Online Self-Organizing Social Systems

I am not sure about the rest of you in this class 7150 but I would really like to join the efforts of OSLO in furthering this research. Fascinating to me is the concept of self organization as Yoda would say. True, there are a probable group of individuals who will fight for in class teacher-to-student learning till their last dying breath. However, this is only because of ignorance and not an educated judgement. Meaning they were unwilling to even read about and participate in the results.
I am the first to admit that I was extremely skeptic about this online interaction. Throughout this semester I have been extremely negative to say the least. Until my Elf, Knight and Dark Elf all reached level 13. Had I not experienced Lineage I would not have really understood OSOSS as well. The possibilities of asynchronous learning are many with the Internet and relegated to very few confined within a physical classroom. "...just as there exists a class of instructional approaches which lose effectiveness as the number of students involved grows very large (think of just about any traditional teaching strategy here), there also exists a class of instructional approaches which lose effectiveness as the number of students involved grows very small."
Simply stated, "How can we help more people learn, and learn in a way that prepares them to make a notable contribution to society?"

Personal Thought

As a Seminary Teacher I have been trying to get my students to read their scriptures at home for the past seven years with little success. This year I allowed them to create their own goal for reading and how they read. As they reach a certain goal consistantly over a period of two to three weeks they are able to increase their goal to a higher level of difficulty (more days and/or longer time, more effort in application, etc.) Amazingly it has been extremely successful. Why? Because they are working for themselves!
I realize that self organization takes time and patience. There must be a centralized need that individuals feel a responsibility to fill, meaning relevancy. Individuals who participate need to feel they are part of something much larger than themselves. Most importantly that they are making a notable contribution to that large cause and are acutually succeeding.
I am an Ant. I have caught the scent. I am trying to find the rest of the ants to get food and bring it home!

Snapshots

Here are my snapshots. I liked the shepards and the fireflies. With the shepards I tried to herd sheep with two shepards verses 25. With more sheperds the herding took place much quicker. I thought if I had fewer shepards it would be easier to locate and place sheep without taking sheep away from their place as often. I was wrong! With more sheperds in place the sheep were taken and placed much quicker into one fold much quicker.
Likewise with the fireflies I tried to reduce the number of flies, increase flashes to reset and flash length, hoping to increase the speed to which they all would blink in unison. It failed! I thought less flies, more flashes and longer flash length, easier to follow instructions. However, the more flies, decreased flashes and reset, the quicker the response of all flies flashing in unison. Bottom line, the more flies flashing the easier it becomes to recognize your neighboring fly, reset and flash with him. Sounds a lot like OSOSS!
Fireflies and Sheperds

Classroom and Online teaching and learning. Are they different?

Personal Experience
I went skiing over the weekend with my 5 five brothers and brother in law. After our second trip down the slope I had to run to the car for a different pair of socks so I left the group planning to meet up with them after that run. As I sat at the bottom of the hill waiting for them I began to realize that the skiing community is much like living in the Land of Aden. Within my group of 6 we had an expert skier and boarder, two amateurs, and two novices. We had an interesting day.
Jim, my younger brother who has not been skiing for 12 years, said to me as we boarded the lift for the first time that day, “I feel like the old middle school days, wearing and skiing with loaned gear”. Which is exactly what he had and I could tell he felt a little inferior. Obviously it was nothing like Jake’s $750.00 skis and $450.00 North Face parka and pants. Not to mention his incredible form and ability to ski any terrain on the mountain. People like him and my brother Mike make boarding and skiing look so easy. Only to become extremely frustrating for those of us who are not as experienced and yet expect to perform just like them. What happens in our mind is we come to the hard realization that experience is the only way to advance in ability. You can watch and read all the ski lessons you want, but it comes down to money (adena) and experience (level 11 73.47%) if you ever want to be any good. Of course it is good to follow instructions and guidance, but there is no short cut to advancing in ability, only your effort of both time, money and ability will help you gain experience. As I sat at the bottom waiting for them I watched people with a different perspective. As I noticed attitudes and gestures I thought of my time spent in the land of Aden. I couldn’t just start talking to certain individuals or whisper to specific ones or even shout out a question of where did they get their gear and protective outfits.
Throughout the day I realized something else. To be with others and not ruin their time you must be to at least a certain level where you can keep up. Once you are at a certain level you can begin to travel with others who can help and give advice. Something else I noticed was this. As long as you are with just one advanced expert they seem to have all the time in the world. However, when they are traveling with other advanced characters they have very little time and/or patience for you.
Toward the end of the day something interesting took place. My brother Mike (expert boarder) and my brother in law Jake (expert skier) switched gear. It was interesting to watch them take a completely different role on the mountain that day. They decided to become novices and try something they were not used to. The other brothers and myself began to experience a different day on the mountain. Suddenly it became fun and exciting. We were now all around the same level and no one felt inferior to anyone else. It really became much more enjoyable.

