Confessions of an elearning skeptic

What is the nature of a learning community: 

I started the process of selecting a learning community with the basic idea that these are communities where learning and the sharing of knowledge is valued and actively encouraged. With this as a foundation, I embarked on further reading that would allow me to build a definition which fitted well within my context as an educational practitioner based within a large government organisation. After consulting a number of sources, I was drawn to Kilpatrick, Barrett and Jones (2003) and their search for a universal definition of a learning community.  From this work I was able to broaden my definition to include the following:

• learning communities have  structures in place to allow people to work together and address their learning needs collaboratively; and
• members of learning communities are exposed to a range of new ideas and different outlooks.

In his posting to the class discussion forum ‘shared meanings’, Sleigh (2008) talked about the importance of continuity within a community. Being able to present learning communities as a long-term proposition is very important in my context and, as a result, I was drawn to the idea of continuity being reflected in my definition. Downes (2004) outlines a number of factors that promote learning community longevity and I used his work to supplement my definition further with the following:

• members are empowered to take control of their own learning; and
• member’s contributions are valued within the community.

What is the nature of the community I have selected? 

I have selected a Ning-based learning community called ‘the Content Wrangler’ (www.thecontentwrangler.ning.com).  The Content Wrangler is a relatively new community set up for people who deal with the development of a range of business content, ranging from PowerPoint presentations to instructional design. The community came into existence only two weeks ago but already has over 1100 members and is very active, with a healthy number of posts per day.  

How is learning occurring within this community? 

From an examination of the site it is clear that learning is occurring through:

• the provision of a range of reference materials and resources;
• the operation of a number of forums;
• the establishment of a number of topic specific groups; and
• community polling.  

Why will participation in this community be of value to me? 

From my perspective, the only true way to understand how learning communities work and how they benefit their members is to take an ethnographic approach and immerse myself within that community.  I believe that the community I have selected is very suitable for this type of study because it will:

• give me a hands-on understanding of how these communities work in practice, rather than in theory;
• give me exposure to all the positives and negatives associated with this type of learning; and
• allow me to see which types of community structures and designs are effective and which are ineffective.

The relative newness of the community will also allow me to experience a learning community at the beginning of its lifecycle.  This will provide me with an excellent opportunity to directly observe the development of community rules and standards, and evaluate strategies to ensure that initial the high levels of participation are maintained. 

What expectations do I have as a learner and participant in this community? 

What do I expect from the community?

• that I will be able to freely add my thoughts to the ongoing discussions without fear of rebuke;
• that any questions I pose will be answered by fellow community members;
• that community members will adhere to the rules of the community;
• that community members will limit their contributions to the scope of the site, groups and individual forums; and
• that community members will be supportive of each other and provide appropriate feedback.

What should the community expect from me?

• that I will adhere to all of the above;
• that I will contribute to the ongoing success of the community and endeavour to be a regular contributor to the site;
• that I will be generous with my knowledge and share it where and when appropriate; and
• that, if I start my own forum, I will work to sustain and drive discussion within it. 

References:

Downes, S. 2004, ‘Learning in communities’, Australian Flexible Learning Framework, Canberra, viewed 23 March 2008, http://community.flexiblelearning.net.au/GlobalPerspectives/content/article_5249.htm.

Kilpatrick, S. I., Barrett, M. S., & Jones, T. A. 2003. Defining learning communities, In Proceedings of the AARE/NZARE Conference 2003, Auckland, New Zealand, viewed  22 March 2008,  http://www.aare.edu.au/03pap/jon03441.pdf.

Sleigh, J. 2008, Shared Meanings, eLearning Experiences, Sydney, viewed 22 March 2008, http://utsemt.ning.com/xn/detail/2007882:Comment:2747