Group items tagged

I guess I shared this link in a previous course, but it is a good one! Tony Bates discusses designing, learning from and defines communities of practice in the digital age. EDTECH543, Communities of Practice.

I appreciate the substance of this article as it goes beyond simply defining communities of practices and discusses the theoretical framework for developing effective CoPs. The seven tips offered for designers of CoPs provides structure and guidance for those interested in implementing this practice. I also found great value in the text's analysis of communities of practice in a technology rich generation. The digital age is dominating culture and as people seek to re-evaluate programs, organization, and life they tend to think they need to dump the old and start from scratch. This article, however, points out that communities of practice will be a powerful tool in the digital age by "it is probably a mistake to think of them as a replacement for traditional forms of education." Great perspective!(

A Community of Practice is essentially a group of people who share a common interest and learn how to polish and perfect that passion by regularly interacting with one another. Communities of Practice apply various theories of learning as the group members interact and glean from one another. Researchers argue that a Community of Practice differs from other types of learning communities in that the group members share a common interest, they engage in activities around that common interest, and all group member are practitioners of that interest. As a result, the learning that occurs in a Community of Practice comes from the sum of all group members.

This article focused on what traits a successful community of practice has and how they are taking shape in the digital world. Of particular interest in this article is the role that MOOCs are beginning to play in digital learning and also how the design of a community of practice can impact how long it stays useful and relevant to its users.

In this article, author Tony Bates refers to MOOCs as communities of practice, and then makes a distinction between "instructionist" MOOCs and "connectivist" MOOCs, the latter being designed to function as communities of practice. This has prompted me to look for more information on the distinction, as I am only familiar with instructionist MOOCs. In addition, I find the article of interest because of the subsequent and continuing scholarly conversation that ensued in the comments.

Very interesting article. I like how Bates explains the theory behind communities of practice and then provides the definition. It helps provide context for CoPs. I also found the "Designing effective communities of practice" section to be very helpful. It outlines what a good CoP should look like and encourages the diversity that can be within a community. Thanks for sharing!

This article from Tony Bates provides another great overview of CoPs. One of my favorite parts of this article is the section on designing effective communities of practice. Bates provides a list of key design principles (adapted from Wenger) for creating an effective CoP.

I love how this article recognizes that 1 plus 1 is not 2. That the sum total of knowledge exceeds what was put in.

This blog post discusses what communities of practice are, the learning theories behind CoPs, designing effective CoPs, and learning through CoPs in the digital age. It goes into depth about the seven key design principles for creating effective and self-sustaining CoPs. It also discusses the importance of Massive Open Online Courses.

In this post, Tony Bates discusses communities of practice including what they are and their characteristics. He also discusses ways to create and sustain effective communities of practice. Finally, Mr. Bates discusses how we can learn through communities of practice specifically through the use of MOOCs.

This article by Tony Bates gives examples of CoPs in companies like Xerox and how they work together within the company to create projects. It also provides a visual from Wenger assists companies with integrating a CoP within the workspace.

This post disusses what a community of practice is and the theories behind them. It also addresses the design of a community of practice and the three criteria involved, domain, community, and practice. Finally it discusses MOOC's.

This article gives some background and insight to the different parts of a Community of Practice. What I found to be most relevant about this article is the fact that it is based around digital learning. There is an image included in the article that displays the different websites that can be used as a tool for a CoP. This image is helpful in visualizing all of the ways to meet and communicate with peers in the digital realm.

This article looks at corporations that are encouraging CoPs like Google & Apple. Xerox was able to save $100 million by collecting tips that repair men were sharing over breakfast and sharing them on a larger level. CoPs can enhance organizational effectiveness and profitability by increasing knowledge sharing.

He is writing a textbook, Teaching in a Digital Age, and this is his discussion about communities of practice. It explains what communities of practice are, how they work, and how they can be successfully used. He argues that they are not a replacement for other forms of education but does mention that they can be great tools.

