As I hone in on topics for deeper research, I find that it’s always good to seek the counsel of others. Research is not only about problematizing situations and concepts, it’s about framing situations and concepts in such a way that permits “problem spaces” to be opened up and addressed more clearly.
For the past two years I have been exploring social media/social software in the context of teacher professional development. By social media/social software, I am referring to computer applications that allow participants to socialize, to read, write, collaborate, aggregate data and information, and to create and synthesize knowledge over the Internet both synchronously and asynchronously. In a host of circumstances, social media empowers participants/actors to tap into the expertise of others at local and global levels. I am particularly interested in investigating how educators develop professional competence using social media like weblogs and social networking sites.
Below are a few examples of questions I am currently wrestling with. I am curious to know if you think they can be opened up and addressed clearly. What am I overlooking or oversimplifying?
I.
How does social media allow educators to develop their professional practice in collaborative contexts? Are educators learning something different or differently via social media compared to face-to-face networks? In other words, does participation in social media networks that support professional development result in better outcomes for educators such as greater student achievement or a greater sense of self-efficacy?
[In many ways, this is a loaded question: Empirical research cannot directly link everything that practitioners learn to student outcomes. Yet, depending on how an environment is designed, we might be able to trace the combination of knowledge and skills an educator is using to effect student success.]
II.
How are educators enacting what they learn in online communities for practice in their own professional practice? More specifically, we might focus on inquiring into how educators utilize feedback in this context?
III.
Can an online community for practice environment be designed to track what and how teachers learn, how they use what they have learned, and to what effect? What would such an environment look like? What are the principles that would govern the design of such an environment?
IV.
Can an online community for practice environment provide the structure and support needed for educators to link broad principles to concrete applications, to understand deeply and transfer their learning to their professional practice? How would we measure such variables?
[Sigh] I feel like I’ve been batting these concepts around for some time and I am having difficulty seeing the forest through the trees.
Any feedback would be most helpful. If you can think of any additional dimensions that need further investigation, please do tell.
Also, you may have noticed the use of the term community for practice. I am using this term to signify a community that is specifically designed to support practitioner discussions, the sharing of ideas, resources, and information relevant to a particular practice. Unlike a community of practice, a community for practice is not necessarily a joint enterprise negotiated by participants based on the conditions, demands, and resources that shape practice.
Again, feel free to comment and punch holes in this perspective.
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Diagram retrieved from Logic + Emotion: Visualizing the Social network.
Keywords: blogging, blogs, collaboration, community for practice, community of practice, learning, learning environment, online education, online learning environment, professional development, research, research questions, social media, social networking, social networks, social software, teacher education, teacher professional development, teaching, transfer, weblogs
Comments
I wonder whether a comparison between educators who use online social resources and those who don't could be useful. Another important distinction might be those education professionals who have peers at their institutions and those who don't. My social ed tech network has put me closely in touch with peers at other schools, as I don't have exact peers within my own institution. I can identify a handful of specific changes in my practice that I picked up online that have transformed aspects of our work.
Richard
Christopher,
I have also been asking those questions,albeit on a smaller scale. I have set up weblogs for the different departments I chair and have also utilized wikispace as a way to facilitate professional development. I have met with passive resistence and I am not sure why. To me it is an obvious tool for reflection and sharing as a wat to become better at our craft. The networking piece starts small, it is just our school, but it is a way for teachers to ponder discussion topics throughout the month that are brought up at those monthly faculty meetings. Blogging and wiki is still new to most people and the fear that their writing and reflections can be read by many people is sometimes overbearing and serves to limit the effectiveness of the tool.
I even went as fas as to set up the blog for only those in the department. As more people see more people using the tools, I think the "fear factor" will diminish.
www.professionalexplorations.blogspot.com
Christopher,
I am still a relative newcomer to social media, but one thing struck me when you asked about additional dimensions that may need further investigation.
In my attempt to (im)migrate into a web2.0 user/participant it has been the informal learning that has been most beneficial/rewarding.
For example, your post: Competing Paradigms and Educational Reform struck a chord with me almost a year ago, and prompted me to quote you on my fledgeling blog. It was one of a number of influences that has made me questions my practice and the practice of schools.
I am now trying to bring Science Alive for my students in a way I never dreamed I could before... But this did not come from any formal community. It came from a loosely bound community of learners, unequally nurturing and feeding off of each other. It came from a digital web-path of hyperlinks which has helped construct meaning and relationships not easily discovered in a linear learning environment.
I think it is the informal learning experiences: the resourceful, interest-driven meandering between, among and within more formal communities/conferences/platforms and collaboration opportunities that has been most meaningful to me.
In essence I have become an empowered learner!
- - - - -
Alas, it has been my choice to do this, and as Brad has commented above me, it can be difficult to take advantage of social media/online tools when participants don't adopt some level of ownership.
Dave.
(I think most of this comment will become my next blog post - thanks for the inspiration!)
Hi Christopher,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. I've been struggling with the notion of teacher professional development in a networked world for quite some time. I think that your idea of "Communities for Practice" carries a lot of promise. Here are some of my thoughts on this:
Autobiographical Practices
Richard -- it's good to hear from you. sorry for my delayed response. Yes, as you have suggested, a comparison between the online and offline practitioners is clearly warranted. I need to be careful how I would isolate variability to make sure I was comparing apples to apples. I have a belief that those teachers who are early adopters also tend to be more willing to take risks and be more inquisitive about their own practice than those late in the game (now to set up that study!).
Brad -- thanks for sharing. There are a number of reasons why people don't want to join in the fun, so to speak. The only way Iseem to get some folks to participate is to pay them. Even with that, many are not fully utilizing the time and space. While anonymity works for some web-heads and increases their willingness to be open and honest, for others such exposure is threatening and thus terribly uncomfortable. I have been working on developing sets of prompts as a way to get people to write and share thoughts, feelings, etc. I find the trust factor to a be an important piece in the puzzle.
Dave -- like Richard above, I know what you mean about the informal learning piece. I never really understood the value of such practice until I was introduced to blogging a few years back. Now it's one of the cornerstones/pillars of my own personal/professional development. I guess that's what attrects me to the study of this medium and its potential. We're all proof of the power of informal learning networks!
Konrad -- hey man -- love your post! Will follow up soon.