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melpalmer4

Introduction to communities of practice | Wenger-Trayner - 22 views

  • Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
    • nstringham
       
      Teacher Instagram is exactly this! We learn and grow from each other as we interact with each other.
  • Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain,
  • he domain is not necessarily something recognized as “expertise” outside the community.
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  • members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information.
  • They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other; they care about their standing with each other.
  • ut members of a community of practice do not necessarily work together on a daily basis.
  • hey develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems
  • they have developed a set of stories and cases that have become a shared repertoire for their practice.
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    This page on the Wenger-Trayner website, there is an in-depth explanation of communities of practice as well as a brief history of its inception. I really appreciated the part of this site that gave examples for how to effectively use communities of practice (CoP). It was interesting to read myths about CoPs as well as to be provided with links to further reading on the topic. I also found it incredibly insightful that the site explained how CoPs are being used in a variety of forums, not only in education.
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    This article provides helpful information on the topic of communities of practice. I was also interested in seeing how CoP are used outside of education. I question whether CoP that develop with "cultivation" are as effective as those that are self-organizing.
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    This is a great resource for communities of practice. It breaks down the characteristics of a community of practice between the domain, the community, and the practice. This resource also provides a table of examples of what makes a good CoP. It is very helpful in understanding where CoPs are commonly used and how they can be beneficial. Very helpful resource when first learning about CoPs.
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    This resource is a basic overview of the concept of communities of practice. It discusses the background from which it was created, and gave some specific examples of COPs in the real world. The best portion dealt with how COPs are used in other areas aside from education. There are also some excellent links.
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    This page look at the definition of a community of practice and includes there critera that are essential: the domain, the community, and the practice.
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    As others have also suggested, this article gives a good overview of CoPs applicable to real world integration. For example, I tend to focus on the realm of current day educational CoPs at a school or district level. This article goes beyond that by providing examples of other forms of CoPs. One that struck my interest was the "tribe learning to survive" example. This definitely gives a broader perspective on the reach of CoPs, in that, they can be traced back to the primordial beginnings of human interaction.
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    This article, by Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner in 2015, gives a wonderful introduction of what a community of practice is and why researchers and practitioners find them to be a valuable way of communicating and learning. You get a good perspective of what communities of practice looks like, where the concept comes from, and where the concept is being applied. Myths about communities of practice and suggested readings are also included.
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    What are CoPs? This article breaks down the terminology for Communities of Practice and explains what they are (and aren't). One common theme that appears throughout the article are the ideas of intention and implementation. CoPs are not just interest groups for casual entertainment. They are formed with intent and with the purpose of implementing ideas. Social media has removed the boundaries of who can form/join CoPs, and the sources of information are virtually endless.
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    This overview from 2015 is written by one of the anthropologists who coined this term when studying apprenticeships. It describes the 3 crucial characteristics: domain, community, and practice; its origin; its uses in a variety of settings; and refutes various myths about COP. A pdf is available.
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    This is a great overview of COPs. The author defines COP's and gives the three major characteristics: domain, community, & practice (and goes on to clearly define each of these). He explains the origins of COP's, describes them and gives examples of COP's today, addresses common myths of COP's and provides an influx of resources. A great site with a lot of valuable info!
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    This article outlines what communities of practice are and what they look like. It also describes how these communities are used in a variety of fields.
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    Wenger-Trayner give an overview of what constitutes a community of practice (CoP). It differentiate between a community and a CoP. Three features of CoP are given: domain, community, and practice. It is more than common interest; it involves interaction among practitioner who want to learn from each other. The article is helpful to understanding how to develop a PLN.
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    Often times grasping a new concept is difficult without examples to show what what a particular concept might look like. This article has a sub-head that reads: "What do communities of practice look like?" There are boxes with questions like "requests for information," "seeking experience," and "reusing assets." If you click on the plus/ minus sign on the boxes, you get taken to a short example.
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    In this fairly in-depth article, Etienne and Beverly Wenger- Trainer, focus on many different aspects of Communities of Practice. Some of the key elements they name regarding CoPs are: they are intentional, they can improve performance among members, the members have a shared domain of interest, the members have a commitment to the group, and the members build relationships that enable the to learn from each other. The 3 main element of a CoP are the domain, the community, and the practice.
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    Great share @MrsLieberman356! It's quite in-dept but chalk-ful of excellent information on CoPs and their objectives.
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    Thanks Joanna! When reading about CoPs myself, I love how they say that they're intentional. Through reading this article as well as others, I really see why that's an important piece to it!
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    According to this article, three characteristics are crucial in order for a community to be considered a "community of practice." A community of practice is not merely a club, it has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other. A community of practice is not merely a community of interest-people who like certain kinds of movies, for instance. Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared collection of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems -- a shared practice. http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
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    A brief overview and introduction of the concept and uses of communities of practice. This article shares theories and what it should look like instead of the "How" it should be done. They share the background of the concept and how it fits into the teaching environment.
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    This article gives a brief overview of the concept of communities of practice. Communities of Practice are groups that share a passion for what they do and share how they can do it better. The domain is a network of connections between people. The community is the activities and discussions share among the group. The practice is sharing the tips and tricks of how things work.
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    This delivers an overview of CoP's and discusses what a CoP would look like. It discusses the background and how it would fit in the learning environment.
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    This site breaks down what distinguishes Communities of Practice from communities.
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    This resource illustrates a CoP first, and then it uses this example to explain the components of CoPs: domain, community, and practice. It further provides examples fo what CoPs look like.
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    A great introduction into communities of practice. These communities require three things: commitment to the mission/goal, a community, and a shared role (or practice).
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    This website was created to explain CoP by the developers of the practice. The website explains what CoP is and what it looks like. The websites explains where CoP came from and how it can be applied in the workplace in different environments. The authors also diffuse any myths about the CoP so that others can understand what it is.
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    This article goes in depth on the three requirements for a CoP. It also goes through several examples of what a CoP looks like in various activities.
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    This article provides examples of where COP can exist!
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    I like how it emphasizes that the three components of COP are domain, community, and practice. You need each of these to have a successful COP. Thanks for sharing.
Buffy Naillon

Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger) CoPs - 17 views

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    This is a more technical site that better describes CoPs.  It talks about what a CoP is and what the requirements are.  I particularly like that the it states that the learning is not necessarily the primary reason for the existence of a CoP.  It also gives some sources for further study.
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    Fabio, I agree, good find. Always helpful to have a firm understanding of what makes up the CoP. I keyed in on the requirement that members must not simply be interested in the topic, but needed to be practitioners as well!
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    This article has an interesting take on a community of practice. With the current nation wide movement to adapt the Common Core Standards, educators are required to focus on student achievement. In order to be successful, educators will have to form Communities of Practice in order to collaborate and effectively. This means that CoPs must focus on professional development as well as learning issues.
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    This site breaks down the required components of a community of practice, based on the views of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. The site also gives some background regarding the origination of the term "communities of practice."
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    SUMMARY: Communities of Practice are defined as informal social partnerships of like-minded practitioners who want to work together to improve current issues or states of learning. Three required components are proposed to constitute a CoP: "a domain of interest, a community, and practice."
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    This is a "webliography" (my new word of the day) that describes the idea of communities of practice by theorists Lave and Wenger. It is a good at describing what the terms are. Wenger says that" learning is central to human identity" and people continuously create their identity by engaging in and contributing to communities.
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    In this article, the author cites Ettiene Wenger (one the two theorists who coined the term 'Communities of Practice') and summarizes its definition. The quote she includes succinctly and clearly explains communities of practice as: "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly."
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    Some history on learning theories and the origins of communities of practice.
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    This site gives a brief, easy-to-understand summary on the definition of Communities of Practice. It tells how COPs work and the distinctive components of a COP.
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    A nice summary of the basics of CoP. Gives history of the theory, definition, descriptions, and the building blocks of a successful CoP. My biggest take-away: "The learning that takes place [in a CoP] is not always intentional. This helped me to develop a deeper understanding.
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    This provides another basic overview of communities of practice. There is a brief description followed by the history of the term and the development of the theory. It continues to outline the three required components of CoPs.
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    There are 3 necessary parts: 1. A group of people share an interest (high school Math) 2. All members contribute 3. All members put into practice the resources that are shared as a group.
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    This is a solid description of what a Community of Practice is in reference to learning styles.
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    I love how succinct this is. Sometimes less is more and I think this is an example of that. It also helped me realize that this isn't a new or complicated idea, but something that we have done in my school for years (Learning Communities). We are organized by department, meet regularly to compare data, offer up examples of work, share sources, etc. I am already a part of a CoP and did not even realize it!
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    I find the term community of practice being used in professional development and having structure imposed top down. This website clearly lets you know it is not a club or a fan group but a practicing community that is formed voluntarily.
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    This blog post from Learning-Theories.com explores Communities of Practice and provides a clear and concise explanation of components of Communities of Practices, and what constitutes CoP and what does not.
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    This is a summary of the Communities in Practice learning theory. It is a very concise view of the theory. It covers the three required components as well as the key terms involved.
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    This site speaks specifically about the three "must haves" in order to determine if something is a community of practice or not. They are: having a common interest, having a community, and practicing that specific skills/interest.
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    Summary: Communities of Practice occur when people have a common interest in something. This becomes a collaboration with peers to engage in discussions as well as sharing ideas, strategies and solutions.
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    This article defines what a community of practice is and the three required components of CoPs. There needs to be domain, community, and practice. The domain is a common interest where the members are committed to it. The community is where members interact and engage in shared activities. The practice is developing a shared repertoire of resources over time.
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    This article describes what a CoP is and specifically what it is not. It describes three major components of a CoP and details how participants can help or hurt a CoP. The author also provides two resources to gain more knowledge about CoPs.
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    This article is an outline of Communities of Practice with description of relevant terminology outlined and defined. Identifies the three components of CoPs - domain, community and practice. This article says that the central component of this learning theory is to draw participants deeper into the community through the attractiveness of developing skills relative to the domain.
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    This one I didn't summarize, only because I really had a hard time grasping the three elements of the CoP, and I thought this site encapsulated it nicely. Incidentally, my creative assignment for this week was inspired by the reference to Star Trek fans in this post. Here are the three elements make up CoP, and again, this information below is taken straight from the source (long quotes), because the definition is so good: 1. There needs to be a domain. A CoP has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest (e.g. radiologists, Star Trek fans, middle school history teachers, Seahawks football fans, etc.); it's not just a network of people or club of friends. Membership implies a commitment to the domain. 2. There needs to be a community. A necessary component is that members of a specific domain interact and engage in shared activities, help each other, and share information with each other. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other. In this way, merely sharing the same job does not necessitate a CoP. A static website on hunting in itself is not a community of practice. There needs to be people who interact and learn together in order for a CoP to be formed. Note that members do not necessarily work together daily, however. Wenger points to the example of Impressionist painters who sometimes met in cafes to discuss their painting styles. He indicates that even though these men normally painted alone, these kinds of interactions were essential to making them a CoP. 3. There needs to be a practice: A CoP is not just people who have an interest in something (e.g. sports or agriculture practices). The third requirement for a CoP is that the members are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources which can include stories, helpful tools, experiences, stories, ways of handling typical problems, etc. This kind of interaction needs to be developed over time. A conversation with a random stranger who happens to be an exp
nstringham

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier - 2 views

  • he organic, spontaneous, and informal nature of communities of practice makes them resistant to supervision and interference
  • managers cannot mandate communities of practice
  • may create communities of practice as a way of maintaining connections with peers.
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  • Communities of practice, on the other hand, are informal—they organize themselves, meaning they set their own agendas and establish their own leadership.
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    This article by Wenger and Snyder in the Harvard Business Review is a great reflection of a community of practice (CoP) by the creators themselves in a well-known publication. While the article is in-depth and covers every aspect of a CoP, the included chart may have been the most helpful part of this article to really break down a CoP and the difference between that and other groups.
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    This article was very informative. Two things that stood out the most for me were: one - the table outlining the engagement, life of network, etc. of Cops, formal work groups, project teams, and informal networks, and two - when Wenger and Snyder said, "Communities of practice are emerging in companies that thrive on knowledge." I totally agree with this statement. Knowledge is power and power puts you on top, so it stands to reason that Cops thrive on knowledge gained. Great source.
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    This article from the Harvard Business Review provides a great overview for Communities of Practice and what they look like within the context of larger organizations. There is a great chart comparing CoP with other organizational groups and a good description of the hallmarks of effective CoPs.
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    If you think Communities of Practice or CoPs are just for education, you need to read this article. It gives great examples of non-education based CoPs, including CoPs used in the current business world. In fact, the history of CoPs is traced as far back as ancient Greece in this article. Since this article tends to focus on non-education CoPs, it gives a nice breakdown of how "teams" differ from CoPs. This concept can easily apply to the school setting since many grade levels use team/department approaches for working with students. Looking at the business examples, it's worth noting that CoPs do not just spontaneously start. They take great effort to form and develop.
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    This article from the Harvard Business Review discusses the use of CoPs in the business world. The author compares CoPs with more traditional group collaboration strategies pointing out the positives of Cops and how their use is changing business.
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    Wenger and Snyder examine communities of practice and their implementation in the business and private sectors not necessarily education centric. They provide case studies on the benefits of CoP's which show concrete production improvement demonstrating the CoPs effectiveness. The chart comparing CoP's to teams and informal networks is helpful to understanding the differences.
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    This article discusses communities of practice in a historical sense and provided me with some relevant background information. It also describes the several reasons that communities of practice are formed. Communities of practice, among other things, can be great for "maintaining connections with peers" or can be created for individuals to come together "in response to changes" surrounding them. I recommend this read.
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    While parts of this article were about ways to create and grow CoPs, I found much of this helpful when illustrating CoPs in real workplaces that formed to solve problems by sharing expertise, commonalities, and without disrupting upper-level management.
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    This article from Harvard Business Review explores CoPs which were fairly new to the business scene in 2000. Knowledge sharing, learning, and change were thought to be improved through CoPs, though the creation of CoPs is not a directive from management. CoPs are self created and have their own projects and leadership. The article shares a brief history of CoPs. Noted are the differences between informal networks, project teams, formal work groups, and CoPs - looking at their purpose, membership, bonds, and length of relationships. CoPs are recognized for improving company performance.
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    In this article the author provides an introduction to the concept of communities of practice, describes benefits and utility for business, and strategies for implementation in that context.
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    The highlight of this article for me is that CoPs have to be organic in their organization and management.
melpalmer4