This article is a chapter for a book, Teaching in a Digital Age. It gives a good summary of the principles behind communities of practice. While the author does not fpbelieve that CoPs should replace other forms of learning, he sees value in them.

The author, Tony Bates, reviews what makes a community of practice by clarifying the main components of an effective one. My favorite part of the resource is the graphic organizing the tools and activities associated with a community, which also integrates the technology available. The article focuses on the idea that communities of practice is a method of informal learning and discusses how to use online learning to its highest potential.

To me the most interesting part of this resource is the comments. Very interesting arguments being made by various players especially Downes and Harasim. I often learn more from comments sections than from the main paper.

This article listed many social media sources to start your PLN. The biggest takes away that I got from this article are the two benefits of a PLN over a traditional personal development. The first one is that a PLN allows an educator to completely personalize their training. They can pick what to focus on. The second is that they can adapt the learning environment to meed the educator's needs. Once they have enough information, they can start learning and sharing about a new topic that they wish.

Describes a PLN, why we have PLN's, and the benefits of being a member of a PLN. This article talks about how PLN's allow educators to develop their skills beyond the more traditional methods and allows them to develop their abilities as an educator.

With more and more opportunities to develop one's skills beyond what traditional routes have provided, establishing your own PLN is an essential step toward deepening your abilities as an educator.

Very straightforward resource. From a teacher's standpoint, this resource is very beneficial. It demonstrates how teachers can enhance their skills away from old school (traditional) teaching pedagody and move into connectivist strategies to truly become educators in the 21st Century.

A PLN can be online or face to face connections but the virtual opportunities do not require your physical presence like attending a conference, a live master's degree program, etc. There are 2 distinct advantages to being online: 1. it's completely personalized to what each person is seeking 2. It can easily be modified based on changes in needs. Social media sources like Facebook, Twitter, and Wordpress blogs can be customized so that teachers can follow one-other and share the latest tools and information.

This discusses what a PLN is and how it can help you grow professionally. It also talks about the benefits of a PLN and how you can personalize things.

This is a great resource on the explanation of PLNs, why they are important, and how they can improve your work and learning environments. It has a solid definition and is key to understanding PLNs in a short read.

This article describes what a PLN is and how it relates to one's real world and social networking communities. It discusses why having a PLN is important to an educator today. In the past you need to be physically present to get your desired information and at times that was not even possible. Today a teacher can determine what training is necessary and find this information through their PLN network. The article explains how a PLN not only allows you to learn but also encourages you to share your knowledge with others.

Nice, simple article that explains what a PLN is. Thanks for sharing it. It can certainly help fill in any knowledge gaps for someone new to PLNs.

I liked the resource for the question "Why do I need one?" and the answers that followed. Teachers can connect themselves to resources from many different aspects of the world and teachers and sites they may not have otherwise found. It is no longer just "absorbing information" but sharing and creating new connections and ways to use the information. Honestly, after all this research, the new question is "Why don't I already have a PLN?"

This article defines what a PLN is and the necessity for educators to develop one. It describes the difference between developing a PLN and being "connected." It argues that PLNs allow educators to individualize professional development. With the emergence of technology in education, I see this as a necessary tool for the 21st century educator.

This article describes the need for teachers to be a part of PLNs. The author talks about the importance of making connections to other teachers and countless resources to make yourself a better teacher.

This article describes the benefits of developing your own personal learning network. The author touches on the traditional learning networks of the past and their limitations and examines the benefits of the tech driven network.

In the education world, PLN stands for Personal Learning Network. What it means is that an individual has developed their own personalized "network" of fellow educators and resources who are designed to make them a better teacher. This network exists both in their real-life relationships and online through their social media connections.

This article describes a PNL but also discusses the benefits of developing a PNL. By sharing within your PNL members will not only gain new knowledge, resources, and ideas, but will also develop relationships with people across the globe!

