Games.&.Community.......................................................................262
Objectives ..........................................................................................................262
Introduction .......................................................................................................263
Background .......................................................................................................264
Learning with Games ........................................................................................271
Looking Ahead ..................................................................................................278
Conclusion ........................................................................................................282
References .........................................................................................................283
About.the.Contributors...................................................................................287
Index..................................................................................................................289
vii
Foreword
The world of online or cyber education is approaching a cross-roads. In one direc-
tion is the openness and flexibility of a networked, connected, and user-empowered
ecology and in the other, an institutionally-based set of programs that harness the
power of technology and control its use and distribution. In this book, co-authored
by Bobbe Baggio and Yoany Beldarrain, three critical factors associated with this
approaching threshold are addressed: anonymity, identity, and authenticity.
In the first section, anonymity is approached from four different perspectives.
The first chapter specifically focuses on the perennial question “who are we when
we go online?” and addresses issues of collaboration, satisfaction, and learning as
emergent outcomes from the level of trust of both the technology and people. The
second factor considered is that of ethical behaviour in terms of our privacy, our
integrity, and our right to free speech. Arguing for the responsibility of each and
every stakeholder in ethical behaviour, the authors highlight the importance of un-
derstanding the environment within which we interact. The third chapter continues
the focus on ethics through an analysis of intellectual property, and whether the
laws are good enough (or perhaps current enough) to deal with the interchange of
information that arises through social networking, connectivity, and information
access. Is it a case of more stringent controls on content ownership, or recognising
the added-value that networked communities can add to existing content. The fourth
chapter in this initial section examines e-governance and the effectiveness of gover-
nance and management of online institutions in connected, networked environments.
The second section examines identity, highlighting another four factors that impact
on the way we teach and learning within digitally-mediated educational environments.
The initial examination addresses the risks inherent with data-security and profiling,
which appear to align with recent political moves to monitor as much personal data as
possible. For the teacher and student, the question arises as to how much information
is needed, how much should be stored, and who should have access. Is this informa-
tion a threat to security, or a doorway to better understanding teaching and learning?
Having focused on anonymity in Section 1, the second chapter addresses community
and self – what personal and social attributes might positively influence the online
communities that emerge from online encounters? Whether we can have both ano-
viii
nymity and community is a question that remains open to debate! The third chapter
addresses a very contentious issue, academic integrity. Why do students supposedly
cheat and plagiarise so much? Is it the responsibility of the educator to monitor and
punish, or might the educational design look to strategies and assessment where cheat-
ing becomes almost impossible. The identity section rounds out the second section,
with the introduction of the pyjama effect, a valuable analysis of the blurring between
work and play, and the options to study anytime, anywhere.
Section 3 of the text examines the applications of digitally-mediated teaching and
learning, and the directions needed if we are to fully realise the potential of the technol-
ogy. Underlying each of the four chapters is the importance of a learner-centred ethos,
where the design of educational environments and resources do not focus primarily
on the content, but rather on the activities the student will need to do to make sense of
that content. Not only does this approach shift the power-base form teacher to learner,
but also the nature of courses – from information transmission to outcome-based. The
first chapter addresses this paradigm shift through an analysis of the importance of ac-
tive learning, which is extended in the second chapter by a detailed exposition of what
makes learning authentic and the importance of creating learning environments where
students are actively engaged with problems or issues situated within the context in
which they are likely to apply their learning. The final two chapters address two emerging
environments in which the potential of cyber education is likely to be realised – virtual
worlds and games. Rather than classrooms where the students are asked to analyse a
set piece of content, the alternative is to allow students to participate and engage in
interactions with a range of peers and teachers to achieve their personal learning goals.
When we reach the crossroads, we will have encountered each of the factors
addressed in this diverse, yet focused text. What directional choices we make is yet
to be seen. While taking account of anonymity, security, and identity, the value of
cyber education is that the learning tasks can be structured to meet the individual
and contextual needs of the learner, and through that, structuring the learners and
teachers can engage in trustworthy, productive partnerships.
Roderick Sims
Capella University, USA
December 2010
Rod Sims has worked in the technology and education field for over 30 years. During that period, he
has seen significant change in the technology we use, and has written and presented about the design
of learning environments to effectively integrate that technology. Rod has worked as both a consultant
in educational technology as well as designing and implementing undergraduate and postgraduate
programs at the University of Technology Sydney and Southern Cross University. Over the last six
years, Rod has been working as an Adjunct Professor with the US-based Capella University, with
responsibilities for online teaching, course development, and PhD supervision in the field of Instruc-
tional Design for Online Learning. Currently, Rod is working with academic staff at the University
of New England to enhance and revitalise a range of units through the implementation of innovative
online strategies and resources.
ix
Preface
Cyber education continues to expand globally and includes K-12, higher education,
corporate training, and government programs. The topography of conventional
teaching and learning is changing rapidly as educational budgets are decreasing. In
the meantime, the demand for more digitally mediated forms of education is on the
rise and is forever altering the silhouette of the average student and of the tradi-
tional instructor. Once confined to physical classrooms, today’s learner connects
globally for communication, entertainment, education, and information thus placing
the individual in a new position that allows for the creation of an expanded iden-
tity (New Media Consortium, 2007). Part of the new online learner identity is in-
fluenced by the anonymity inherent in technology. Likewise, the identity of the
instructor has changed, transforming the cyber educator’s role from a facilitator to
a member of the learning community who is part of the reciprocal exchange of
knowledge. Both the medium for delivery and the pedagogy for learning are changed
by technologies in the digital age. Cyber education includes all online, mobile, and
digitally mediated means of communication used to connect learners and engage
them in the learning process.
The increased demand for cyber education calls for a heightened sense of aware-
ness among all stakeholders of online learning programs because digitally mediated
communications afford benefits as well as constraints, especially as they relate to
learning. Current literature generally discusses the benefits of such communications,
yet the potential tradeoffs for learners and cyber educators are seldom explored. In
this manuscript, such benefits and potential tradeoffs are discussed using the terms
online learning, cyber education, and digitally mediated learning interchangeably.
Technologies for mobile learning, virtual worlds, and social software among
others, are providing new opportunities and increasing the options available to in-
structional designers, cyber educators, and learners. New approaches to education
means that concerns of anonymity, authenticity, identity, and trust will also be on
the rise. In the report Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States,
2009Allen and Seaman (2009) concluded that at least one in every four higher
education students is taking one or more online courses. Over 4.6 million students