Week 5 Response

On communities of practice and distance learning . . . After reading Wenger's article, which so succinctly describes exactly what a community of practice is, I got to thinking about what communities of practice I unknowingly belong to, according to the criteria that she outlines. What first came to mind was that of motherhood -- the newest role that I fill. The first characteristic that Wenger points to is that of a common "domain." In my case, the domain is that of being a mother to a child (or children). Membership in this domain means being a parent and a mother, and, for me, didn't occur until I became pregnant and then eventually gave birth to my daughter. The next two criteria, that of belonging to a community and practicing in the community, go hand-in-hand. As soon as I became a mom, I found that I was talking to and connecting with other new moms, seeking advice from experienced moms, and sharing my own advice with pregnant women I know. I began to hang out with these other new moms (or soon-to-be moms), doing things that I never really have done before: shopping for maternity clothes, taking stroller walks together, that sort of thing. Sharing membership in the group and seeking the company of other members in the club of motherhood is enhanced by "the practice" of being a mother as well. Other moms gave me baby clothes, suggested useful web sites and books about everything from pregnancy to parenting to breastfeeding, and told me stories (any pregnant woman can attest to the fact that many women are compelled to share their childbirth stories). I liked Wenger's model for communities of practice because it made it clear to me how such forces are present in my own life. Being aware of the communities of practice that I belong to -- such as motherhood -- provides me with a point of reference when thinking about how I can use and be part of more professionally-oriented communities of practice that I will belong to in the future as a practicing school media specialist. I can't say that I was as inspired by the Schlager, et al. or Brown & Duguid readings . . . I think that the most interesting point that Schlager, et al. made was that online communities must provide members with tangible incentives and rewards (Schlager, et al. 151) in order to sustain the community. This made me think of all the web 2.0 stuff that I don't really participate in because the incentives just aren't appealing to me. For instance, as a Netflix member, I didn't ever really use the recommendation system - I didn't rate the movies I watched or look up friends' recommendations. This just seemed like a chore, especially when I could just ask my friends what they liked. When using or encouraging future colleagues to use an online community, the rewards will have to be obvious and worthwhile. Thanks for reading!