[iDC] Notworking online collaboration in science and education

Wed Oct 3 12:12:30 UTC 2007

Hello all,

This is my first post here, though I've been lurking for awhile following
the threads in the past several weeks. Trebor kindly asked me to moderate a
week-long thread on the iDC list, so before I start with the topic(s), I
would like to introduce myself.

I am information management professional - graduate of the University of
Belgrade (Serbia),  Alumni of UNC-SILS, Chapel Hill (USA), with a Masters
from University of Belgrade, City University of London (UK) - Dept. of
Master studies (Information science), with the background in Humanities,
Culture and media studies, Philology sciences. I am currently in Belgrade,
Serbia, volunteering and working for more than 12 years as Serbian pioneer
in all online activities: online publishing, online communities, blogging,
open source, Linux, science blogging, open science, social networking
software,  teaching, eZine managing. I done research on certain aspects of
e-publishing, Internet and e-resources usage in academia (Serbia), in
comparison to the UK and the USA and been a tireless advocate for the
Internet, open source computing and Open Science, traveling around
Serbiaand the world, preaching and teaching. I am also author of
several blogs,
editor for Serbia of E-LIS (open access eConsortia) but above all - web
activist interested in e-publishing, open access, blogging phenomena,
communications, social aspects of digital media, social online networks,
digital culture and art in all forms.

I recently (last week) came back from international conference in Amsterdam on
alternatives and open knowledge in education , academic institutions
(universities, research institutes, eConsortia, libraries, eArchives, etc.),
where I had my lecture and interactive session,
discussing<http://faultlines.waag.org/?p=31>with professionals from
different backgrounds, on new concepts and ideas of
learning, challenges in contemporary pedagogy, including the use of new
media tools, but also exploring institutional and cultural issues.
I would like here to discuss, exchange information, thoughts and ideas on
certain issues (I started some topics but we were limited to 60 min and the
last one on online communities in above mentioned institutions and some
issues that follows, we didn't have time to discuss).

What I'm trying to resolve and find out in the past several months, a year,
more through practice,  is why scientific and academic target group is not
using open source facilities (OA databases, archives, e-resources), as I
created and maintained the first Serbian (Balkan area) science
blog<http://kobson.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/why-do-we-need-science-blogs/>within
eConsortia. I was asked to do so, Serbian eConsortia wanted hype
thing,  then after several months they didn'want it and could not support
it, despite of my lectures and trainings and volunteerism for this science
blog (also writing posts considering after a certain time people from
eConsortia will continue later themselves).

What I found as a problem is resistance from above, higher hierarchy
'authorities': eConsortia and Ministries, who are more into notworking than
networking, and later on disapproval and putting under the question the
existence of this blog , when they notice that the 'science blog' and online
science and research community is slowly developing and some scientists or
activists (small group) started to give a feedback either through comments
or via internal communication being enthusiastic for this blog. This is just
an example (science blog) of passivity and notworking in online community
space.

In my part of Europe there is no more 'information poor and rich society'
digital divide: Serbia and Balkan countries are fully subscribed and have
all facilities to use open source data and databases available any time.
Therefore, there is no excuse for not using them. There is also certain
group of colleagues (very few) who support idea of using web
2.0applications in their everyday work, but some 'older authorities'
or
'authorities with personal interests' are stopping the progress. This is not
new issue here, as I've been Internet pioneer since 1998, created first
academic listserv at Faculty of Architecture with more than 800 members (it
was not limited to that institution but also included the artists,
designers, architects, professors world wide, not only Serbia) as well as
initiator and editor in chief of electronic magazine (2000) on culture,
visual arts and contemporary architecture (until 2003).
However, since we experience and use web 2.0 services, and many of us
social, online networks or/and communities within professional area, I have
a question:

Why people (I will try not to generalize, but in my case and geo-spot) are
idle or afraid of using new technology tools when they have help if they are
not 'secure' for using them? I've  held several lectures and trainings on
blogs, wikis, web 2.0 other applications, tried to motivate in analogue
world colleagues, but then Ministries of Science, Education is not making
effort to support such initiatives. For what is worst, they have subscribed
to be a 'part of eEurope' and bigger eConsortia, and I, as open source
evangelist, have been teaching and preaching ever since, but electronic
available open access resources are not used in even satisfactory level!
Can you imagine millions of precious open source –electronic information
unused? For this situation, from my research master paper in one chapter, I
found some reasons/factors for this situation: lack of hardware, Internet
connection, digital illiteracy, non motivation, dissatisfaction of academic
personnel with their salaries and therefore not interested to broad their
scope in education processes and implement into their syllabus e-resources,
and many other reasons. Situation is much better regarding hardware and
Internet connectivity (in the last 2 years) and what is now excuse for
not-using precious open source databases, resources that we have?

Do (idle) professors, researchers, teachers, librarians, IT professionals
need to change this situation and be more active? Yes! Why they are not
doing so? I am trying to explore.

How to make them more active, to motivate them as individual (beside sending
'love-links', information via email experiencing 'online silence', lectures,
teaching, leading workshops/trainings)?

Burning question is how to make / create 'interactive 'playground' of online
community in academia, professional, scientific institutions, eConsortia to
move on, further, by jumping into the eTrain of web 2.0?
I know that certain issues come and are dependable on economy and society of
one country, but please – open source data, open CMS freeware cost
nothing!!! And they are in 90% user friendly for common interaction and
collaboration.

How online community managers in such institutions need to behave or
undertake certain strategies to shake, motivate such idle users or
coordinators in other world wide countries within larger eConsortia, who
have everything 'on plate', but they are notworking?

Interesting point gave prof. Florian Schneider at Pedagogical Faultlines
conference at my session, when he said something from his experience: that
the students/users who has free usage of all e-resources, web
2.0applications and have opportunity to be involved (or are asked,
obliged
through online classroom assignments) are not eager to take part into online
communities, and on contrary - those who are off that assignments or
institution use those social networks, blogs, and they are more active.

Internet culture is in a permanent flux. What are the motivation, starting
points, methods regarding this 'online community notworking' issue in
science/education institutions, to change situation for users and community
in large, and make them (more) active? And first of all, as I wrote on
hierarchy (Ministry of Science, education, eConsortia directors, directors
on National libraries, etc.):
How to point out this burning issue to them, present for several years, knowing
that they have other 'interests' and they are not interested into ICT's
development (but rather idle subscription of Academia with online resources
just to 'fill the annual budget'), and not taking in consideration other
issues beside being formal 'information rich society' as it is now
Serbia?  Formal(ly)
I repeat.
For me, this issue is like beating a dead horse. And since I am individual
who put in the past all of my efforts  without any *significant* result
'inside the country' but have the 'trails' and positive feedback from very
few users of what I have done (it's obvious that a professional, even a
small group of professionals cannot change politics and economy in education
and science sector of one country, especially if they want to change and
implement useful, open source, freeware applications and beside that, to
teach people how to use it), what would be the solution for such situation
considering your opinion?

I would be thankful if you participate and give your creative thoughts,
ideas not only on one issue I mentioned here, but others as well.
Sorry if I wrote long text, but this is very current topic not only in
digital world and blogosphere but also in analogue world as well.

I appreciate any feedback. Thank you for reading.

Best,
Danica

-----------------
Danica Radovanovic
MSc.Information management professional
Project coordinator, Web activist, blogger
E-LIS editor, Serbia
http://eprints.rclis.org/
---
blog: http://danicar.wordpress.com
site:http://danicaradovanovic.org
skype: zmajche
twitter: simpathique
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