Webheads Communities of Practice in Action

1
Webheads Communities of Practice in Action

• Vance Stevens, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Presented at
• Put the Learning back in eLearning
• British Council, Manchester
• February 14, 2006

2
How this talk was prepared
Its a convergence of many streams that have let
to the creation of this slide show TODAY

• I followed a pre-conference discussion in Moodle
  ? audience-directed
• I have followed blogs of some respected thinkers,
  for example Stephen Downes, for latest thoughts
  on related topics
• I have co-opted ideas from distributed CoPs in
  which I am involved
• Ive invited live voices to join us from
  throughout these communities

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What this talk is about

• BRIEFLY, how Webheads got started
• How we've changed, evolved, and continue to
  change
• How Webheads can serve as a model change agent
  for others who want to change themselves

I plan to allow time for Webheads present to
comment on these points and for questions and
discussion from the live audience in Manchester
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Who were the Webheads

• Student group since 1998
• http//wfw.webheads.info
• More recently
• Webheads in Action since 2002
• http//www.webheads.info
• Becoming a Webhead since 2004
• http//dafnegonzalez.com/baw-06/index.html

400 members in each WfW and WiA Yahoo Group
(250 in BaW-06)
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How have Webheads changed? Webheads 2.0?

• Moodle for Webheadshttp//www.opensource.idv.tw/m
  oodle/course/view.php?id26
• Now this is very nicehttp//dafnegonzalez.com/baw
  -06/content/participants.html
• But this is much easier for moderatorhttp//baw-0
  6.pbwiki.com/
• More pics Frappr and Flickrhttp//www.opensource
  .idv.tw/moodle/course/view.php?id20and
  http//dafnegonzalez.com/baw-06/index.html

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How can YOU change?

• Join CoPs
• Follow lists
• Read Blogs
• Utilize RSS
• Learn about Web 2.0
• Experiment
• Dont be afraid to have FUN

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Join Communities of Practice

• Gavin Dudeneys presentation at this conference
  http//www.britishcouncilinteractive.tv/moodle/fil
  e.php/5/Seminar_Files/CommunitiesOfPracticeGavinDu
  deney.ppt

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Follow lists

• Webheads
• http//www.webheads.info
• http//groups.yahoo.com/group/evonline2002_webhead
  s

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Read Blogs
Blogging and Language Learning -
http//www.vancestevens.com/blogs.htm

• Stephen Downes http//downes.ca
• George Siemens
• Jay Cross
• Dave Cormier
• Peter Tosh
• Etc etc

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Utilize RSS

• Venn diagramshttp//fraser.typepad.com/photos/unc
  ategorized/venns.gif
• Learn about RSS and aggregators excellent
  resources from Will Richardson
• Presentation Recording "RSS The New Killer App
  for Educators". Description page
  http//home.learningtimes.net/learningtimes?go679
  449 direct link https//www.elluminate.com/site/
  pmtg.jnlp?psidd429011575.202706
• RSS Quick Start Guide for Educators,
  http//www.weblogg-ed.com/rss_for_ed
• Will's blog, Weblogg-ed dot com
  http//www.weblogg-ed.com/

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Learn about Web 2.0

• What's a blog? plog? etc?? http//www.educause.edu
  /content.asp?page_id7495bhcp1
• So, what's next? Web 2.0 is about making sites
  more interactive, less statichttp//www.sfgate.co
  m/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file/chronicle/archive/2006
  /01/30/BUG4FGUN9H1.DTLtypetech
• Another brick in the wallhttp//www.cetis.ac.uk/m
  embers/scott/entries/20050125170206

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Experiment and have F.U.N.

• Voices heard having F.U.N. in online communities
  of practicehttp//www.homestead.com/prosites-vste
  vens/files/efi/papers/tesol/colloquium2004/fun00.h
  tm
• Over to Webheads in the remote audience
• And to our on-site participants in Manchester

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Last word

• Valentinasays it very well http//odeo.com/a/UE66
  smL4kL3flKZHCP6f8ibGLmlwQ8PO5iK4xjff/cmnt6778
• I hear you - Vance