A PLN is not PD. A PLN has (at least) 2 additional benefits: you study and research topics applicable to you, decided by you; you can form a symbiotic relationship where everyone is sharing information

Catapano explains what a PLN is and why people should have one. A PLN stands for Personal Learning Network. Basically, it is a group of individuals who are fellow educators who work together both real-life and online to make themselves a better teacher. PLN are mainly through social media sources like Twitter, Facebook, or blogs. Teachers can share their resources across the world with their latest research, experiences, or discoveries. Teachers get to take control of their own professional development.

I always like to find resources that cut right to the chase and explain exactly what the topic is. This article does that with professional learning networks. This article can be presented to anyone who asks "what IS a PLN anyway". The article relates the evolution of PLNs to include social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, ect. Themes of connectivism and communities of practice are found throughout the article as the writer explains that the true benefits is that PLNs are based off teacher's interests and passions rather than the usual top down professional development experience so many teacher experience. It drives home the point that successful PLNs revolve around the sharing of experiences and resources rather just viewing and consuming.

@teachingjake503, PLNs have become so valuable to me, especially when I was a first year teacher. Having support from people outside of the establishment was extremely helpful. I think people often buy into them more because of the choice they have. They can choose to include only those they feel provide value, are positive, and can offer support.

What is a PLN? Why Do I Need One? This article provides a simple and easy to understand definition of a Personal Learning Network and how it can be used by teachers to help them become a better teachers and can be used to help educations personalize their training. The article focuses on the use of social media as the primary resource for PLNs. http://www.teachhub.com/what-pln-why-do-i-need-one

The following article discusses why educators need a PLN. These networks are design to make you a better teacher. The personal learning networks are exactly that "personalized." Most professional development is designed by others, but your PLN is created and designed by YOU.

Written by Jordan Catapano who simplifies what a PLN is and explains why one might need it. He explains that a PLN is usually designed by educators networking with fellow educators to make them better teachers. This article goes through the theories and benefits of a PLN and what they intel or include.

"Why do I need one". This article discusses why a teacher should use PLN's and more importantly, create their own PLN. This was a nice read for me to put PLN's in perspective.

This site explains in plain terms communities of practice. For example, it explains that a community of practice is not just a club. It is a group of people who are committed to a certain domain of interest.

This was a concise, but well written overview of the definition of communities of practice.

Communities of practice are used across a variety of groups of people. According to Etienne Wenger, there are three characteristics that constitute a community of practice: domain, community, and practice. Communities of practice exist on small local scales, to worldwide networks. This allows people to share and obtain knowledge about common practices with others who are actively engaged in the same domain.

Allows the reader to determine the general guidelines to what a community of practice is. Cites examples ranging from artists seeking transformation to surgeons trying to discover new methods. The article is very simple, yet effective in describing a community of practice.

by Etienne Wenger CoPs are formed by people who are engaged and interested in common domains. These can be done in many domains as long as there is an underlying interest. CoPs provide a new way to learn from one another in a safe environment. All members take responsibility with their members to access knowledge while sharing new ideas.

In this article, Wenger provides a quick overview of what a Community of Practice is. I like how she discusses the three components of a CoP and gives an example of what is not considered a CoP in each component. She addresses that just because something is a community, doesn't make it a Community of Practice. She also discusses where the concept of a CoP is being applied. It is helpful to see that it is being applied in many different fields including: education, government, organizational design, and businesses.

This website, from the National Center for Dissemination of Disabilities Research, identifies 3 characteristics of strong communities of practice: the domain, the community, and the practice. It briefly identifies what makes COPs unique and identifies specific applications. There are additional links in the sidebar that provide more information about COPs and prompts for further research.

This article gives an overview as to what communities of practice CoP are. It describes the characteristics of CoP: domain, community, and practice. The article stresses that CoP are not just like-minded people, but they are where people can interact with others to learn with and from others. CoP rely on active participation. Sharing and learning are at the heart of CoP.

