Blog #1

            Through reading chapter two of The Connected Educator, I’ve gotten to learn a little bit more about the importance of internet tools and learning communities, which can both help to facilitate the process of learning. Nowadays, we have the privilege of connecting with people from all across the globe. Through tools like social media and IM applications, it has never been easier. Additionally, through tools like Skype and Zoom, we have been given the ability to speak face-to-face, albeit virtually, from opposite ends of the world, (Hall & Nussbaum-Beach, p. 25).

            Beyond this, there are also several types of connected learning communities that help the learning process via connection and collaboration. These communities include professional learning communities, personal learning networks, and communities of practice or inquiry. Professional learning communities are unique in that they are more traditionally structured, having both teachers and administrators learn together in an effort to improve student achievement, (Hall & Nussbaum-Beach, p. 29). These communities focus on continuous improvement, shared leadership, and school reform. That said, this could also be applied to the workforce if say a boss and employee were to learn from each other to improve customer satisfaction. Personal learning networks differ in that they are designed around “the specific, identified needs of the school and its students,” (Hall & Nussbaum-Beach, p. 31). These networks focus on the individual obtaining information and then sharing resources to improve personal and professional learning. Lastly are the communities of practice or inquiry, which operate as systems of collective critical inquiry and reflection. They are focused on “building a shared identity and a collective intelligence garnered over time,” (Hall & Nussbaum-Beach, p. 33). These communities usually feature three distinct criteria. For one, they often have a shared area of interest. Secondly, they feature a collective competence among equals who are skilled and talented. And finally, they usually have a shared practice or common sense of purpose. This is yet another example of a group model that could be applied in an occupational-type setting.

            In my future profession, I may end up being a part of one of these communities myself. For instance, if I’m doing a film or video shoot, then I would be amongst other individuals in a shared field of interest (the media), with a collective competence (our various skills and positions) and a common sense of purpose (creating the best work possible). These attributes would come to form a community of practice/inquiry. However, developing a community of any kind — whether professionally, casually, in-person, or online — can work wonders in aiding the learning process. Having others to lean on for support can help foster a sense of community amongst those in your field as well as a collective understanding through beliefs, attitudes, and objectives. This class is in its own way an example of how virtual learning can bring a diverse group together and offer new ways of connecting and learning. The very website I’m publishing this blog post on is an example of a resource that can help facilitate the learning process and highlight our own individual findings in class. It’s because of tools like Blogger that we can easily transmit information and share it with others with just a click of a button. Not just to those within our immediate circles, or college courses, but from all across the world…