Tag: Online Collaboration

4, 3, 2, 1…some of our favorite posts from 2013

4, 3, 2, 1…some of our favorite posts from 2013

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As we reflected on 2013  while making plans for 2014, we talked about the ideas we shared via the online communities of practice we created or manage for our partners and clients. Each of our policy staff members has chosen a blog post or discussion entry that they wrote  to highlight here. We hope these will pique interest or provide insight on a variety of topics from 2013. Continue reading “4, 3, 2, 1…some of our favorite posts from 2013”

Community of Practice Evaluation: What We Measure and Why

Community of Practice Evaluation: What We Measure and Why

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A few months ago, I wrote a blog titled How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work.  Today I have been thinking a lot about how we evaluate these communities and why we choose to value certain measurements.  The most obvious answer is that we have goals.  And, while I completely agree that a community needs to have a goal or goals and needs to be prepared to measure steps towards meeting those goals, I also think that every community needs to take the time to examine what we are measuring when we evaluate a community’s success. Continue reading “Community of Practice Evaluation: What We Measure and Why”

BE BOLD

BE BOLD

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Phyllida Barlow Awnings Have you ever noticed that when you are deeply interested in something, you find ideas about that interest where you aren’t expecting to find them and when you aren’t intentionally seeking that information?  If you are open to learning something new, then ideas come to you from sources and settings that may be surprising. I often find myself making connections among concepts from experiences and sources that have little to do with my work. My professional interests in exploring ways to help educators learn new knowledge and skills has launched an ongoing inquiry about collaborative processes for learning that yields discoveries outside the usual places I go to acquire information. Continue reading “BE BOLD”

How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work

How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In education reform, technology increasingly allows us to work across classrooms, schools, districts, states, and often even international borders.  Online dialogues via email are a way of life for most of us and we routinely connect through webinars, Google Plus, Discussion Forums, Twitter, Facebook, and many other platforms.  Online communities of practice and collaboration sites allow ongoing working relationships that span time zones and geographical borders to promote continuous knowledge sharing.  Many of you may have been part of a community of practice in the past or are currently a member of one or more of these types of communities – whether completely online, in-person, or a mixture of both.   If you are not familiar with online communities of practice, visit the U.S. Department of Education School Turnaround site to see how they work. Continue reading “How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work”

West Wind receives New Communications Award

West Wind receives New Communications Award

Reading Time: < 1 minute

West Wind Education Policy Inc. is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a 2012 Commendation of Excellence in the Government division in the External Communications & Communities category of the Society for New Communications Research Excellence in New Communications Awards program. The prestigious awards program honors individuals and organizations pioneering the use of social media and Internet communications technologies. Continue reading “West Wind receives New Communications Award”

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