Chapter five really resonated with some of the issues I've been thinking about and discussing both at work and in one of my other classes. Communal learning groups are a fresh and effective approach to teaching and learning that applies not only to students, but the learning process for teachers as well.
Last week in my "Issues, Trends and Research in Digital Media and Learning" class with Dr. Baab we discussed the professional development of teachers with respect to new technologies and new ways of integrating web 2.0 standards like blogs, wikis and podcasts into curriculum.
The subject matter from that discussion is quite appropriate to Palmers message in Chapter 5. We talked about the traditional ways teachers are given professional development for technology which usually ends up being a "sit and get" session where the all knowing guru stands at the front and delivers the goods to the technophobe "lambs" in the audience. We then discussed some of the newer emerging methods and the most prominent in our discussions was the "Community of Practice" approach where a particular group or network of individuals with a common set of goals, beliefs, experiences, etc. get together to share and develop (technology usage for example) as a community.
My example to the group when we were discussing the topic was departments and levels meeting to use and discuss technology and how to integrate it into their curricula. This would foster better curriculum and help those on the various levels to share technology usage, methods and know-how with each other and bring those who may need some help understanding the new methods up to speed.
All-in-all I enjoyed this chapter and look to propose more "Communities of Practice" (MacDonald, 2008) in future meetings with my department and level. If you would like to read more about the subject here is the citation for the MacDonald article. Just a funny side note, the author's name is actually Ronald MacDonald. lol
MacDonald, R. J. (2008). Professional development for information communication technology integration: identifying and supporting a community of practice through design-based research. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 40(4), 429-445.
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Don, great observation about learning in community. Doesn't it offer a more diverse platform enabling more connections of more types at more levels?
ReplyDeleteThe explosion of social networking sites says something about the use of technology to bring people together in some form of community. The buy-in to this phenomena has been overwhelming. Even participating in this blog speaks to the power of technology to help us connect. I think your comments and experience are valuable to the ongoing conversation about technology as an important part of these emerging learning communities.
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