Developing a Community of

Practice in Blended Learning at

the University of Winchester:

Theory, Practice & Reflection

Dr Bex Lewis

Assignment submitted for “PE4078: Using the LN

to Support Innovation in Learning”

September 2010
Changes within the Higher Education (HE) sector have been accelerated by the

financial crisis. We expect increasing numbers of students who are living at

home, part-time, mature, or from overseas. Students will expect better access to

online courses, and a more flexible approach to learning, with ‘pick-and-mix’

degrees and opportunities to gain vocational experience through university-

private-sector partnerships.1 Academics need to be prepared for change, but as

Cross indicates “people do not know what they like; they like what they know”.2

This essay will focus upon why resource materials are required for staff, the

toolkit that is in development, and the mix of methods that is required (both

online and offline). It will seek to identify the effectiveness of efforts made to

implement a Community of Practice in blended learning, and encourage a culture

of experimentation with technology.

What is blended learning?

In November 2009, Dr Bex Lewis was appointed as ‘Blended Learning Fellow’ at

the University of Winchester,3 a fractional post that had been inaugurated in

2006. The creation of the post was in itself a recognition by the University that it

was valuable to have someone promoting blended learning, but what does that

mean? The term ‘blended learning’ is a contested term, but most

commonly associated with the introduction of online media into a course

or `programme, whilst at the same time recognising that there is merit in

retaining face-to-face contact and other traditional approaches to

supporting students.4

1
BBC News (20/03/10), ‘Universities Look Into the Future’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8577272.stm, accessed 20/03/10. A look at any number of
Times Higher Education over the past few months will demonstrate similar debates.
2
Cross, J. (2007) Informal Learning p171
3
Lewis, B., (2009), ‘The Potential Impact of Blended Learning on the Learning and Teaching
Experience of Staff and Students at the University of Winchester’,
http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl/university-of-winchester-blended-learning
4
Macdonald, J. (2008) Blended Learning and Online Tutoring: Planning Learning Support and
Activity Design, p2

1 |Page
Cross questions whether the term “blended learning” has any value, unless “the

‘blend’ to be considered can include any mix and may not include any face-to-

face at all”.5 Macdonald recognises that blended learning may not be the most

helpful term, but it is widely used in the HE sector,6 and as more flexibility is

required from students,7 we need to find the right tools to meet that need, and it

is those needs that need to be identified. White argues that far too much

attention is paid to the technology itself, “it’s like talking about the internal

combustion engine, rather than stepping back about where we’re trying to

head”. The phone, which is now culturally normalised, is now “the conversations

we have on it, rather than the phone”.8

How do institutions need to respond to a changing world?

In the modern world, information is so abundant, that the job market is

demanding “information literacy, numeracy, adaptability, problem solving and

communication, rather than acquiring a stable body of knowledge”. 9 Digital

literacy is also required, and for staff to change their teaching practices in

response to these new needs.10 As workplaces demand Continual Professional

Development (CPD), and learners demand more flexibility, educational

institutions are being networked into a grid of learning. As campuses run out of

physical space, and the government imposes limits on recruitment, universities

are looking for other ways to increase capacity, particularly through the use of

virtual technologies,11 including virtual classrooms such as those offered by

5
Cross, J. Op. Cit. pp.170-1
6
Macdonald, J. Op. Cit. p1
7
JISC, (2007) ‘In Their Own Words’,
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/programmerelated/2007/intheirownwords.aspx accessed
23/08/10
8
Lewis, B., quoting White, D., http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/04/dave-white-keynote-pelc10/,
accessed 08/04/10
9
Beetham H., & Sharpe, R. (eds) (2007) Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age p5
10
Lewis, B., quoting Fraser, J. ‘Keynote, #Pelc10’, http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/04/josie-
fraser-keynote-pelc10/, accessed 07/04/10. See also Lewis B., summarising ‘Digital Literacies
Session’, http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/09/learning-literacies-in-a-digital-age-digilit-altc2010/,
accessed 13/9/10
11
Beetham H., & Sharpe, R. (eds) Op. Cit. p5

