How are norms around privacy and publicity reflected in online

learning environments?

John Dewey: the school is a

social institution

John Dewey pic by Underwood & Underwood NY https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/File:John_Dewey_lib.jpg; school pic from https://rhhr.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/the-regulators-the-school-system/

Learning is social

• We construct knowledge through discussion, argument, debate, criticism, publication, public demonstration, dissemination, collaboration and teamwork.

• But that doesn’t mean that all interactions are ‘public’ all the time.

(1) Norms of information

sharing in learning

Pic by Dave McLean, CC BY NC SA http://www.flickr.com/photos/damclean/2804826/

pic by Thiago Lopes http://www.flickr.com/photos/mystic/254752892/

Pic by Kim Cofino CC BY NC SA http://www.flickr.com/photos/superkimbo/3121816803/

Pic by cactusbillaz http://www.flickr.com/photos/cactusbillaz/4309493008/

http://www.saintmonica.net/school/picture.page/sciencefair.2008/album/slides/dsc_7393.html

(2)Technology spaces for “managing” learning

(3)Where is the disconnect?

Pic by Joe Hall CC BY http://www.flickr.com/photos/71753172@N00/2385347167

Helen Nissenbaum: privacy can be infringed when “contextual integrity” of an information flow is broken.

norms of information flow• we don’t expect that conversations we had

while learning a subject when we are in a classroom will be persistently available forever;

• we don’t expect that what goes on in the classroom will be visible to everyone all the time;

• we don’t expect that others will ‘listen in’ to our team’s discussions.

norms technology

dynamic static

multiplicities binary

audience for ‘public’ is defined

audience for ‘public’ is undefined

multiple roles beyond ‘student’ and ‘teacher’

assumes only one role per user

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PrivateTime

Privacy and publicity in F2F versus ‘open’ and ‘closed’ virtual classrooms

Public

F2F classroom

‘open’ virtual classroom

‘closed’ virtual classroom

Lots more questions...

• what roles do we play during a class and how do these roles changes over time?

• do the terms ‘open’ and ‘closed’ education play any role in these decisions?

• are there ways of designing technology to accommodate norms of information sharing that change over time?