Application of Experience with Lineage

I thought about when I reached level 13 with my knight and then created a new character and started back at level 1. My knight could not travel in Hidden Valley because his level is too high. I really wanted to play with certain members of the class on Friday and I knew they would be in Hidden Valley. So I started over with a new Character trying to increase his ability before Friday’s meeting. Many hours were spent just to be with the class on Friday night for only a few hours.
It all comes down to this simple question. Do you want to learn to ski? Do you want to advance in the land of Aden? Do you want to earn a PhD? When we want something it is usually because it is relevant and is filling a need in our lives. When something becomes relevant we seem to lose track of time and are willing to pay any price to advance our cause. Reading about Merrill’s 5 components of affective instruction while thinking about time spent in land of Aden I understood why this program at times frustrates me and why at other times it captures my full attention.
Are teaching and learning really done differently here than in classrooms? I have thought much about this. Yes and no. I chose this on segment from form Merrill’s paper because it best explains why I feel learning is different yet the same in online communities and face-to-face communities.

“Many current instructional models suggest that the most effective learning environments are those that are
problem-based and involve the student in four distinct phases of learning: (1) activation of prior experience, (2) demonstration of skills, (3) application of skills, and (4) integration of these skills into real world activities. Figure 1 illustrates these five ideas. Much instructional practice concentrates primarily on phase 2 and ignores the other phases in this cycle of learning.
At the top level the instructional design prescriptions based on first principles are as follows:
· Learning is facilitated when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems.
· Learning is facilitated when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge3.
· Learning is facilitated when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner.
· Learning is facilitated when new knowledge is applied by the learner
· Learning is facilitated when new knowledge is integrated into the learner's world.”

These instructional phases fit perfectly within the virtual community of Lineage. However, some may have a problem with the real world of Aden and the real world they live in. Separating these differences and focusing on the principles of learning discovered in both worlds I want to make a few observations.

Number 1

Much of our educational experiences focus on phase two, which is why education often becomes burdensome and mundane. Perhaps students find no relevant need in what a teacher is explaining and/or pontificating about. Yes it is a student’s responsibility to learn and apply what is learned. However, I am not going to read and instructional manual before I step into the land of Aden. I know that once I am experiencing the journey then the same material that would have been lectured in one ear and out the other just to fill some requirements, would become needful and interesting. The student would even seek after it because the information is now needed and useful. Guidance, feedback, practice, presentation of information, is all a major part of education and involves much more than a simple student-teacher relationship. Many individuals play a significant role in education, perhaps most important are our colleagues and not the teachers. Perhaps the most important aspect of our education is the timing of presentation. Once one has entered into the field of education do they realize the need for the information or are they simply being asking to read the entire instruction manual before they get to the land of Aden.

Number 2

Perhaps many more students who are striving to gain a better education do not excel because they feel inferior to someone else. They are not as advanced, smart, and experienced as others and therefore either quit or refuse to try as hard. Or else they just play the game because they are required to play as part of a class requirement. Yes, this is when education becomes very burdensome and difficult. If more students were directed to understand the need for learning, and perhaps even given opportunity to apply knowledge in time of that need, education would reach new heights.