2 |Page
Wimba.12 Machines may be able to store and process information, but it is people

that transform and add value to it: ‘Tutors, mentors and online facilitators are

now seen as the asset that makes all the difference to student retention,

motivation and acceptance of e-learning.’ 13 We need both staff and students to

be active learners, developing technological literacy, to have an ‘openness to

new technologies and the willingness to try out new software and new

communications opportunities are more important than expertise with a wide

range of software.’14

In recent years the internet has moved from an information tool, to a relationship

tool, built upon relationships of trust,15 with increasing numbers using peer-to-

peer services.16 In 2001, Prensky coined the term ‘Digital Natives’,17 which many

believe applies to all young students, who are seen as technologically savvy. At

the JISC E-Learning Fair ‘digital natives’ were identified as those whose

expectations were global, responsive, and flexible but with a tendency towards

the facile.18 Reports such as the CLEX report19 and Childwise Monitor Report20

have identified that the use of Web 2.0 as ubiquitous from the age of 12. White,

however, challenges this with a less age-dependent definition, identifying ‘digital

visitors’, who see the web as a collection of useful tools, and ‘digital residents’

who see the web as a ‘place to live’.21 Arguably, whatever the definition, tech-
12
‘Wimba’, http://www.wimba.com/, accessed 13/9/10
13
Mason, R. & Rennie, F. (2004) The Connecticon: Learning for the Connected Generation p6
14
Ibid.p8
15
Jarvis, J. (2009) What Would Google Do? p86
16
TechCrunch ‘Wired Declares The Web Is Dead—Don’t Pull Out The Coffin Just Yet’
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/17/wired-web-dead/, accessed 17/08/10
17
Prensky, M. (2001) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’, On the Horizon, Vol, 9, No 5,
(http://bit.ly/prenskydignat, accessed 17/08/10)
18
JISC, ‘E-Learning Fair’, November 2009, http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2009/11/jisc-e-learning-
fair/ , accessed 18/08/10
19
Melville, D., (March 2009), ‘Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World’
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/heweb20rptv1.pdf (formerly at
http://www.clex.org.uk/), accessed 29/11/09
20
Childwise (2010) The Monitor Report 2009-10
21
White, D., (July 2008) ‘Not ‘Natives’ & ‘Immigrants’ but ‘Visitors’ & ‘Residents’,
http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2008/07/23/not-natives-immigrants-but-
visitors-residents/, accessed 17/08/10

3 |Page
savviness is strong amongst many students, but, despite a strong drive from

management, there is much resistance amongst staff. CLEX identified that staff

time and support issues are critical; not just familiarity with the technology, but

where they fit strategically.22 Staff need to understand that many students don’t

use online tools well, lacking critical skills, and have developed shallow research

habits. Teachers must respond to this.23

Developing a Community of Practice (CoP) amongst staff

In the role of ‘Blended Learning Fellow’ the students, therefore, become

University staff, particularly academics, but also administrative staff, as we seek

to encourage an institutional culture where experimentation and confidence in

technology is encouraged through the development of a CoP around Blended

Learning. The concept of ‘Communities of Practice’, first developed by Lave and

Wenger in 1991, is ‘one of the most articulated and developed concepts within

broad theories of social learning.’24 Wenger

popularised the term, using the term practice to indicate professional practice

and the term community as “a group of shared interests and standards”.25 A CoP

provides a common sense of identity with which members of the community can
26
associate themselves.’ Cross likens an effective CoP to a beehive: “It organises

itself, buzzes with activity, and produces honey for the markets”, whilst

“newcomers learn the ropes from working alongside veterans.” 27 “In a

community of practice, peers learn from one another” rather than thinking that

knowledge has to be trickled from the top down,28 and people can’t be forced to
22
Melville, D., (March 2009), ‘Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World’
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/heweb20rptv1.pdf (formerly at
http://www.clex.org.uk/), accessed 29/11/09
23
Beetham H., & Sharpe, R. (eds) Op. Cit. p5
24
Barton, D. & Tusting, K. (eds) (2005) Beyond Communities of Practice: Language, Power and
Social Context p1
25
Wenger. E. (2006) Communities of Practice: a brief introduction,
http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm, accessed 30/07/10
26
Mason, R. & Rennie, F. (2006) Elearning: The Key Concepts pp24-28
27
Cross, J. (2007) Informal Learning pp.151 -2
28
Ibid. p153

