Education for a Digital World Advice, Guidelines and Effective Practice from Around Globe, 2008a

19 – Building Communities of Practice
cently a RSS feed has been added to help push
communication about these activities out so that
those interested in participation are made aware
and can choose to participate if they want. All
these are ways in which we are attempting to foster
participation.” Small Cities Case Study, written by
Dan O'Reilly
Enhancing community
The abundance of technology has changed the lives of
Canadians. Some researchers suggest that through open
trade policies and the reduction of the barriers associated
with adopting new technology, efficient distribution
of information can be encouraged (Hoekman et al,
2004). Other researchers argue that, through targeted
intervention, this information can be used to create new
forms of learning and community practices. Though the
analysis of trade policies may provide valuable insight
into economic development of digital communities, we
will focus here instead on the development of community
learning. From this perspective, facilitating the integration
of new information may provide insight into the
manner in which individuals contribute to community
practices, leaving the issues of personal and community
economic development issues aside. If you are interested
in this topic, there are several articles within the References
section worth reading.
Facilitating the learning experience
Researchers have been increasingly addressing the complex
issue of learning within a technologically diverse
and complex social environment. Wenger (2004b) suggests
that:
“The challenges that we face today can be understood
as learning challenges … [and] all these
challenges require accelerated learning at multiple
levels of scales at once, from individuals, to communities,
to regions, to the whole world. But such
deep and multi-scale learning is not simply a cognitive
challenge; it entails a transformation of our
very identities”.
Provoking reflection and interpretation of new information
supported by technological infrastructure can
transform the way we engage with the world. Wenger
suggests that these “complex situations where everyone
belongs to very large numbers of different communities
over the course of their lives and at any given time …
[shows that] each person is a unique intersection of
multi-membership” (Wenger, 2004b, p. 5). By leveraging
this multi-membership and reifying the relationships
between individuals, 63 IBM researchers suggest that contributions
to information management practices can reflect
the dynamic and flexible nature of human interaction.
Conceptually, Wenger suggests that the reason human
interaction is dynamic and flexible is founded in
our ability to negotiate new meaning and incorporate
that meaning into our community involvement and
identity (2004b, p. 5). Through facilitation, it may become
possible for individuals to benefit from key factors
that researchers such as Wenger suggest are critical
within all communities of practices—providing stimulation
to the learners’ imaginations, aligning and coordinating
of efforts between individuals, and engaging
individuals in new practices (1998).
As technology continues to develop towards supporting
newly created and dynamic teams, perhaps the
facilitation of technology could benefit from group leadership
and development skills. Techniques for developing
these skills have been ingrained into the operational
practices of leadership development and training centres
such as Outward Bound and certification programs such
as the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. The
following sections highlight selected techniques for developing
these group leadership skills.
Facilitation techniques
Although group facilitation techniques are varied, adventure
guiding researchers have identified several
structural features that encourage behaviour that meets
group expectations. These structural features include the
group focus of activities, the use of metaphoric processing,
and exposure to unfamiliar environmental conditions
(Newes, n.d.). By manipulating these structural
features facilitators can alter the amount of cognitive
load required by participants, thus reducing stress and
mental fatigue (Fabrizio & Niell, n.d., p. 6). While discomfort
can initiate personal growth and development,
substantial time and interaction must be provided. The
proper sequencing of events and content can provide
participants a natural progression towards full commu-
63
Wenger’s extensive research within the field of community
development describes the situated nature of learning
and provides the foundation for understanding how individuals
develop meaning and identity within the community
of practice (and the larger organization). Brown and
Duguid’s article, entitled “Organizational Learning and
Communities of Practice”, presents Lave and Wenger’s
social learning theory of legitimate peripheral participation,
which suggests that the formation of knowledge occurs
through collective learning and renegotiated meaning of
past and future events, constructing a community practice.
300 Education for a Digital World