learning technologists - virtual community practitioners linda jorn, director, digital media center,...

Learning Learning Technologists - Virtual Technologists - Virtual

Community Community PractitionersPractitioners

Linda Jorn, Director, Digital Media Center, Office Linda Jorn, Director, Digital Media Center, Office of Information Technologyof Information Technology

Dr. J.D. Walker, Instructional Technology Dr. J.D. Walker, Instructional Technology Consultant, DMC, OITConsultant, DMC, OIT

Copyright StatementCopyright 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.

ObjectivesObjectives

To reflect on our experience with virtual To reflect on our experience with virtual communities and learn to:communities and learn to:

identify types of workplace virtual communitiesidentify types of workplace virtual communities understand the properties of virtual communitiesunderstand the properties of virtual communities identify management and evaluation issues in working identify management and evaluation issues in working

with virtual communitieswith virtual communities use our expertise as learning technologists to help use our expertise as learning technologists to help

faculty to design virtual communitiesfaculty to design virtual communities

DMC Community DMC Community MissionMission

DMC Community DMC Community Organizational StructureOrganizational Structure

University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota

Executive Vice President and Provost OfficeExecutive Vice President and Provost Office

• Office of Information TechnologyOffice of Information Technology

Academic Computing and Network ServicesAcademic Computing and Network Services

• Digital Media CenterDigital Media Center

DMC Community DMC Community Public SpacePublic Space

DMC CommunityDMC CommunityStaff SpaceStaff Space

DMC CommunityDMC CommunityVirtual SpaceVirtual Space

Email (DHCP, Wireless, Kiosks)Email (DHCP, Wireless, Kiosks) Cell phoneCell phone Work phoneWork phone Home phoneHome phone AIMAIM ListservsListservs

Webct adminWebct admin DMCconsultDMCconsult DMCstaffDMCstaff FlashFlash WebCTadvisWebCTadvis CICCIC NMCNMC ACTLACTL OITmanagOITmanag ADCSADCS

DMC CommunityDMC CommunityIndividual Identity (Virtual and Physical)Individual Identity (Virtual and Physical)

DMC Community DMC Community Individual Virtual IdentityIndividual Virtual Identity

Email addressesEmail addresses ‘‘boutique’ boutique’ [email protected]@umn.edu; ; [email protected]@umn.edu

Email languageEmail language Duffman says: XXXX the video-man has got it

under control. oh-yeah!

DMC Community DMC Community Individual Virtual IdentityIndividual Virtual Identity

DMC Email signatures (N=14)DMC Email signatures (N=14) Contact info. =11Contact info. =11 Title = 10Title = 10 DMC url = 4DMC url = 4 Longest signature = directorLongest signature = director Phrase = 2Phrase = 2

• Education is not preparation for life, Education is not preparation for life, it is life itself - John Deweyit is life itself - John Dewey

• "When it's not necessary to do something, "When it's not necessary to do something, it's becomes necessary NOT to do it.”it's becomes necessary NOT to do it.”

DMC CommunityDMC CommunityGroup IdentitiesGroup Identities

TrainersTrainers ConsultantsConsultants Support specialistsSupport specialists EvaluatorsEvaluators Project ManagersProject Managers Media SpecialistsMedia Specialists Virtual Community Practitioners or Virtual Community Practitioners or

SpecialistsSpecialists

Virtual Communities Virtual Communities

NLII broad working definitionNLII broad working definition

Types of virtual communitiesTypes of virtual communities Virtual teamsVirtual teams Learning communitiesLearning communities Communities of practiceCommunities of practice

ReflectionReflection

Take a moment to reflect on a virtual Take a moment to reflect on a virtual community you have taken part in. community you have taken part in.

What’s interesting about this community?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?

