Being There: What Presence Means in a Digital World
Channel: Stephen Downes
Date: 2020-08-15

To the extent that learning is a social activity it depends on presence, that is, it depends on the interaction and sense of commonality we have with other people. But presence doesn't need to be direct and personal; it can be mediated through objects and technologies. An author can speak to us through a book, a friend can speak to us through a telephone, an actor can convey meaning through cinema. But with each medium, the character of presence changes, as some affordances are amplified and others diminished. Which leads us to the question: what is the character of presence in digital media?  Drawing on more than 30 years of research developing interactive online learning technologies, Stephen Downes explores what it means to 'be there' in online learning.

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https://amara.org/v/C2LFl/