4 |Page
join them, 29 although the development of a basic infrastructure is seen as key. At

the International Blended Learning Conference 2010 (#iblc10), Solent discussed

their efforts to create a Blended Learning CoP. They had developed lots of

relationships with individuals, which wasn’t efficient, but people liked it, and thus

good will was developed.30 Salmon identifies the importance of socialisation,

including technological socialisation, in the development of a CoP. 31 White

echoes this, indicating that it is key to ‘recreate those conversations that you can

best have down the pub’. The best institutions have a centralised person (such

as Winchester’s Blended Learning Fellow), dragging people out of their Faculties

and into cross-subject discussions, but often we have to recognise that the

innovations come from grass roots. There is a recognition that e-learning

strategies shouldn’t be developed around the technology but about the

communications strategies, which can be a difficult and delicate job. Cakes are

essential to this process.32

Key to the development of a Blended Learning CoP at the University of

Winchester have been a number of events, including a Collaborative

Enhancement of Teaching (CET) lunch,33 a number of visits to Faculty,34 and

individual meetings which have provided spaces for discussion. For 2010/11, a

series of workshops has been prepared to engender confidence in using both the

online tools that the students would be using, and the Wimba package to enable

29
Lewis, B., quoting Fraser, J. ‘Keynote, #Pelc10’, http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/04/josie-
fraser-keynote-pelc10/, accessed 07/04/10
30
Lewis, B., quoting Lee, B. & Moxon, D., http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/06/creating-a-
community-in-blended-learning-using-the-talents-of-all-iblc10/, accessed 17/06/10
31
Salmon, G. (2004) EModerating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online, p34
32
Lewis, B., quoting White, D., http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/04/dave-white-keynote-pelc10/,
accessed 08/04/10
33
Lewis, B. (2010) ‘The 21st Century Learner: Blended Learning Tools and the Use of Social
Networks’, http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl/the-21st-century-learner-blended-learning-tools-and-
the-use-of-social-networks
34
Lewis, B. (2010), ‘Department of English and Creative Writing’,
http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl/blended-learning-forenglishcreativewritingfeburary2010, ‘Faculty
of Education, Health and Social Care’, http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl/blended-learning-for-
education-event-april-2010, ‘Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences’,
http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl/blended-learning-for-fac-hss-april-2010-edit.

5 |Page
more flexible learning.35 The workshops are intentionally ‘optimally unprepared’

for workshops, with a strong basic schedule, but allowing time for flexibility,

allowing space for “exploring, experiencing and learning”.36

Drawing upon external CoPs to aid internal CoPs

The material that feeds into these internal meetings has been collected not only

from texts and online materials, but also from developing an external CoP

amongst the global blended learning community, in listening to and presenting

conference papers,37 and making connections upon Twitter including Steve

Wheeler,38 James Clay,39 Josie Fraser,40 Christian Payne,41 Sarah Knight (JISC),42

David Hopkins,43 ProfHacker,44 and Jane Hart.45 The Blended Learning Fellow

also sits upon a number of committees, including the Learning and Teaching

Committee, the Wimba Working Group and the Learning Network Working group.

