Our Community of Practice
In order for an online learning community to be effective, certain criteria need to be met (Khoo, E., & Cowie, B., 2010). First, participation needs to be mediated action. Using specific tools as a means to attain specific goals serves to mediate goal attainment as well as facilitate relationships among users, as members contribute various levels of experience and expertise. In this case, engaging in a virtual makerspace provides the tools to mediate a physical makerspace.
Third, through utilizing a virtual makerspace, an online learning community, members are able to access the knowledge and expertise of fellow members. This recognizes the principle of distributed cognition; the idea of having a diverse skill set and knowledge base across people, rather than having each person rely only on their own skills and knowledge.
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Second, participation needs to be based in situated activity. Authentic, relevant collaboration in a medium that transfers directly to one’s real-life application needs is crucial to a thriving community. In this case, the goal is to learn about makerspace through experiencing it, and then to apply the concept in the classroom.
Lastly, for an online community to be successful, it must be goal directed. A virtual makerspace for professional development offers the shared goal of implementing the makerspace pedagogy in the classroom.
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The inclusion of open and guided discussion forums (at the bottom of each technology page), as well as a wiki-based manifesto provides space for collaboration, question and answer sessions, as well as general support and feedback; which supports all four elements of successful online learning communities. The ability to upload and share lessons, tools, and artifacts, as well as to download and modify existing projects also serves to extend the efficacy of the online learning community. It is of utmost importance that you, as educators, buy into this community and help to make it a lived experience! Without participation, the community can only evolve so far. Go ahead, be involved!
