Week 3 - Blog Posting #6 - Communities of Practice

The people of today have an incredible opportunity for learning. The old adage says, “two heads are better than one”. I am confident that the adage could be modified to say “three heads are better than two” or “four heads are better than three” and so on. Just 20 years ago, the communities of practice that most people belonged to were those that they could physically interact with. Today, a community can contain members from all over the world, united by a cause. The potential for learning is extraordinary as people can connect through the Internet.

“Social media is the thing right now. It provides a way to connect people of similar (or dissimilar) interests from around the world.” (Jarvis, 2009). As a teacher, I have improved my practice significantly more than I would have had I been teaching twenty years ago. I am able to connect to teachers outside of my building and community to learn about what ideas have been effective at their locations. I am able to connect to infinite amounts of research that allow me to form my instruction to reflect practices that are proven to be successful. These opportunities direct a more purposeful discussion and guide meaningful personal reflection.

Today’s students need to learn how to utilize the online communities in order to become productive citizens in the 21 century. Students will be the future problem-solvers. As Gordon Brown said in his talk, combining the power of a global ethic and the power of our ability to communicate and get organized globally, we can become a true global society. World issues cannot be solved until it works together, and our students will be the ones to make that a reality. (Brown, 2009)

Communities of practice will be the vehicle to harnessing the power of people working together to improve each other and the world.

Brown, G. (2009, July) Gordon Brown: Wiring a web for global good [Video File]. Video posted to http://www.ted.com/talks/gordon_brown.html

Jarvis, J. (2009, August 11). 13 Enlightening case studies of social media in the classroom. Edutastic. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://bestonlineuniversities.com/2009/13-enlightening-case-studies-of-social-media-in-the-classroom/