MMOs Lineage

Have you ever gone to a social gathering alone? (to exagerate the situation think about middle school and your first social outing) Perhaps the first thing on your mind was where is someone I know and how many do I know? I am sure there are persons in this cohort who are social buffs who enjoy meeting unfamiliar persons in unfamiliar settings; however, I enjoy the company of at least one person I know to relieve the uncomfortable feeling of possible anonymity in a public setting.
I was thankful Marion set up a lab in Ogden and a time for all who wanted to meet together in the village. A few things I noticed about myself while trekking through the land of creatures, elves, knights, orcs, dragons, and werewolves was my being with others I knew. Ebichu, Ramion, Masterp, Tegra, Gracelyn2, Imak, and Zee to name a few were my faithful companions in this land of adventure. As I traveled a long side of these great warriors I had a confidence that I would never have had traveling alone. Ramion supplied me with armor and a bow and Ebichu repeatedly told me I was the man. I seemed to be willing to attack any creature as long as I was along side such individuals. Which was much more meaningful than any NPC.
My name was Roehaun. I was a knight carrying a dagger and a bow. Yes, I died frequently this week. As far as embarrassing deaths I never really had one, my deaths were usually great acts of courage! then again I never fought any creature of significant strength because I was not strong. Perhaps that is embarassing in and of itself. I just could not muster up enough power to resist the powerful creatures of the dungeon. I only reached level 6.
The ability to put a human face to the characters that were traveling along side of me was crucial. I had complete trust in these persons because I knew them. This made the entire adventure exciting and fun. I look forward to our next meeting in the land of Aden.

Online/Offline Identity

Identity: Reputation, Trust and Accountability

Finally, I understand what happened when I entered the Lambdamoo and how an online community may really function. This paper brought the puzzle together piece by piece as I read, and for this I am deeply grateful. I am now admitting to something I never thought I would, there is a ‘potentially’ beneficial purpose for being in an online community. There are still possibilities of face-less cruelty and identity fraud, but also opportunity for positive interaction.
“Anonymity (including pseudonymity) is very controversial in the on-line world. On one side, anonymity is touted as the savior of personal freedom, necessary to ensure liberty in an era of increasingly sophisticated surveillance. It ``allows people to develop reputations based on the quality of their ideas, rather than their job, wealth, age, or status.'' [May 94]. On the other side, it is condemned it as an invitation to anarchy, providing cover for criminals from tax-evaders to terrorists. The ``very purpose of anonymity'', said Supreme Court Justice Scalia, is to ``facilitate wrong by eliminating accountability.''

In the offline and online world we must ask ourselves the following questions. Who is in control of who? Who is responsible for who? Who can you control? There are ways in which cooperation can exist among users and the incentives can be positive for those who are willing to share and discuss issues they would not otherwise. As I read I found myself changing the stigma that I have carried over the last few months. Afterall who is in control?

As I think about my wife and family, my church and profession, I have spent the last several years trying to build, trust, reputation, identity and accountability with them and the many others I have come in contact with. Just as interactions in the ‘online’ world depend upon an identity so does the ‘offline’ world. There are many similarities in both worlds as far as trust, accountability, reputation, identity, cooperation, and incentives. We can be just as ‘honest’ or ‘deceptive’ offline as we can online. It is so important to establish a trustworthy identity in an online community if you are serious about your experience, “For most participants, identity - both the establishment of their own reputation and the recognition of others - plays a vital role”. However, the offline consequences for vindictive behavior can often carry a heavier toll rather than creating a new identity and getting back in the ring for round two. Which means online interactions can often become an easier forum for dishonesty. As mentioned in the article, I would much rather create a new identity than find a new job carrying my 'real' identity.