Wimba, for which a three-year licence was purchased in September 2009, has

required a specific strategy,46 and the participation in the project ‘Bringing

Organisational Development Guidance into IT’,47 funded by JISC, has provided

both theoretical and practical perspectives on undertaking change management

projects. Conversations have been held with individuals, presentations have

35
Lewis, B., (2010) ‘Workshops 2010/11’, http://wblb.wordpress.com/workshops/, accessed
15/08/10
36
Chambers, R. (2002) Participatory Workshops, p.xvi
37
Conference papers include “Floods? Snow? Swine Flu? Terrorist Threats? “Keep Calm and Carry
On”: Internal Collaboration” April 2010, http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/04/pelc10-plymouth-e-
learning-debate/; “Good CoP? Bad CoP? Twitter for Communities of Practice” June 2010,
http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/06/twitter-for-communities-of-practice-iblc10/, both accessed
13/9/10
38
Wheeler, S. ‘Learning with ‘e’s’ http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/ accessed 16/08/10
39
Clay, J., ‘Elearning Stuff’ http://elearningstuff.wordpress.com/ accessed 16/08/10
40
Fraser, J. ‘SocialTech’ http://fraser.typepad.com/socialtech/ accessed 16/08/10
41
Payne, C. ‘Our Man Inside’ http://ourmaninside.com/ accessed 16/08/10
42
Knight, S., ‘Twitter Feed’ http://twitter.com/sarahknight accessed 16/08/10
43
Hopkins, D., ‘Don’t Waste Your Time’ http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/ accessed 16/08/10
44
Chronicle of Higher Education ‘Profhacker’ http://chronicle.com/blog/ProfHacker/27 accessed
16/08/10
45
Hart, J., ‘Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies’, http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/ accessed
17/08/10
46
Lewis, B., Stuart, E., and El-Hakim, Y. , (2009) ‘Wimba Strategy’,
http://learn.winchester.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=50013,
47
‘’Bringing Organisational Development Guidance into IT’, http://www.work-with-
it.org.uk/EmbeddingWorkwithIT/WinchesterODG.aspx

6 |Page
been given to Faculties,48 and surveys with staff49 and students50 have been

undertake. From those who did respond, there’s a clear demand for training in

new online tools. In many ways uptake in the Community is slow, but this is not

unexpected : “learning of practices as processes of participation in which

beginners are initially relatively peripheral in the activities of a community and

as they learn the practices their participation becomes more central.”51 There

are a large number of people signed up the ‘Blended Learning Network’,52 but

not all are engaging with the associated offline activities.

Staff attitudes to IT change

A Becta report from 2004 indicated that the key internal barriers for teachers

were: ‘lack of confidence, resistance to change and negative attitudes, and no

perception of the benefits’. Added to that were the external barriers: ‘lack of

access to resources; lack of time; lack of effective training; technical problems’.

53
John & Wheeler identify four types of teacher response to new technologies:

First are the enthusiasts. They see the enormous potential in digital

technology and try to master its complexities. They also see its use as a

professional and pedagogic challenge and an opportunity. Second are the

pragmatists. They support the appropriate and alternative uses of

information and communication technology (ICT), are mildly critical of

some of its excesses but see its potential to improve aspects of learning.

Third are traditionalists who prefer to resist the advance of new

technologies in schools to preserve a more esoteric order of learning

48
See http://wblb.wordpress.com/category/faculty-of-education-health-social-care/,
http://wblb.wordpress.com/category/faculty-of-humanities-social-sciences/, and
http://wblb.wordpress.com/category/faculty-of-arts/
49
‘Blended Learning Survey’, http://learn.winchester.ac.uk/mod/questionnaire/view.php?id=61742
50
‘Twitter for Students’, June 2010, http://bit.ly/9f9YvU
51
Beetham H., & Sharpe, R. (eds) Op. Cit. p19
52
‘Blended Learning Pages on the Learning Network, http://learn.winchester.ac.uk/user/index.php?
contextid=32327
53
John, P.D. and Wheeler, S. (2008) The Digital Classroom: Harnessing Technology for the Future
p2 1

7 |Page
 based on human interaction and long-established pedagogy. Finally, there

are the ‘New Luddites’ who are so critical of new technology that they

seek to undermine its potential and use at every turn by seeking to

undermine the profession’s dependence on it.54

We need to involve people in “discovering the potential of e-learning for

themselves”,55 with the responsibility shifting onto the individual learner, who is

offered a climate supporting effective and appropriate learning.56 As the

University of Canterbury demonstrates in its DEBUT model, staff are offered the

opportunity to build up confidence in a range of e-tools, rather than directives

towards specific tools. The package is particularly focused on the less-confident

learners, and this all counted towards CPD: Awareness, Confidence, Evaluation,

Reflection, Adaptability.57 Such models serve as inspiration for the development

of the Blended Learning CoP at the University of Winchester.