Provides a good, crisp explanation of CoP. This is more of a recap, but sometimes saying something in another way helps to get the point across better. What I particularly liked about this one is that it emphasizes how these communities interact based on a passion that they'd like to learn more about or to improve skills.

This article discusses communities of practice in a very understandable, clear way. It describes communities of practice as individuals working together in collaboration with a common goal, or passion, in mind. I feel that one of the most vital parts of my job as an educator is to collaborate with other teachers about best practices to use in the classroom. It was fun to read this informative article!

This is a great overview of Communities of Practice. I appreciate that it distinguishes between a community and a community of practice because "not every community is a community of practice." I also appreciate that it gives where the concept can be applied.

The article provides a definition of communities of practice and gives examples of these communities. It also gives the three "crucial" characteristics of communities of practice.

Wenger's excerpt focuses on a crucial aspect of CoPs - the difference between a community and a CoP. Wenger outlines the three characteristics of a CoP and the role each plays in executing a CoP. (1) The domain in a CoP is not just a group of people. It is a network of people with similar interests and commitment to the growth of that interest. (2) A community engages, shares, and collaborates in order to learn from one another. (3) The practice of a CoP involves creation. The members act as "practitioners" that develop and share over time and through continuous interaction.

This article discusses how the community of practice is a shared domain between its members or those who engage in the community. It also says not all communities are all communities of practice. To explain that, it lists the three important parts that help show it is a community of practice. It states those parts are the domain, the community, and the practice. With that, it explains that all three should be developed within the community itself.

The author of this article explains that a community of practice is more than just a community. Communities of practice have to have three elements. The three elements are the domain, the community, and the practice. The domain is a shared interest. The community is people engaging in joint activities and discussions while helping each other and sharing information. The practice is the members of practice are practitioners. Communities of practice are being applied in business, organizational design, government, education, etc. Communities of practice have become a learning system throughout the entire world. They help practitioners take responsibility for managing knowledge, create a direct link between learning and performance, and create connections without formal structures.

Kayden, what a great site and explanation of communities of practice. I particularly like the distinct description of what a community of practice is including what it is not!

This site gives an outline of three factors that make a community one of practice vs. a non-specific group of people. The domain, community, and practice all combine to create a community of practice. The site then goes to explain where the concept of a community of practice is applied furthering the idea of "practice," as well as why they are catching on in workplaces and organizations.

An introduction to and application for communities of practice.

Article does a great job of explaining where connectivism came from and how it will continue to advance forward just as society if doing currently. We will continue to learn and mold our understandings based off of the connections we are making through a collaborative network.

This article provides a balanced view of the arguments concerning the role of connectivism in the field of education. The authors have done a nice job of differentiating the types of theories and their roles in practice. Perhaps the strongest features of the entire article is the discussion on connectivism as it applies to the use of technology. I appreciated their description of the theory as a connecting piece between some of the more established learning theories and the new technological landscape that characterizes our learning environment. Excellent article - thanks for sharing!

This article by Duke, Harper and Johnston is a detailed analysis of connectivism as a learning theory. Not only is technology discussed as how it's applied to this theory, but there is also discussion of learning theories and instructional theories in general. It is also a valuable read because it explains how this theory can or should not be applied to all students or content.

This source gives a good description as connectivity and connectivity as a learning theory, and it also discusses the argument that connectivity is not a learning theory. It ends by talking about connectivity and its integration with technology and online learning.

This article from Kaplan University explains the importance of connectivism in a digital age. They reference George Siemens and Stephen Downes and their research behind connectivism as a learning theory. They examine connectivism as a learning theory, and explain how the learner is at the center and designs their own path, essentially making their own learning.

This article discusses Connectivism and the debate over whether it should be considered as a learning or instructional theory or as a pedagogical view. The role of Connectivism in the use of technology in education is also discussed.

