Geez Mum Everyone Else Is Doing It

Phew. Time to take a little time to stop and reflect on my progress to date. I can't even begin to compete with David in this area but then it's not all about competition...

1. I have absorbed a significant amount of learning that I am not even sure I will have enough time before I die to implement. - Solution: I will give up sleeping.

2. I need to stop being so cynical and flippant. - Solution: Stop being so cynical. I think I will perpetually be flippant though...

3. Express thanks to the community: I really do wish to thank everyone who had contributed to my development of an understanding of online communities.
My interaction online has always been as a participant in social networks (usually in a gaming world like my personal favourite at the moment Travian) and I have rarely seen learning opportunities online that are not only as a side effect of social interaction. But the reason is not because it's not there it is just that I haven't really looked. As an educational professional I've been content to not rock the boat as I am comfortable in the environment I'm in. It's funny how once you get to the point like I have that you forget that you need to keep learning - not just teaching.

4. I need to get going on the wiki. - Solution: Get it out of word and on to the web.

5. Stop being a passenger in this e-learning ride and start driving the bus where I want to go. - Solution: Don't just type about it - do it.

6. Stop blogging at midnight cos you ramble...

Pssst! What's the Answer to Question 3?

During the entertaining and interesting 10 min lecture with Derek Chirnside about facilitating and creating online learning communities a sideline discussion threatened to break out about the impact / effect a community can have on an individuals' achievement. I say threatened as I raised the point that I feel when the crunch comes and an assessment is to be done that only the individual can do it but (when asked) wasn't keen to discuss it audibly - preferring to be able to take my time and type my responses to try and say clearly what I wanted to say.

It went like this:

Me: I guess in a course that is assessed at the end the community doesn't matter cos they can't pass the course for you?

Sue Waters: disagree

StaffMember: good point mark do you want to speak to that?

Me: no

Sue Waters: the community is what helps you pass

Me: maybe prepare to pass but the final act is yours alone?

Carolyn McIntosh: I think I agree that the community supports and helps people get through

Sue Waters: Mark would love to debate this some time in a lot more detail

Sue Waters: maybe you could blog it

I was looking at this from my point of view in the secondary system that has a primary focus on assessment - and I believe anyone who suggests otherwise is intentionally lying / hopelessly optimistic. How do we gauge an individuals progress in an online learning community without assessments? The community may well have been there in the buildup but when the assignment is to be done I have had to do it (this blog being the beginning of my aim to succeed in this course). Surely I will be judged on the content of my blogs and will not be graded on how many people in my community post comments or the number of links to my blog from others, or from my blog to theirs (insert slightly tongue in check link to a nice post by David McQuillan who happens to also be taking this course).
All frivolity aside David makes a very interesting point regarding what he is in this course for and I think this is a portion of the developing online culture we have yet to explore (though I might of missed it...). If the bottom line of any learning course is achievement then as much help as your community is during the learning process they become immaterial (but no less valued) during "tests". Unless of course you want to tell me the answer to question 3 so I don't have to work it out myself...?

You Won't Believe What I Just Heard...

Got you didn't I. We are notorious as people for being gossips - especially when the material has a slightly 'naughty' feel to it. It begs the question as to how in a digital community that reaches potentially everyone on the planet you not necessarily control but at least manage the flow of sensitive information. How can I as a facilitator of knowledge ensure that all my 'charges' are safe? Am I better to facilitate all my learning opportunities in a closed environment via apps like Blackboard or Moodle? But aren't I missing out on the opportunities for 'experts' to contribute valuable insight and information if our learning is done in an open environment?
In a secondary school environment I think this has some serious ramifications on student safety and well-being (see Internet Safety Group website) online. The last thing I would want to see is someone harmed because of my (in)actions...
Now I appreciate that an element of trust is always needed in any form of interaction - and it is one of the obvious necessities of a community to put yourself 'out there' to allow others to get a sense of who you are (or at least a sense of your digital identity anyway) so that you (can?) share a common purpose or philosophy that has brought you together in the first place. After all students do it all the time with their facebook, bebo and myspace profiles don't they...?

Stop Flogging a Dead Horse and Just Pull The (Digital) Plug

It's great to see that digital communities can be just as complex (the original word I was going to use was dysfunctional but that seemed a little mean) as RL ones. We as a group have been 'discussing' the relative merits of each others involvement in the group activities. I guess it's no surprise that there are degrees of involvement that occur in any group - and one of the interesting things I have seen while lurking away in the background is that most people seem to be lurkers by design rather than on purpose.
Looking at online learning I think it shows how important it is for any facilitator (or should I say curator now?) to recognise that lurkers are likely to be their target audience. Unless assessment grades are determined by quantity of comments (or quality?) how can you measure participation? Do you need to measure participation? Surely the learning outcomes in a digital environment are no different to those in RL - it's not like you have someone observing to ensure you read every word in the textbook people just assume (rightly or wrongly) that you have.
So when you come to my blog (digitally or via your RSS feeder) realise that I appreciate the visit, hope it gives you things to think about and no expectations ...