Mob Rule Learning: Camps, Unconferences and Trashing the Talking Head.  By Michelle Boule, Medford: Cyber Age Books, 2011, paperback ISBN 978-0-910965-92-7, 230 pages

MacLellan, Fiona

English

Review of Mob Rule Learning: Camps, Unconferences and Trashing the Talking Head. By Michelle Boule, Medford: Cyber Age Books, 2011, paperback ISBN 978-0-910965-92-7

Watkins, Fiona Marie

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Book review: Mob Rule Learning

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   This work has been submitted to NECTAR, the     Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research.    http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/4381/    Creator(s): MacLellan, F.  Title: Book review: Mob Rule Learning  Date:  31 July 2012  Originally published by: Ariadne  Place of publication: Online (http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue69/maclellan-rvw)  Example citation: MacLellan, F. (2012) Book review: Mob Rule Learning. Ariadne. 69 1361-3200.  Version of item: Published version  This article has been published under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) licence. Please note this CC BY licence applies to textual content of this article, and that some images or other non-textual elements may be covered by special copyright arrangements. 18/09/2012 Book Rev iew : Mob Rule Learningwww.ariadne.ac.uk/print/issue69/maclellan-rv wPublished on Ariadne (http://www.ariadne.ac.uk)Book Review: Mob Rule Learning29 July 2012 - 1:15pmMob Rule Learning: Camps, Unconferences and Trashing the Talk ing Head.  By Michelle Boule, Medford:Cyber Age Books, 2011, paperback ISBN 978-0-910965-92-7, 230 pages.Table of Contents [hide]1. Contents and Structure2. Further Thoughts3. Conclusion4. References5. Author DetailsThe unconference phenomenon is something that I have heard lots about and have previously tried to readinformation about; however what this basic research has never been able to do is convince me of the necessityfor the unconference or camp environment.  Michelle Boule in this concise and easy-to-read book has managedto go at least part way to achieving this.  Through use of case study, interview and example, the book providesan overview of the history of the unconference alongside the benefits it may represent to individuals andorganisations.  Boule illustrates the benefits of traditional conferences whilst also identifying their limitations,and therefore demonstrates where the unconference fits in. Contents and StructureThe twelve chapters of the book are divided into two sections, and they proceed in what to my mind is a logicalorder.  The chapters follow an identical format in each of the two sections, starting with a look at the traditionalaspect, and then defining what the author perceives as different in the new movement.  The middle two chaptersof each section then highlight possible ways for readers to set up aspects of the unconference approach forthemselves. The final two chapters look at real examples and the future.  More details for each of the sections18/09/2012 Book Rev iew : Mob Rule Learningwww.ariadne.ac.uk/print/issue69/maclellan-rv ware shown in the next two paragraphs.The first part of the book covers the unconference movement and what it actually means.  The chapters in thispart cover information such as where the unconference idea originated and why the author and other citedexperts felt it was a necessary development.  There is also a useful chapter on how to plan a camp orunconference which can act as a checklist as well as giving more details on the various aspects on the list. The penultimate chapter of this part covers case studies of seven different unconferences which give a greatreal-life look at how an unconference can develop and operate at a practical level.  The first part of the book endswith a look at how the unconference concept can be applied in the future.  I found it useful and interesting tolearn the history of the unconference and have the rules and guidelines explained whilst also being encouragedto look forward and identify ways the elements of the unconference could be applied in my own organisation.The second part of the book looks at how unconferences change the manner in which we learn and interact withlearning.  It focuses more on the education and learning gained rather than the unconference event itself.  Boulestarts the second part with a look at traditional learning events and conferences, and discusses the aspects ofthose events which may fail to benefit learners to any great degree.  This overview then leads nicely onto thebenefits of updating the conference experience and then expounds upon the advantages to organisations ofusing the ‘mob’ available to them in order to create learning events and opportunities.  A further chapter covershow to get the most out of the people involved in the unconference or camp by looking at the obstacles thatmight crop up and how to overcome them. There is also a section on how to encourage the individuals who takepart in such an event.  The penultimate chapter of this section again offers case studies, in this case fourseparate ones that focus on the application of the unconference and mob learning in education.  Again,repeating the format of the first section, the final chapter is looking forward to the future of allowing groups ofpeople to educate themselves rather than relying solely on a single figurehead speaker or even multiplefigureheads in the more conventional didactic conferences.  I feel that this second section, whilst restrictingitself to the educational aspects of unconferences, may be the most influential in terms of demonstratingopportunities to apply the idea to every-day work or learning opportunities.The book also makes reference to a supporting Web site [1] which offers ‘links to new tools and information’ [2].Unfortunately the Web site is not as formally structured as the book, which I guess is to be expected given thenature of the format, but it makes using the Web resource confusing and many of the ‘recent articles’ section,articles written by Boule, are available only to subscribers.  The book also includes a twitter hashtag to promotediscussion of the book, however there appears to be no discussion undertaken recently, perhaps an inclusion ofa twitter archive on the Web site could improve the facilitation of discussion as twitter searches only bring backtweets from the previous week [3].  