Reading, but Remiss...

Yes, yes, I am doing all of my reading for CI 5323--every page assigned, and yet, I am remiss in blogging about what I am reading. I do, reflect on the articles and, of course, make my notes in the margins and draw my own graphic explanations here and there. The theme of the articles and the text readings has been online learning communities, of course, and I really am starting to see the connections between text, articles, and real life--even after four weeks of class. I think that the search for exemplar communities of practice and my first synchronous presentation and discussion via UMConnect has helped to round out the readings and give me some practical experience to compare the theoretical and case study content to my own real-life experiences.

So this is really what I know so far--generally speaking; I know that communities are diverse entities, some better than others, some sustainable over long periods of time, some not. There are different types of communities to serve different purposes, goals, projects, activities, and members. Some communities are open, others closed; some accessible at all levels to members, some rigidly organized. The organization of communities, the level of participation, the articulation and alignment with existing tools and practices, and many other factors determine the usefulness and longevity of the community. Differing theories define and redefine the ideal community, the effective community, the accessible community, the productive community, the welcoming community. The place where community happens, the tools that are employed, the development path of novice to expert member, play a part in determining the quality of community. And there are terminologies to learn related to seeking community exemplars--moderator, participant, administrator, peripheral learner, practice, multi-leveled participation, and so many others.

To say that I am somewhat overwhelmed by the reading content at this point is an understatement. Of course, within my own experience and in relation to others, I understand what I am reading, but I feel as if I am, at this point, greatly inexperienced, and therefore, cannot tease out differences in perspective, theoretical alignments and frames--I simply do not know enough to have any strong opinion on what really constitutes the best community practice--but I am gradually gaining some insights.

I am going to start a wiki so I can build and construct new understandings based upon nuggets found in the readings--I really like the dynamic nature of a wiki for personal reflecting and recording evolving perspectives and meanings. Unlike a blog that is chronologically linear, a historical record, a wiki is dynamic and ever-changing.