<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;">Hi,<br><br>I would agree with all the purposes of these lists, especially as someone at the receiving end the first three and last one. <br><br>Terms don't tend to excite me, but CoPs seems like a good fit for what I do and what happens. <br><br>Mary Jane Jerde<br>ESL instructor/EDP assessor<br>Howard Community College<br>Columbia, MD<br><br>--- On <b>Mon, 8/25/08, Dianna Baycich <i><dbaycich@literacy.kent.edu></i></b> wrote:<br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;">From: Dianna Baycich <dbaycich@literacy.kent.edu><br>Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 1175] Are we a community of practice?<br>To: familyliteracy@nifl.gov<br>Date: Monday, August 25, 2008, 2:33 PM<br><br><div id="yiv2016997361">
<div><font face="Arial">
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</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Dear Colleagues,
</span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"><span class="156111118-25082008"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">I'm
trying to gather information for a project I'm working on so<span class="343071118-25082008"> </span></font></font></span></span><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">I’d like your feedback on how to
more clearly articulate how you (and other subscribers) use the <span class="343071118-25082008"><span class="812193218-25082008">Family
</span>Literacy</span> List (and possibly other NIFL lists). For example,
the Institute’s lists (<a rel="nofollow" title="http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html" target="_blank" href="http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html">http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html</a>)
historically have been used to </font></font></span></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
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</font></font><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Problem solve
</span></font>
</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Request or receive
information</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font>
</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Seek others’ teaching or
learning experiences</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font>
</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Introduce, discuss, and develop
projects and resources</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font>
</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Introduce field experts and
dialogue with them about their work</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font>
</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Raise awareness of and debate
key issues important to the field</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font>
</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Plan, preview, and report on
sessions held at national conferences</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font>
</li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Identify who has knowledge and
learn about our field’s knowledge gaps</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></li></font></font></ul><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Some would call groups engaged in
this kind of activity “communities of practice” (CoPs) <a rel="nofollow" title="http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm" target="_blank" href="http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm">http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm</a>
.</span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Communities of practice
are:</span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><b><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">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. </span></font></b></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">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.</span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><ol style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">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?</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></li></font></font></ol><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="2" type="1">
<font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Is this how you see yourself on
this discussion list? Or, could you see yourself becoming more involved in
this way?</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></li></font></font></ol><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="3" type="1">
<font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">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?</span></font><font size="2"> <font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></li></font></font></ol><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">For a quick overview on CoPs: <a rel="nofollow" title="http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm" target="_blank" href="http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm">http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm</a></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">I look forward to hearing from
you! <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please post your reply to the list no
later than <span class="156111118-25082008">Tuesday, Sept.
2.</span></span></b></span></font></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"></span></font></font></font></p><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial">
</font></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Thanks so much!
</span></font></font></font></p></div><font face="Arial">
</font><div><span class="343071118-25082008"><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial" size="2">Dianna</font></font></span></div></div>
<div> </div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2">Dianna Baycich</font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2"><font size="2">Ohio Literacy Resource
Center</font></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2"><font size="2">Research 1 - 1100 Summit
Street,</font></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2"><font size="2">P.O. Box
5190</font></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2"><font size="2">Kent State
University</font></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2"><font size="2">Kent, OH 44242-0001</font></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2">330.672.7841
330.672.4841 (fax)</font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div>
<div align="left">
<div><span class="539231316-02082002"><font face="Arial" size="2"><font size="2"><font size="2">
<p class="NormalWeb1" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 11.4pt;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: windowtext;"><font face="Verdana">"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."<br>— <span style="">Roald Dahl</span></font></span></p>
<p class="NormalWeb1" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 11.4pt;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: windowtext;"><font face="Verdana"><span style=""></span></font></span> </p>
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</font></span></p></font></font></font></span></div></div>
<div> </div></div><pre>----------------------------------------------------<br>National Institute for Literacy<br>Family Literacy mailing list<br>FamilyLiteracy@nifl.gov<br>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to<br>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/familyliteracy<br>Email delivered to mjjerdems@yahoo.com</pre></blockquote></td></tr></table><br>