1. Learning Technologists - Virtual Community Practitioners Linda Jorn, Director, Digital Media Center, Office of Information Technology Dr. J.D. Walker, Instructional Technology Consultant, DMC, OIT

2. Copyright Statement   © Linda A. Jorn and J. D. Walker, Digital Media Center, Office of Information Technology, University of Minnesota, 2003. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on this reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.

3. Objectives  To reflect on our experience with virtual communities and learn to: identify types of workplace virtual communities identify types of workplace virtual communities understand the properties of virtual communities understand the properties of virtual communities identify management and evaluation issues in working with virtual communities identify management and evaluation issues in working with virtual communities use our expertise as learning technologists to help faculty to design virtual communities use our expertise as learning technologists to help faculty to design virtual communities

4. DMC Community Mission

5. DMC Community Organizational Structure  University of Minnesota Executive Vice President and Provost Office Executive Vice President and Provost Office Office of Information TechnologyOffice of Information Technology Academic Computing and Network Services Academic Computing and Network Services Digital Media CenterDigital Media Center

6. DMC Community Public Space

7. DMC Community Staff Space

8. DMC Community Virtual Space  Email (DHCP, Wireless, Kiosks)  Cell phone  Work phone  Home phone  AIM  Listservs Webct admin Webct admin DMCconsult DMCconsult DMCstaff DMCstaff Flash Flash WebCTadvis WebCTadvis CIC CIC NMC NMC ACTL ACTL OITmanag OITmanag ADCS ADCS

9. DMC Community Individual Identity (Virtual and Physical)

10. DMC Community Individual Virtual Identity  Email addresses ‘boutique’ scott@umn.edu; kurtis@umn.edu ‘boutique’ scott@umn.edu; kurtis@umn.eduscott@umn.edukurtis@umn.eduscott@umn.edukurtis@umn.edu  Email language Duffman says: XXXX the video-man has got it under control. oh-yeah!

11. DMC Community Individual Virtual Identity  DMC Email signatures (N=14) Contact info. =11 Contact info. =11 Title = 10 Title = 10 DMC url = 4 DMC url = 4 Longest signature = director Longest signature = director Phrase = 2 Phrase = 2 Education is not preparation for life, it is life itself - John DeweyEducation is not preparation for life, it is life itself - John Dewey "When it's not necessary to do something, it's becomes necessary NOT to do it.”"When it's not necessary to do something, it's becomes necessary NOT to do it.”

12. DMC Community Group Identities  Trainers  Consultants  Support specialists  Evaluators  Project Managers  Media Specialists  Virtual Community Practitioners or Specialists

13. Virtual Communities  NLII broad working definition  Types of virtual communities Virtual teams Virtual teams Learning communities Learning communities Communities of practice Communities of practice

14. Reflection  Take a moment to reflect on a virtual community you have taken part in.  What’s interesting about this community? unusual methods of communication? unusual methods of communication? unusual membership? unusual membership? advantages/disadvantages of virtuality? advantages/disadvantages of virtuality? differences from face-to-face communities? differences from face-to-face communities?

15. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Current role and purpose Gang of Eight core team members Gang of Eight core team members support University of Minnesota faculty and students in their use of WebCT support University of Minnesota faculty and students in their use of WebCT about 30,000 students, 1500 instructors, 2000 WebCT sites per term about 30,000 students, 1500 instructors, 2000 WebCT sites per term

16. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Spaces: communication tools used webct@umn.edu (150+ messages per day) webct@umn.edu (150+ messages per day) webctadmin@software.umn.edu webctadmin@software.umn.edu AIM and irc AIM and irc face-to-face face-to-face

17. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Membership Faculty Admin team Sysadmins Dept/college support FacultyDMC

18. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Identity intragroup: some roles mandated, some evolve intragroup: some roles mandated, some evolve extragroup: increasing anonymity extragroup: increasing anonymity

19. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Tone and atmosphere extragroup: friendly jocularity extragroup: friendly jocularity “Many thanks for troubleshooting, Alex. I want to thank you for you very "user-friendly" message as the end of each email exchange with me. It makes me feel good that you are very happy to help us!”“Many thanks for troubleshooting, Alex. I want to thank you for you very "user-friendly" message as the end of each email exchange with me. It makes me feel good that you are very happy to help us!” “Thanks so much Walker - Bless all of your WebCT souls, you've made all of our WebCT courses go very smoothly so far and I think the students are really benefiting. Thanks again!”“Thanks so much Walker - Bless all of your WebCT souls, you've made all of our WebCT courses go very smoothly so far and I think the students are really benefiting. Thanks again!”

20. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Tone and atmosphere intragroup: cyber-cynicism, in-jokes and humor intragroup: cyber-cynicism, in-jokes and humor

21. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Virtues of virtuality? the good: dissemination of information, conflicts prevented the good: dissemination of information, conflicts prevented the bad: conflicts caused the bad: conflicts caused the ugly: unwieldy, organizationally difficult the ugly: unwieldy, organizationally difficult

22. WebCT Support

23. WebCT Support: A Virtual Community  Evolution: from virtual team to community of practice

24. Reflection  Consider again a virtual community you have taken part in. Is it a: virtual team? virtual team? learning community? learning community? community of practice? community of practice? a hybrid? a hybrid? none of the above? none of the above?

25. Case Study: Teaching with Technology Forum  Community of practice History History Purpose Purpose Membership Membership Group identity Group identity Leadership Leadership Relation to organizational structure Relation to organizational structure Spaces Spaces

26. Case Study: Teaching with Technology Forum  Management and evaluation issues

27. Application: Online Learning Communities Seminar  How can we use our expertise as learning technologists to help faculty to design virtual learning communities?

28. Online Learning Communities Seminar  Guiding idea: teach a subject by modeling it in the teaching process  Participants learn by experience

29. Online Learning Communities Seminar  Hybrid structure: different modes of online communication different modes of online communication one face-to-face meeting one face-to-face meeting

30. Online Learning Communities Seminar  During interactions, we model: good and bad netiquette (and its effects) good and bad netiquette (and its effects) setting tone and atmosphere setting tone and atmosphere projection of identity projection of identity different kinds of structure different kinds of structure facilitation of online discussion facilitation of online discussion

31. Open Discussion  How can we help faculty to design virtual learning communities?  Other questions?

32. Thank You! Linda Jorn, Director, Digital Media Center, Office of Information Technology (ljorn@umn.edu) Dr. J.D. Walker, Instructional Technology Consultant, DMC, OIT (jdwalker@umn.edu)