"There can be real harm in being ``seen'' online. One Usenet troublemaker forwards postings to their authors' supervisors, claiming that they were inappropriate uses of the net and that the author is a troll, etc. Although the original posts are completely legitimate (questions about integer precision in database packages and the like) many managers know little about Usenet culture and will assume that the employee must have been doing something wrong - and doing it on company time and under the company name.”

Trolling and Deception

As I think about my experience in LambdaMOO and IRC I could have very well been considered a troll. I may have had a similar presence as the biker just learning to ride, or the individual who hates cats, or the wedding perpetrator who was incredibly rude. How I wish I could have been more familiar with these new environments. In a way I do not blame them for being so rude. For all I know they were defending themselves against potential troll acting as one of those ‘students’ from a class. I can definitely see the temptation to being a troll, online communities set a perfect stage. I was interested in the varying degrees of harm a troll can cause. Consider the difference between the biker and the wedding interactions.

Personal Thoughts and Conclusion

There were a few aspects that I found myself being very excited about. I was intriqued by the ability to identify language, voice, and the ability to utilize killfiles. First, I enjoyed the concept of how to identify someone by their language and/or voice recognition. “More importantly, it provides a chance to get a sense of the writer's ``voice'' and to see how he or she interacts with others in the on-line social environment.” It is here that the author discussed expressions given and expressions give off. "Both forms of expression are subject to deliberate manipulation, but the ``expression given off'' may be much harder to control. One can write ``I am female'', but sustaining a voice and reactions that are convincingly a woman's may prove to be quite difficult for a man." This is where I felt the ‘online’ and ‘offline’ worlds came together unmistakably. (Other than the apparent male/female features) However, these also can be manipulated and changed. However, it may be easier to identify someone in an online world because what you decide to say is in print and can be read more than once. If I were to meet a man who is a women I would not sit and converse to identify patterns of speech. It is easy to see that identity fraud is much more difficult if others in the online community are privy to recognition.

Killfiles are my absolute favorite part of the online world. I want to use a personal example of where I would use this feature in the ‘offline’ world. Every six months, as a member of the LDS Church I have an opportunity to attend a worldwide conference in Salt Lake City. I do not attend every year, but enjoy attending on occasion. One reason I do not go as often is the presence of TROLLS dragging ‘bait’ up and down the river. I would love to apply a killfile, “To the person who has been killfiled, Usenet becomes a corridor of frustratingly shut doors: one can shout, but cannot be heard.” This is my saving grace of online interactions. If I were to learn how to interact in an online community this command would place me at the control panel and I would have a much better experience. Ahhhh(a soothing sigh) the power of Online Interaction.

One Final Note on Faceless Interaction

Last week my wife was in the grocery store with our son Matthew. He is six years old and loves the wide-open space. He and a person had a very small collision in the aisle. As Matthew walked back to his mother he heard this person complaining about children being out of control and of the apparent ‘need’ for parental responsibility. This person continued to complain vocally for approximately 3-4 minutes. She was not looking at my wife but ‘seemingly’ was talking out loud to herself about 20 feet from my wife and son. (For those who have not met my wife, she is very nice) With this my wonderful wife, Tauna, simply said in a nice tone to Matthew,(knowing the person could hear) “I think someone is not having a very good day”. The person just kept complaining vocally to themself whileTauna and Matthew left the isle. Wow, think of it, a faceless conversation in the offline world!

IRC

EFNet and Starlink-IRC

#basketball - #baseball - #beginners - #Jesus_is_the_way_the_truth_and_the_Life - #hands around the world

Percieved Differences: IRC vs. LambdaMOO

One obvious difference between these two experiences is the ability I had to search out a topic and enter a discussion I chose to be involved with. However, I did experience similar experiences as LambdaMOO. People not wanting to talk with me, being ignored, not know the chat jargon, quick responsiveness with emoticons. One key difference with LambdaMOO is being in rooms that we are all familiar with in our 'real' world. The ambience of wall hangings, food on the table, chairs to sit in. That atmosphere in and of itself is a major difference between the two. Also, I was able to correct my spelling before it appeared on the screen. This simple act made a huge difference. I am not one to be chatting in an online community and loving the experience. As I mentioned last week, I am thankful for the opportunity to chat in online communities for the simple fact that I have been forced out of my comfort zone. Would I voluntarily do this on my own time? No.

