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A content analysis of 100 academic blogs that looks at reasons academics give for blogging and the connection it may have to community of practice.

I really enjoyed reading this article as it provided further insight into the "why" teachers and higher ed professionals should engage in blogging. Three main ideas really jumped out to me and solidified the validity of blogging: "blogs are a way to expand and disseminate knowledge, make contact with potential collaborators, and have scholarly discussions on a global scale". By engaging in these blogs we enter into a CoP that promotes these virtues by nature as all those involved in the CoP have similar motivations and goals. The communities then function as an opportunity to collaborate on materials, subject matter, and other issues pertinent to the educators. One aspect that is noted is that blogs provide a specific function, thus different blogs will contain different topics, subject matter, and ideas that can be shared online.

When I used to blog, I realized it was a passive-aggressive way for me to complain about my District. So, I stopped. However, I have found other academic blogs useful. One of my classmates in the EdD program blogs daily, and she is a great source of information. Blogs are also good starting points for research. Reading them often broadens my perspective which in turn helps me in my search for sources.

This article focuses on virtual communities of practice within higher education. It provides an overview of the definition, purpose, and literature concerning CoPs. Further the authors detail many of the benefits, barriers, and critical success factors associated with virtual CoPs. The article also includes numerous practical examples of virtual CoPs as well as quotes from faculty with experience in these communities.

This source details the history of MOOCs and how they are beginning to make changes in higher education. It details some of the amazing possibilities of this relatively new educational option, but also many of the challenges that it faces.

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.

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.

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.

The new development for educational technology.  I became a member here since their goal is to improve learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and higher education.

EasyTech makes it so simple - even tech novices get on board. Need time saving ways to teach critical 21st century skills? Accoring to the site, "EasyTech makes that possible too. An award-winning, K-8 technology literacy curriculum, EasyTech helps students efficiently integrate technology skills with digital literacy, higher-order thinking and core curriculum."

I came across the acronym MOOC in the resources and the meaning did not immediately jump out to me. This article discusses the quick rise and perceived fall of MOOC's from 2012 to present. It also discusses their continued importance and changes that may occur.

A nonprofit association dedicated to integrating information technology into higher education. They have a blog as well as information about research and publications, conferences and events, professional development, and ideas for how to integrate technology into higher education.

Came across this while digging around on the Christensen Institute blog.

This paper examines the role of group learning at the university level to prepare students for interacting in CoP in the workplace. Researchers utilized Hoadley and Kilner's "C4P" framework to create an IT consultant scenario. The resulting reflections placed an emphasis on purpose, context, content, communication, and leadership.

This work provides first person accounts of creating and implementing communities of practice as well as research about communities of practice. The goal of the work, according to the author, is to guide and promote other educators in the creation of communities of practice. Communities of Practice are explored in this work through the lens of higher education, professional development, secondary education, and primary education with the varying chapters all presenting a different type of community of practice.

This study investigated the applications of social media, specifically Twitter, as a tool to enhance the higher education learning process. Participants (Business and Management undergrads) were asked to use Twitter for instructor and peer communication throughout a 12-week course. An evaluation survey determined Twitter was an effective way to engage students. Twitter usage was not, however, associated with interpersonal relations between a student and his/her instructor or peers. Nor was there was a correlation found between Twitter usage and class attendance.

I was most interested in this website in section 5.4.9, where the author details the strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs, specifically the weaknesses. MOOCs have high registration numbers, but only a small number actually finish the course. They are expensive to produce and they are used mostly by those with higher education levels. Higher levels of learning are difficult to assess and so "credit" becomes difficult or impossible to grant. Copyright issues can also be a problem.

I found myself spending most of my time reading the strengths and weakness of MOOCs located at the end of the article. I found several articles that listed only the strengths, or only the weaknesses. I appreciated this article because it examined both.

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

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

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

The other state was Nevada, and it unveiled new requirements for crypto ATM owners requesting them to get a transmission license. Business owners would have to pay as much as $10,000 for the first location granted by the license. The cost of every additional kiosk needs an extra $5,000. On the whole, bond requirements must not be higher than $250,000 in total.

I love this idea.  It's a college class, but it could easily be adapted to a high school environment.  The back channel in online education provides a rich source for learning.  If this could be implemented in brick and mortar with twitter, then this would be great.

Great uses of Twitter in classrooms. For English, I like Dave's suggestions for teaching grammar's rules and structure, storytelling, and rule based writing.