SlideShare ist ein Scribd-Unternehmen logo
1 von 2
The Interweaved Fabrics of Reality: Physical, Social and Intentional
                                             Yishay Mor
                     IET, Open University, UK, Yishay.mor@open.ac.uk
Keywords: patterned practices, context, activity, culture, design

Consider a well-trained football team, or a group of Tai-Chi players. We are fascinated by the way in
which they act together; we derive aesthetic pleasure and excitement from observing them – and
even more (if we can) from being a part of such an activity. The effect (and effectiveness) of such
joint action is related to two characteristics. First, the participants are synchronised in space, social
grouping and intent. Second, they are engaged in a patterned practice. The first observation points
to what I see as a fundamental way in which we organise our experiences and construct reality. The
second is probably unfamiliar to most readers. In this paper I will present these concepts, consider
the relationship between them, and their relevance to the understanding of and designing for
learning with social mobile technologies.

Our actions are situated in contexts of physical location, social interaction and intentional state. We
move within these spaces, and make sense of the world through them. Bruner (1991) observed that
we create and share meanings by constructing narratives from our experiences. These narratives are
composed of sequences of events – each occurring in a specific location, involving specific actors and
noted for its relevance to particular intentions. The semantics of reality are defined in terms of rules
governing our ability to act within these spaces. Consequently, we adopt regular forms of behaviour
in response to recurring configurations of intentional, social and physical environments. Such forms
have been described by Roepstorff et al (2010) as patterned practices.

The notion of patterned practice emerged in anthropological research as a response to a growing
awareness to the problematic use of culture as a collective attribute. On one hand, research shows
significant intra-cultural variance. On the other, the mobility and connectiveness of human society
engender cross-cultural threads and trends and create new groups which do not fit existing labels.
Instead, Roepstorff et al (2010) argue that “human group life orders itself into specific and semi-
stable patterns of interaction, i.e. practices. Practices are shaped by material conditions, social
dynamics and normative orders” (pp 1057) and these patterned practices should constitute a more
useful axis of analysis. Individuals’ engagement in patterned practices shape their mind and body,
and in return they reshape the environment – physical and social – in which they operate.

An awareness of patterned practices, with an acute sensitivity to the interweaving of the physical,
social and intentional fabric in which these are situated, provides us a powerful tool for
understanding, and consequently designing, the learning potential of experiences afforded by
mobile and social technologies. Such technologies can amplify or fragment the cohesion of
experiences across these dimensions: sitting at a café with a friend, I constantly check my twitter
feed: I am participating in an established practice, clearly defined in location, social contract and
joint intent – yet I am not fully present, part of me is engaged in other interactions, detached from
the physical context. On the other hand, I participate in the twitter back-channel of a conference –
thus simultaneously capitalising on and contributing to the shared intents of the social group present
at that location.

References
Bruner, J. (1991), 'The Narrative Construction of Reality', Critical Inquiry 18, 1-21.

Roepstorff, A.; Niewöhnerc, J. & Beck, S. (2010), 'Enculturing brains through patterned practices',
Neural Networks 23 (8-9), 1051-1059.

Weitere Àhnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Functionalism
FunctionalismFunctionalism
Functionalism
allstar101
 
Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)
Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)
Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)
jodasig
 
Lecture 1 introduction
Lecture 1   introductionLecture 1   introduction
Lecture 1 introduction
juw123
 
Sociology and education
Sociology and educationSociology and education
Sociology and education
Robilyn Duria
 
Education and sociology
Education and sociologyEducation and sociology
Education and sociology
nasser mustapha
 
Sociological perspactive
Sociological perspactiveSociological perspactive
Sociological perspactive
naimaumer
 
SociologyExchange.co.uk Shared Resource
SociologyExchange.co.uk Shared ResourceSociologyExchange.co.uk Shared Resource
SociologyExchange.co.uk Shared Resource
sociologyexchange.co.uk
 
Introduction to social dimensions of education
Introduction to social dimensions of educationIntroduction to social dimensions of education
Introduction to social dimensions of education
Janette Balagot
 
Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Major Theoretical Perspectives in SociologyMajor Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Kostyk Elf
 

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Ecology
EcologyEcology
Ecology
 
Sociology- Xa hoi hoc- Tieng Anh
Sociology- Xa hoi hoc- Tieng AnhSociology- Xa hoi hoc- Tieng Anh
Sociology- Xa hoi hoc- Tieng Anh
 
Introduction to the Social Dimensions of Education : Consensus and Conflict T...
Introduction to the Social Dimensions of Education : Consensus and Conflict T...Introduction to the Social Dimensions of Education : Consensus and Conflict T...
Introduction to the Social Dimensions of Education : Consensus and Conflict T...
 
