Virtual Community

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

jsalmons — Mon, 30 Jun 2003 16:25:00 GMT

Thanks Jayne! I will add this article to the resources I compiled for the event.

Janet

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

jcravens42 — Fri, 27 Jun 2003 15:10:00 GMT

A while back I wrote an article for my web site:

"Why Every Staff Person at Mission-Based Organizations Should Regularly Read At Least One Online Discussion Group

It''s my belieft that each and every employee should be a part of at least one online discussion group, and subscribe to at least one e-mail newsletter, relating to their job. In fact, I think it should be required. Why? It offers a simple, easy way to get employees connected to important news and resources they need in their jobs. It''s professional development right from a desktop!

My thoughts and suggestions on the subject:
http://www.coyotecommunications.com/tech4impact/read.html

I''m sorry to be coming in to this discussion late, and I have REALLY enjoyed reading the posts from this week!

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jun 2003 13:55:00 GMT

thank you! I agree with you and we have been having small successes with groups that are geographically dispersed. It is a ''bit of work'' convincing them, but I find that oversupporting them in their initial launch helps. I guess with small successes you have to wait a while for the critical mass to build. I am trying to garner sponsorship from higher levels of management to get those elusive big successes, but I guess I have to decide where my energy is best spent. Thank you for your thoughtful reply!

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 03:08:00 GMT

Key practices for knowledge creation

Greetings,

I would appreciate some pointers to key practices for knowledge creation and awareness (rather than sharing) based on informal peer to peer learning.

* What can we do to create and share ''distinctions that matter''?
* How can we craft patterns that collect experience and avoid pitfalls?
* Who are the leaders in this area?
* Why is networking such a critical skill for knowledge transfer?

Care to share?

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Jun 2003 13:44:00 GMT

Something you might consider to encourage use of the collaborative/elearning tools would be to mine your organization for those groups which are already formed, but which face obstacles of time, geography, resources, etc. In an association context you might have standing committees or volunteer leaders who may have a charter for particular work, but can only meet a couple times a year because they are all spread out across the states. These groups have a more obvious need and may more readily adopt the tools--and use them in a serious manner. Let your adoption of these tools grow in a viral, bottom-up manner based on addressing a need, not a want.

It''s not unlike the quiet phenomenon with distance learning 3-4 years ago. Some of the most innovative uses of learning technology in public education were in the more rural, remote, and even desolate areas of our country: Illinois, the Dakotas, Alaska. Why? Because they had no other access to needed resources.

We''ve found that to encourage technology adoption, you need to plant the seed with the individuals or groups who are facing some clear obstacle. Focus on the "have nots" and not the "haves." The adoption will be faster, the solution more appreciated and you might just be leveling the playing field...

Good luck

Jeanne L. Allert, M.Ed.
Ellipsis Partners
jallert@ellipsispartners.com

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Jun 2003 12:29:00 GMT

The wall...

My company has cutting edge capabilities for elearning to the desktop as well as online collaboration. Getting leaders to use these capabilities and sponsor it for their respective organizations vary. Some look at the tools simply as toys. No argument as to the cost and time savings, or of the knowledge management value works with them. Others see a limited use for the tools, for instance for certain kinds of training (hard skills) or for meetings. I''m trying to get across the value of the collaboration tools to use with soft skills training, which is regarded as heresy!! I guess I''m at a loss to change the leaders'' mindsets.

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

jsalmons — Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:27:00 GMT

Can you tell us more about what you mean by "hitting a wall"? Maybe we can suggest some ways to get over the wall! :rolleyes;

RE: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Jun 2003 12:24:00 GMT

Hi Janet and Susan: I just found out about this week''s forum and I was so happy to get this info first thing on a Monday morning. I probably have the busiest week ever, but I will be checking in on this conversation as much as I can.

I am the elearning and online collaboration strategy person for my organization. People here are beginning to see how online tools can help network people to solve problems and meet, but I''m hitting a wall at that point. We can be doing so much more. I''m looking forward to participating and listening this week.

Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization!

jsalmons — Mon, 23 Jun 2003 06:08:00 GMT

Welcome to this week's event: Using Online Communities to Enhance Learning for Your Organization! I am Janet Salmons, and I will be your host and moderator this week. Each day I will introduce some ideas, and I will check in throughout the day to respond to posts you make to the discussion. I hope you will contribute your experiences, questions and issues so we can have a lively week! If there are particular points you want me to address, feel free to post them as well. Throughout the week I will post additional related materials on my website, http://www.vision2lead.com. Today I want to introduce some key questions, definitions and ideas that we will build on throughout the week. And I want to hear from you-- what do you need to know to enhance learning opportunities in your organization?

