Successful Online Communities Slf Sept 2007
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Transcript of Successful Online Communities Slf Sept 2007
Learning and Teaching Scotland
How to Create Successful Online Communities
Henriette Laidlaw Phil Galbraith
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Online Community – a definition
• A virtual community,e-community or online community is a group of people that primarily interact via some form of mechanism such as letters, telephone, email or Usenet rather than face to face. If the mechanism is a computer network, it is called an online community. Virtual and online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. A computer-mediated community (CMC) uses social software to regulate the activities of participants. Significant socio-technical change has resulted from the proliferation of Internet-based social networks. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Learning and Teaching Scotland
A Community of Practice
• A community of practice is defined as “groups of people informally bound together by shared expertise and passion for a joint enterprise” (Wenger & Snyder, 2000: 139).
Learning and Teaching Scotland
• We are in the business of improving the quality of education in Scottish schools by improving the quality of leadership in them
• To change peoples’ practice requires deep learning based upon reflection on their part about the way they work at present
• In turn online provision for this purpose requires software which engenders reflection
The “Together” communities
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Designing Online Communities of Practice for Success
Adapted from Scott Burkett, 2006
• Invest in the means, not the end Ensure clear aims for the community Establish a captivating backstory
• Focus relentlessly on the needs of the members Resist the temptation to control
• Don’t assume the community will become self-sustaining. Seek out and support members who take on informal roles.Strive for “mass stickyness” in the form of the targeted “killer app”.
4. “Collaboration” should be an over-arching theme. Supporting building social capital
5. Foster a sense of trust Mitigate security and privacy concerns.
6. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself from time to time Acknowledge what benefits the community.
Learning and Teaching Scotland
1. Invest in the means, not the end
• Focus on generating traffic and participation– Inductions– Special events– Bulletins– High level of facilitation– High profile Hotseat guests
Learning and Teaching Scotland
1. Ensure clear aims for the community
• Support the further development of the leadership skills of depute /headteachers
• Enhance their day-to-day role by providing them with a mechanism for mutual support, the potential solution of problems and the sharing and creation of new ideas.
• Create a one stop shop for access to resources which have been created/identified by deputes/heads themselves.
• In doing so reduce the isolation of deputes/heads • Raise the awareness about the potential role of ICT for management and administration, learning and teaching.
Learning and Teaching Scotland
1. Establish a captivating “backstory”
• Sharing success stories– During induction of new members– In bulletins– At national events– In the press
Learning and Teaching Scotland
2. Focus relentlessly on the needs of the members
• Using head teachers as facilitators
• Easy access to resources – Learning applications– Professional bodies
• Focus Groups
• Feedback
• Evaluations (Twice evaluated)
Learning and Teaching Scotland
2. Resist the temptation to control
• The members decide which topics to discuss
• Facilitators can assist in presentation and linking but members control the agenda
• If needed discuss with members to address online behaviour.
Learning and Teaching Scotland
3. Don’t assume the community will become self-sustaining.
• Facilitation• Advocates
– Within authorities– Within sectors– Incentives
• Refresher days• Continue to refresh the site• Focus on both long term and new users
Learning and Teaching Scotland
3. Strive for “mass stickyness” in the form of the targeted “killer app”. • Cybrary
– Library of shared documents – Reduces work load for members
instantly
Learning and Teaching Scotland
4. “Collaboration” should be an over-arching theme.
• Encourage contributions
• Encourage participation– Cybrary – Need help– Facilitator contact– Working groups
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Online Communities ActivityPercentage wise, Wenger et al (1998) suggest
that activity rates are as follows:
• Core = 10-15% - participants who post, encourage activity, get involved often
• Active = 15-20% - participants who are sometimes involved, ie commenting occasionally
• Peripheral = 65-75% - people who read, sometimes known as "lurkers" – or readers
Jakob Nielsen (2006) suggests that "User participation often more or less follows a 90-9-1 rule:
• 90% of users are “lurkers” (i.e., read or observe, but don't contribute).
• 9% of users contribute from time to time, but other priorities dominate their time.
