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Communities of practice are made of people who share a passion or interest and want to improve their knowledge of it; for real learning to occur, it must take place in a community of learners who are also interested and learning; the relationship between knowledge and practice is explored

This provides a nice overview of CoPs. I enjoyed the annotation feature too.

This site gives an overview of communities of practice and discusses the viewpoints of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, who are well known proponents of the idea. This site provides a basic rationale for communities of practice and describes how we are all involved in them in various aspects of our lives, whether we realize it or not.

This research was published by the U.S. Department of Education on the role on Online Communities. Essentially, the research found that online learning Communities of Practice produce a wide range of values for educators, including immediate and potential value. The primary focus of this research was the role of Community Designers and the questions, concerns, and topics that must be addressed when creating a successful learning community involving educators. While member participation is the key to a successful community, there are other factors that play a major contribution in a group's success as a learning community that are addressed in this research.

Research regarding the benefits of being a member of a community of practice. While the information seems a bit forced (the communities of practice used for the study were exclusively face-to-face communities), the benefits of being a member of a community of practice still seem valid. According to the study, they are (1) autonomy and freedom to think beyond, (2) sources to ideas, (3) sounding board, (4) intellectual discussion, (5) like-mindedness, (6) alternative perspective and cross-pollination of ideas, (7) overcoming intellectual isolation, (8) move towards collaborative research, (9) response to research pressure, (10) synergy and leverage, (11) time and energy saving, (12) an informal ground for learning and training, (13) fostering of tangible returns, (14) driving research, (15) opportunities to met, (16) networking, information sharing and updates, (17) support and guidance, (18) sense of belonging, (19) identity, and (20) intrinsic fulfillment. As the article is about higher education, there are certainly some benefits that are more specific to their context, but I think the findings of the article are still valid.

Research regarding the benefits of being a member of a community of practice. While the information seems a bit forced (the communities of practice used for the study were exclusively face-to-face communities), the benefits of being a member of a community of practice still seem valid. According to the study, they are (1) autonomy and freedom to think beyond, (2) sources to ideas, (3) sounding board, (4) intellectual discussion, (5) like-mindedness, (6) alternative perspective and cross-pollination of ideas, (7) overcoming intellectual isolation, (8) move towards collaborative research, (9) response to research pressure, (10) synergy and leverage, (11) time and energy saving, (12) an informal ground for learning and training, (13) fostering of tangible returns, (14) driving research, (15) opportunities to met, (16) networking, information sharing and updates, (17) support and guidance, (18) sense of belonging, (19) identity, and (20) intrinsic fulfillment. As the article is about higher education, there are certainly some benefits that are more specific to their context, but I think the findings of the article are still valid.

This resource ties social media and communities of practice together, discussing how social media can create a "more dynamic" type of community. We need to focus on the context of the community to find the best tools for the community to use to develop knowledge and skills together. Social media can create a better flow of discussion and engages more of the members with the ease of access and ability to share resources quickly and easily.

This article explains the positive impact and value that social media adds to communities of practice. And it explained the many factors to consider when using social media as part of a community of practice.

This article comes from the OD Practitioner journal, Fall/Winter 2000. This article focuses on the basics of Communities of Practice, defining the dimensions, purpose and changes from knowledge sharing now rather than in the past. This article focuses on the industrial and business world. It shares that knowledge in the past was knowledge was to be horded for power, while today it is to be shared to grow said power "in multiples" (Allee, 2000). The article goes on to share the benefits for everyone as far as the business, community and the individual. I appreciate the call for possible new communities of practice to meet new business community challenges.

I like how this article, even though it focuses on the industrial/business world, still has some great applications to the world of education. It's also interesting to find out more about some surrounding groups to CoPs and how they are related. A quote from the article (pay close attention to the last sentence in regards to education) says, "Communities of practice emerge in the social space between project teams and knowledge networks. When multiple project teams are engaged in similar tasks the need to share what they know often will lead to community formation. From the other direction, a loosely organized knowledge network of people who share common interests can gel into a focused community when people recognize new shared opportunities or begin to seek a significant breakthrough. Those who would support communities need to learn what conditions foster their emergence and create an environment in which they can flourish."

This text is similar to others posted in that it highlights the main features to the communities of practice theory. However, this particular text's focus draws to the readers attention the importance of the commitment factor in order to form a successful community of practice. A community of practice can exist in haphazardly fashion, but when the commitment is to the common purpose and shared experience the success will be more vivid. It also alludes to the seven principles outlined by Etienne Wenger which include: shepherd the evolution, encourage internal leadership, weave private and public space, invite multiple level of participation, find rhythm between familiarity and excitement, build momentum, and develop both communal and personal identity. The author states that the communities of practice platform is the perfect place for new and unattempted concepts or ideas to be practiced with nurtured care.

This wiki page from Knowledge Sharing takes an in-depth look at the use of CoP in International Development and provides an extensive list of examples to provide greater understanding of CoP and its uses.

This was a great find Natalie! I especially like the idea that the resource presents when it states that it is tempting to mandate these communities but that they can better be nurtured by continuing existence. I connect this to my own classroom and the work I do throughout the beginning of the school year where I'm constantly arranging their groups to help them develop their communication and group skills but then allow them to form their own groups as the year progresses and I find that, for the most part, they gravitate to individuals that they work best with. I really liked the infographic on where to start as well. I think this is a great go to visual for utilizing CoPs.

This online toolkit offers a brief and well-organized overview of communities of practice (CoP). It begins with a short description and follows with the history CoPs. It then offers a bulleted list of when to utilize CoPs and even provides further advice on how-to use. This site was particularly helpful in that it also offers tips and lessons learned from others as well as examples, stories, and other resources. Overall, it is organized and affords users a plethora f information on Communities of Practice.

