Has technology encouraged a new approach to scholarship?
Madeline Brookes recommended Martin Weller‘s new(ish) book The Digital Scholar to me at the last #Learning2 in Asia. Weller articulates the moment we are in: a time and place where education is needing to reassess what ‘scholarship’ means. I’m using this post to consolidate what were a few of the highlights from the book, but please do let me know what you’ve thought of it, or provide links to other resources which help explore the new nuances of our academic environment as influenced by a constantly changing toolkit.
- Transparency as a tool: “The term ‘open scholar’ has been used by some and can be seen as almost synonymous with digital scholar. The open scholar ‘is someone who makes their intellectual projects and processes digitally visible and who invites and encourages ongoing criticism of their work and secondary uses of any or all parts of it-at any stage of its development’ (Burton 2009).” (p51)
- Blog as learning and for learning: “The existence of his blog, though allows Hirst to engage in this ongoing experimentation, as it has an outlet, but it simultaneously encourages it also, since discussions will arise on the blog….Taken as a whole then, the blog itself represents the research process…” (p60)
- Understanding the characteristics of a healthy blogging community:
To paraphrase some the ideas on page 67:
- Regular contributions are expected by all scholars in the community
- Having an open door for feedback and gaining insight from afar can happen on a regular basis
- The opportunity to learn in a research-rich environment, as bloggers promote and thrive on research
So what?
Weller reminds us to see our ability to adapt as our greatest strength. He references the power of blogs and Twitter as a means to connect with experts and thinkers outside of our day to day normal interactions. The opportunities for better and broader collaboration are (and have been) here. For the modern-day teacher, I think we have to ask whether or not we are modeling ‘scholarship’ in the frame in which it currently sits…and are we doing enough to encourage the would-be-scholars on our campus?