1. Network Identity and Future Direction Alan Hilliard University of Hertfordshire Andrew Middleton Sheffield Hallam University

2. Outline Thinking about sustainability: Look at the online sites for the PPP SIG Communities A Hub and Spoke Model Activity Conclusion

3. Links to Podcasting SIG Sites Podcasting SIG WIKI link and links to other sites. –http://podcastingforpp.pbwiki.com/?l=Shttp://podcastingforpp.pbwiki.com/?l=S Weblog Address: –http://podcastingforpp.blogspot.com/http://podcastingforpp.blogspot.com/ Podomatic Site: –http://www.pppsig.podomatic.com/http://www.pppsig.podomatic.com/

4. Communities Communities of Practice Learning Communities Communities of Interest

5. Community of Practice Adopted by Lave and Wenger (1991) as a term to describe how professionals learn through collaborative and supportive social interactions. Lave, J and Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

6. Characteristics of Communities of Practice Common Purpose Identified by participants Shared membership and leadership Participants likely to be at different stages in their professional life Development of professional practice through apprenticeship Acceptance of low levels of participation by new members, that is legitimate peripheral participation Development, creation and management of knowledge within organizations Open-ended, not time bound Importance of dialogue, interaction and shared narratives Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005). Virtual learning communities- A guide for practitioners. Maidenhead: SRHE and Open University Press.

7. Learning Communities In learning communities members share control and everyone learns, including the facilitator or tutor or group leader. Transformative communication is the norm, with both sender and receiver of messages changed by the interaction……all participants are engaged in the learning experience. Wilson, B. and Ryder, M. (1996). Dynamic learning communities: An alternative to designed Instructional system. Retrieved 5 th June, 2008 from http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/dlc.html

8. Characteristics of Learning Communities A shared goal, problem or project Shared resources Shared membership and leadership Commitment to improvement of professional practice Collaborative approaches to groupwork Learning and development focused on real work-based issues and practice Autonomous community members High levels of dialogue, interaction and collaboration Information and knowledge sharing Knowledge construction Knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange Use of information and communication technologies Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005).

9. Communities of Interest “Large groups or networks, perhaps involving hundreds of people, and they support the dissemination and exchange of information but do not necessarily support collaborative learning processes. They develop when people come together to exchange news or information about a specific topic”. Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005). Virtual learning communities- A guide for practitioners. Maidenhead: SRHE and Open University Press, p8.

10. Simple Virtual Learning Community Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005). Virtual learning communities- A guide for practitioners. Maidenhead: SRHE and Open University Press.

11. Patterns of Membership There are 4 patterns of membership in simple VLCs: –Small core of active members. Closed group. Membership remains the same over time. –Small core membership. Open group. Membership changes over time. Core of active members. –Large membership. Closed group. Small changes in membership over time. –Large membership. Open group. Relatively large changes in membership over time. Core of active members who provide stability. Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005). Virtual learning communities- A guide for practitioners. Maidenhead: SRHE and Open University Press.

12. Managed Virtual Learning Community Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005).

13. Benefits/Issues of Simple and Managed VLCs Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005).

15. Complex Virtual Learning Community Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005).

16. Components of a Social Theory of Learning Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice – Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

17. Hub and Spoke What can a SIG do for you? What can you do for the SIG? What is the scope of this network? What do the spokes look like? What does the hub look like? Hub (SIG) Spoke 1 Spoke 2 Spoke 3

18. Hub and Spoke What type of relationship would be useful to help a related group of interests benefit from each other's knowledge, activities and experience - administrative, knowledge sharing, open or closed, formal/informal, funded, etc? Hub (SIG) Spoke 1 Spoke 2 Spoke 3

19. Hub and Spoke Where do activities (initiatives) begin? At the centre On the spokes Anywhere Hub (SIG) Spoke 1 Spoke 2 Spoke 3

20. Looking to the future What is the purpose of the community? What is the structure of the community? Who are the potential community members? How will members work and learn together? What ICT infrastructure is required? What administrative support is required? What type of design is required for the virtual learning environment? Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005).

21. References Lave, J and Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Lewis, D. and Allan, B. (2005). Virtual learning communities- A guide for practitioners. Maidenhead: SRHE and Open University Press Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice – Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wilson, B. and Ryder, M. (1996). Dynamic learning communities: An alternative to designed Instructional system. Retrieved 5 th June, 2008 from http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/dlc.html