Hi Phyllis and all,

 

Phyllis, I totally agree; I don't like the term "lurker" either. I think
of myself as a "peripheral participant" in most communities. In fact,
this is probably the most I've said on this list! ;-) I believe Etienne
Wenger, the guru of online communities of practice
<http://www.ewenger.com/> calls lurking "legitimate peripheral
participation."

 

Once, the Professional Development List got into a huge spontaneous
discussion about the term lurker; at the end of the discussion they
officially abolished the term on that list! People learn and participate
differently, and that's OK to me. 

 

Jackie Coelho asked, "And aren't there some 'lurkers' in a face to face
class? What is the connection if any?"

 

Great question. I think one difference is that in a face-to-face class,
you can gauge participation through observation: does the learner appear
engaged, or disconnected? Does she appear to have a question but may be
afraid to ask? Is she taking what she's hearing /seeing / reading and
using it in a way that's meaningful for her? 

 

These types of things are much harder to know online, on a discussion
list where we cannot see one another. The only way we'll know whether
others have questions is if they voice (post) them. We can't know if
others are reticent about posting; we can only hope that everyone feels
comfortable enough to post a question when they have one. 

 

In a face-to-face class, how long might students go without asking
questions? Can we take advantage of down time here on the list (in
between guest discussions) for asking questions that may lead to more
spontaneous discussions?

 

What else helps? (Here's my 2 cents, what do you think?)

 

*         Hearing how you use the information you receive, any
subsequent questions, issues, or challenges that raises for you

*         Sharing back with the list what others in your program have
been discussing about assessment issues

*         Hearing how our discussions here are informing policy and
research

 

(I do not think that "ditto" types of responses help.) 

 

So I find myself wondering, we're resources for each other right now;
are we sure that we're making the most of it? (and maybe we are!)

 

Enough from me. I want to know what you think.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jackie Taylor

 

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