After three weeks creatively and critically exploring cyberculture it is time to venture into the second part of our course and exhibition, where will be using community culture to examine contemporary educational practices and spaces. The paint is still drying on the white-washed walls of our Community Culture gallery, but that’s fine as there are a few things we all need to do before putting any new material on show.
First, we have invited you all to a new gallery space for Block 2, which we invited you to using your student email addresses. This can be found here (once you have accepted the invite). You might consider backing up your work from Block 1 (which James and I have done as well). To do this, you can duplicate the board or export a version of it. If you run into any problems, do let us know and we will get those sorted right away.
To get started, please take time to carefully read through the different pages under the Community Culture tab on this site, which will give you a clear idea of what lies in store. The major activity in this block will be to undertake a mini-ethnography of an online community, presented across your gallery space, therefore it is really important that you have a good grasp of what is involved and how to undertake the exercise in line with ethical considerations. With EDC, we are deliberately emphasising particular methods (visual methods in Block 1; ethnography in this block), both as a means of exploring culture online, but also to expose you to approaches you might consider for your dissertation, should you be on the MSc.
In the first week of this block we want you to set aside time to do the reading that will inform the thinking and activity that follows. You should start by looking at the readings which discuss working ethnographically, before moving onto the three core readings around community online.
Having looked across these readings and the relevant pages of the course site, you should be in a position to select an online educational community that will be the subject of your mini ethnography. You need to do this early in the block so that you are ready to begin your study from the start of Week 6. Feel free to chat about your ideas a bit in the Museum Cafe space of the gallery.
While you are doing all of this, James and I will be spending some time viewing and commenting on the cyberculture visual artefacts and catalogue entries you produced in the last block. Thanks for all your tremendous work on the exhibition so far: we have been impressed by the way you have enthusiastically (and critically!) responded to the exercise so well done there.
So after a period of busily curating your gallery, participating in a film festival, composing a visual artefact, and writing a catalogue entry, this week is a chance to catch our breath and spend time reading and thinking about online ethnography and community culture.
Have a great week, everyone.
Michael and James