Social Dimension of Education
Social Dimension of EducationSocial Dimension of Education
Social Dimension of Education
 
Functionalism
FunctionalismFunctionalism
Functionalism
 
Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)
Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)
Social Dimensions of Education (Introduction)
 
1 Sociology
1 Sociology1 Sociology
1 Sociology
 
Lecture 1 introduction
Lecture 1   introductionLecture 1   introduction
Lecture 1 introduction
 
Sociology and education
Sociology and educationSociology and education
Sociology and education
 
Education and sociology
Education and sociologyEducation and sociology
Education and sociology
 
Social dimensions by Jolieto Caparida
Social dimensions by Jolieto CaparidaSocial dimensions by Jolieto Caparida
Social dimensions by Jolieto Caparida
 
Making sense of our everyday experiences
Making sense of our everyday experiencesMaking sense of our everyday experiences
Making sense of our everyday experiences
 
Social dimensions of_educatio_npart_1
Social dimensions of_educatio_npart_1Social dimensions of_educatio_npart_1
Social dimensions of_educatio_npart_1
 
Social Dimensions of Education
Social Dimensions of EducationSocial Dimensions of Education
Social Dimensions of Education
 
Sociological perspactive
Sociological perspactiveSociological perspactive
Sociological perspactive
 
Consensus & conflict theory
Consensus & conflict theoryConsensus & conflict theory
Consensus & conflict theory
 
Chapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Handout-Toby Zhu
Chapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Handout-Toby ZhuChapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Handout-Toby Zhu
Chapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Handout-Toby Zhu
 
SociologyExchange.co.uk Shared Resource
SociologyExchange.co.uk Shared ResourceSociologyExchange.co.uk Shared Resource
SociologyExchange.co.uk Shared Resource
 
Introduction to social dimensions of education
Introduction to social dimensions of educationIntroduction to social dimensions of education
Introduction to social dimensions of education
 
Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Major Theoretical Perspectives in SociologyMajor Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
 

Ähnlich wie The interweaved fabrics of reality

Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01
Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01
Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01
Pekka Ihanainen
 
MAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docx
MAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docxMAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docx
MAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docx
andreecapon
 
Toward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docx
Toward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docxToward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docx
Toward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docx
edwardmarivel
 

Ähnlich wie The interweaved fabrics of reality (20)

Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01
Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01
Schoolandinstruction Aretheyrevolutionarilyimprovable 091201141313 Phpapp01
 
EDUC 4 - Social Dimensions of Education
EDUC 4 - Social Dimensions of EducationEDUC 4 - Social Dimensions of Education
EDUC 4 - Social Dimensions of Education
 
The socialsciencedisciplines
The socialsciencedisciplinesThe socialsciencedisciplines
The socialsciencedisciplines
 
Social Structure
Social StructureSocial Structure
Social Structure
 
MAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docx
MAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docxMAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docx
MAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docx
 
Society Community & Culture.docx
Society Community & Culture.docxSociety Community & Culture.docx
Society Community & Culture.docx
 
Bourdieu, Pierre: Structure and Agency
Bourdieu, Pierre: Structure and AgencyBourdieu, Pierre: Structure and Agency
Bourdieu, Pierre: Structure and Agency
 
005476212.pdfdiss
005476212.pdfdiss005476212.pdfdiss
005476212.pdfdiss
 
Ethnomethodology
EthnomethodologyEthnomethodology
Ethnomethodology
 
SOC PRO LESSON 2.pptx
SOC PRO LESSON 2.pptxSOC PRO LESSON 2.pptx
SOC PRO LESSON 2.pptx
 
5TheSocialScienceDisciplines.pptx
5TheSocialScienceDisciplines.pptx5TheSocialScienceDisciplines.pptx
5TheSocialScienceDisciplines.pptx
 
Actions speak louder than words Close relationships between humans and nonhu...
Actions speak louder than words  Close relationships between humans and nonhu...Actions speak louder than words  Close relationships between humans and nonhu...
Actions speak louder than words Close relationships between humans and nonhu...
 