Some Thoughts

I am involved in scouting in my community. I attended a Pow Wow on Saturday and had an interesting experience. I have been thinking about this course and the experience I have been having. As we were awaiting the start of the Pow Wow there was about 500 of us sitting in the gymnasium at Weber High. Since the individuals in charge of starting the event were not present, three individuals who were also leaders, stood up and had us all sing a scout song about baby, grandpa, mother and father sharks and a swimmer.
I was a little uncomfortable but I did it. After a while they announced a change to a room number. People began to speak out loud asking for clarification. What room did you say? I am sorry I did not hear what room that was? I cannot find the number on my map? Are you sure that number is right? When the person in front of me kept saying she could not find the number on their map a person in front of her turned around and kindly pointed to the number. To which the person who was questioning simply said, "thank you". As I sat there in that gym I thought about an online community. What would have happened in a faceless online community?

Reduced Self-Regulation

Reid stated, "Researchers of human behavior on computer-mediated communication systems have often noted that users of such systems tend to behave in a more uninhibited manner than they would in face-to-face encounters." I realize that IRC can be either positive or negative. To do away with self-image and be whomever you want to be. "Computer-mediated communication is less bound by conventions than is face-to-face interaction." I guess my question is this. Which is more dominant in an online community, negative or positive. Do we tend to be kinder and more understanding in a face-to-face interaction? Are we more honest with our thoughts and feelings of what is being said in an online interaction? If I never met a professor nor anyone in the class would I say how I really feel in a classroom discussion as apposed to being in a classroom with the professor and colleagues? Would the people at Pow Wow last Saturday have been that kind and patient if they were in a faceless online interaction? These are just some thoughts on this week’s experience.

MUDs and MOOs

(To those few who may read this I am hoping you will comment. Dave I am hoping you will let me know where I stand.)

When I was in grade school I was diagnosed with lazy eye. As a result I wore big glasses with a patch over one eye. I come from a family of ten children, and we did not always have the current ‘style’ of clothes, play sports, or have any gadgets. I always felt just a little out of step with students in school. I can remember one day walking home from school and being teased from the front doors of school to the walkway of my home 3 blocks away. I do not write this seeking for any pity parties on behalf of my grade school experiences.

However, I tried my hand in the MOO and left feeling very frustrated. For the first time in 15 years I felt as if I were walking home from school as I tried to get involved in a conversation on the MOO. It was a challenging experience. I was extremely vulnerable because I have this false sense that everyone is nice. (Don't blame me, I grew up in happy valley) I am sure someone will read this blog and figure out who I was and how ignorant I was. I must honestly say that I have not felt that vulnerable since that long walk home. I left the room to see what else there was to learn and when I came back I was simply ignored.

Trust

While I struggled to maintain some sort of conversation I was unable to type without mistakes. Finally I began to type with one finger to make sure I was typing correctly. The very fact I felt Dave’s influence over me to fulfill the assignment, I felt trapped. I was asked a few baited questions about who I was, why I was there, only to find out that they were also in this class with me, at least a few of them. I wondered if the rude comments about typing and level of education, or the emote commands of laughter and glaring were actually from someone within our class. Interesting that the emote commands were far more offensive to me that the rude comments. In response to one of Wiley’s questions, the emote command does create a sense of existence within a live group of people. I left the MOO wondering why I felt so offended, no one really knew me nor I them. Looking back on the experience the emote commands were the basis for my frustration and not the comments. I found this quote from the readings extremely relevant, “Emotes help define contexts for conversations, establish responsiveness and attentiveness, communicate understanding, initiate play, describe actions in real life that may affect the involvement in the MUD conversation.”