Communities of Practice - 17 views

  • A primary focus of Wenger’s work is on learning as social participation – the individual as an active participant in the practices of social communities, and in the construction of his/her identity through these communities. From this understanding develops the concept of the community of practice: a group of individuals participating in communal activity, and experiencing/continuously creating their shared identity through engaging in and contributing to the practices of their communities.
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    Great short clip that explains communities of practice for educators.
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    This is a great resource with videos about communities in practice. I really enjoyed the table about communities of practice vs teams.
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    This resource had both videos and a visual table to explain communities of practice. I liked how they described it using the terms: "Communities of Interest and Communities of Action". I think that is important because people can access their own specific interest catered directly to them.
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    I think this is a great resource to have for Communities of Practice. It provides a clear definition of Communities of Practice and also provides videos and visuals to provide further clarification.
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    CoP's a great place to share ideas, resources, post questions/concerns with other professionals within your contetn area. Great video and explanation of CoP!
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    This is a great place to get started because there are videos as well as text. The diagram toward the bottom of the page by Heather Smith and James McKeen from the School of Business at Queen's University is particularly useful. Often knowing what something is is easier when you know what it is not! Good stuff, thanks.
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    This article discusses that the idea of communities of practice (CoP) is that learning occurs in social contexts that emerge and evolve when people who have common goals interact as they strive towards those goals. It mentions the negotiation of meaning which involves two components: reification and participation. The article also compares communities of practice with teams and community of practice as knowledge management.
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    This article describes in detail the development of CoP and the work of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. There is a short video embedded that gives an example of CoP in the workplace at Caterpillar University. At the bottom of the article it shows a table that contrasts teams and CoPs. This gives a good visual on what the differences are in each category.
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    I especially like the way that this resource outlines the difference between teams and CoPs. It makes complete sense and is very intuitive but it is extremely useful to have it outlined in the chart format.
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    Lave & Wegner are the originators of the idea of 'Situated Learning' which is described as being fully engaged and "learning to talk instead of learning from talk." Within CoPs, participants engage in frameworks with structure. Alcoholics Anonymous was a good example from this article.
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    Sometimes when I spend time researching and learning about new concepts, I get lost in the details of definitions and citations. What I liked about this article was the table comparing CoPs to Teams. It breaks it down and compares the two in a way that makes sense.
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    As many have already commented on, this article gives a nice foundation for what CoPs are and their framework and purpose in society. I especially like the analogy chart made between CoPs and teams, showing what makes up each, how they may be similar, but how they are different.
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    This article summarizes the work of Lave and Wenger on the theory of communities of practice. It discusses how participation in communities of practice leads to learning and contributing to community goals. The article also includes a helpful chart that outlines the differences between communities of practice and other types of teams or focus groups.
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    This article explains the idea of communities of practice (CoP) and has some great videos to further explain giving examples. There is also a nice chart that shows the difference between a team and a CoP, which can be a common misconception that they are not the same thing.
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    This article gives insight to Wenger's components of learning, and then discusses the differences between teams and CoPs. I found this very helpful, as it can be easy to confuse the two at first. Through this chart, one can better understand the objective, membership, organization, termination, value proposition, and management of CoPs and compare this information to that of teams.
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    The communities of practice concept is explained in detail with many references to the work of Lave and Wenger. The article speaks to communities of practice as social learning in the workforce for organizational development, change management, and knowledge management.
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    This article offers an introduction to communities of practice. It also examines impacts on learning, makes distinctions between teams and offers direction for benefits for knowledge management.
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    Communities of practice, credited to Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, is a concept that claims that learning occurs through social interactions when people have a common goal and they interact while moving towards obtaining the goal. These communities are best ran with reification and participation. The alignment of these two concepts are what directs the communities of practice to their common goal. A community of practice is different than a team. A team has a goal, but their goal is to finish a specific task or project while a community of practice's goal is to share knowledge and learning on a particular subject. Teams also have a leader and disperse once the goal is completed while communities of practice are self organized and only disband when there is no interest left in learning that topic.Communities of practice facilitate the exchange process of knowledge.
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    A CoP evolves when people (educators) have common goals and collaborate to meet those goals. The chart comparing CoPs and teams was really helpful. The objectives, membership, and values are all distinctive differences when comparing CoPs and teams. Thanks for a great link!
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    This short article outlines what communities of practices are and provides a useful table showing the differences between them and teams. This chart is from Heather Smith and James McKeen from the School of Business at Queen's University (2003). They discuss the objective, membership, organization, termination, value proposition and management through the lenses of communities of practice and teams.
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    This article is a good, brief description of a CoP. I found analyzing the chart helpful for a a better understanding of a CoP. I previously considered a CoP to be a formal learning group. Now, based on the article you've provided, I can see how a CoP can be informal and include marginal group members.
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    Re"construction of his/her identity through these communities" Finding your voice and place in a CoP is important, as you need to be an active member to achieve the greatest return.
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    This brief but detailed summary of Wegner's 1998 idea of Community of Practice gives a basic understanding of the idea. The videos included can be useful for seeing how the idea can be helpful in education.
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    This resource explains what CoP is and when the theory was developed. The concept of CoP was developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. The author uses quotes directly from their book to explain CoP. There is a video that illustrates how CoP can be used in a K-12 classroom and another video that shows how CoP can be applied in other fields. The article also differentiates between Communities of Practice and Team members. The categories include objective, membership, organization, termination, value proposition, and management. My take away from the chart was that the major difference between CoP and being a team member is this: what will be the outcome of the participant?
nstringham

Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger) - Learning Theories - 6 views

  • collaborate over an extended period of time
  • earn how to do it better as they interact regularly
  • does not require intentionality
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  • problem solving, requests for information, seeking the experiences of others, reusing assets, coordination and synergy, discussing developments, visiting other members, mapping knowledge and identifying gaps.
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    Throughout this website, Etienne Wenger describes Communities of Practice as "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." It strongly conveys the importance of working together and emphasizes teamwork as a vital component for success. I could not agree more.
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    This is a summary of the work of Lave and Wenger on communities of practice. It focuses on the need for social participation for learning. The article also highlights how learning is central to human identity.
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    Wenger and Lave first used the term Communities of Practice (CoPs) in 1991 and furthered their explanation in 1998. CoPs are a process of social learning in which a group of like-minded people regularly collaborate with the objective to learn something. Wenger specifically notes that this definition does not include "intentionality," stating that learning can happen incidentally. This article goes on to explain the three components of a CoP: domain, community, and practice. Finally, the summary ends with a list of methods commonly seen to collaborate in a CoP including problem solving, seeking others' experience, discussing developments, and mapping knowledge
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    This article also explains how participation is a huge part of communities of practice. It states that these communities are groups that have something in common and people can learn from one another through the interactions taking place. One big focus is how the participation that is going on needs to be active and continuous. A person's active participation can then help motivate them and others in the community to continually want to learn.
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    This quick overview of CoPs gives a plain-English approach to the definition and components of CoPs. This allows for a quick understanding without having to dissect the meaning of each word of the definition. Wenger's simple definition is given, as well as the required components for a CoP, and it is concluded with the concept of social participation as a learning focus.
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    Since I hadn't heard of CoPs, I thought I should find out what it is. For those in the same boat, there are 3 things necessary to have a CoP: 1. domain (common interest), 2. community (engaging together in activity and sharing of information), and 3. practitioners (members are not just people with a shared interest, but practicing).
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    Introduction to and required components of a community of practice.
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    This article outlines the components of a community of practice as well as discussing what a community of practice is not to help learners better understand what is necessary to have a community of practice.
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    Communities of Practice were first used in 1991 by Jena Lave and Etienne. A CoP is social learning aimed around a specific subject with people who have common interests and collaborate over a large period of time in an online community. The learning that takes place is often natural and happens through the social interactions. There are three requirements for a proper CoP. The first is that there needs to be a domain. The people involved in the CoP need to have shared interests. The second is that there needs to be a community. The people involved need to interact and engage in activities to help and share information with each other. The final necessity is that there needs to be a practice. This means that they are actively engaged within the community and work to inform everyone involved. CoPs work using social interactions to create the learning community. 
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    This short but informative article helps get to the root question of "what are communities of practice?" The article describes the three main components of the communities of practice theory which domain (shared, common interest), community (sharing of info, activities), and practice (members of COP need to be practitioners of the domain and not just casual observer). To be a true COP, the above components must be present. The article breaks down Wengers belief that "groups of people who share a concern of a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as the interact regularly". It discussed how COP's are becoming more present through online communities formed through the Internet and social media. COP's are being seen as avenues that promote innovation and building of social capital through the spreading of knowledge.
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    In this article Etienne defines Communities of Practice (CoP) as "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." This learning that takes place is not necessarily intentional. Three components are required in order to be a CoP: (1) the domain, (2) the community, and (3) the practice.
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    This short summary did a really good job of making this concept simple to understand. It explains that you need three things for a COP: a domain, a community and practice. Great short explanation
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    This article is an overview of CoPs. The highlight for me is that it must be a collaboration over time, not a one-time Professional Development.
Scott McKee