STEM faculty members who are working in educational research are participating in communities of practice. The communities of practice were used to increase capacity, engagement, and collaboration amongst the members. Communities of practice can be differentiated depending on the needs to the members participating in the learning community. A vital part in communities of practice is that it's members need to share a common goal or vision and work collaboratively to contribute to the learning community.

An article on what COPs are, where they are being used, and what they look like.

This Intro to CoP felt like a great start to my search. This article provides not only a simple overview of the CoP concept but also gives the history of of communities of practice. Additionally, the author provides examples of a variety of settings and terminology used to represent communities of practices in a wide range of fields.

In this article, Wenger gives an overview of Communities of Practice including its definition, characteristics, and its application in a variety of fields. This article helped me better understand the basics of Communities of Practice.

This article discusses communities of practice in a business setting, specifically the Federal Highway Administration. An overview of communities of practice is provided. The article identified these communities as essential for "knowledge management." They can vary in size, purpose, and style. Organizations, such as the FHA, benefit from communities of practice as they encourage problem solving, best practices, communication and professional skills, strategy, and professional development.

Hanna, thank you for sharing this article. I always like to see how things function outside of the educational world. This article points out why Communities of Practice work, especially in the work place. Each person can now focus on best practices and communication. Do you find that you use communities of practice after reading about them?

This article published in the Federal Highway Administration's journal discusses the array of benefits of a CoP. The article talks about how these communities are particularly important as places where knowledge can be stored and passed through the years ensuring information that was perviously held in informal networks is not lost.

Discusses the difference between online communities and communities of practice and the impact of using social media within a community of practice.

This webpage from the US Department of Education describes how Communities of Practice can improve education.

SUMMARY: The DOE gets behind CoPs as potential answer for achievement gap and underperforming teachers and leaders. Money, time, and resources were thrown at this initiative to see if online CoPs could become the missing link in the instructional shortcomings. Citing examples of success, one is drawn and intrigued to look further at the project as we are now 2 years later.

Finding and researching CoP sites I came across the Department of Education's answer on the Communities of Practice within education. The Department of Education has added the communities of practice within an initiative called the Investing in Innovation along with a series of other initiatives.

This article reports a study of a community of practice that was focused on...developing communities of practice! Excellent exploration of the factors that influenced participation levels in this CoP, including: emotion, technology, and connectivity. The authors conclude that online learning communities succeed on the basis of the level of investment of the members.

This article reports a study of a community of practice that was focused on...developing communities of practice! Excellent exploration of the factors that influenced participation levels in this CoP, including: emotion, technology, and connectivity. The authors conclude that online learning communities succeed on the basis of the level of investment of the members.

In this blog post, Amanda Hovious, librarian and instructional designer, discusses librarians as facilitators of communities of practice. What strikes me about this post is that Hovious identifies various types of communities of practice, including (for example) students in an English Comp class. If a classroom of students can be considered a community of practice, then every educator serves in a role that facilitates these communities.

This post was great! As a teacher of secondary English, I'm always trying to find ways to engage my learners both in and out of the classroom in regards to reading. I need to tap more into our library and our librarian! Awesome ideas I will have to share with her!

I love getting the librarian perspective in this post. I think it was interesting to see how she facilitates the communities of practice. I also liked getting ideas of different groups that constitute a community of practice.

Learning Forward notes that learning communities are those in which "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and goal alignment."

Greetings Molly, Thank you for sharing this article. I especially liked the video. In a perfect world all grades and subjects would be aligned. I think most schools attempt continual improvement by evaluating student data. I hope. I like the idea of owning students in such a way as to be responsible for all student learning. Good article.

Bookmarked from Molly on EdTech SN

According to the author, Wenger, a community of practice is distinguished by three features: domain, community, and practice. The domain is a shared interest. The community is the social part, including discussion and sharing. The practice is developing resources and collaborative tools. Example activities are provided along with social structures that are utilizing communities of practice.

Denscombe argues that a research paradigm based on communities of practice might be the flexible multi-layered approach needed for mixed methods research. The basis of communities of practice states that learning is a collective activity and knowledge is shared. Mixed methods researchers share practices in a more formal paradigm than that of communities of practice; however, those communities of practice could still create the new paradigm that mixed methods needs. More research is needed to determine this for sure.

Shareski posits that communication is strategic, and community is about relationships, so social media isn't necessarily a good fit as a strategic communication initiative in a district.

The article examines two frameworks for understanding and building communities of practice.

In particular, I liked the graphic, C4P Framework, as it illustrates how the community works.

Summary: This paper/study is about using technology to transform communities of practice into knowledge- building communities. The paper goes in depth on how they believe knowledge is created. The paper then goes into the ways that technology provides a value add for learning. I thought that this paper was an interesting take on communities of practice.

This is a step-by-step guide to setting up and growing CoP. It defines CoP and discusses why they are important. The guide also outlines how to establish and grow the community. At the heart of any successful CoP is purpose. A rubric is given to help identify the effectiveness of the community both in terms of infrastructure and language of inquiry.

I really liked this article, it gave some great information on CoP and the bullets on the first page were a nice outline of why CoPs are important and useful.

This article provides a step-by-step guide for designing and cultivating communities of practice in higher education. The first part of the guide is for those who are considering the use of CoPs to facilitate collaboration, learning, or knowledge generation and want to know more. That last part of the guide helps CoP designers and facilitators understand the questions, issues, and options involved in planning and cultivating communities https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/nli0531.pdf