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Great article about connectivism and creating learning communities. I enjoyed the the final quote..."We participate, therefore we are". Great stuff.

Todd, This article does a good job relating the theory of connectivism and the actual development of learning communities. I particularly liked the statement, "The relationship between work experience, communal learning, and knowledge is at the heart of connectivism - as is expressed in 'connectivity'". It's perfect summary of what the author is trying to say.

This article compares the real application of MOOC to the theory of connectivity and how it is meant to work.

This article explains how communities of practice are growing and evolving through technology and allowing teaching (and learning) to advance to new heights with very little limitations.

I truly believe that reflection takes place once you are involved in a learning community. That is the best way to achieve knowledge and change. This article was a nice read about how a learning community can boost professional growth. Students need to see educators taking ownership of their learning as an example of how they need to be in charge of their own learning as well.

This study shows a very specific CoP example, using geography teachers in New Zealand as the subject of research. In the introduction, the researcher states "mandating professional development services to several hired geography teachers is impractical...and needs to be voluntary rather than mandatory." This statement is consistent with CoPs having membership of like-individuals connecting because of their learning needs and wants. Furthermore, the study shows a positive result when connecting 'distant' people as a cost effective way to circumvent budgetary restraints for professional development.

Communities of Practice need to be voluntary and non-threatening in order for an individual to join. In this study, I like how they set up their Community of Practice so that the individual could join a topic or subject matter group that was relevant to their situation or needs. As teachers we are often placed in professional development training that has no relevance to the needs of our classroom. I also like how they set up a dialogue for the members of the group. Participants not only posted their own ideas but shared thoughts and ideas through discussion with others in the group. It seemed to be less intimidating because much of the dialogue took place online. One of the factors that impacted the participants was time. Just like educators in the U.S., the educators in this study found it difficult to find the time to fully participate in these Communities of Practice and some did not even finish the modules. As a result, dialogue toward the end of the module fizzled out and was less engaging for some participants. That is one of my concerns with Communities of Practice. Sometimes if one is not being forced to complete a project, it does not get completed. It takes a lot of discipline to be part of a Community of Practice and a willingness to be there for the other group members.

SEDL discusses some of the interpretations of PLC. Additionally, SEDL discusses the development and attributes of a functional PLC. SEDL also discusses the variety of configurations of professional learning communities.

Excellent literature review on community of practice. Case study of mentoring within a community of practice

This article gave an overview of what a community of practice is - but what I really like where the graphics included, especially the one on social media in the classroom - some cool statistics presented in an eye appealing manner.

I really like the visual representation at the top of this post. It shows the circular nature of communities of practice and breaks down the key ideas nicely.

Communities of practice give teachers the opportunity to interact, communicate, gain knowledge and collaborate in an environment of English Language Learners (ELL). Teacher not only have a community of practice with fellow teachers, but also in the classroom.

This article by Richard DuFour, one of the key voices in PLC professional development, identifies what distinguishes a PLC from other Communities of Practice. PLCs in schools are focused on student achievement, and creating a common understanding of what students should know and be able to do, how we will know when a student has reached mastery, and what we will do when a student is not successful.

I also had the opportunity to go through a training with the DuFours, but for three days last summer. I felt their were spectacular. Communication and problem solving are also important aspects of PLCs. #EdTechSN

I am developing my curriculum into a more blended environment. I think the professional learning communities and collaboration suggested here could really help me overcome some barriers. Thank you.

This is a link to an archived session from the 2013 Leadership in Educational Technology Virtual Conference. The session links CoP as a model for professional learning communities. At the link you will find the downloadable research paper as well as a link to a recording of the session.

I had to check this out because the concept of Guild was introduced to me last year with 3DGameLab. I was happy to see one of the presenters is Steve Isaacs because I met him last summer while playing in the 3DGameLab. I understand he is now in the EdD program, so it makes sense he would do a presentation on this type of connection. I have not spent enough time listening to our EdD students, so thank you for bringing this presentation to our attention.

This article investigates communities and the different steps that one takes to "belong" to a community. These communities facilitate sharing of ideas, resources,and research.

This article describes how communities of practice can be used to help teachers connect to diverse populations.

Huwe, T. K. (2006). Breaking into Communities of Practice. Computers In Libraries, 26(5), 22-25. In order to increase information literacy, relationship building is key. Online classes can be an example of a community of practice since there are discussion boards and ways for students to connect together.

I have to balance reading with other learning sources and so this video on Communities of Practice in action is simple and effective. It focuses on uk govt as as example but covers the main idea, if not the academic theory. Person, working with others, driven to connect, collaborate and learn. Simple but effective

This video was helpful in showing how a Community of Practice is useful to individuals. I also found it helpful to be reminded that there may also be a face to face element in a Community of Practice, and it does not all have to be digital.

This essay makes an argument that organizations need to include social learning systems, such as communities of practice, in order to achieve success. The author explains social learning and explains why communities of practice are beneficial.

This article looks at communities of practice from different sections of a community such as individuals and organizations. The article starts with a social definition of learning and then takes a deep look at the structure of communities of practice and social learning networks.

This article provides ways that classrooms become communities of practice, how the teacher typically can be become the facilitative leader. If done effectively, students will learn to collaborate. Learning starts occurring (both formally and informally), and communities of practice help us learn through development of skills as well as establishing identity. The goal of these communities of practice is to prepare individuals for the real world.

Being safe in our community means being safe on the playground. This website offers an abundance of information related to safe play in the community (school, home, playground).

Interview with Etienne Wenger on the learning theory behind communities of practice. He explains, CoP's are a collaboration of ideas people have an interest in.

Nice interview - I like how he differentiates the communities of practice from the technology but also doesn't diminish the technology. For some reason I had thought that Etienne would be a female so it was great to watch this!