So, whilst I understand and notionally welcome the addition of a Webresource page, in this particular case I feel the execution may need some improvement before I would considerit relevant enough to be of real use. Further ThoughtsThis book proved useful to me since, having never attended an unconference or camp, I now feel I have a betterunderstanding of the phenomenon and would be able to make an informed decision as to participation in suchan event in the future.  I would however also say that I imagine the book may not be as useful for readers whohave experienced an unconference themselves, although I feel they would still appreciate the backgroundhistorical information and some of the theoretical applications.  The author’s view that unconferences are a stepforward from traditional conferences is however one to which I do not entirely subscribe.  Boule makes her casewell, and with plenty of examples to support her argument; however I’m not convinced that they are areplacement for traditional conferences.  In various places throughout the book Boule does acknowledge the factthat unconferences are not right for every setting; nor does she belittle the traditional conference setting, which Iwelcomed. I felt that the book gave a balanced and rational look at the unconference movement, arguing that thetraditional conference is not meeting all the needs of its target audience.  Boule even suggests a halfway housebetween the emerging unconference setting and the traditional conference:If traditional conferences incorporated some unconference elements into their programming, theycould add a level of energy not found with a simple speaker behind the podium. [4]The book also makes repeated reference to the concept of a ‘backchannel’ which is the conversation that existsonline simultaneously during the conference or learning event (p.88).  This element which exists at everyconference I’ve attended, whether in the online spaces such as twitter and blogs, or face-to-face discussionsamong delegates over the refreshment break, is the instrument that I believe challenges Boule’s assertion thattraditional conferences are becoming ‘dull and uninspiring’ [4].  The very existence of backchannels suggests18/09/2012 Book Rev iew : Mob Rule Learningwww.ariadne.ac.uk/print/issue69/maclellan-rv wthat although the traditional conference is still following a conventional structure it need not be seen as a one-way conversation.  Perhaps I’ve been lucky in that all the conferences I’ve been able to attend have includedsome form of unconference style element, either through the inclusion of a twitter hashtag or sessions that areinteractive and enable multi-way conversations to take place.The final part of the book, and well worth a mention as far as I’m concerned, is the ‘tools and glossary’ sectionat the end.  The beauty of this section is that it gives examples of the different tools that can assist with runningan unconference event.  It also offers a discussion of some of the key points to consider when picking the tools,for example whether to opt for hosted or non-hosted services, and what the difference between the two optionsreally means.  For some, perhaps more technically minded readers, this may seem a little patronising, but I feltit was written in a reader-friendly style and gave me new ways of thinking about and explaining the differences.  Iwas also pleasantly surprised by the list of tools, many of which I had heard of or indeed used, but remarkedalso that, for each of the sections of tools, there were one or two new ones for me to explore and investigatefurther. ConclusionWhilst I found this book an interesting read, I do wonder whether it might get a bit lost in terms of its approach. Proponents of the unconference movement will not need convincing of its benefits; however those who are morecynical about the phenomenon will, I feel, not choose to read the book, thereby placing it between two stools interms of potential readership.I would however recommend the book to anyone interested in finding out more about the unconferencemovement. Whilst reading the book has not been able to convince me that unconferences are necessarily thetype of environment I personally would learn in, it has nonetheless taken some of the mystique and fear out offuture participation.  I would also suggest that the book may provide some interesting ideas on how to changeteam meetings and brainstorming sessions for managers of teams, particularly if radical change is required.However I would add the caveat that, for the unconference concept to work, not only do the participants have tobe willing and feel supported, but senior management needs to accept the suggestions offered and be willing atleast to try some of them out.Overall I enjoyed reading the book and feel I’ve learned more about a topic that seems to be assuming greaterimportance in my professional life. References1. Boule, M. 2011. “Mob Rule” http://www.wanderingeyre.com/mobrule2. Boule, M. “Mob rule learning: camps, unconferences, and trashing the talking head.” 2011, p. xiii.3. Phan Hong Thong. “Search’s time limit” https://dev.twitter.com/discussions/4654. Boule, M. “Mob rule learning: camps, unconferences, and trashing the talking head.” 2011, p. 88.Author DetailsFiona MacLellanAcademic LibrarianUniversity of NorthamptonEmail: fiona.maclellan@northampton.ac.ukWeb site: http://www.northampton.ac.uk/people/fiona.maclellanFiona MacLellan is an Academic Librarian for the University of Northampton, with responsibility for the Schoolsof The Arts and Science and Technology.  She has research interests in Reading Groups in a HE setting andreferencing systems affecting reading comprehension and fluency.This article has been published under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) licence. Pleasenote this CC BY licence applies to textual content of this article, and that some images or other non-textualelements may be covered by special copyright arrangements. For guidance on citing this article (givingattribution as required by the CC BY licence), please see below our recommendation of 'How to cite this article'.Ariadne is published by UKOLN. UKOLN receives support from JISC and the University of Bath where it isbased.© Ariadne ISSN: 1361-3200. See our explanations of Access Terms and Copyright and Privacy Statement.18/09/2012 Book Rev iew : Mob Rule Learningwww.ariadne.ac.uk/print/issue69/maclellan-rv wSource URL (retrieved on 18 Sep 2012 - 09:51): http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue69/maclellan-rvw

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