I really liked this article mainly because they clearly explained the difference between learning theories vs. instructional theories. I think that was useful in their conclusion that connectivism really is more of a tool to be used in the learning process rather than a complete learning theory.

This article discusses the validity of Connectivism as a learning theory. It gives the very straight-forward definition as "social learning that is networked." The discussion of the importance of the Connectivism theory in today's ever increasing technical classroom is quite engaging. It has also forced educators to look at what is being done in digital education and rethink, debate, and philosophize over how each part fits.

In this article, Duke, Harper, and Johnston discuss whether connectivism is a learning theory or an instructional theory. They begin by discussing the differences between learning theories and instructional theories. A learning theory should explain how learning occurs, while an instructional theory should explain how best to achieve the learning goals. The authors summarize connectivism as "social learning that is networked" (2013, p. 6). What a person knows is not as important as the connections the person makes that will allow further know,edge and growth. Everyone feeds into the systems of knowledge and receives greater knowledge as a result. This knowledge can be held by people, societies, or machines. Basically, everyone learns through personal learning networks. These learning networks allow people to learn through collaboration rather than by having to experience everything for themselves. Being able to tap into a large amount of knowledge allows people to understand patterns they might now otherwise see. While there are several arguments against connectivism as a learning theory, the authors argue that connectivism can be useful as an "instructional guide or theory" (2013, p. 9) to develop behaviorism, cognitivism, or constructivism for "application to a globalized and networked world." The authors conclude that connectivism is useful in the learning process or curriculum planning, but that it is not a "standalone learning theory" (2013, p. 10).

This talks about how connectivism takes elements from behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. It discusses connectivism as a learning theory and how the use of technology ties into it.

This article puts a focus on the debate if connectivism is "a learning theory or instructional theory or merely a pedagogical view." Instructional theory has major elements that are discussed in this article and connectivism is analyzed to see if it in fact, is a learning theory. The author recognizes that the debate will last a long time but the fact that connectivism is valuable in the educational setting will prevail. Technology is a major factor of its success. This article convinced me of the importance of allowing my students more access to technology for educational success.

The author of this article defines learning theories vs instructional theories, connectivism, connectivism as a learning theory, and connectivism and the use of technology. Connectivism was created as a learning theory for the digital age. Siemens and Downes came up with this theory because social learning can happen through networks. In today's world technology and advancements are changing rapidly, which in turn is providing new information quickly. Educators have had to embrace this new option of networks for knowledge use in the classroom. Connectivism can be used as a tool in the learning process for instruction or curriculum.

We are at a crucial point in history. By being educators, we must constantly be discussing and managing our definition of an educator's job. We must constantly be working through our philosophy base as new tools and ideas come to life.

This paper outlines connectivism and analyzes whether it should be considered a learning theory, instructional theory, or pedagogical view. I found this article interesting as it has a good discussion the differences between learning theories and instructional theories. The paper is critical of Connectivism as a learning theory, which I think is important as you consider how to use its principles in the classroom.

This article discusses a theory developed for the digital age by Siemens and Downes called connectivism. The theory has issued a debate over whether it is a learning theory, instructional theory, or a pedagogical view. In this article, the authors discuss learning in the digital age and how the theory of connectivism fits within the world today. There is a focus on connectivism being social learning that is networked.

This article discusses whether Connectivism is a learning theory or an instructional theory or a pedagogical view. A learning theory is not whether something is true or not but if it is useful for explaining behavior. An instructional theory must list procedures to enable learning by focusing on the overall structure of the learning material and how to achieve the most successful learning experience. Connectivism is social learning that is networked. It could be a learning theory as it states how a student learns through a network. Connectivism can be categorized as a tool to be used in the learning process and not a standalone learning theory.

This is a great article especially for those of us that are new to Twitter. I'm getting a better understanding of how it can be used for collaboration and conversations. Nice find and thank you for sharing it!