Sugden’s posterous

Once again Twitter, and by extension micro-blogging, gets a blasting from someone that doesn't truly get it. In today's Sunday Times (I'd love to give a URL but the site just isn't working: Sunday 21^st December 2008, main paper page 16) India Knight oversells the virtues of Facebook (an edifice I dislike intensely!) and introduces Twitter as one of the "...the fastest growing websites." She goes on, "Slightly creepily, you can 'follow' various celebs' tweets as well as your own". Further reading explores her impatience with people who tweet trivia (main thrust is a pregnancy belt which is programmed to tweet every time the wearer's foetus kicks). This edginess is something we have discussed at length over the last few months.

Many of my colleagues and friends have embraced micro-blogging (via the likes of Twitter and Jaiku) as a means of mutual self-support and development and micro-blogging has helped us to develop a real community of practice. We see a formative function for micro-blogging in many areas of education. But there are many detractors.

First of all, what are the benefits of a community of practice? Do we need to belong to just one – or might we (can we?) belong to more than one? Frank Coffield suggests that such are fundamental to his 'participation' metaphor for learning [Coffield, F. (2008) Just suppose teaching and learning became the first priority, London. Learning and Skills Network]. He further suggests (page 9) that "... community, identity, meaning, practice, dialogue, co-operation and belonging" are all key words in describing communities of practice.

In an online, dispersed world how do we replicate the identity, meaning and dialogue we would otherwise develop over the coffee machine; the photocopier; the football crowd? How do we engender a feeling of community or belonging? Well – in Twitterland we talk about the coffee we are drinking, the depths to which our man (or woman) flu has sunk us; we might, given the circumstances (and uterus) even tweet our gestating baby's kicks. James Clay is known for commenting quite often on coffee. (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/77kkzo) but it should be noted that he gets as many, if not more replies from his 'followers' – his community of practice. Seemingly banal discussion is how we cement our sundry relationships. Think about the discussions you have at work, which are the most plentiful – they ones where you discuss last night's television or today's coffee – or the meaningful ones that improve your own knowledge or standing in the 'community'? I'll bet there are more of the former than there are of the latter.

Like all newcomers to a community of practice, whether it be a football team, a church choir or a teaching staff room, a certain settling in time is expected (and allowed). Don't judge Twitter/Jaiku as trivial until you've tried it.

David: listening to Fleetwood Mac, thinking about making tea.

Today has been a good day!

We've had 28 Hair and Beauty teaching professionals at a gig aimed at reinvigorating Science in the curriculum and at 14-19 Diplomas. We've had inputs from SSAT and LSN – which were expected and as expected and have also had two hands on practical Science lessons.

During the first, I made Shampoo – Jasmine Scented for me (well, for Sharon for Christmas) and during the second (which I missed most of) they made a Skin Trifle (they made a trifle – but the layers of trifle represented the various layers of skins) and used Smarties to help in the understanding of 'colour'.

My own sessions were slightly less intense than I'd usually do, because I knew that some participants had seen my 'stuff' before and that others had not. So, I had to deliver something for everyone. This seemed to work. After the first session, there was a lot of interest in Hot Spots (both in Word and in PowerPoint) and in PPT sound. My second session was too late in the day to be fully beneficial (they were knackered) but showed them Cam Studio and Screencast-o-matic; Photo Story 3 and Windows Movie Maker.

We're agreed to try and give them time to have another 'play' tomorrow but they are already over the moon with what they have seen and learned. We'll be looking at resources tomorrow too, ready for when they begin their action learning activity (to get the money for attending back).

As I say – a good day.

 (Source = http://www.flickr.com/photos/davepattern/)

 (Summer view!)

On Saturday we drove up out of the sunshine and into the pouring rain at Chester. Our intention was to walk around the city walls and to eat lunch at The Albion, and old fashioned pub with a very down to earth view of who and what they would serve. Karen and Dave had Liver, Bacon and Onions, Sharon had Corned Beef Hash and I had Cottage Pie and all three dishes were wonderful. And (see pics on Flickr) no chips in sight!

Much more later I'm sure but for now - that's it.

   

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