Examining Pedagogic Discourse in an Online Fan Community

• In Event: Roundtable Session 102
  In Roundtable Session: Design and Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, Virtual Worlds, and Fan Sites

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand how online spaces teach. The study explores “pedagogic discourse” (Bernstein, 1990; 1996; 2000; 2004) in one online, video game-related fan site and is guided by these questions: What is the nature of pedagogy in The Sims Writers’ Hangout (SWH)? How is knowledge communicated (transmitted) to SWH members (the acquirers)? This paper contributes to our knowledge about language and learning in online spaces by offering a Bernsteinian analysis of the pedagogy in an informal, online learning environment organized around creating and sharing media. Data will be shared to support claims that are specifically focused on how recontextualizing rules shape pedagogic interactions in this digital learning environment. Implications for practice will be discussed.

Author

• Jayne C. Lammers, University of Rochester