Module 5 - Information Ecologies

The metaphor of an ecology helps us to understand the internet and the way that we use it. We need to know more than just technical skills and how to do "stuff" on computers because these technologies impact us more broadly. Thinking of technologies as just a tool, limits us in how they can be applied in our lives. Indeed they eventually become a part of our lives. They have social, cultural and political ramifications.

Social and cultural conventions and practices have evolved on how we use it e.g. netiquette, social networking and privacy software. The internet was never designed with these in mind. It's design never considered that it would be a monumental storehouse of information and a predominant form of communication. These practices evolved over time by people using the technology. So as indiviuals, it may seem that we have this technology imposed on us but in fact we (collectively) do influence how these technologies are taken up and used.

“We define an information ecology to be a system of people, practices, values, and technologies in a particular local environment. In information ecologies, the spotlight is not on technology, but on human activities that are served by technology.”
(Nardi & O’Day, 1999)

So, an information ecology consists of
1. People,
2. Practices,
3. Values,
4. Technologies and a
5. Local environment

Considering this in the context of the environment I've spent a lot of time in lately - the local primary school community - I thought about how the internet has changed the way we interact and in fact how our children learn.
A couple of years ago I was asked to orgainise a large fundraising event to raise money for the P&C. The funds raised from the event were to be used to install "smartboards" (interactive whiteboards) which would bring the internet into the classroom in a fun an highly engaging way.

So, not only was the technology (the smartboards) the shared value for our coming together, the whole process of organising, communicating and gaining sponsorship for the event was facilitated by technology. The absence of the technology would have slowed the organisation considerably and many things would not have been possible.

Species: Parents, children, teachers, local business sponsors, local community - This represents a diversity of species whom all play a part and each dependent on others.

Evolving: A healthy ecology is not static. Newer, faster and different technologies introduced. In this case the very reason for the event was to enhance the learning environment for the children.

Technologies: E-mail, desktop publishing, databases and project management technologies were used to produce the event.

Keystone species: The absence of which the whole ecology would fall apart. In this case it is the children without whom the school community would not exist.

Locality: In the locale of the school community, the computer technology existed in the school as well as the businesses and homes of all the parents, sponsors and helpers.

Reference:
Merrick, H. (2004). Information Ecologies. The Curtin iLecture System. accessed from
http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_a/scripts/serve_home