WebCT Support: A Virtual WebCT Support: A Virtual CommunityCommunity

Current role and purposeCurrent role and purpose

Gang of Eight core team membersGang of Eight core team members support University of Minnesota faculty and support University of Minnesota faculty and

students in their use of WebCTstudents in their use of WebCT about 30,000 students, 1500 instructors, 2000 about 30,000 students, 1500 instructors, 2000

WebCT sites per termWebCT sites per term


Spaces: communication tools usedSpaces: communication tools used

[email protected] (150+ messages per day)[email protected] (150+ messages per day) [email protected]@software.umn.edu AIM and ircAIM and irc face-to-face face-to-face


MembershipMembership

Faculty

Admin team

Sysadmins

Dept/college support

Faculty DMC


IdentityIdentity

intragroup: some roles mandated, some intragroup: some roles mandated, some evolveevolve

extragroup: increasing anonymityextragroup: increasing anonymity


Tone and atmosphereTone and atmosphere extragroup: friendly jocularityextragroup: friendly jocularity

• ““Many thanks for troubleshooting, Alex. I want to thank you Many thanks for troubleshooting, Alex. I want to thank you for you very "user-friendly" message as the end of each for you very "user-friendly" message as the end of each email exchange with me. It makes me feel good that you are email exchange with me. It makes me feel good that you are very happy to help us!”very happy to help us!”

• ““Thanks so much Walker - Bless all of your WebCT souls, Thanks so much Walker - Bless all of your WebCT souls, you've made all of our WebCT courses go very smoothly so you've made all of our WebCT courses go very smoothly so far and I think the students are really benefiting. Thanks far and I think the students are really benefiting. Thanks again!”again!”


Tone and atmosphereTone and atmosphere

intragroup: cyber-cynicism, in-jokes and intragroup: cyber-cynicism, in-jokes and humorhumor


Virtues of virtuality?Virtues of virtuality?

the good:the good: dissemination of information, conflicts dissemination of information, conflicts preventedprevented

the bad:the bad: conflicts caused conflicts caused the ugly:the ugly: unwieldy, organizationally difficult unwieldy, organizationally difficult

WebCT SupportWebCT Support


Evolution:Evolution: from virtual team to community from virtual team to community of practiceof practice

ReflectionReflection

Consider again a virtual community you Consider again a virtual community you have taken part in. Is it a: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?

Case Study: Teaching with Case Study: Teaching with Technology ForumTechnology Forum

Community of practiceCommunity of practice HistoryHistory PurposePurpose MembershipMembership Group identityGroup identity LeadershipLeadership Relation to organizational structureRelation to organizational structure SpacesSpaces

Case Study: Teaching with Case Study: Teaching with Technology ForumTechnology Forum

Management and evaluation issuesManagement and evaluation issues

Application: Online Learning Application: Online Learning Communities SeminarCommunities Seminar

How can we use our expertise as learning How can we use our expertise as learning technologists to help faculty to design technologists to help faculty to design virtual learning communities?virtual learning communities?

Online Learning Communities Online Learning Communities SeminarSeminar

Guiding idea:Guiding idea: teach a subject by teach a subject by modeling it in the teaching processmodeling it in the teaching process

Participants learn by experienceParticipants learn by experience


Hybrid structure:Hybrid structure: different modes of online communicationdifferent modes of online communication one face-to-face meetingone face-to-face meeting


During interactions, we model:During interactions, we model:

good and bad netiquette (and its effects)good and bad netiquette (and its effects) setting tone and atmospheresetting tone and atmosphere projection of identityprojection of identity different kinds of structuredifferent kinds of structure facilitation of online discussionfacilitation of online discussion

Open DiscussionOpen Discussion

How can we help faculty to design virtual How can we help faculty to design virtual learning communities?learning communities?

Other questions?Other questions?

Thank You!Thank You!

Linda Jorn, Director, Digital Media Center, Office of Information Technology ([email protected])

Dr. J.D. Walker, Instructional Technology Consultant, DMC, OIT ([email protected])

learning technologists - virtual community practitioners linda jorn, director, digital media center,...

Documents

dmc community mission

dmc url

physical slide

oit slide

director phrase

director longest signature

umn email language duffman

copyright statement