These little things crop up all over the place. When is a Metaphor not a metaphor?
(Well my other half thinks that the ‘network’ metaphor for technology is not a metaphor as the internet is a ‘network’ and it’s too closely related.)
There is some interesting stuff out there on this, some of which is a bit out there but you may find interesting to broaden the context (if you have the time).
This is a paper that looks at research on conceptions of internet.
“The way we describe something can affect the way we perceive it and way we perceive it can affect the way we use it”
The key message here is about finding out how users describe the online environment, and why they describe it this way.
“Metaphors from novices often bear a sense of confusion, complexity or frustration while experts are much more anchored in reality.”
Metaphorik “What can Internet metaphors reveal about the changing perception of the Internet?” Is an interesting look at metaphors and in summary how internet is now part of the world rather than different world
Six metaphors This is a left-field entry, with an interesting take on looking at the metaphors we could use for the internet. (Shank 2001) Thought-provoking stuff!
“To our knowledge, none of these metaphors have ever been used before to describe the Internet or Internet Culture”
Albatross “We talk about the soaring potential of the Internet to teaching and learning. The future promises to be a graceful one. Bringing it down to earth, apply in to the classroom and we’re witness to the potent structure stumbling along its way in the present.”
When developing our learning theories we should look at where they have to land.
Chiaroscuro (use and interplay of light and dark) “…out of the darkness at the edge where the network of connections emerges the Internet is taking on its new form. Between the time we access a web page and the time we finish reading it, someone somewhere in the world has uploaded yet another web page that will change the nature of what we have just read.”
When teaching we are reminded to give up our search for absolutes. We should seek the yin to the yang of each and every one of our theories and findings on teaching and learning using technology.
Diadem - “If the Internet is a diadem, then it is a crown designed by M.C. Escher and crafted by Moebius. It is a crowning adornment of culture but there is no centerpiece, no privileged spot……as the Internet has grown, and as various branches of Internet Culture have taken form, then the formlessness of the Internet has oscillated into branches of hierarchical structure and order almost inevitably…..There are sick people, and crazy people, and misguided people, and stupid people, and hate-filled people out there making web pages and chatting and posting messages that mimic the trappings of civilized thought”
“When teaching and learning we must define which people can wear the crown and how to find the and we must make it clear to our young learners that the diadem they reach for is poised on the top of thorns.”
Saprogen (organism living upon nonliving organic matter and capable of causing it’s transformation)
“The Internet is spreading its influence nourished by the decaying methods of didactic information….although shaped by literacy, the Internet manifests the "other" of literate behavior”
“Staying current requires the actions of teachers and learners to recognize and become familiar with the saprogenic nature of the Internet. It is a simple concept with complex consequences. It is scalable, malleable and all very adaptable.”
Shibboleth (something that reveals group identity).
“The Internet is a shibbolethic sea, a medium where use virtually signifies access, class, cultural identity, and profession. On one level it is a way to transform impressions into stereotypes; it used to be that you could tell what someone was like by their record collection, but now all you have to do is look at their bookmarks. And yet, the concept of the shibboleth goes well beyond the idea of just places and passwords. Its very intonation is whispered, speaking of private access to those inner circles characterized not only by privilege but also by committed belief.”
“The distinction between teacher and student based on authority over content is blurred and those that are part of a learning community cannot belong in the same way as before. It begs the question, what is a student or a teacher?”
Zebra
“The most interesting things about the zebra are those things that it is not. It is not a type of horse, even though it looks like one. Why is it, even though we realize that the zebra is not a horse, do we persist in thinking of it as a horse? It is not white with black stripes. It is black, with white markings. How is it that these white markings, which accentuate the zebra, take over and define its basic color as a form of markings?”
“The zebra is our metaphorical marker on the persistence of appearance and tradition, and how these factors can interfere with understanding what it is that we see right before our eyes…education must accept what technology is and not what it’s thoughts to be.”
Shank ends by telling us that he is leaving us with a sense of incompleteness.
“ We need to leave the reader with a sense of incompleteness in our resolution of the metaphors…. you need to work with the tensions in meaning created by our lack of resolution. How have we not understood, or misunderstood, Internet Culture from your vantage point?”
Summary
Metaphors also come with their own conceptions and perceptions. When using them we need to know what are learners and teachers get from them – do we need to be explicit about them? But does that explicitness negate the mystery and personal exploration of the metaphor? Do we need to construct our metaphor, as with the learning environment to guide people.
For me some clear points stand out:
- How we describe something may affect how it is used
- Understanding personal metaphors may help us understand motivations and feelings about technology
- When developing learning theories we need to be grounded
- We need to recognise the changing nature of the internet and what that means
- We need to accept what technology is and what it can do
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