Presentation for Learning Forward conference

1. What we have learned about Building Vibrant and Purposeful Virtual Learning Communities http://21stcenturylearning.wikispaces.com

2. GETTING STARTED ~ Who are you? ~ What do you do? ~ How would you define teacher leadership in the 21st Century? In one-two, adjective-driven sentences…

3. Who we are and our journey to teacher leadership Nancy Flanaganhttp://www.teacherslead.com/Bio_Nancy.html Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach http://www.21stcenturycollaborative.com/about-me/

5. Who would be there?

6. What would you be talking about?

7. What actions would those conversations lead to?

8. What plans would surface?Dream Big!!

9. Four quick sketches: Virtual communities that never gelled. Take notes!

10. Four virtual communities that grew and thrived. Take notes!

12. What may be the factors that caused VLCs to falter—and fail?

13. What are the takeaways fromthese examples?

14. Communities and Networks in the 21st Century…

15. 6 Trends for the digital age Analogue Digital Tethered Mobile Closed Open Isolated Connected Generic Personal Consuming Creating Source: David Wiley: Openness and the disaggregated future of higher education

16. Define Community Define Networks

17. A Definition of Community Communities are quite simply, collections of individuals who are bound together by natural will and a set of shared ideas and ideals. “A system in which people can enter into relations that are determined by problems or shared ambitions rather than by rules or structure.” (Heckscher, 1994, p. 24). The process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in some subject or problem collaborate over an extended period to share ideas, find solutions, and build innovations. (Wikipedia)

18. A Definition of Networks From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Networks are created through publishing and sharing ideas and connecting with others who share passions around those ideas who learn from each other. Networked learning is a process of developing and maintaining connections with people and information, and communicating in such a way so as to support one another's learning. Connectivism (theory of learning in networks) is the use of a network with nodes and connections as a central metaphor for learning. In this metaphor, a node is anything that can be connected to another node: information, data, feelings, images. Learning is the process of creating connections and developing a network.

20. Global Communities of Practice or Inquiry

21. Personal Learning NetworksThe Connected Educator: Leading and Learning in a Digital Age Solution Tree Press Coming out in September

22. Professional Learning Communities The driving engine of the collaborative culture of a PLC is the team. They work together in an ongoing effort to discover best practices and to expand their professional expertise. PLCs are our best hope for reculturing schools. We want to focus on shifting from a culture of teacher isolation to a culture of deep and meaningful collaboration. FOCUS: Local , F2F, Job-embedded- in Real Time

23. Communities of Practice FOCUS: Situated, Synchronous, Asynchronous- Online and Walled Garden

24. Personal Learning Networks FOCUS: Individual, Connecting to Learning Objects, Resources and People – Social Network Driven

25. Community is the New Professional Development Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999a) describe three ways of knowing and constructing knowledge that align closely with PLP's philosophy and are worth mentioning here. Knowledge for Practice is often reflected in traditional PD efforts when a trainer shares with teachers information produced by educational researchers. This knowledge presumes a commonly accepted degree of correctness about what is being shared. The learner is typically passive in this kind of "sit and get" experience. This kind of knowledge is difficult for teachers to transfer to classrooms without support and follow through. After a workshop, much of what was useful gets lost in the daily grind, pressures and isolation of teaching. Knowledge in Practice recognizes the importance of teacher experience and practical knowledge in improving classroom practice. As a teacher tests out new strategies and assimilates them into teaching routines they construct knowledge in practice. They learn by doing. This knowledge is strengthened when teachers reflect and share with one another lessons learned during specific teaching sessions and describe the tacit knowledge embedded in their experiences.

26. Community is the New Professional Development Knowledge of Practice believes that systematic inquiry where teachers create knowledge as they focus on raising questions about and systematically studying their own classroom teaching practices collaboratively, allows educators to construct knowledge of practice in ways that move beyond the basics of classroom practice to a more systemic view of learning. We believe that by attending to the development of knowledge for, in and of practice, we can enhance professional growth that leads to real change. Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S.L. (1999a). Relationships of knowledge and practice: Teaching learning in communities. Review of Research in Education, 24, 249-305. Passive, active, and reflective knowledge building in local (PLC), global (CoP) and contextual (PLN) learning spaces.

27. Dynamics of Different Network Types

28. http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/google_whitepaper.pdf

29. Looking Closely at Learning Community Design 4L Model (Linking, Lurking, Learning, and Leading) inspired by John Seeley Brown http://learningcircuits.blogspot.com/2006/06/roles-in-cops.html This model is developed around the roles and interactions members of a community have as participants in that community.

30. Celebration Celebration

31. Connection cc Steve Wheeler, University of Plymouth, 2010 http://i.imwx.com

32. Communication cc Steve Wheeler, University of Plymouth, 2010

33. Collaboration http://idirekt.cz/soubory/t-mobile_dance2.png

34. Collaboration Connection Celebration Communication User Generated Content Steve Wheeler, University of Plymouth, 2010

35. The New Third Place? “All great societies provide informal meeting places, like the Forum in ancient Rome or a contemporary English pub. But since World War II, America has ceased doing so. The neighborhood tavern hasn't followed the middle class out to the suburbs...” -- Ray Oldenburg

37. Governance

38. Leadership

39. Activities

40. Tools

42. How Do You Know… That your community is healthy? What are the indicators of success? A scale for success?

44. Join our list Join our forum Join our community Degrees of Transparency and Trust Increasing collaboration and transparency of process

47. Conversations

48. Metrics

49. Your community’s life-cycle Sustain/Renew Grow Level of energy and visibility Start-up Close Plan Discover/ imagine Incubate/ deliver value Focus/ expand Ownership/ openness Let go/ remember Time From: Cultivating Communities of Practice by Wenger, McDermot and Snyder

50. http://www.microsoft.com/education/demos/scale/

51. What Are Your Plans? Your Plans? Ideas? Questions? Vision?