1.	My reaction at first was, "I hadn't thought about sharing
information online as a community of practice" but it does make perfect
sense to me.  It also gives us a broader range of perspectives since email
and online sharing can go across continents in minutes.
2.	Yes this is how I see myself on the list.  I have requested and
received information on occasion, and have taken some of the information
shared by others and shared it with my collegues. This has created other
research at our end and much discussion face-to-face and otherwise.
3.	Because we are such a large community of practice, and many are
"lurking" and not sharing, it is, in some ways a watered down version of a
community of practice since I see a community of practice as sharing
information back and forth on a much more regular fashion.  However, I do
see this as an important community of practice because information is shared
on such a wide and varied basis with a large number of individuals so even
though everyone is not actively participating, they are passively
participating and one never knows what can happen.  I really love it!

 

Lorri Sauve

Project READ Literacy Network

Program Coordinator

CANADA

 

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.  Excellence I can
reach for; perfection is God's business."  

Michael J. Fox

  _____  

From: familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Dianna Baycich
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 2:34 PM
To: familyliteracy at nifl.gov
Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 1175] Are we a community of practice?

 

Dear Colleagues,

I'm trying to gather information for a project I'm working on so I'd like
your feedback on how to more clearly articulate how you (and other
subscribers) use the Family Literacy List (and possibly other NIFL lists).
For example, the Institute's lists
(http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html) historically have
been used to 

 

*	Problem solve 
*	Request or receive information 
*	Seek others' teaching or learning experiences 
*	Introduce, discuss, and develop projects and resources 
*	Introduce field experts and dialogue with them about their work 
*	Raise awareness of and debate key issues important to the field 
*	Plan, preview, and report on sessions held at national conferences 
*	Identify who has knowledge and learn about our field's knowledge
gaps 

 

Some would call groups engaged in this kind of activity "communities of
practice" (CoPs) http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm .

 

Communities of practice are:

 

Groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and
they learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. 

 

CoPs share a common interest and commitment to that interest that
distinguishes them from others, they engage in joint learning activities
(whether intentional or not), build relationships that enable them to learn
from one another, and they strive to improve what they do.

 

1.	What are your reactions to using this language "communities of
practice" to describe who we are and what we do, or for some, what we strive
for on the list? 

 

2.	Is this how you see yourself on this discussion list? Or, could you
see yourself becoming more involved in this way? 

 

3.	What comments or concerns, if any, do you have about the concept and
the term "communities of practice" as it might be used to describe our
online interactions? 

 

For a quick overview on CoPs: http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm

 

I look forward to hearing from you! Please post your reply to the list no
later than Tuesday, Sept. 2.

 

Thanks so much! 

Dianna

 

Dianna Baycich

Ohio Literacy Resource Center

Research 1 - 1100 Summit Street,

P.O. Box 5190

Kent State University

Kent, OH 44242-0001

330.672.7841  330.672.4841 (fax)

 

"So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray/Go throw your TV set away/And in its
place you can install/A lovely bookshelf on the wall."
- Roald Dahl

 

 

 

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