Serendipity Workplace – educational rationale supporting each technology tool within the blog.
NEW USER
New users will be required to create a profile for themselves before they are able to contribute. The profile will contain compulsory fields such as name, suburb and state in which they work, and area of expertise, as well as voluntary fields such as photo, experience, and contact details. Recent literature by Blitz (2013, p.4), suggests that online collaboration appears most productive, when membership is diverse (in roles, areas and levels of expertise).
It is important for members to get a sense of each other to build social presence, which is essential for building a sense of trust and belonging that fosters critical discourse, as outlined by Redmond & Lock (2006, pp.268-270) and Garrison (2006, pp. 26-27).
INDEPENDENT TRAINING
The independent training tab will contain stand alone modules that serve as both a reference for training already completed and a tool for continuing development. Some members will have greater access to face-to-face training while other members, such as those in rural and remote areas, will rely more on online training.
This form of structured but informal learning allows participants to build skills, serving as the knowledge building component, that when coupled with the blog where knowledge can be discussed and applied to personal experiences, forms cognitive presence (Redmond & Lock, 2006). Essentially this is the basis for critical thinking and analysis.
FREEBIES
We have all worked with members of this community and they love a freebie. This is a sector that is frequently underpaid and underappreciated. Providing them with free tools and resources makes them feel valued and improves their mental wellbeing.
Providing posters and other materials to display and use in the workplace also reinforces the learning they have undertaken and the shared goal of creating a healthy workplace.
Blitz, (2013, p. 9) as outlined in a logic model, created for the study of whether online learning communities can achieve the goals of traditional, professional learning communities highlights how members may be offered ‘incentives’ as a positive means to building community.
USER PROFILES
Allow members to search for other members with a particular area of expertise and/or geographic location. This is an extension of the new user function which contributes to social presence.
USEFUL RESOURCES
Audio conferencing is a tool that can be used to compliment formal learning modules by introducing topics, delivering modules in a more engaging format that allows synchronous discussion and analysis. The use of audio conferencing in this case will be used due to participants familiarity with this format and it is something all participants have access to, unlike video conferencing which would exclude some members. As discussed by Weller, Pegler & Mason (2005, p. 64), audio conferencing is often overlooked in favour of new technologies, however we feel that it is appropriate for this group.
Audio conferences can also be archived as a form of asynchronous communication for members who missed the real time presentation.
ARCHIVE
Older blogs and audio conferences will be archived so that members can use them for future information and inspiration.
BLOG
Learning at work constitutes a large part of adult learning (Boud & Middleton, 2003). The blog, being the key element of the intranet site, is a constructivist learning environment that facilitates experiential learning through the transmission of real life experiences between participants by providing a dedicated space for knowledge exchange. Participants will benefit from the different perspectives their peers have of a particular problem, with the resulting discussion helping to develop their critical thinking skills. The kind of informal learning, that often takes place in the work environment, can be enhanced through the use of technology (Redmond & Lock, 2006).
It supports engagement by creating an interactive space in which participants can apply their knowledge and skills to create knowledge in the wider community, that is not constrained by time or location. It provides a place for participants to reflect on their own learning and explore future learning possibilities and provide inspiration on dealing with workplace challenges (Wenger, 1999).
EXCLUSIONS
Instant messaging and web chatting has been intentionally disabled in the early stages of this new community as we feel it can be exclusionary and deprive other members of valuable insight. People often use this form of communication for personal conversations unrelated to the purpose of the site, which we also wish to discourage at this stage, as highlighted in our Survey Monkey feedback.
This is not to say, that at some point, we will turn-on this feature as a means to increasing social presence. This is reinforced by Blitz (2013, p.4) who outlines that it creates opportunities for members to socialise, which is important for identification and community building.
WELCOME – educational rationale
Reason for creating this e-learning community – “profits accrue from building on the synergies of individuals ….. with common interests as they work towards sharing understandings, skills and knowledge for shared purposes” (Kilpatrick, Barrett & Jones, 2003, p.2)
Reasons for it being an intranet – participants already have a shared understanding and common focus, required for a learning environment (Wenger, 1999). This is something they will access at work, which is where they will be doing the training and looking for further engagement.
Become a part of their PLE
HAVING A MODERATOR
Moderator – brings all the elements of the community of inquiry together. Integrates social and cognitive presence, facilitates discourse by ensuring the blog posts remain focused on learning and mediating discussions and dispelling any misconceptions (Redmond & Lock, 2006).
Anderson (2014), week two UTS Blackboard podcast highlights the important elements of an e-learning community – engagement, trust, value-adding, multimodality, community. It’s about people, not technology. Stewardship is very important.
This intranet site is a collaborative community, where members share common interests and goals, but the focus is on sharing and building knowledge rather than on completing a task or project. It will be a place where members come to learn and to solve problems by giving and receiving advice to and from other members, as outlined by Callahan, Schenk & White (2008, p. 3).
References
Anderson, T (2014) UTS Blackboard Podcast, Week Two.
Boud, D. & Middleton, H. 2003 ‘Learning from others at work’, Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 15, no. 5, pp 194 -202.
Blitz, C. L. (2013). Can online learning communities achieve the goals of traditional profession-al learning communities? What the literature says. (REL 2013–003). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Educa-tion Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic.
Callahan, S., Schenk, M., & White, N. 2008 ‘Building a collaborative workplace’, Anecdote Whitepaper, viewed 24 April 2014, <http://www.anecdote.com/whitepapers/?wpname=Collaboration>
Garrison, D.R. 2006, ‘Online collaboration principles’, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 25-34.
Kilpatrick, S., Barrett, M. & Jones, T. 2003, ‘Defining Learning Communities’, CRLRA Discussion Paper Series ISSN 1440-480X, University of Tasmania, viewed 3 March 2014, <http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/13073/20030729-0000/www.crlra.utas.edu.au/files/discussion/2003/D1-2003.pdf>
Redmond, P. & Lock, J.V. 2006, ‘A flexible framework for online collaborative learning’, The internet of Higher Education, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 267-276.
Weller, M., Pegler, C. , & Mason, R. 2005, ‘Use of innovative technologies on an e-learning course’, The Internet and Higher Education, vol. 8, pp. 61-71.
Wenger, E. 1999, Communities of Practice: Learning, meaning, and identity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
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