Teaching your undergrads about #DigitalEthnography? I've got a fun, effective activity for you! It allows students to practice ethnographic skills and emphasizes how crucial sustained engagement with a digital community is for effective and ethical research 🧵 1/
First, students choose an online community they identify with (the more obscure, the better!) and create a "cheat sheet" that briefly explains their community's purpose, history, jargon, and how to access it. 2/
Then they share that cheat sheet with a partner, and their partner spends 5-7 minutes exploring that community! The hardest part here is getting the students to stop talking to each other 😅 yesterday, my classroom was a cacophony of laughter that was delightful 3/
but undermines the goal. Try to rein them in and emphasize that the confusion is the point. Once they've explored the unfamiliar community, they identify two things they think they understand, one thing they don't, and potential logistical and ethical challenges. 4/
Finally, they debrief with one another. How accurate were their impressions? So what was the deal with the things they found especially confusing? What advice do they have for addressing the challenges of studying their community? 5/
In my experience, students LOVE this activity. It's fun to share one of their corners of the Internet, and they're often shocked how inscrutable other communities are. It really drives home the importance of long-term engagement with a site. 6/
Want a copy of this activity sheet? Here you go! tinyurl.com/2cr7wkew 7/
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
