Hello Marva, Gina, Ginnie, Janet, Jane, Erika, Pedro and all,

 

Thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback; this is helpful to me
in understanding how those of us benefit from this (and perhaps other)
NIFL lists. Some have written me off list and are very interested in
hearing more; looking for one page to access these posts. I'll compile a
thread on communities of practice and share it back on the list.

 

As Gina noted, I'm also seeking perspectives on whether and to what
extent we might consider ourselves a community (or communities) of
practice (CoPs). So far I'm hearing that yes, we are a "CoP". I haven't
heard any concerns here with using that language to articulate what we
already do. 

 

Marva (and others), in your research, are there particular
considerations we should keep in mind -- or red flags we should be aware
of -- when calling the Adult Literacy Professional Development List a
community of practice?

 

Thanks, Jackie

 

 

________________________________

From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marva
McClean
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 6:06 PM
To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2465] Re: from Janet, Re: How You
Benefit

 

Communities of Practice is one of my areas of research. Some years ago,
my doctoral work centered on this. I remain interested in how group
soldify their relationships to become communities of practice centered
around specific goals and visionssecuring opportunities to work at their
creative for extra-ordinary results.. 

Sincerely, Marvalous 

 

Culture
Culture is the river of words on whose current I swim, my life guard
against drowning.

 

Bridges to Memory by Marva McClean Copyright 2007
www.bridgestomemory.com

 

Dr. Marva McClean
Educational Consultant and Author
954-551-7275

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: Lobaccaro Gina (DOC) <mailto:Gina.Lobaccaro at state.de.us>  

	To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
<mailto:professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>  

	Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:57 PM

	Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2464] Re: from Janet, Re: How
You Benefit

	 

	I have really enjoyed this topic. I DO believe this group to be
an example of a community of practice.

	 

	o  I read and or respond frequently to request information from
others, and I have come to feel like I know many of the people who
regularly contribute to the list.  

	 

	o  I tend to be drawn to certain topics (reflecting upon other
teachers' experiences) and carefully watch those discussions.  I am VERY
interested in Communities of Practice and I would like to incorporate my
interest in COPs into a serious research topic for my doctorate work in
Educational Technology (University of Delaware).  I would love to hear
from those of you reading and responding to this topic with suggestions.
This semester I am taking my ninth (of 14) class, and it is the first of
a set of three that are designed to teach me how to write Executive
Position Papers (University of Delaware's EdD alternative to a
dissertation).  I am a correctional educator in the state of Delaware.
Our state professional development money was significantly cut this
year. I would love to suggest/help design some technology enhanced
(COP-like) alternatives to my adult education colleagues in Delaware,
but I do not know that they are receptive to this idea.   As Janet
Isserlis wrote (earlier today).....I am also  " mindful that for many
this is a more challenging form of communication - because of lack of
time, because of a preference for face-to-face interaction, because of
problems gaining access to the internet."  I would love to help break
down the barriers that challenge my colleagues and encourage their
participation in list and other forms of online PD.

	 

	o  I contribute to the Adult Ed Wiki (although I have been
delinquent lately) and I have made an effort to report here and to the
Wiki after I have led or participated in national conferences.  I
sincerely appreciate the feedback from others who attend the conferences
- as my travel budget is limited! :-)

	 

	Gina Lobaccaro

	 

	"Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we
are moving.  We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against
it - but sail we must and not drift nor lie at anchor." Author
appreciated, but unknown.

	 

	
	Sussex Correctional Institution
	Prison Education Department
	PO Box 500
	Georgetown, DE 19947
	Office (302) 856-5282 x 6204
	Fax (302) 856-5642
	gina.lobaccaro at state.de.us

	 

	 

	
________________________________


	From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Taylor,
Jackie
	Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 9:48 AM
	To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
	Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2462] from Janet, Re: How You
Benefit

	 

	Good day or evening, all,

	 

	The following is posted on behalf of Janet Isserlis...Please
read on ~ Jackie Taylor

	 

	 

	From: Janet Isserlis [mailto:Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu]
<mailto:Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu%5d>  
	Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 8:47 AM
	To: Taylor, Jackie
	Subject: Re: How You Benefit
	
	Jackie and all
	
	A few very useful things about NIFL lists, generally, and about
this one (and Diversity) in particular.  Of the lists to which I'm
subscribed, I'm aware of you and Daphne modeling useful facilitation
(hard to do in an on-line world) - gently encouraging, supporting input
without making people feel badly for not wanting or not choosing to
post.  (This is in no way to diminish skills of other moderators - I'm
speaking of the two lists to which I pay most attention and which I read
most closely.  I suspect that other moderators are also working hard to
support their lists and subscribers).
	
	Having said that by way of preface, I use the lists for my own
learning for the most part.  Occasionally I post to push back against an
opinion with which I disagree, and/or to try to learn more about why it
is I disagree or what it is the other person or people are saying.  So
there's something of a group dialogue going on, with the mediation of
time away from the screen for us to (try to) think through what we want
to say in order to try to say it clearly.
	
	There are also moments when we can take advantage of the
(relatively) informal medium - while trying to think and write clearly,
we can also write with an immediacy that isn't always possible through
other media (journals, even blogs..)
	
	As someone working with other practitioners, I also refer people
to archives of past discussions and/or to particular threads that are
being offered at various times.  I'll sometimes forward a post or a URL
to a string of posts to other non-NIFL lists and/or to colleagues with a
particular interest in a particular topic.
	
	other important elements:
	
	networks that don't involve facebook (although, there are some
things to be said for that) - but for our purposes, being able to send
out a question and find responses that may be helpful to lesser or
greater extents, but that tend to engage those who post (and, one hopes,
those who read) in ways that an information-out only medium couldn't
support.  As well, the speed with which we often respond to one another
is really a help - especially at those times when we need to know
something or really want to puzzle something out.
	
	The archives are great - and the work that people go through to
further highlight particular threads through the adult ed wiki are also
very useful for future reference.  
	
	I do try to encourage others to subscribe but am mindful that
for many this is a more challenging form of communication - because of
lack of time, because of a preference for face-to-face interaction,
because of problems gaining access to the internet.
	
	Having said that, I would argue that the lists are among the
NIFL's long time outstanding achievements  - even as some of us have
questioned its focus on adult learning.  These lists do enable us to
seek out our own learning, to support one another and to challenge,
encourage, sometimes gently goad, but almost always with a respect that
makes these screens relatively safe spaces for us in the range of work
we do in adult education.
	
	Janet Isserlis

	 

	
________________________________


	----------------------------------------------------
	National Institute for Literacy
	Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list
	professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov
	 
	To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go
to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment
	
	Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education
Wiki 
	
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Devel
opment

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/professionaldevelopment/attachments/20080828/ce618c4b/attachment.html