Oriol Miralbell's_research » Web 2.0

Research Project – a third explanation

Oriol Miralbell — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:34:32 +0000

Here’s the link to the document that explains the research project of my PhD Thesis, on which I’m working since 2 years.
I’ve gathered most empyrical data after an intense fieldwork and I hope to start writing my conclusions the next fall.
This month of August I will write on the methodological arguments, which are the main contribution of my thesis (in my opinion).
You can download the project explanation from this link

Launching the NEW survey of my research

Oriol Miralbell — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:38:02 +0000

After more than two years working on the theoretical framework for my PhD research on “Evaluating Online Social Networks in generating knowledge among tourism professionals”, together with my two directors Dr. Francesc González Reverté and Dr. Jaume Guia, i’ve reached the point to launch the survey which is the first visible part of the epirical study.

I’m happy to be at the point where the first outcomes are visible, after this long period of readings and discussions, of questioning and asking to experts and friends about online social networks as learning environments.
I’m really excited on the possible results of the analysis I will do once I receive the information from you, the experts. At the same time, I fear I won’t ger enough responses from all of you.
This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the web 2.0 tools and to have a better picture from this new and still unknown Network Society. I have found in this study one of the most exciting intellectual activities I’ve ever had. It has stressed from me all the rational and intellectual abilities I had, if I ever had one. It has kept me connected to the issue all time I was awakened and sometime in my dreams too.
Thus I want this project to finish with a set of conclusions that can help us all, users, academics, experts and, in general, followers of the web 2.0 and the social media and of e-learning to get more from it.
I’d like to invite you to participate in this survey that is directed to all those professionals, business people, academics, consultants, experts and lovers of tourism, that use online social networks to communicate and learn.

Here’s the link for the survey in SPANISH and here’s it ENGLISH.

I want to thank you in advance for your help by answering to this survey, that will take you only 15 minutes of your time.
I WISH YOU A PEACEFUL XMAS TIME AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

CCK09 Eluminate session on Nov, 19

Oriol Miralbell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:13:40 +0000

The great Eluminate session today with George Siemens shed some light into my doubts, but it also raised lots of questions that will require long tinking before putting them in order.
The session was the most active and participative I’ve seen in Eluminate thanks to George’s moderation and the dynamics he cretated on people inviting to write on the board, and raising questions directly to the audience.
The participation was, sometimes, chaotic, but it also showed what our technologies are still missing. I felt that in F2F collective sessions we have natural skills in identifying the origin of the messages, and we can concentrate in what we have interest on, whilst we can ignorate what we don’t want to listen to. In a digital synchronous session this is much more difficult.
The voice and the spoken language are an environment where we feel comfortable and we can even pay attention to two messages that are give simultaneously, even if we don’t get all of them. On the opporite side, I feel that our vision focuses and concnmtrates more in one direction and we miss all those messages that are out of scope. This doesn’t happen with oral communication.
On the other hand, vision and sound lets us idntify what and when things are happening. In a social event we learn that there exist protocols and latent rythms that we have to follow. In a session running only with sound and chatting, even with collaboration board, like Eluminate, these protocols and rhythms are less evident.
For the first time, after e-lecturing for several years, I felt that IT have to provide much more instruments to build rules and protocols similar to the ones developped in presential meetings, if we like to collaborate simultaneously on a digitla way.
Most of the issues raised by George where reinforcing my questions and also did the many messages wtitten by the other participants on the board or in the chat area.
We were dicussing about methodological concepts for teaching and collaborative learning, whilst the problems that emerged in the discussion where more practical and empyrical. It was a great feeling beeing in such a metaphor of collaborative learning experiment.
Thanks to George Siemens and to the rest of the moderators, and to all the coursemates.

How many lifes do we live in one day?

Oriol Miralbell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:44:09 +0000

Every morning when I get up (i’ts difficult to say what I look like, because I hate to get up early) I get more and more surprised by the huge amount of twitts and blog posts, and the updates in facebook from my friends and people I follow. It’s incredible how these messages can bring me into so many different lifes- They use to happen close to me, or maybe at the other side of the world. It doesn’t matter because all these lifes are related to mine. The same as these toughts are linked to mines.
So, at the end of the day I’m exhausted but happy because I’ve lived so many lifes in one day.
It’s great to have all these hundreds digital friends and mentors in the big social network of my life.
Thanks to all of them!

Se genera conocimiento colectivo entre las empresas turísticas?

Oriol Miralbell — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:33:54 +0000

Este es parte de un post hecho en mi blog de la COMUNIDAD HOSTELTUR, una comunidad muy activa e interesante del scetro turístico. Hago mención aquí de este post porqué está generando un debate muy interesante en dicha comunidad. Podeis leer más en: Se genera conocimiento colectivo entre las empresas turísticas?

Llevo unos años trabajando en ello pero no había realizado ninguna pregunta abierta a la comunidad Hosteltur. Creeis que entre las empresas turísticas se genera conocimiento de forma colectiva?

Me explico: las comunidades de práctica son concidas por su importancia a la hora de generar conocimiento de forma colaborativa. Dichas comunidades pueden existir por muchos motivos, sin embargo las dinámicas que se generan, si funcionan de manera normal, suponen unas condiciones de colaboración ideales para la generación colaborativa de conocimiento.

Continuar leyendo aquí

Starting a new project

Oriol Miralbell — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:40:29 +0000

This site is intended to be an instrument of communication in my academic research. Actually I’m working on my PhD Thesis and after two years of readings and observations I’m at the point of finishing the queationnaire for the survey I want to launch in the coming weeks.

Parallel to this research I’m following the CCK09 course that George Siemens and Stephen Downes are coordinating over the Internet. I strongly recommend this course to all rthose qho are interested in e-learning, knowledge sharing and connective or cooperative learning.

I hope and wish that this site becomes a forum for debate and knowledge generation.