Community of Practice - 8 views

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    By Etienne Wenger, this site offers her defintion and categorization of communities of practice.
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    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.
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    This was a concise, but well written overview of the definition of communities of practice.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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!
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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!
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    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.
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    An introduction to and application for communities of practice.
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    This article provides a simple definition of the term - "Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better." Businesses, organizational design, government, educational, professional associations, civic life and development projects use the concept of community of practice to focus on people and the social structures that enable people to learn from each other.
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    This article focuses on defining communities of practice and includes several examples. I like that they break up the words and meaning to simplify and better understand the meaning and benefits of communities of practice. For example, we might live in a community neighborhood, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we live in a "community of practice."
bettywells

Communities of Practice - 13 views

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    This article looks at the connection between learning communities and linguistic and sociolinguistic elements that are essential to success in such communities. The article gives an initial theory of how linguistics is important in determining how different communities are conceived and the effect on diverse groups and how these communities are an excellent place to study those linguistics.
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    I found the phrase "shared experience over time, and a commitment to shared understanding" to be very powerful. It is the underlying foundation of a community of practice. Each member has something to contribute to the overall goal of understanding the same material.
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    An article that claims the success of communities of practice comes down to two things: "shared experience over time and a commitment to shared understanding." It further explains that not only are the experiences key, but it is crucial that those experiences have variety and diversity.
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    I appreciate this piece because then intent is to build a concrete definition for communities of practice for an encyclopedia. It explores the sociological implications of the term and offers rich language that can be used to adequately define this particular type of community. According to the author there are two primary conditions in order for a collection of people to be considered a community of practice: commitment to the same shared understanding and a shared experience over time. These communities act as a tool to familiarize participant's with the world using the lenses of the group's interests.
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    Concise definition and description of Communities of Practice. Focus is on relation to speech communities.
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    This article gives a straightforward explanation of communities of practice. The author discusses the role of linguistics in this approach, explains its value, and how it can be successful.
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    This article talks explains the idea of community of practice and how one might compare their community to others. The ability to establish the purpose of the community of practice in which you are participating will allow for differentiation amongst other communities of practice. Although it wasn't a major focus of the paper it was one of the things that I took from this article that hasn't really been brought up in others.
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    This article was written for the Encyclopedia of Langauge and Linguistics. The article discusses how communities of practice are "collections of people who engage on an ongoing basis in some common endeavor". They are based not on shared characteristics or co-presence, but rather on shared practices. The author also points out that there are two crucial conditions, "shared experience over time, and a commitment to shared understanding". The article then discusses communities of practice in the sense of linguistics.
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    This article defines and explains the unique qualities of communities of practice. It also provides examples of how communities of practice are much different than other groupings we may identify.
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    The author lists the needs of sharing experience over time and the commitment to share understanding to make the community of practice work. Collaboration between all parts of the CoP. The article describes how a Community of Practice does not only have to be educational. Examples like book clubs, bowling teams or a church congregation are used by the author in the article.
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    Communities of practice is described by Penelope Eckert. Communities of practice develops ways of doing things, views, values, power relations, and ways of talking. Two main parts of the meaning include shared experienced over time and a commitment to shared understanding.
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    This article summarizes the concept of Communities of Practice (CoPs) and examines this concept as the basis of a social theory of learning. CoPs are defined as "a collection of people who engage on an ongoing basis in some common endeavor." The primary virtue of a CoP lies in shared practice among members, which is a totally different idea then social groups based on gender, class, or physical location such as neighborhood or workplace. While this article focused particularly on the linguistic/speech field, the general theory behind the development of and discussion of benefits of CoPs was applicable to all domains.
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    This article gave a lot of information on Communities of Practice. I liked how they discussed the two crucial conditions of CoPs. The first is that they are a shared experience over time. As the group develops over time, there is a great level of consistency. It provides more opportunities for joint sense-making and deepening participants' knowledge. The second condition is that they are a commitment to shared understanding. Participants in the CoP practice collaborating by placing themselves in a group with respect the world around them. There is a commitment to mutual engagement, shared knowledge, and a sense of predictability.
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    Megan and Amy, I like the idea of commitment presented by this article. It's one thing to belong to a COP, but another to be committed to it. We can't just "join" a COP without actively participating in it and contributing to it. I think that's an important thing to remember.
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    I also like the idea that at it's heart a COP is about mutual sense-making. The article mentions the idea of that being conflictual or consensual which I think is important to remember. A COP doesn't have to be all roses and unicorns to be effective.
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    This was a very interesting article to read by Penelope Eckert. The focus of this article takes on language and linguistics in CoPs, and Eckert claims that a "community of practice is thus a rich locus for the study of situated language use, of language change, and of the very process of conventionalization that underlies both." At its core, the claim being made is that language and linguistics is always evolving in CoPs and this helps with "identity construction" within a CoP.
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    This was an interesting read, though perhaps not particularly relevant to our class. It discusses communities of practice, what they are, where the theory came from, but it goes on beyond that to connect linguistics into it. I never would have considered that link if I had not read this.
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    This brief encyclopedia entry about communities of practice gives a succinct summary of the theory and discusses how CoPs affect, and perhaps are affected by, language.
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    This brief encyclopedia entry about communities of practice gives a succinct summary of the theory and discusses how CoPs affect, and perhaps are affected by, language.
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    Penelope Eckert explains that "a community of practice is a collection of people who engage on an ongoing basis in some common endeavor." CoP was developed by developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger and is based on the social learning theory. The author discusses the two conditions that are necessary to have a successful community of practice and provides scholarly research on the linguistic factors of CoP.
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    This article discusses the origins of Communities of Practice and then expands on the concepts by using examples that adhere to Anthropology and Linguistics.
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    This article explains what a community of practice is. It gives two aspects that are necessary for a community of practice which are "shared experience over time, and a commitment to shared understanding." The article also contrasts communities of practice with groups of speakers. It also explains that a child's linguistics are much more related to a child's communities of practice as opposed to their parents' social class.
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    This article delves into the definition of communities of practice and relates this to the world beyond my lens of education. This academic article relates communities of practice to anthropology and linguistics. The way we talk influences our communities of practice. The things that band us together can be many… finding an identity inside of this community is important
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    This article goes in great detail to define communities of practice. The author defines communities of practice as, a collection of people who engage on an ongoing basis in some common endeavor. Communities of practice develop in response to common interest, and have an important role in forming their members' participation. This commitment to the common interest holds the individual accountable for their participation.
Buffy Naillon

