Virtual Ethnography

ETEC 542: Culture and Communication in Virtual Learning Environments

Objective

The objective of this assignment was to conduct an ethnography of a virtual culture on an online platform of our choice to strengthen our understanding of online cultures, the rules that govern their members’ behaviors, their demographics, issues, and language use.

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Reflection

I had an amazing experience doing this. It was so eye-opening and very fun to observe people’s behaviors online with an analytical mind that aims at understanding the role culture plays in how people learn and interact in VLEs (virtual learning environments). This assignment was one of the very essential first steps towards understanding how culturally-responsive VLEs can be created. Some skills I got to practice and improve in this project are critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. I can say that my perception of people' behaviors in online cultures has completely changed; I have developed a stronger appreciation of the varied cultures people bring to online environments, and how they express and share those cultures, which is crucial when designing culturally-responsive VLEs. I also have begun to see the power virtual environments have when they impose their own norms and expectations on participants. Comprehending the full impact of this power and how to leverage it is one of the first steps towards creating culturally-responsive VLEs. Significant scholarly works that I reflected on in this artifact include the works of Ess, C., & Sudweeks, F. (2012) in which they analyze the intricate relationships between new media and intercultural communication and the work of Macfadyen, L. P. (2006) in which she analyzes a significant aspect of virtual ethnicity which is the digitization of place, body, language, and memory. 

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Goal Alignment

It aligns with Goal 3 as it enabled me to deeply understand a significant issue pertaining to e-learning and put me on the right path to start focusing on innovating methods and strategies to integrate the culturally-responsive and inclusivity components in instructional design.

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Metaphor Alignment

A virtual ethnography involves observing and analyzing a certain culture and that includes its people. The purpose of this study in the context of this artifact is to pave the way towards finding innovative and effective ways to design culturally-inclusive VLEs. It is very similar to what happens in the editing stage of writing. The editor (re)-reads the story and observes its events and characters in order to make necessary adjustments and even come up with better storytelling techniques to create, for example, more gripping stories.