Social Approaches To Learning
Social Approaches To LearningSocial Approaches To Learning
Social Approaches To Learning
 
Chapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Toby Zhu
Chapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Toby ZhuChapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Toby Zhu
Chapter 10: Symbolic Interactionism and Social Constructionism-Toby Zhu
 
Trait Theory
Trait TheoryTrait Theory
Trait Theory
 
Trait Theory
Trait TheoryTrait Theory
Trait Theory
 
UCSA Pp presentation.pptx
UCSA Pp  presentation.pptxUCSA Pp  presentation.pptx
UCSA Pp presentation.pptx
 
Understanding the concepts of culture, society and politics
Understanding the concepts of culture, society and politicsUnderstanding the concepts of culture, society and politics
Understanding the concepts of culture, society and politics
 
Sociology Essay Ideas
Sociology Essay IdeasSociology Essay Ideas
Sociology Essay Ideas
 
Toward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docx
Toward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docxToward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docx
Toward a Psychology of HumanAgencyAlbert BanduraStanfo.docx
 

Mehr von Yishay Mor

OEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshop
OEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshopOEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshop
OEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshop
Yishay Mor
 
MOOCs for Web Talent
MOOCs for Web TalentMOOCs for Web Talent
MOOCs for Web Talent
Yishay Mor
 
EEE Project Meeting, June 2014
EEE Project Meeting, June 2014EEE Project Meeting, June 2014
EEE Project Meeting, June 2014
Yishay Mor
 
Week7 intro evaluate
Week7 intro evaluateWeek7 intro evaluate
Week7 intro evaluate
Yishay Mor
 
The Pedagogical Patterns Collector User Guide
The Pedagogical Patterns Collector User GuideThe Pedagogical Patterns Collector User Guide
The Pedagogical Patterns Collector User Guide
Yishay Mor
 
Learning Design: mapping the landscape
Learning Design: mapping the landscapeLearning Design: mapping the landscape
Learning Design: mapping the landscape
Yishay Mor
 

Mehr von Yishay Mor (20)

Education as a design practice and a design science
Education as a design practice and a design scienceEducation as a design practice and a design science
Education as a design practice and a design science
 
Simon Nelson: FutureLearn
Simon Nelson: FutureLearnSimon Nelson: FutureLearn
Simon Nelson: FutureLearn
 
Paul Hunter: why MOOCs and Executives Don't Mix
Paul Hunter: why MOOCs and Executives Don't MixPaul Hunter: why MOOCs and Executives Don't Mix
Paul Hunter: why MOOCs and Executives Don't Mix
 
Sanna Ruhalahti: Wanted - MOOC Pedagogy
Sanna Ruhalahti: Wanted - MOOC PedagogySanna Ruhalahti: Wanted - MOOC Pedagogy
Sanna Ruhalahti: Wanted - MOOC Pedagogy
 
OEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshop
OEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshopOEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshop
OEC Paris Residential: scenarios workshop
 
MOOCs for Web Talent
MOOCs for Web TalentMOOCs for Web Talent
MOOCs for Web Talent
 
OpenEducation Challenge Incubator Programme
OpenEducation Challenge Incubator ProgrammeOpenEducation Challenge Incubator Programme
OpenEducation Challenge Incubator Programme
 
OpenEducation Challenge Finalists' Workshop: Design Thinking Session
OpenEducation Challenge Finalists' Workshop: Design Thinking SessionOpenEducation Challenge Finalists' Workshop: Design Thinking Session
OpenEducation Challenge Finalists' Workshop: Design Thinking Session
 
EEE Project Meeting, June 2014
EEE Project Meeting, June 2014EEE Project Meeting, June 2014
EEE Project Meeting, June 2014
 
How to ruin a MOOC? JISC RSC Yorkshire & the Humber Online Conference 2013
How to ruin a MOOC? JISC RSC Yorkshire & the Humber Online Conference 2013How to ruin a MOOC? JISC RSC Yorkshire & the Humber Online Conference 2013
How to ruin a MOOC? JISC RSC Yorkshire & the Humber Online Conference 2013
 
How to ruin a mooc
How to ruin a moocHow to ruin a mooc
How to ruin a mooc
 
Iterative research and development of teacher training in learning design
Iterative research and development of teacher training in learning design  Iterative research and development of teacher training in learning design
Iterative research and development of teacher training in learning design
 
Metis project worskhop design
Metis project worskhop designMetis project worskhop design
Metis project worskhop design
 
Metis project deliverable D3.2: Draft of pilot workshop
Metis project deliverable D3.2: Draft of pilot workshopMetis project deliverable D3.2: Draft of pilot workshop
Metis project deliverable D3.2: Draft of pilot workshop
 
OLDS MOOC Week 7: Formative evaluation paper
OLDS MOOC Week 7: Formative evaluation paperOLDS MOOC Week 7: Formative evaluation paper
OLDS MOOC Week 7: Formative evaluation paper
 
