Comments on: Good CoPs, Bad CoPs

By: Andy Coverdale

Andy Coverdale — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:33:48 +0000

Thanks Virginia. I already have the Henri and Pudelko paper and you recommended Skitka’s work on a previous occasion (which presents an interesting approach to understanding identity formation). The other two are new to me and I will check them out.

By: virginia Yonkers

virginia Yonkers — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:09:44 +0000

I have three recommended readings for you to answer some of the issues you bring up. The first is by Contu and Willmont (2003), Re-embedding situatedness: The importance of power relations in learning theory, Organization Science, vol. 14, 3. P. 283-296 (they are both British). They bring up the fact that many have lost the original point of communities and situated learning that Lave and Wenger laid out in their initial research. They focus on the power relations that affect organizational learning. I think this is one aspect that is missing in connectivism and overlooked by many in defining “networks” as opposed to “communities”. The deeper a relationship or affiliation to a group, the more power relations play in interaction within the group and the more a group may be considered a community which may have practices.

Related to this is France Henri 1, Béatrice Pudelko 1 (2003)Understanding and analysing activity and learning in virtual communities, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 19 (2003) 474-487 In this article, Henri and Pudelko identify 4 different types of virtual communities and the different needs and level of “community” due to the differences in goals. This framework fits both formal and informal learning, short term and long term communities.

Finally, you might want to look at social identity theory. Many of the ideas you spoke of fits Skitka’s model of social identity theory. In this article she explains how an individual moves between personal, group, and community values depending on the situation. Skitka, L. (2003). Of different minds: An accessible identity model of justice reasoning. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7(4), 286-297.

I also have not had a chance to read an article, but I think it fits into what you are discussing. It discusses ways in which knowledge is created in groups and communities of practice. Boland, R. & Ramkirishnan, V. (1995). Perceptive making and perspective taking in communities of knowing. Organization Science. Vol. 6 (4), July/Aug. p. 350.

By: Nancy White

Nancy White — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:17:51 +0000

Andy, I’m glad we bumped into each other in cyberspace because I’m enjoying reading your blog. Nice response to Chatti’s blog post.

This is an old story but one we need to keep retelling as context changes. Thanks

By: Andy Coverdale

Andy Coverdale — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:26:49 +0000

No problem – changed. Thanks for the comment.

By: dave cormier

dave cormier — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:51:25 +0000

Communities of Practice exist as they always have… it is a description of what happens, not a new strategy for accomplishing knowledge actions.

I’m not sure my publisher will be encouraged if he ever finds your reference to my ‘blog post’ where i specifically included TWO references to the fact that it was an excerpt from a book. The reference is at the top of the post

up to you… but i’m trying to encourage paper people that me republishing my work online will extend the reach of their publications.