Underlying questions for any discussion about learning include:
* What are the goals and objectives?
* Is there an instructor (teacher, trainer, leader) and if so what is his or her role?
* Who are the participants or learners?
* What approach is best suited to our circumstances (time and resources) and will help us achieve our goals?

Additional questions emerge when we plan for learning online learning:
* Is it open to the public and drop in participation? Or is it restricted to a particular group who understand thereis an expectation for participation or completion of some tasks?
* What are the access and comfort levels of the target group of participants with online communication tools? (Email, web forums or chat, etc.
* Will participants meet face to face-- either as part of training efforts or as colleagues in the same organization?

These are some very big questions! To begin thinking about them, let's use a continuum:

On one end we have the lecture. The instructor presents content to the participants, whose role is largely to receive the information. On the other end we have a learning community. Learning communities are defined as: “communities in which people are joined together by mutual interest to intensively examine a particular theme, are able to learn together and exchange existing knowledge and work on aspects of problem solving together” according to Rita Paloff, author of Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace. In a learning community, the participants learn from and with each other. An instructor may take the role of facilitator of the discussion, introducing ideas or answering questions as needed.

In between the poles of instructor- driven and participant-driven learning we can have lots of different permutations. For example: a presentation may be given, not as a stand-alone lecture, but to lay the groundwork for participants' work together to apply the information or solve problems. I hope that you will share examples that you have experienced, and let us know why they did or did not work.

What might each of these models look like online? Why would I choose a particular model?

Lecture

Online, a lecture might involve simply posting content onto a website, and inviting participants to read it, or sending a document out for review. A forum or email could be used for questions and answers which in this case are primarily for the purpose of clarification. When might you choose this model? A lecture format might be suitable when there are facts to be conveyed. For example, new policies or regulations have been enacted that your staff and volunteers must follow, or you have new rules for data collection for a program evaluation. This approach could also be used when you want to share some news or current event with staff and volunteers. In any of these examples, the ideas or perspectives of participants about the content can be shared, but regardless of what they think the content is stable. There is little focus on the relationships or community-building between the instructor and participants.

Learning Communities

In a learning community the participants influence or create the content through exchange of their ideas and/or collaborative analysis of the question at hand. Relationship building is usually a priority-- if for no other reason than creating a trustful and respectful environment for dialogue. In some cases, confidentiality or other boundaries must be agreed upon. (We'll look at some sample agreements later this week.)

Online learning communities might be a site where anyone with access or membership can present information or pose a question that others can respond to with answers or suggested resources. An informal learning community might operate without anyone in the role of instructor or this role could be rotated among participants. The instructor may serve as facilitator or moderator and guide the direction of the discussion, answer questions or summarize key points.

This description might fit the TechSoup discussion boards, where anyone registered can pose a question or share information. And like TechSoup, specific topic areas can be established to provide some level of focus. A learning community could also be formed or enhanced via email communication.

Learning community could work for a work group of staff or staff and volunteers who use it to share the problems and successes at delivering whatever program or service the organization offers.

Our event this week and many online classes use a blended approach, a structured learning community. Someone (in this case, me :wink;) is responsible for introducing content and answering questions, and participants are welcome to discuss and to introduce ideas. An article, a PowerPoint slide show or even a multimedia presentation can be used to present food for thought and fodder for discussion. The instructor or trainer may post such an introduction along with open-ended questions to start the discussion. This kind of approach works for one time workshops or training over multiple sessions. This model might also incorporate team projects that are conducted on or offline, then shared back for further discussion with the online group. This week we will look at a variety of collaborative learning activities that can be adapted for your organization.

Summary

We're launching the week with a discussion of "what" and "why" and as the week progresses we will talk about "how." This is because it is the purpose, not the tools, that drive online learning. First we need to know what it is we hope participants to learn and why. Then we can figure out where along the continuum we should aim. While the lecture has its purpose to infom, we will be focusing on the learning community side of the continuum this week.

Questions for you!

* When you reflect on learning experiences you have had online, would you define them as lecture, community, or somewhere in between? Do you think the approach was the right match for the people and the purpose?
* In your organization, do more of your training/educational needs involve factual information that staff/volunteers need to know, or are more of your needs related to exchange of ideas and experiences?
* What do you need to know to make effective learning experiences happen in your organization?
* What do you hope to take away from the event this week?

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (1999). Building learning communities in cyberspace. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.