Design narratives
Design narrativesDesign narratives
Design narratives
 
Week7 intro evaluate
Week7 intro evaluateWeek7 intro evaluate
Week7 intro evaluate
 
The Pedagogical Patterns Collector User Guide
The Pedagogical Patterns Collector User GuideThe Pedagogical Patterns Collector User Guide
The Pedagogical Patterns Collector User Guide
 
TILD workshop at ARV 2013
TILD workshop at ARV 2013TILD workshop at ARV 2013
TILD workshop at ARV 2013
 
Learning Design: mapping the landscape
Learning Design: mapping the landscapeLearning Design: mapping the landscape
Learning Design: mapping the landscape
 

KĂŒrzlich hochgeladen

Cloud Frontiers: A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FME
Cloud Frontiers:  A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FMECloud Frontiers:  A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FME
Cloud Frontiers: A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FME
Safe Software
 
+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...
+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...
+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...
?#DUbAI#??##{{(☎+971_581248768%)**%*]'#abortion pills for sale in dubai@
 
Architecting Cloud Native Applications
Architecting Cloud Native ApplicationsArchitecting Cloud Native Applications
Architecting Cloud Native Applications
WSO2
 
Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024
Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024
Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024
Victor Rentea
 

KĂŒrzlich hochgeladen (20)

Apidays New York 2024 - Passkeys: Developing APIs to enable passwordless auth...
Apidays New York 2024 - Passkeys: Developing APIs to enable passwordless auth...Apidays New York 2024 - Passkeys: Developing APIs to enable passwordless auth...
Apidays New York 2024 - Passkeys: Developing APIs to enable passwordless auth...
 
Cloud Frontiers: A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FME
Cloud Frontiers:  A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FMECloud Frontiers:  A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FME
Cloud Frontiers: A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FME
 
Biography Of Angeliki Cooney | Senior Vice President Life Sciences | Albany, ...
Biography Of Angeliki Cooney | Senior Vice President Life Sciences | Albany, ...Biography Of Angeliki Cooney | Senior Vice President Life Sciences | Albany, ...
Biography Of Angeliki Cooney | Senior Vice President Life Sciences | Albany, ...
 
Apidays New York 2024 - The Good, the Bad and the Governed by David O'Neill, ...
Apidays New York 2024 - The Good, the Bad and the Governed by David O'Neill, ...Apidays New York 2024 - The Good, the Bad and the Governed by David O'Neill, ...
Apidays New York 2024 - The Good, the Bad and the Governed by David O'Neill, ...
 
EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGY GRADE 11 QUARTER 2 REVIEWER
EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGY GRADE 11 QUARTER 2 REVIEWEREMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGY GRADE 11 QUARTER 2 REVIEWER
EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGY GRADE 11 QUARTER 2 REVIEWER
 
AWS Community Day CPH - Three problems of Terraform
AWS Community Day CPH - Three problems of TerraformAWS Community Day CPH - Three problems of Terraform
AWS Community Day CPH - Three problems of Terraform
 
Rising Above_ Dubai Floods and the Fortitude of Dubai International Airport.pdf
Rising Above_ Dubai Floods and the Fortitude of Dubai International Airport.pdfRising Above_ Dubai Floods and the Fortitude of Dubai International Airport.pdf
Rising Above_ Dubai Floods and the Fortitude of Dubai International Airport.pdf
 
+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...
+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...
+971581248768>> SAFE AND ORIGINAL ABORTION PILLS FOR SALE IN DUBAI AND ABUDHA...
 
How to Troubleshoot Apps for the Modern Connected Worker
How to Troubleshoot Apps for the Modern Connected WorkerHow to Troubleshoot Apps for the Modern Connected Worker
How to Troubleshoot Apps for the Modern Connected Worker
 
Repurposing LNG terminals for Hydrogen Ammonia: Feasibility and Cost Saving
Repurposing LNG terminals for Hydrogen Ammonia: Feasibility and Cost SavingRepurposing LNG terminals for Hydrogen Ammonia: Feasibility and Cost Saving
Repurposing LNG terminals for Hydrogen Ammonia: Feasibility and Cost Saving
 
ProductAnonymous-April2024-WinProductDiscovery-MelissaKlemke
ProductAnonymous-April2024-WinProductDiscovery-MelissaKlemkeProductAnonymous-April2024-WinProductDiscovery-MelissaKlemke
ProductAnonymous-April2024-WinProductDiscovery-MelissaKlemke
 
Web Form Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apri...
Web Form Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apri...Web Form Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apri...
Web Form Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apri...
 