The Internet has introduced to all educational settings a ‘wealth of new materials

and ideas previously unobtainable.’58 Many teachers stigmatise ‘blended

learning’ as solely some ‘IT thing’, rather than approaching it from the

perspective of how it can solve specific pedagogical problems. They view

technology as a Trojan Horse, designed to deprofessionalise their roles, whilst

others simply view ICT as another ‘costly, time-consuming and problematic

addition to a profession already replete with challenges’.59 For many there is

scepticism as the benefits, or fear of using e-tools, so the role of the Blended

54
Ibid. p2
55
Fee, K. (2009) Delivering E-Learning: A complete strategy for design, application and
assessment, p.42
56
Sloman, M. (2003) Training in the Age of the Learner, p.xiii
57
Lewis, B., quoting Westerman, S. ‘DEBUT #iblc10’ http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/06/debut-
iblc10/ accessed 16/06/10
58
John, P.D. and Wheeler, S. (2008) The Digital Classroom: Harnessing Technology for the Future
pp15-24
59
Ibid.

8 |Page
Learning Fellow is to sell the benefits and present case studies.60 With the

emphasis on ‘impact’ there’s a need for scholars to have their work known in a

wider field, and personal examples from teaching,61 and research62 can

encourage others to have a go or share their experiences. If we agreed with the

term ‘digital natives’ students are already familiar with the Web 2.0 world, which

is:

fast, fluid and personal, and the number of people it can reach is

breathtaking. Blogs, podcasts, and social networking sites such as

YouTube and Twitter are the new marketplace or the dissemination of

news and ideas. What drives all media is the story, reporting information

that is new and has relevance to their audiences.’ 63

Staff therefore need to engage with this also. Some refuse to engage, and say

that ‘e-learning is not for them’, but this is akin to saying that “they wanted to

learn but they didn’t like reading books” … something no employer would

expect.64 We need to encourage staff to share the knowledge, through the e-

learning blog,65 contribute to the Wiki on the Learning Network (in planning), and

come out from the subject silos to provide information that can be shared more

widely.

Leveraging existing communities

An awareness of the importance attached to discipline specific information

60
Workshops are a good place to do this, see: http://wblb.wordpress.com/workshops/, which allow
staff to gain confidence in frequently used tools online.
61
The development of a new course for 2010/11, which relies heavily upon social media is also
significant: http://manipulating-media.co.uk/
62
Lewis, B., ‘Press & Publications’, http://ww2poster.co.uk/publications/
63
Tyson, W. (2010) Pitch Perfect: Communicating with Traditional and Social Media for Scholars,
Researcher, and Academic Leaders, p16
64
Fee, K. Op. Cit. pp.11-12
65
LTDU, ‘Winchester’s Blended Learning Blog’ http://wblb.wordpress.com, accessed 16/08/10

9 |Page
cannot be ignored. Part of the rationale for visiting Faculties was that Beetham

and Sharpe indicate that

Attempts to create communities of e-learning practitioners and/or to share

their knowledge have been notoriously difficult. Rather than creating a

new community, it is likely that for the time being, there will be a

substantial role for developers in working across already established

communities. By acting as boundary-crossing agents they can represent

other people’s practices to each community in a way tailored to prompt

66
reflection and development.

