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Blackboard Software Roadmap As Cultural Practice Diana Gellci Wayne State University

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Blackboard Software Roadmap As Cultural Practice Diana Gellci Wayne State University Wayne State University Wayne State University Dissertations 1-1-2014 Networks Of Users And Powers: Blackboard Software Roadmap As Cultural Practice Diana Gellci Wayne State University, Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations Part of the Databases and Information Systems Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Gellci, Diana, "Networks Of Users And Powers: Blackboard Software Roadmap As Cultural Practice" (2014). Wayne State University Dissertations. Paper 985. This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Wayne State University Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. NETWORKS OF USERS AND POWERS: BLACKBOARD SOFTWARE ROADMAP AS CULTURAL PRACTICE by: DIANA GELLCI Submitted to the Graduate School of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2014 MAJOR: ANTHROPOLOGY (Cultural) Approved by: __________________________________ Advisor Date ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ © COPYRIGHT BY DIANA GËLLÇI 2014 All Rights Reserved DEDICATION To the memory of Jani Gëllçi, a committed educator (1932-2012). ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the Department of Anthropology at Wayne State University for their exceptional curriculum and for their financial support of this study through a Graduate Teaching Assistantship. I would especially like to thank the members of my doctoral committee – Drs. Mark Luborsky, Guérin Montilus, Carolyn E. Psenka, and Timothy W. Spannaus – for their individual inspiration and extreme patience in the face of numerous obstacles. I gratefully acknowledge the mentorship and distinguished support of Mark Luborsky, the chair of this committee, who mentored me and inspired every detail of this dissertation. I thank Guérrin Montilus for sharing with me his immense knowledge of and love for Anthropology. I am indebted to Timothy W. Spannaus who gave me a different perspective on users, for providing the crucial suggestion of including the University’s Blackboard support team in my fieldwork. I especially appreciate Carolyn E. Psenka for her thoughtful insights, personal support, and the long hours of many conversations we spent together on the phone or in person. I am most appreciative of Andrea Sankar, a woman and anthropologist of high standards, who empowered me through her strong confidence. I would like to acknowledge the valuable ideas provided by a number of experts: Steve Woolgar first to suggested the idea of studying Blackboard and users; Torin Mohanan suggested an ample space given to the fieldwork data; Johnathan Friedman sent me his unpublished manuscript on globalization; and Vaslav Rajlich clarified the iii characteristics of software. This doctoral work would not be the same without the dedicated editing of Rob Timberlake, his stunning suggestions, and his friendly support. I would like to thank all the people who offered their considerate ideas and valuable time during my fieldwork at the Office of Teaching and Learning and at the IT Help Desk. I especially appreciate Thessalonica Tecoa Reis, Abimbola O. Esan, Ligia Pamfilie, Joseph F. Sawasky, Amy Weiss, Florecilia Talabo Gutierrez (aka Kat), Trevor Harris, Geoffrey Sperl and Brian John Rotermond for offering their time, experiences, and opinions in seemingly endless explanations of how Blackboard works. Must specially recognize Christine Putnam, the Blackboard system administrator who always explained Blackboard through the learners’ perspectives. I am fortunate enough to have made a strong friendship with Cindy Sulad, a highly skilled administrator who went above and beyond of her host duty with her unparalleled support and love, helping me feel at home even at the IT Help Desk. I would like to give special thanks to the educators and students of César Chávez Academy, who shared the art of teaching and became an inspiration for me. Also, I would like to recognize the teaching team of the Petro Nini Luarasi High School of Erseka from 1980-84, whose passion for and commitment to teaching made me the dreamer and educator I am today. I am especially grateful for my late mother Berta Milo, who gave me the spirit of a thinker, and my father Dr. Sotir Milo, whose trust gave me confidence. Nothing would have been possible without their special love and care for people. iv I offer my deepest thanks and love to my husband Thomas Gellci and our two children, Kris and Klara, the people who accompanied me through every single moment of this endeavor. Tom, whose questions about my anthropological work made me take a step back for every two steps forward, made my life easier by taking good and special care of everybody in our family. Between his humorous disparagement toward social scientists, who don’t know how to make “things,” and his compassion for “cool stuff,” Kris opened the doors of the engineering world for me and became an essential key for demystifying this field. Klara’s distinguished sensitivity on diversity acceptance makes me feel less guilty for her growing up among Anthropology books rather than toys and for the long hours she spent in her car seat listening to our endless debates about topics from all over the globe. I am grateful to all of them. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ....................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. i List of Captures .............................................................................................................. iii Chapter 1 : Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................ 5 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................... 7 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................ 7 Scope of the Study ...................................................................................................... 8 User Issues – an Introduction .......................................................................................... 9 Promises vs. Reality .................................................................................................... 9 Technology Projects and Human Beliefs .................................................................. 10 Technology Discourse and Reality ........................................................................... 11 Proprietary vs. Free and Open Source Software ....................................................... 12 Acquisitions vs. Centralized Product Line................................................................ 13 Market Changes ........................................................................................................ 15 Changes in Conceptualization................................................................................... 16 Changes in Regulations: Who has the right to teach?............................................... 17 Main Concepts .............................................................................................................. 20 Social Order .............................................................................................................. 20 User ........................................................................................................................... 21 Networks ................................................................................................................... 22 Learners..................................................................................................................... 24 Technology (and its Ambiguity) ............................................................................... 25 The culture of Technology Use................................................................................. 26 Institutional Power .................................................................................................... 27 Globalization ............................................................................................................. 28 Culture and its Characteristics .................................................................................. 29 Chapter 2 :Literature Discussion ...................................................................................... 31 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 31 Globalization: a Broader Context ................................................................................. 32 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 32 Different Understandings on Globalization .............................................................
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