Previous Environments vs. MUDs and MOOs

I felt as though I had been betrayed. The difference between other environments and MOO is that I was discussing issues with a specific purpose within the other environments. Depending on what my interests were was the location I chose to enter. For example I had a great time discussing fly-fishing. However, this week I was forced to be involved in conversation that I did not choose, with people who I would never sit in a living room and converse with. In that sense this was a great assignment. I was forced outside of my comfort zone.

The MOO environment was much different. As far as the creation of artifacts and the locations I was not aware. Other than someone made a devil’s tail and someone said they would attach it to their zipper. As I mentioned before, the different speech modalities play a significant role in communication. The mannerisms, actions and expressions all bring a real ambience to the discussion. People were hugging, winking and falling down in laughter which helped to create a real sense of being present in a room talking with people. I was literally embarrassed and ultimately left.

Sweet Redemption

Later that night, after I gained composure, I returned to redeem myself. This time I was pushed into the kitchen twice because I was annoying. However, at least I was on the offensive and was forced to leave instead of exiting with embarassment.

Final Thoughts

I am impressed by the mode of thinking required by MUDs and MOOs. I can see the benefit of Bruckman’s future directions and look forward to read more about the results of MOOSE.

In reflection after all my emotions have now subsided I ask myself. "Who is in control of who when one enters a MOO, who is accountable for who, and who can you control?"
By the way I enjoyed playing Zork.

Can I Trust Them?

I have not bought many items online. However, I purchased a train set for $250.00 last Christmas for a friend (It was his money). I must confess the thought never crossed my mind that it may be fraudulent. The train arrived on my doorstep within three weeks from the purchase. All the parts displayed were accounted for and my friends son had a great Christmas. My friend does not own a computer and avoids the Internet at all cost. I just told him I would look for something online because it would be easier to find. I am not sure what I would have told him if I spent his money and an empty box came to his home. I had never met the individual I bought the train from. The seller e-mailed once answering a question I had concerning the method of payment. The readings have provided me with a different lens, one I have not been looking through.
Cooperation comes through trust. When something does go wrong it becomes our responsibility to reveal the seller with a click of the mouse. The internet does provide a great opportunity for buying and selling. At the same time, it is a ripe industry for fraud. Although the name may be listed for others to know, it may have been just a one time sell for them. How does one prepare themselves for the individuals who have kept up a clean record awaiting the right moment to make money without a product? Which all of us must keep in mind if we are regular buyers online. Such questions like Why does ebay find so much success? and Why does the Internet based merchandizing not fail miserably? are indeed thought provoking.
Incentives for utilizing the Internet are obvious, such as less time traveling and shopping for those who are purchasing. Although trust flourishes when store is established and persons are well acquainted with one another as mentioned in the readings. However, the option of what to buy and how to get it is an obvious plus online. Also, as mentioned in the reading, sellers find it to be much less expensive to sell over the Internet rather than start of a store. The Shopping lane is much broader and filled with every item imaginable. Yea, the incentive is great to shop online. This is where trust built through reputation systems plays a significant role.
I was fully aware of the stars by the sellers name when I bought the train set. If there had been any reason to doubt the credibility of the seller I am sure I would have baulked at the purchase. I believe part of the cause for success of buying and selling on the Internet is the limited one time buying and selling between individuals. The numbers were a bit alarming in the article written by Resnick and Zeckhauser concerning the frequency of buyers and sellers who have traded more than once with one another. During a specified time period a study revealed some interesting findings. This indicates that 17.9% of all sales involved a buyer and seller who had done business with each other before. The article further explained that of the pairs who bought and sold 89% had traded only once and 98.9% traded no more than four times. Which leads us to assume that most buying and selling on the Internet is a first time occurrence. Someone needs or wants an item, they search the internet and find the item, and then make the purchase. It all sounds pretty simple and yet so deceptive at times.
When all is said and done we must ask ourselves, Do I trust this individual and why?