Coordination in the Network Society

Ozharvest is a charity that operates in Sydney, Canberra, Wollongong, Queanbeyan and Newcastle, collecting unwanted food and redistributing it to different organizations and people in need. They are trying to expand this program to all major Australian cities.

The dynamic goes like this: Restaurants and catering industries interested in donating their excess food, contact Ozharvest through their website or by telephone (money donation can also be made), delivery is done through coordinating vans and volunteers and the benefited groups include more than 200 charity groups,  both well known or low profile organizations.

With this example, we can observe how networks can be understood as a form of coordination of social interactions where the most important part is a ‘trustworthy cooperation between autonomous, but interdependent actors, who work together for a limited period of time, taking into consideration the interests of their partner, and being aware that this form of coordination is the best way to attain their own particular objectives’ (Frey, 2005: p.188).

REFERENCES

Frey, Klaus. (2005) ‘ICT-enforced Community Networks for Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion’ in Albrechts, Louis & Mandelbaum, Seymour, J. (ed) The Network Society: a new context for planning. New York:Routledge, pp.197-210

Notes about e-learning

E-learning has enriched the possibilities of acquiring education in all levels. On one hand, it has open new accessible channels for knowledge regardless of your physical location and without constrains of a specific schedule, giving the students and teachers a virtual mobility.  It offers flexibility for people who have to work and have little time to attend, it gives others a chance to study in universities outside their cities or countries, and it can generate a sharing of information with people from all over the world when the course is taken by a multicultural group.

However, it presents some technical and economical difficulties in terms of “digital literacy” or a low-income background. It does not provide the personal, face-to-face interaction, which can sometimes lead to a lack of motivation and a feeling of isolation. The quality measures are also an important matter since the online programs can sometimes evade a formal regulation. 

I think that tools for e-learning in a full time or part time face-to-face course, are very positive, just like our platform in Moodle is. However, a full e-learning course without a physical class attendance must be very carefully designed. We should not see e-learning just as a field of opportunities, we should also think about it as a field challenges.

REFERENCES

Van der Wende, Marijk. (2002) ‘The possibilities and limits of virtual mobility in international cooperation’ in Wacther, Bernd (ed) The Virtual Challenge to International Cooperation in Higher Education Bonn:Lemmens

Li, C., & Irby, B.. (2008). AN OVERVIEW OF ONLINE EDUCATION: ATTRACTIVENESS, BENEFITS, CHALLENGES, CONCERNS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. College Student Journal,A  42(2), 449-458.  Retrieved October 3, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1484437621).