developing online community

Developing Online Community

ESLE Conference Adelaide, Oct 8th, 2007

Multiple Venue Presentation (MVP)

An event that blends live online and face to face audiences

Education Development Centre (venue for live event on Oct 8th, ’07)

MULTIPLE VENUEPRESENTATIONS

(MVPs)

remote students guest

lecturer

CLASSROOM/F2F VENUE

publicspace

WHO’S ONLINE TODAY?

Community

What is it?Why?21st century life

Internet and Community- what happens?

You connect less with some of the people around you in your daily lifeYou connect with people you already know via a different medium (online)You connect with people you would otherwise have had no contact with

Online Community – what’s the appeal?

You connect less with some of the people around you in your daily life!You connect with people you already know via a different medium (online). (You get to know people differently)

You connect with people you would otherwise have had no contact with

Online Community – what’s the appeal?

You can connect with multiple people with similar interests at the same time (many to many communication.) (Group discussion)

Maybe it’s just easier?

Backdrop: Social Networking Sites

MySpace, Facebook (75% of yr 11/12 students in Australia have a MySpace site)Flickr (photo sharing)YouTube (video sharing)etc

Developing Online Community

The Webheads Experience

Where do we fit?

Face to faceCommunity

IT

CommunityIT Individuals

ITCommunity+

WEBHEADS

=

+

The Palace

Webheads - origin

Vance’s class were online after mine We decided to unite the classesObvious signs that the group wanted to stay togetherVance proposed that we call ourselves WEBHEADS

Who are the Webheads?

“an experiment in world friendship through online language learning”

300 + members

Where are the Webheads?

in approximately 50 countries

Webheads Today

In 2007, the Webheads community is alive and well (weekly meeting, daily communication, many gather each year at the international TESOL convention in March, Elizabeth and partner visited me here last summer….)

How/why has this community survived?

Webheads Drivers

Initially, the vision and enthusiasm of one person – the leader, and no #1 cat herder (Vance Stevens)Vision and enthusiasm of several key membersCommon causes:– ESL/EFL/language teaching and learning– International friendship– Interest in exploring technology

RefocusingChanges in membership

Webheads Drivers

Ongoing personal gain; “What I receive is worthwhile; what I give is valued”Synchronous meetings (always 2 per wk – a ‘student meeting’, and a ‘teachers meeting)

Synchronous Meetings

Tapped In:– Weekly regular event (Tapped In)– Instant Messengers, Virtual Classrooms > voice

interaction; webcams

Other Webhead Events

Dafne (Caracas)

Aiden (Taiwan)

Conferences/Workshops/Social

Community Roles (Wenger)

The inspirational leadership provided by thought leaders and recognized experts The day-to-day leadership provided by those who organize activities The classificatory leadership provided by those who collect and organize information in order to document practices The interpersonal leadership provided by those who weave the community's social fabric

Community Roles (Wenger)

The boundary leadership provided by those who connect the community to other communities The institutional leadership provided by those who maintain links with other organizational constituencies, in particular the official hierarchy The cutting-edge leadership provided by those who shepherd "out-of-the-box" initiatives.

Domain. Community. Practice.

Domain:  This is the participants’ common ground – their understanding of the common issues and use of a common ‘language’.

Community:  This is the socialising, collegiate, relationship element between the participants. 

Practice: This is the processes by which participants learn by sharing skills and information, and accumulate and disseminate knowledge. 

(from Marlene Manto)

The role of technology in sustaining this community

Enables communication across place and timeAffords several modes of communication (email, discussion boards, Instant Messaging, blogs, voice tools, webcams, virtual classrooms, websites)The email listserv is the lifeblood

The role of technology in sustaining this community

Activities– Teaching and learning– Trialling tools– Co-delivery of conferences and workshops– Student activity

Sustained activity has created a reputation where we are now approached to trial tools, and present at conferences (so technology is still the mechanism and in part, the purpose)The wow factor maintains……

WEBHEADS WEBSITE(S)

Collective and individual spaces (pages, blogs, wikis)Photos (people, colleges, places of work, family) Writings on individual pagesResources found and/or created by the communityAll of this can be shared via the Web

Cornerstones: Technology -

Enables regular group and one on one communicationsBrings together people who otherwise would be unknown to each otherAffords multiple channels of communicationProvides for individual and collective needsProvides shared public and permanent record for all to seeAllows everyone to contribute to this shared record

Can you build relationships... …online?Can you build social capital …online? Can community develop… …online?

THE BIG QUESTIONS……

Can you build relationships... …online?Can you build social capital …online? Can community develop… …online?

YES!!

THE BIG QUESTIONS……

Joining the Webheads

Send an email to

evonline2002_webheads-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Annual 6 wk seminar over the Australian summer (as part of annual TESOL convention)

The Internet is….

“not about dot coms, online malls…. It’s not about routers, servers, browsers.…In fact, the Internet isn’t even about technology. It’s about us. The collective us.”

COMMONSPACE: Beyond Virtual Community: Surman & Wershler-Henry; 2001

for more information contact Michael Coghlanmichaelc@chariot.net.au

THANK YOU