Week 2- Post 2: education Slack
Slack for Education
I thought it was unfortunate that part 2 of Networked didn’t have a section devoted to Networked Education (or if it was discussed in one of the other sections, I missed it since it wasn’t reflected in the titles).
So I read Networked Work instead, since after education using the information I get in this class (and this degree really) is meant to help me in my career. The book focuses mostly on the telecommuting work that social media technologies have enabled.
I really want a work from home job. I love my current job, but as I sit all day typing in a computer, I really can’t see any justification for why I can’t do this from the comfort of my home. Maybe one day.
Because all the benefits that Networked spells out are so true. But beyond that, social media technologies have basically replaced the main methods of communication already. I see it all around- most of my coworkers are typing away at their desk, and only really chatting with each other in real life about small talk- most of those conversations are not work related. Because I work on a big open floor plan, with more than 100 other people in their cubicles working away. We use a work messaging software called Slack. If someone has a question, they don’t go running around trying to find the person with the answer. They post it up on Slack, and the whole office can see it at once. The answers are usually instantaneous.
Slack seems like a cross between a discussion board, a messenger service, and twitter. (Maybe not twitter.) There are different channels, ideally grouped on different topics. You post on a channel, then people responding to your post create a thread. Meanwhile, other users can continue to post on the same channel, and generate their own threads. Everyone can see this activity.
It’s like the Office Water cooler, but everyone’s always there. It’s like an office round table, always there. We didn’t have anything like it at the library, and I quickly fell in love with it and so many other social media tools that were being implemented here.
Probably my library (and county government that I worked for) was a little behind, or didn’t have the funds to spend on a service like Slack. But it would’ve saved so much time and effort to implement. Especially in an organization like the library, spread out over 40+ branches- the ability to share information with each other would’ve been unprecedented. We all felt like we worked in our little silos of our individual branches- I think a tool like this would’ve promoted community.
I wonder if something like that would work in an educational setting. The discussion boards of Canvas certainly work, but there’s something quick and casual about a service like Slack. There’s a reason something like Twitter became more popular than what message boards ever were back in the day.
I need to think more about why I think it might be a good fit.
I thought it was unfortunate that part 2 of Networked didn’t have a section devoted to Networked Education (or if it was discussed in one of the other sections, I missed it since it wasn’t reflected in the titles).
So I read Networked Work instead, since after education using the information I get in this class (and this degree really) is meant to help me in my career. The book focuses mostly on the telecommuting work that social media technologies have enabled.
I really want a work from home job. I love my current job, but as I sit all day typing in a computer, I really can’t see any justification for why I can’t do this from the comfort of my home. Maybe one day.
Because all the benefits that Networked spells out are so true. But beyond that, social media technologies have basically replaced the main methods of communication already. I see it all around- most of my coworkers are typing away at their desk, and only really chatting with each other in real life about small talk- most of those conversations are not work related. Because I work on a big open floor plan, with more than 100 other people in their cubicles working away. We use a work messaging software called Slack. If someone has a question, they don’t go running around trying to find the person with the answer. They post it up on Slack, and the whole office can see it at once. The answers are usually instantaneous.
Slack seems like a cross between a discussion board, a messenger service, and twitter. (Maybe not twitter.) There are different channels, ideally grouped on different topics. You post on a channel, then people responding to your post create a thread. Meanwhile, other users can continue to post on the same channel, and generate their own threads. Everyone can see this activity.
It’s like the Office Water cooler, but everyone’s always there. It’s like an office round table, always there. We didn’t have anything like it at the library, and I quickly fell in love with it and so many other social media tools that were being implemented here.
Probably my library (and county government that I worked for) was a little behind, or didn’t have the funds to spend on a service like Slack. But it would’ve saved so much time and effort to implement. Especially in an organization like the library, spread out over 40+ branches- the ability to share information with each other would’ve been unprecedented. We all felt like we worked in our little silos of our individual branches- I think a tool like this would’ve promoted community.
I wonder if something like that would work in an educational setting. The discussion boards of Canvas certainly work, but there’s something quick and casual about a service like Slack. There’s a reason something like Twitter became more popular than what message boards ever were back in the day.
I need to think more about why I think it might be a good fit.
I read Networked Work too. I work in two time zones, from multiple offices, so it helps to be networked. We have been experimenting with making some of our staff roles telecommuter roles. If you hire someone who is self motivating, and who has a good work ethic, it works really well. I do think you have to be somewhat focused or disciplined to work from home. With today's tools and resources, it makes sense, and it also saves a ton in overhead (campus space is at a premium, and so is parking!). I haven't tried Slack, so thanks for sharing- I will check it out!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Slack! I love it so much that I think I probably have 10 different accounts for various groups and communities that I am a part of. I heard about Slack quite a while ago and had 1 account initially , but in the last 4 months or so, it has skyrocketed with so many groups I know turning to it.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I have recently seen some "anti-Slack" articles going around on LinkedIn and I never really took the time to read them thoroughly, but the argument was that the notifications and constant "on" time was distracting to staff and took them out of the "flow" and off task leading to less productivity over time. Of course I am sure there is truth to this with some people who need to be in the "flow" but yet are distracted easily. At the same time, if people know how to manage their notifications and turn them off when needed and use other tactics such as ignoring notifications, I imagine this would not be that much of an issue.
Here is an article The productivity pit: how Slack is ruining work about the negative side: https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/1/18511575/productivity-slack-google-microsoft-facebook.
Personally, I still will decide to use Slack and just mute it when I do not want to be distracted. Everything in moderation. :)