• 1% of users participate a lot and account for most contributions: it can seem as if they don't have lives because they often post just minutes after whatever event they're commenting on occurs. “
Learning and Teaching Scotland
• “As a rule of thumb…in a month in a community of practice 10% of members visit, and 1.5% contribute” -
“70,000 heads are Better than One” NCSL 2005
• “For every contribution made, 40 people are watching.” i.e. 2.5% of active members contribute
Evaluation Report of NCSL’s Online Communities”
Activity Levels
Learning and Teaching Scotland
0500
1000150020002500300035004000
Visitors
Visits
Learning and Teaching Scotland
050
100150200250300350400450500
Oct-04
Dec-04
Feb-05
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Aug-05
Oct-05
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Replies
Topics
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Why does members contribute?
• Anticipated Reciprocity
• Increased Recognition
• Sense of efficacy
• Communion From Peter Kollock (1999) & Mark Smith (1992)
Learning and Teaching Scotland
What about the “Lurkers”
• Reflecting
• Apprentice to the profession
• Sharing outside of the community
• Encourage others to participate
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Impact on Community
• Those who read but don't contribute are important, but without the active and core members, there's nothing to read! This really is a problem if your community is tending towards the 90-9-1 percent rule, rather than the 75-15-10 rule that Wenger predicts.
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Change in member activity
Helen Nicol, 2007
Learning and Teaching Scotland
4. Supporting building social capital
CognitiveReflection of
management issues facing educational leaders
Cross sector discussionsUnderstanding of
common issuesFamiliar taxonomyUnderstand the context of
shared resourcesLean the rules of the
profession
StructuralEnables members to locate expertise
within the communityLeverage weak ties Access to expertsBuilds up a tacit knowledge baseExposure to new ideasQuestions can be referred to an
“expert” or a member in the “know”Brokering of connectionsFinding resources developed by other
members
RelationalCoaching of new
members, new to their professional role.
Shared stories/experiences
TrustTesting of new ideasNorm for helpingWillingness to shareSecure environment to
express feelingsEstablish a positive
reputation by assisting
Learning and Teaching Scotland
5. Foster a sense of trust.
• LTS
• Restricted membership
• Anonymous reports
• At Induction
• Continuous Checks of membership
• Listen to members
Learning and Teaching Scotland
6. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself from time to time
• H2G has had three major overhauls in 4 years• Adapt to change (new forums)• Adapt to users requirements (new document
types)• New functions
– Search– “I found this useful”
• Acknowledging that people really need to focus on activity which improves practice within their particular domain if they are to function as a community of practice.
Learning and Teaching Scotland
The Exchange
Shared Discussion
Professional Development
A Curriculum for Excellence
Cybrary
Publications
News
Useful links
Deputes Together
Leadership and Management
Additional Support Needs
Early Years
Primary
Secondary
Quality Assurance
Raising Attainment
Staff Room
Heads Together
Leadership and Management
Additional Support Needs
Early Years
Primary
Secondary
Staff Room
Access
restricted
to Deputes
Access for Head Teachers
and Deputes
Acces
s
restr
icted
to
Head
Teach
ers
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Hotseat guests in the shared areaDavid Cameron, Kenny Dalglish, Thomas Chalmers
Over 450 already members registered in Deputes Together, in addition to 2250 in Heads Together
– 1 000 visits to the Community each week– 10 000 items viewed each week
Plus online facilitation and support 24/7
Access to ‘experts’ as well as your colleagues
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Benefits of The ‘Together’ Communities*
“It can save you time
It’s a valuable source of info & advice
It provides a national perspective
Its use contributes to CPD
It is up to date & continually updated
It is a valuable source of support”*Taken from Heads Together Evaluation 2006: George St Research
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Thought I might have felt overwhelmed by the amount of information available, but it has actually helped me focus on the priorities in my school and my place in taking these forward.
A great new resource. Nice to know that we do not have to continue reinventing the wheel and that an answer is just a click away.)
For me the most useful aspect of Heads Together is the constant collation of all the issues and links that are important to a Scottish headteacher is invaluable.
Deputes Together can only be a good thing. We tend to work away in our own schools and discuss topics within the SMT, and this new forum allows us to have wider discussion. Views from other authorities are essential!
It has opened a treasure box of resources, especially people!
lots of new ideas now floating around my head to take back to school!