Transcript CoP - Global eLearning

“An Online Community of Practice
for Business and Foreign Language
Faculty”
CIBER Business Language Conference
2010
Mary Risner
University of Florida
NOBLE Welcome Page
What is a Community of Practice
(CoP)?
group “of people who share a concern, a set
of problems, or a passion about a topic, and
who deepen their knowledge and expertise in
this area by interacting on an ongoing basis”
(Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002, p.4)
Value of A CoP in the Context of
Professional Development
• Knowledge sharing in informal social networks
has proven to be an enabling force to help
teachers change their practice (Schlager &
Fusco, 2003).
Professional Development (cont.)
• This type of PD meets the immediate needs
of teachers for knowledge in their area of
interest, not by mandate of administrators.
Professional Development (cont.)
• “Just-in-time” rather than a “just-in-case”
enrichment approaches can help teachers
acquire the knowledge and skills they need in
an autonomous fashion (Granger et al…..,
2002)
Professional Development (cont.)
• According to Hiebert, Gallimore & Stigler
(2002), professional development has the
most impact on learning when its design is
long term, tied to the curriculum of the
teachers involved, and collaborative.
Professional Development (cont.)
• The design component of experiential
learning for teachers in professional
development serves as a model for them to
implement in their own classrooms after they
have felt how it has enhanced their own
personal learning experience (Loucks-Horsley,
Love, Stiles, Mundry & Hewson, 2003).
Why Have a CoP?
Collaborative
approach to
facing
challenges in
a field,
access to
expertise,
an outlet to
build
professional
identity and a
professional
network,
Why Have a CoP? (cont.)
an option to
keep abreast
of current
trends in the
field,
an approach
to share and
create new
resources and
knowledge,
a way to enjoy
working with
colleagues in a
voluntary and
egalitarian
environment.
Why an Online CoP?
Online activities allow flexibility in scheduling,
time, collaboration across borders, time for
reflection and dialogue, and the development
of an “owned” learning space (Sprague, 2006).
Why an Online CoP? (cont.)
Participants become more comfortable
with social networking tools for their own
learning so that they can eventually begin
to integrate into their own classrooms.
Why an Online CoP? (cont.)
The virtual format also allows individuals to
experience emerging technologies as tools to
assist in the sharing of ideas and resources
(Dube, L., Bourhis, A., & Jacob, R., 2006).
Need for a CoP in Business Language
Peer support for
small discipline
with minimal
resources
Connect
instructors across
large geographical
spread
Need for
professional
development in
this field
Need to improve
U.S global
competence
Increase crossdisciplinary
connections
Need (cont.)
Long-term project
targeted to achieve
real outcomes
Not just checking
the box for onetime events
Empowering
individuals
Going beyond
lectures
Encouraging selfdirected learning
Goals for the NOBLE CoP
• Establish and mobilize a group of
committed high school and postsecondary instructors who share
similar interests in integrating
business language and culture into
the curriculum and collaborating with
other colleagues.
Goals (cont.)
• Create a virtual space for
resources and information
pertinent to the field and a
platform to collaborate and
exchange ideas with
colleagues at a distance.
Questions
1. Can an online forum and web portal
be used to create a dynamic online
community of practice that unites K-16
faculty and promotes the preparation
of culturally competent global leaders?
Questions
2.
How does one engage members of a CoP and
ensure productive outcomes in terms of
professional development for faculty?
Benefits of a CoP
Empower teachers at all levels
Improve articulation among K16 educators
Ensure resources reach more
institutions
Provide professional
development at a lower cost
and economizing on time
Connect isolated instructors
interested in field
The NOBLE Project Idea
NOBLE-Network of Business Language
Educators
Online Spaces
• www.nble.org
• www.globalworkplaceskills.ning.com
Establishing NOBLE
F2F initial meeting
Discussion of goals/mission
Site design with group input
Forum
Dissemination of information on NOBLE for recruitment
Member Demographics
• From 8 states
• Representing 7 languages (Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German)
• Interest in business and medical language
• Faculty from foreign language, business,
educational technology
• Members from secondary, post-secondary,
private language institute
Online Interaction to Date
on Ning
• 19 members registered
• Minimal posting
• Creation of 5 sub-groups: Business English,
Business Portuguese, Online Teaching,
Technology Tools, 21st Century Skills
NOBLE Web Portal Activity
January -February
• 65 unique visits with the majority coming
from referred sites
• Majority of hits came from the United States
• Others from Spain, Pakistan, Japan, Ethiopia,
Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Canada, China, and
Congo (Ten countries)
NOBLE Web Portal Activity
February-March
• 186 unique visits with the majority coming
from referred sites
• Majority of hits came from the United States
• Others from 25 countries
Possible Reasons for Slow Start…
Hew & Hara (2007) found that lack
of knowledge, lack of time, and
concerns for misinterpretations of
online comments due to absence of
visual clues were three of the five
primary obstacles to knowledge
sharing.
Slow Start (cont.)
Survey on use of social networking
and content-sharing tools by K-12
educators found that actual educator
use of social networking tools lags
behind interest.
edWeb.net, MCHDiscoverB21 & MMS Education, 2009
Slow Start (cont.)
Lack of time teachers have,
intimidation by the use of
technology,
Slow Start (cont.)
hassles of logging in to access a
network,
the fear of privacy issues tied to
participation in online communities.
Maybe Small is Good…
• According to Allan and Lewis (2005), virtual
learning communities have a better chance of
being effective if their membership is fairly
small varying from 5-18 members.
NOBLE Accomplishments to Date
• Site and forum launched
• Sponsored one K-12 attendee at FIU Business
Language conference
• F2F Meeting at UF in late February
• Skype meeting
• Twitter and Facebook accounts created
Accomplishments (cont.)
•
•
•
•
Strategic Plan drafted
Starter lessons drafted
Article in process on Florida K-12 model
Established committee for Business Language
on Florida Foreign Language Association board
• Increasing interest in field!
Challenges for NOBLE
Apprehension
about term
“business”
Lack of time
Lack of
understanding of
what “business
language” means
Challenges (cont.)
Finding and
connecting with
the faculty that
“get” it
Traditional
academic views on
teaching language
for literature
Hesitance to
collaborate across
disciplines
How to Overcome These Obstacles?
•
•
•
•
Keep working with those involved
Keep recruiting
Keep disseminating information
Keep projects on the horizon
How to Overcome These Obstacles?
• Keep shipping!
• http://the99percent.com/tips/6249/sethgodin-the-truth-about-shipping
• http://the99percent.com/videos/5822/sethgodin-quieting-the-lizard-brain
Upcoming Projects
• Summer workshop on learning
centers/careers
• Video clips with skits on value of global skills
• Podcasts with testimonials/cultural
experiences
• FFLA 2011
Career Wordle
• www.wordle.net
Sample Video Clip
• http://community.actfl.org/ACTFL/ACTFL/Reso
urces/ViewDocument/Default.aspx?Document
Key=1397ada6-e9bc-4c56-ab09-0c86afb8fb80