PLN theory, CoP, Connectivism - Naillon - 8 views

Hey Terrence! You're welcome. I hope I did it right. :) It seemed logical to do things that way. Cheers! Buffy

PLNs CoPs Connectivism formal and informal edtech543 web2.0 resources

klauritsen

The role of communities of practice in a digital age | Tony Bates - 25 views

  • The role of communities of practice in a digital age
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    A new chapter in Tony Bates' open source textbook, this one dealing with COPs - what they are, designing effective ones and learning through them.
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    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.
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    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!(
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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!
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    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.
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    I love how this article recognizes that 1 plus 1 is not 2. That the sum total of knowledge exceeds what was put in.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    @Terrence. I too liked the comments section which is ironically appropriate seeing that the article was about communities of practice. I think that Downes is viewed as a kind of expert in connectivism and social learning. I have read a few things on his blog through the process of this research and they are quite good. He also co-teaches an MOOC on connectivism with Siemens through the University of Manitoba.
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    I found this interesting at the end when the questions were posted. It made me think of things that I hadn't yet....Can we force these communities or do they just happen naturally and do I think they can replace other forms of education. I have not sorted those out in my own mind yet but I like that they stopped me to think about.
susanbird

What is Community of Practice and How Can We Support it? by Christopher Hoadley - 6 views

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    Christopher Hoadley defines communities of practice, explains underlying theories of CoPs, compares CoPs to other types of learning communities, and discusses the use of technology in the support and development of CoPs.
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    This chapter by Hoadley breaks down a community of practice (CoP) and explains the theory behind it as well as well as its history. An interesting piece of the chapter compares a CoP to other groups and how each works a bit differently. It was also interesting to read about how technology is used in successful CoPs.
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    I learned the feature-based as well as the process based definition of communities of practice. I also learned how we can support a community of practice. It was valuable to learn how technology ties into communities of practices in the form or presentation or communication abilities, integration in content and context, etc. The article mentioned C4P framework, which encouraged me to take a deeper look at the C4P framework.
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    This is an exhaustive article that covers the definition and history of COPs, thoughts on how to sustain COPs, and ideas on how technology can support and enhance COPs in the 21st century. It is practical, useful, and interesting. While I found it to be perhaps a little too detailed, it was nonetheless a good article.
  •  
    The concept of communities of practice has been used as both a theory to explain how learning occurs, and a "metaphor for how instruction should take place." From an anthropological view, knowledge is not completely contained within individuals, but is more often found in groups/communities. Knowledge can be "sticky" or "leaky". "Sticky" knowledge is difficult to disseminate, perhaps because it is highly technical, or because the target audience does not absorb it. "Leaky" knowledge is knowledge (like trade secrets) the disseminates despite efforts to keep it secret. Knowledge involves practice in context. One way we learn with situational learning is by peripheral, or tangential, participation. Learners should be allowed to "lurk" before participating, much as beginner social media users do. A knowledge building community and a community are practice are not the same thing. A knowledge-building community seeks to learn and build knowledge, while a community of practice wants to improve some type of work function. The learning may be the same, but the goals are different. Forced knowledge-building communities may never read the stage of community of practice depending on the level of connectedness and peripheral participation. Technology can facilitate communication and collaboration for CoPs.
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    This explains what a Community of Practice is, it goes into two definitions, features-based and process-based. It also discusses how communities of practice and technology often go hand-in-hand and how this has changed and developed over time.
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    This chapter provides an overview and history of communities of practice. There is a nice description of the theoretical assumptions underlying its development. The differences of communities of practice and other knowledge communities are explained thoroughly. There is an appreciation for how technology plays a role in today's communities of practice, how it can support it and how it is not less effective than face to face communication. It is explained that the key to a successful community of practice is "connections, conversations, content, and information context."
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    Christopher Hoadley explains CoPs, focusing on definition and practice. Essentially, Hoadley illustrates that CoPs are informal yet highly connected, constructivist in nature, and supported by technology like social media. He states that technology supports communities of practice by "linking people with similar interests, providing a shared repository of resources, directly supporting communication, and providing awareness of various resources within the information context" (Jonassen & Land, 2012). Additionally, he goes on to express that individual learning fails when it comes to application but that group learning often creates deeper, more meaningful understanding especially when built upon authentic situations.
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    This article gives two separate definitions for communities of practice, a feature based definition and a process based definition. Between the two it explains how learning through practice can be more beneficial than following a manual or example. It also states how participation is important as well as being viewed as a member of the community of practice. The article then goes into explaining how technology has played a positive role in communities and has helped with communication to allow a community of practice to function even better.
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    This chapter dives deep into communities of practice. It begins with an overview of the history of CoPs and discusses theoretical underpinnings the concept is based on. The author explores CoPs in relation to other types of learning and related technology.
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    In this resource, Christopher Hoadley helps to define community of practice with two approaches. The first approach to the definition is what he calls the "feature-based definition" and the other approach is the "process-based" definition. He attributes these definitions based on Lave and Wenger's book on situated learning. This resource provides a good starting point to understanding what CoP is and the theoretical approach it involves.
anonymous

Community of Practice Design Guide - 14 views

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    Defines CoP's and reinforces that CoP's focus on sharing knowledge and developing best practices. Identifies CoP's as a model for connecting people for learning, knowledge sharing, collaboration and organizational development. Provides great key questions for growth of a CoP.
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    Even though I am becoming more acclimated to the non-linear arrangements of websites and the Internet, in general, it is still nice to see a well formatted document that clearly lists its points and is somewhat old-fashioned in presenting more recently cultivated information. This is the type of arrangement I needed to help me visualize CoP's.
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    How to guide on using Communities of Practice in higher education.
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    A step by step guide for designing and cultivating CoPs from the Educause Library of free resources
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    I really enjoyed this article as it did provide a very clear distinction to a CoP and how they generate around a particular goal or common objectives. The one aspect of the article that I found really fascinating dealt with how to create a CoP and how it spoke of the cultivation of a CoP. It is not something that grows automatically, but must be intentional in nature. This requires the design, formalization of the community, and planning activities and core concepts for the CoP. It is not imperative that a CoP is fully structured from the beginning as the CoP will ultimately identfiy its main tenants over the period of growth.
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    This guide provides a practical interpretation of the theoretical underpinnings of communities of practice (CoPs) in higher education. The guide begins with a definition, review of the purpose of CoPs, as well as their lifecycle. The authors also outline the stages of development in a CoP. This section includes guiding questions and activities to help others facilitate the development process within their own CoPs. I found this resource to be helpful in visualizing the process of developing CoPs.
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    This source is set up differently than the others that I found. It is focused more on why communities are important, and how to build them. It also provides some good visuals that represent types of communities, how to grow communities, and different ways to grow and cultivate those relationships and communities.
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    This is a great guide from Educause on the "nuts and bolts" of establishing a PLN. This resource provides a step-by-step guide to establishing a CoP.
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    This article is really helpful since it gives practical there are some things you can do. My favorite is "Design." You can not just set up spaces and expect people to interact. You have to drive purpose and there has to be meaning there.
devivost

infed.org | Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger and communities of practice - 9 views