DEV meet-up UiPath Document Understanding May 7 2024 Amsterdam
DEV meet-up UiPath Document Understanding May 7 2024 AmsterdamDEV meet-up UiPath Document Understanding May 7 2024 Amsterdam
DEV meet-up UiPath Document Understanding May 7 2024 Amsterdam
 
Connector Corner: Accelerate revenue generation using UiPath API-centric busi...
Connector Corner: Accelerate revenue generation using UiPath API-centric busi...Connector Corner: Accelerate revenue generation using UiPath API-centric busi...
Connector Corner: Accelerate revenue generation using UiPath API-centric busi...
 
FWD Group - Insurer Innovation Award 2024
FWD Group - Insurer Innovation Award 2024FWD Group - Insurer Innovation Award 2024
FWD Group - Insurer Innovation Award 2024
 
Architecting Cloud Native Applications
Architecting Cloud Native ApplicationsArchitecting Cloud Native Applications
Architecting Cloud Native Applications
 
Boost Fertility New Invention Ups Success Rates.pdf
Boost Fertility New Invention Ups Success Rates.pdfBoost Fertility New Invention Ups Success Rates.pdf
Boost Fertility New Invention Ups Success Rates.pdf
 
Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024
Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024
Modular Monolith - a Practical Alternative to Microservices @ Devoxx UK 2024
 
ICT role in 21st century education and its challenges
ICT role in 21st century education and its challengesICT role in 21st century education and its challenges
ICT role in 21st century education and its challenges
 
Platformless Horizons for Digital Adaptability
Platformless Horizons for Digital AdaptabilityPlatformless Horizons for Digital Adaptability
Platformless Horizons for Digital Adaptability
 

The interweaved fabrics of reality

  • 1. The Interweaved Fabrics of Reality: Physical, Social and Intentional Yishay Mor IET, Open University, UK, Yishay.mor@open.ac.uk Keywords: patterned practices, context, activity, culture, design Consider a well-trained football team, or a group of Tai-Chi players. We are fascinated by the way in which they act together; we derive aesthetic pleasure and excitement from observing them – and even more (if we can) from being a part of such an activity. The effect (and effectiveness) of such joint action is related to two characteristics. First, the participants are synchronised in space, social grouping and intent. Second, they are engaged in a patterned practice. The first observation points to what I see as a fundamental way in which we organise our experiences and construct reality. The second is probably unfamiliar to most readers. In this paper I will present these concepts, consider the relationship between them, and their relevance to the understanding of and designing for learning with social mobile technologies. Our actions are situated in contexts of physical location, social interaction and intentional state. We move within these spaces, and make sense of the world through them. Bruner (1991) observed that we create and share meanings by constructing narratives from our experiences. These narratives are composed of sequences of events – each occurring in a specific location, involving specific actors and noted for its relevance to particular intentions. The semantics of reality are defined in terms of rules governing our ability to act within these spaces. Consequently, we adopt regular forms of behaviour in response to recurring configurations of intentional, social and physical environments. Such forms have been described by Roepstorff et al (2010) as patterned practices. The notion of patterned practice emerged in anthropological research as a response to a growing awareness to the problematic use of culture as a collective attribute. On one hand, research shows significant intra-cultural variance. On the other, the mobility and connectiveness of human society engender cross-cultural threads and trends and create new groups which do not fit existing labels. Instead, Roepstorff et al (2010) argue that “human group life orders itself into specific and semi- stable patterns of interaction, i.e. practices. Practices are shaped by material conditions, social dynamics and normative orders” (pp 1057) and these patterned practices should constitute a more useful axis of analysis. Individuals’ engagement in patterned practices shape their mind and body, and in return they reshape the environment – physical and social – in which they operate. An awareness of patterned practices, with an acute sensitivity to the interweaving of the physical, social and intentional fabric in which these are situated, provides us a powerful tool for understanding, and consequently designing, the learning potential of experiences afforded by mobile and social technologies. Such technologies can amplify or fragment the cohesion of experiences across these dimensions: sitting at a cafĂ© with a friend, I constantly check my twitter feed: I am participating in an established practice, clearly defined in location, social contract and joint intent – yet I am not fully present, part of me is engaged in other interactions, detached from the physical context. On the other hand, I participate in the twitter back-channel of a conference –
  • 2. thus simultaneously capitalising on and contributing to the shared intents of the social group present at that location. References Bruner, J. (1991), 'The Narrative Construction of Reality', Critical Inquiry 18, 1-21. Roepstorff, A.; Niewöhnerc, J. & Beck, S. (2010), 'Enculturing brains through patterned practices', Neural Networks 23 (8-9), 1051-1059.