Problem solving | "Can we work on this design and brainstorm some ideas; I’m stuck." |
Requests for information | "Where can I find the code to connect to the server?" |
Seeking experience | "Has anyone dealt with a customer in this situation?" |
Reusing assets | "I have a proposal for a local area network I wrote for a client last year. I can send it to you and you can easily tweak it for this new client." |
Coordination and synergy | "Can we combine our purchases of solvent to achieve bulk discounts?" |
Discussing developments | "What do you think of the new CAD system? Does it really help?" |
Documentation projects | "We have faced this problem five times now. Let us write it down once and for all." |
Visits | "Can we come and see your after-school program? We need to establish one in our city." |
Mapping knowledge and identifying gaps | "Who knows what, and what are we missing? What other groups should we connect with?" |
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Week 3 - Blog #6 - Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice is also known as CoP and according to Wikipedia, "refers to the process of social learning that occurs and shared sociocultural practices that emerge and evolve when people who have common goals interact as they strive towards those goals." We all belong to a CoP, and we belong to more than one. A CoP can be work related, hobby related, or just common interests. This video shows perfectly how communities of practice work.
Before the internet and Web 2.0 CoP was more limited. With all the social networking tools we have not, CoP can occur much more easily. We have the social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. where we can connect with different communities of practice. We have access to meeting so many more people who share like professions, hobbies, and ideas.
But what do communities of practice do for education? What influence do they have? First of all, communities of practice can only enhance education. Teachers can learn from each other, and students can learn from others. We can all learn to problem solve together and learn more about whatever community it is that we are a part of. The following graph shows what communities engage in and what makes them a community of practice. This image can be located at: http://www.ewenger.com/theory/communities_of_practice_intro.htm
All of what you see on that graph is exactly what we want our students engaging in. We want them to learn problem solving, and learning, and engaging in activities. Finding a community of practice for them to engage in will help them engage in learning. A community of practice could be found within students at the school and managed online via Web 2.0 tools. There are several ways that teachers could implement a CoP into the curriculum. And don't stop there. It is very useful for teachers to find their own CoP, and learn more from other teachers. A CoP can be maintained using many Web 2.0 tools. Blogging, wikis, social networking... all of these can further students' and teachers' learning within a CoP.
References:
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Week 3 - Blog #5 - Social Media
Social media is the newest thing. Just about everyone has interaction with it. Most have a facebook, many people have Twitter, and interact with other social networks. Many people read blogs, and lots of people go to the internet to read up on anything of interest to them. But is social media a lasting thing? This video gives an idea of how much social media is influencing today's society. Media is bringing many together.
Clearly, social media is one of the most important parts of society. It is influencing everyone. And yet, social media in the realm of the education world is something that is a little feared. If educators embrace it, it could help out the education field in so many ways. According to "Twitter in the classroom" Roosevelt High School has been using social media such as Twitter and Facebook and has been getting excellent results. According to the video, there are two purposes to social media. Number one, catching the students' attention and engaging them in activities, and second, preparing them for communication in a media-driven world. This idea of using digital and social media in the classroom is working at the high school, and the students are engaged and loving learning.
There are so many different potential uses for social media in the classroom. Communication
is considered a big issue. These social media tools make it very easy to communicate with
parents and students. The video we just watched showed the potential social media has in
engaging students. Social media, if used properly could solve the biggest problems educators
face: communication and engagement. In my own classroom, I wish to communicate with my
parents and students about concerts and important dates through social media. I want my
students to be using social media to complete assignments. The issue of all the blocks is
important. Many of these social media tools are blocked. As educators, if we can show the
importance of these tools to other educators, then maybe our education system can change.
Social media has changed the world, and it can start to change the world of education for
the better.
References:
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