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    Communities of Practice are becoming an important focus in organiation development because of the learning and collaboratiave aspects of CoP. Theory and practice of CoP's are reviewed. The model of situated learning is reflected upon as CoP's are viewed as a process of engagement.
  • ...16 more comments...
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    This is a resource on communities of practice and their positive impact on organizational development and group work. It highlights the work of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. It breaks down the 3 elements that differentiate a community of practice from other groups/communities and how knowledge is generated in a community. Situated learning is the model of learning that is explained as taking place in these communities of practice.
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    This article gives a short history of Communities of Practice and goes on to explain what they are. It is easy to read and understand as It explains what CoP are and what they are not.
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    Detailed article that describes the communities of practice philosophy that Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger developed the in the late 80's that proposes learning comes from the social interactions in our daily lives. The article further explains how the interactions with various groups causes the learning, whether it is as a core member or a bystander.
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    I really liked this article because as an educator it spoke to what I believe in. Learning does not only take place in the educational setting of a school, but it also takes place outside of that environment. Learning is social, it's physical, it's interactive, it's communicating. There are so many different ways to learn and therefore people never stop learning. It states that communities of practice are all around us and most of the time we are involved in many of those groups at the same time.
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    Lave and Wenger discuss communities of practice covering many topics such as the characteristics and the relationships. EDTECH543 Communities of Practice
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    This article discusses Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, who proposed that "learning involved a process of engagement in a 'community of practice'." They discuss the idea of learning as being a social experience rather than an individual one, and that people are typically involved in a number of communities of practice. The characteristics of communities of practice are described, as well as situated learning.
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    This article clearly articulates what communities of practice are, examples of each (which I find the most interesting as it makes a very clear connection to what we know), and three main components. The three distinguishable ideas show how communities of practice are different than random groups. I like their ideas of these groups occurring over time around things thst matter to people. #EDTECH543
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    This source discusses communities of practice and how they can be either formal or informal. Members of a community of practice are in an organized group centered around a shared idea. Communities of practice allow connectivity because learners make connections with each other as resources to acquire knowledge when needed.
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    I learned about different definitions or explanations of communities of practice and how the learning happens by means of communities of practice is connected to situated learning. I also learned about different characteristics of communities of practice and how these characteristics are interconnected. I learned in detail about how the concept of communities of practice is aligned with the concept of situated learning. I enjoyed reading the examples and learning how communities of practices change over time.
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    In CoPs, connections are being made. Everyone is working together to get everything that they need. I think that the main focus of this descibres the aspects of collaboration and why it is so important with CoPs. CoPs is related to situated learning and that is something new that I learned.
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    "Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning" A COP is joining in mutual activities.
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    3 crucial elements that make a COP: Domain, Community, and Practice. A domain is a common interest among members. A community means that members engage in activities and discussions and share information to help one another. Members practice by sharing tools and resources.is something that individuals do.
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    Excellent article that explains the characteristics of CoPs and how CoPs can be used in many aspects of life (both personally and professionally). This is the first article I have found that references "situational learning" as part of CoPs. The idea that learning is a social process and that we learn more from collaboration than we do independently seems to support the use and development of CoPs. Lave and Wegner illustrate that theory in the article by using examples from real-life situations.
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    This article really talks about the details of CoPs without going into the how-tos that many others do. I appreciate how foundational it starts- even pointing out that learning was initially thought of as an individual activity and how that has evolved. Situated learning is discussed as it is beneficial for learners to not just learn by hearing or doing, but by learning to talk about what they are doing.
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    Ariana, I loved how this article provided such great information and details.I also appreciate knowing the background of where foundations start. Thanks for the share!
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    This article gives a very detailed explanation of communities of practice. The author traces the term to its origins to Lave and Wenger. Definitions of the characteristics of communities of practice are defined. Both Lave and Wenger claim that learning requires communities of practice which create authenticity beyond models to be applied to real situations
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    This is an article that dives deeper into the theory and practice of communities of practice. The article hits the main components of domain, community, and practice but dives deeper into the thinking of the researchers Lave and Wenger. I appreciated how the article dives deeper into the process of these communities and how many of us join COPs as periphery learners and then as we gain competence through out interactions with the COP we move to full participation. The cornerstone of the theory being that learning not is solely acquisitional but rather a process of social participation. There are extended quotes from the researchers that provide a deeper context to their theory and more is discussed about the processes of their research.
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    This article provides a great overview of the writings of Wenger and Lave on communities of practice. Their basic points are that we are all involved in communities of practice and they are valuable tools to become better educators. They also explain how our learning never ends as education continues to change. We constantly need to adapt and change our methods to fit our learners.
carissakane

The Systems Thinker - Communities of Practice: Learning as a Social System - The System... - 12 views

  • You respect your teammates and are accountable to your project managers. But when you face a problem that stretches your knowledge, you turn to people like Jake, Sylvia, and Robert. Even though they work on their own projects in other business units, they are your real colleagues. You all go back many years. They understand the issues you face and will explore new ideas with you. And even Julie, who now works for one of your suppliers, is only a phone call away. These are the people with whom you can discuss the latest developments in the field and troubleshoot each other’s most difficult design challenges.
  • What it is about: its joint enterprise as understood and continually renegotiated by its members How it functions: the relationships of mutual engagement that bind members together into a social entity What capability it has produced: the shared repertoire of communal resources (routines, sensibilities, artifacts, vocabulary, styles, etc.) that members have developed over time.
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    This article talks about how communities of practice are all around us and that more than likely, everyone is in multiple groups or communities. It also discusses how knowledge is what holds the communities together rather than tasks doing so like on a team. As it explains what a community of practice is, it also goes into how to develop the community as well as how to maintain it. To help a community of practice to succeed, it says no member needs to be on the outside of the community, but for all members to be fully inside the community and fully committed.
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    @mskmjohnson Great article! I particularly like the focus on a CoP vs. a team and the practical information on maintaining a CoP
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    This in-depth overview discusses CoPs covers their roles in organizations like other articles, but it also talks about where the can be found and their differences than teams, businesses, networks, etc- offering a definition more by what it is not. The stages of development image helped me better understand the foundation of a CoP.
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    Etienne Wenger explains the importance of Communities of Practice. Wenger states that communities are everywhere and most people are involved in a community of practice. Communities of practice are different than a community of interest or geographical communities because of three elements. The three elements are what it is about, how it functions, and what capability it has produced. The community of practice can be within businesses, across business units, or even across company boundaries. All "communities of practice move through various stages of development characterized by different levels of interaction among the members and different kinds of activities."
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    Article by Wegner explaining CoPs that has a couple of great graphics of what it means to be in a CoP, how to develop them, and how they relate to organizations
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    I really like how this article connects the idea of CoP to things other than education. It is a 21st century skill that we can teach our students and have them continue to use even after their formal education is complete.
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    Sometimes we teachers get ourselves stuck on the idea that we are clearly the only profession out there in the world when we are researching topics like CoPs. However, this isn't the case, and I really appreciate that this resource outlines the idea of communities of practice as far reaching and for more than just teachers. It comes back to the community. Without the community, there is no practice.
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    This article goes beyond the basic definitions of CoPs as it provides where communities can be found and the importance of CoPs to organizations and offers suggestions to develop and nurture CoPs.
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    For me it is easy to think of CoPs in education but I liked looking at them in other organizations. Thinking about how to keep them going was interesting. Things like legitimizing participation seems obvious but can really make or break a CoP.
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    This article begins by describing three different communities of practice, but not how one would traditionally think of them. A "community of practice" for myself on a personal level would not necessarily have to be the other middle school teachers in my building, but could involve the elementary art teacher I am friends with. The more I read about these communities of practice the more they are sounding like "like-minded people who talk about stuff they have in common." There is a neat little graph describing five stages of development of these communities.
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    This page offers different wording and definitions of PLNs.
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    This article talks about Communities of Practice and how they differ from PLN. COP have a centralized theme, how they function depend on the sophistication and functionality of the group as a whole.
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    It is nice to see how communities of practice are used in areas outside of education. I feel this really highlights the importance of them beyond the theoretical value and into real-world application.
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    This article provides characteristics of communities of practice and examples of where they can be seen but what stood out to me as being useful information is how to keep CoP's productive and "nurtured." The focus of implementing CoP's is not in education but rather business; however, the information is still relevant and applicable.
wagnerang

Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods Toolkit - Communities of Practice - 9 views

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    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.
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    This site describes communities of practice (CoP) as "groups of people who share a passion for something that they do, and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better." It then goes on to describe the history or CoPs, when and how to use them (providing a flowchart for cultivating communities of practice), and concludes with tips, examples, and related resources.
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    This resource outlines CoPs and provides relevant examples. Explains that the emphasis of these communities is the quality of content shared by individuals. States that the creator to consumer ratio is 0.07%. Where's the YOU?
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    This article provides an overview of, applications for, and tips the use of a community of practice.
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    This article give not only the basic idea of a CoP, but also gives tips and lessons, examples and stories, and more references for those interested in learning more. Some of the resources are in Dutch (?), so be aware.
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    Great summary of CoPs and their usefulness in education. I like how the article explains that they can be short term or long term depending on the purpose and goals of the community. I also really like the graphic and saved it to my desktop!
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    The image in this article is great! The tips section is also helpful when you are thinking about creating a CoP. Overall, great article with great examples.
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    This is a really great resource! Like Ryann, I love the image within this page. It really puts some of the important aspects of communities of practice in the simplest terms possible. I love the emphasis on key questions to ask when thinking about CoP. Consistent attitude is something that needs to be taken to all communities! If the purpose is to teach and learn, then the attitude needs to be there to match.
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    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.
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    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.
carissakane

CC0212Policy.pdf - 10 views

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    This article describes the features in communities of practice and provides a real life example of how it is used and what it looks like in an educational setting. The article also shows how communities of practice can be extended through the use of new technologies.
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    In the opening section it describes the community of practice as being different from the typical teacher development model because it reaches "beyond individuals and toward alignment". This confused me at first, because it seemed to oppose the other information about communities of practice. I had seen a community of practice as a way for individuals to find what they need. However, as I read on, I realized that it was referring to the fact that teachers are now linked to one another and can work together to find coherence and best practices.
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    As an English teacher I can see the value of the example in this brief. The English department gets together and reflects on similar commenting styles for students to revise papers. They study which commenting helped the best after students turned in their revised copies. My English department just had to do this type of collaboration, but we were analyzing introduction paragraphs written by students and how we could improve teaching this. Unfortunately it was one of those times that were "mandated from the top down" as the brief mentions. Our collaboration was not voluntary and our department is not cohesive. I liked this idea of creating a community of practice with my department, but I am not sure how to get everyone on board Think of the power a CoP would make if it were campus wide, cross-curricular.
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    A research brief produced by the National Council of Teachers of English, this publication focuses on three aspects of a successful community of practice: mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire. Although the phrasing is different, the central concepts are similar to other reports on this topic. It does, however, also break down the needs of institutional support as a necessary condition for these communities to thrive.
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    The national Council of Teachers of English reviewed Communities of Practice as they worked to develop better feedback for student writing. Successful Communities of Practice have been shown to be beneficial provided that specific characteristics are in place, including a common goal. Both face to face CoPs and online CoPs need these specific elements. What sets communities of practice apart from other professional development models is their reach beyond individuals and toward alignment
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    I found this article or brief by the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) helpful in that it gave context to how teaching organizations view of the communities practice theory. The article paints a picture of how schools try to use the theory as a framework for collaboration. I appreciated how it presented the goals of COPs in schools with some possible pitfalls. The main takeaway being that COPs are less successful when they are implemented "from the top down". It still drives home the reality however that COPs do need an organizational structure and good leadership, but that connections and shared vision are still the cornerstones of COP's. The article was published in 2011 and appears to be preparing it's readers for the wave of new media. It references blogs as emerging COPs and drives home point that online communities, while not face-to-face, still need strong leadership and organizational structure to be successful. It ends by providing questions to consider when trying to form COPs.
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    Re: The main takeaway is that COPs are less successful when they are implemented "from the top down". I agree with this statement, The most successful CoP that I have been involved in were initiated within the district, but the administration was not overseeing the work being done. This freedom allowed for a more relaxed and teacher supported group. The department was kept in close communication, however, as some time to open our community funds were necessary and therefore it was important to have an advocate.
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    This article really captivated me, especially how it started with the vignette about the English teachers collaborating over how to mark their students' papers. I am an English faculty at a university and I have sat through collaborations on such things. I appreciated how such a simple paragraph on this collaboration could embody the three tenets of communities of practice.
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    The National Council of Teachers of English wrote this briefing with the intent of helping not just English teachers but any educator understand the alignment, implementation, and instructional support of a CoP. The comprehensive but short article is an easy read to get a basic outline of communities of practice.
wagnerang

What is a CoP and how do I use this resource? - 5 views

I found this resource to be helpful in understanding a CoP more objectively. So many of the resources I found and read focus on education, which is my profession, but I think viewing CoP examples f...

EDTECH543 EdTechSN CoP Community of Practice

kimsjohnson

What are Personal Learning Networks? - 3 views

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    This article from Sh!ft Learning explains the differences between Personal Learning Networks, PLCs, CoPs, and PLEs. Anyone unfamiliar to the terms/acronyms would find this article useful in discerning the differences. The article also gives several reasons for why PLNs are needed, and ways they can help educators grows personally and professionally.
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    A fabulous article that describes exactly what a PLN is & isn't. They define it as: "A network of trusted connections with whom an individual interacts (and learns from) on a regular basis." - Jane Hart. It stresses that while technology has advanced and changed PLN's they are mainly about the connections formed & relationships made. It describes a PLN as being "random" while a COP is more intentional & formal (since COP often share professional expertise).
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    This article describes what PLNs are and how they differ from PLEs. It also outlines the importance of PLNs for becoming a better teacher and connecting with others.
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    This particular article talks about how PLNs have layers, starting with the center layer. This includes a person's mentors and friends. The next layer are people or groups that are bound by common interests. The last layer are the experts and professionals that people look to in order to gain personal knowledge. This article also points that sometimes people get PLNs and CoPs mixed up. However CoPs take this one step further by having a profession/ professional interests in common. In other words, most Trekkies at ComicCon are not CoPs, but rather PLNs.
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    This resource defines PLNs and the benefits of today's learners connecting online with people of similar interests. However, the differentiating aspect of this article is actually the section titled "What a PLN is Not." In this section, PLNs and CoPs are compared and contrasted regarding purpose and structure with PLNs being less formal than CoPs. Additionally, this resource illustrates the difference between PLNs and PLEs, markedly stating that PLNs are a part of PLEs and that they house the virtual network and tools used to collaborate. Finally, this resource pulls on Connectivism to explain the importance of a PLN, citing the Connectivist principle of continued learning made possible through constantly updating networks of users.
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    Michelle, what an excellent resource! I was particularly interested where it explained that a PLN is not a PLE because I'm finding myself in my elementary understanding of these concepts mixing these up!
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    Gutierrez defines what a PLN is, what does a PLN do, and what a PLN is not. Lastly, Gutierrez explains why building a PLN is increasingly important. A PLN is where educators can gather, collaborate, communicate, and share information anywhere or anytime. PLNs are formed through social media and across the world. They serve three purposes including connection building, connection maintenance, and connection activation. A PLN is not a CoP or PLE. A Community of Practice is with people that have the same profession, vs PLN connections are more informal. A Personal Learning Environment is much broader than a PLN. A PLN is within the PLE. PLNs help professional development, expanding your thinking, find answers and advice quickly, and stay up to date.
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    The business blog post defines and contrasts PLNs, CoPs, and PLEs. It discusses the importance of building a PLN. The post points out that connections in a PLN are intentional with the purpose of learning from the other person rather than just meeting by chance. Several good references are provided. Included is a nice illustration showing the relationships between PLNs and PLEs and Personal Web Tools.
Jessica Gake

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier - 5 views

  • Notsolongago,companieswere reinvented by teams.Communities of practicemayreinventthemyetagain –if managers learn to cultivate these fertileorganizational formswithoutdestroyingthem
  • The best way for an executive to assess the valueof a community of practice is by listening to mem-bers’ stories, which can clarify the complex rela-tionships among activities, knowl-edge, and performance.
  • What are communities of practice? In brief,they’re groups of people informally bound togetherby shared expertise and passion for a joint enter-prise
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  • managers cannot mandate communities of prac-tice. Instead, successful managers bring the rightpeople together, provide an infrastructure in whichcommunities can thrive, and measure the commu-nities’ value in nontraditional ways.
  • The strength of communities of practice is self-perpetuating. As they generate knowledge, they re-inforce and renew themselves.
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    This article discusses communities of practice from a business perspective, which I found interesting because CoPs truly to exist in all professions; they aren't strictly and education trend. The merit of CoPs, according to the author, is that people share their experiences and knowledge in free-flowing, creative ways that foster new approaches to solving problems. They discuss the various benefits of CoPs and then examine why they aren't more prevalent, concluding that though the concept has been around for centuries, it hasn't been widely accepted yet and therefore companies (and education) haven't spent a long time cultivating them and helping people learn to effectively develop them. They refer to CoPs as the new frontier and predict that they will become a more and more important part of knowledge acquisition for professionals in the future.
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    Although many organizations create groups that include people of varying specialties to complete specific problems, people are organizing themselves into communities of practice, informal groups who share "expertise and passion" for a common interest. These communities are new to the business world because their spontaneous, informal nature makes them difficult to supervise. Managers cannot mandate communities of practice, they can only create a supportive environment. Members self select based on common interests and perceived advantage. The authors provide examples from Hill's Pet Nutrition and Hewlett-Packard. While communities should not be forced into creation, managers can cultivate them by identifying potential CoPs that will benefit the company's "strategic capabilities", provide infrastructure to them, and assess their value to the business through "nontraditional methods." Business managers need to realize the wealth of potential available to them through communities of practice.
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    Prior to my studies in the Educational Technology program, I had never heard of the term Communities of Practice. Until I read this article, I have only seen research about CoP in education. This article begins by discussing CoP in business, and how long CoP has been around as well its benefits for businesses. I was really surprised to hear how long CoP has been around, you would think more businesses would invest the time to develop them. A couple examples mentioned show that it can take up to a year or more before change is implemented, but the long term benefits are worth it. Also, I noticed that another article broke down information in a table, much like the "Snapshot Comparison" section in this article. This is a nice way to compare things in an easy to read and understandable format.
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    This article, while a bit longer, introduces and explains communities of practice in an in depth and thorough fashion. I enjoyed the comparison to real-life companies organization and the history coming all the way from Ancient Greece. Two of my favorite comments states that communities offer "creative ways that foster new approaches to problems" and "they give you both the golden eggs and golden goose that lays them". It makes me realize how essential deeper understanding and knowledge can be developed within these types of communities. The article also develops an understanding of a comparison chart of different types of work groups to show when using communities of learners are most effective.
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    This is a great resource that focuses specifically on the use of communities of practice in business environments. However, the information is easily transferred to other areas of industry or academia. It addresses the fact that CoPs are different than the traditional approach of working in teams in that their success and usefulness can be difficult to measure. The author gives tips for how to evaluate the success of a CoP through the sytematic gathering of anecdotal evidence.
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    This is a great resource for businesses to gain insights into the use of Communities of Practice. In this article, Wenger and Snyder discuss Communities of Practice and their value for organizations.
jaelorduy

What is a Community of Practice? - 7 views

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    I am very pleased with this video. It's an interview with Etienne Wenger and he explains, in his own terms, his research and definition of the Community of Practice.
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    Wegner talking about CoP. Again, although it is a short summary overview, it makes several key points which help my understanding. Firstly that the challenge which can arise in a CoP can become like a sort of curriculum which is wired on and developed. Learning, sharing happen and even new knowledge creation. As he talks about tools he makes it clear that such online tools are not in themselves CoP bbut the tools which enable them. Interesting and digestible.
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    I like this overview a lot. Thank you for posting. He makes CoPs sound so helpful and the people that are in them so positive and available. It makes me want to join one right now!
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    I enjoyed this video quite a bit. He's point at 3:25 regarding the correct usage of tools in CoPs seems obvious, but it emphasizes the need for management and organization in successful CoPs.
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    I really like that you chose a video. This is a great summary of what a CoP is and what it needs to be successful! Defining a community of practice is not easy but using the correct tools appropriately can make all the difference!
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    This was refreshing to watch a video instead of reading an article about these topics. I think that it was powerful when he mentioned that it is the learners duty to organize and be in charge of how they would like to learn and what they would like to learn. We interact daily with our coworkers, friends, family, etc. We can and do learn from all of them, it is up to how what we want to learn and to what extent.
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    I really enjoyed watching this video. I had searched for some videos on Communities of Practice, but this is clearly the best one I have seen. It provides a clear explanation of CoP's and even some information on what it takes in order to be successful.This is important because it shows what a successful CoP should look like.
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    I also liked the explanation about how members from a Communities of Practice are engaged in a similar practice but they may do it in different settings. They don´t need to do it together. The learning contract between the members is the key of success.
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    Dr. Wenger talks about his Community of Practice. This discussion gives us an outline of how skills be shared through a CoP. According to Dr. Wenger, the CoP creates an on-going network of resources to communicate problems and discuss solutions. The learning and knowledge sharing can even create knowledge creation as solutions are discussed.
Rob Johnson

The role of communities of practice in a digital age. - 16 views

I thought that this was a very informative blog post. I really liked the way that the author broke down the information and included a graphic to help. It was also very interesting to learn about h...

Cop MOOC digital

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