There are benefits to working with existing communities and networks with

which practitioners are already affiliated. Practitioners experience a feeling that

there’s a genuine sharing of their concerns, and are then within a group of
67
people with whom they can identify. The fact that Bex remains an active

lecturer has been helpful in building links with other academics, and also offers

the opportunity to test tools within her own teaching.68 As Wenger et al indicate:

Technology stewards are people with enough experience of the workings

of a community to understand its technology needs, and enough

experience with or interest in technology to take leadership in addressing

those needs. Stewarding typically includes selecting and configuring

technology, as well as supporting its use in the practice of the

community.69

66
Beetham H., & Sharpe, R. (eds) Op. Cit. p122
67
Ibid. p123
68
Lewis, B. ‘Clickers – Taught Session for Media Studies’
http://wblb.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/clickers-taught-session-for-media-studies/, accessed
07/04/10
69
Wenger, E., White, N., Smith, J.D., (2009) Digital Habitats: Stewarding Technology for
Communities, p.25

10 | P a g e
Achieving an understanding of how a community functions “will require a

combination of direct involvement, observations, and conversations with

community members.” 70 With roles at the University of Winchester since 1994,

from student, research student, to staff, Bex Lewis has a good understanding of

the institution, and its needs from a range of perspectives. As Fee indicates, the

e-learning advocate will need to enact a change management plan: “ It will not

be a single great act, but an accumulation of lots of events, activities and

discussions over a period of time. Implementing this change management plan

will not be quick or easy, but in most organisations, winning support from senior

management, and making the plan explicit, should help accelerate the process.

“71

Defining the resource package

As was outlined at #iblc10, it’s important to know your stakeholders, understand

their needs and the key messages that need to be communicated to them.

Through a series of case studies, you then need to plan how you are going to get

the message across.72 Albert Einstein said “Setting an example is not the main

means of influencing another, it is the only means”.73 Salmon offers the example

of a tutor experimenting with using an e-forum within teaching for the first time.

No one wanted to be the first to post, so the students were forced to with specific

questions and a deadline. Once students started they really enjoyed it and

interacted well. It’s like standing on the side of a pool waiting to be the first to

jump in – do you ‘be in the water and do the coaxing’ or ‘get behind them and do

the shoving’.74 Having listened to fears from others at the university, with regard

70
Ibid. pp.26-7
71
Fee, K. Op. Cit., p.40
72
Lewis, B. ‘Plenary, #iblc10’, http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/06/plenary-iblc10/, accessed
17/06/10
73
Fee, K. Op. Cit. p.41
74
Salmon, G. Op. Cit. p31

11 | P a g e
to technology, Bex tends to be in the water, and is developing a resource bank of

materials that are easily accessible across the disciplinary areas.75

Identifying the blocks

Some members of the University community experience a sense of overwhelm

when faced with so many tools and options,76 and as other institutions have

done, and as confidence is gained in a wider range of tools and software, the

expectation is that the role of Blended Learning Fellow becomes one more of

consultancy, and encouraging a encourage general confidence in using the tools.

Salmon mentioned that the “[m]otivation to take part, and continue to take part,

occurs as a balance between regular and frequent opportunities to contribute,

and the capacity of learners to respond to the invitations.” What is a positive

challenge to one, may be a block to another, so we need to identify opportunities

to provide individual support, for instance with ‘Familiarisation’ sessions for

Wimba (not labelled ‘play’ sessions, as ‘play’ will be sidelined when timetables

fill up), and paper-based materials for those who would not choose online as

their first point of call for information. As a personal online identity is stabilised,

and group dynamics kick in, it becomes easier for participants.77 Building trust

and networking are key to creating a strong community of practice, allowing

flexible forms of collective action.78

Are the resources of benefit in aiding the creating of a CoP?

Identifying whether the online resources and offline workshops are of benefit can

be difficult to establish, but a number of factors indicate that it is. The expansion

of the role from 0.2 to 0.4 from August 2010 indicates there’s a recognition that

75
The resource kit includes: ‘Blended Learning Pages on the Learning Network’,
http://learn.winchester.ac*.uk/course/view.php?id=1203; Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/blwinch;
Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106375376072443&ref=ts; Blogger,
http://ltinpractice.blogspot.com/; WordPress, http://wblb.wordpress.com/
76
Wenger, E., White, N., Smith, J.D., Op. Cit., p.171
77
Salmon, G. Op. Cit., p32
78
Mason, R. & Rennie, F. (2006) Op. Cit. pp24-28

12 | P a g e
there is more that can be done. The number of people involved in the Blended

Learning section of the Learning Network is high (148, in an institution with only

200 academics), the number of people requesting meetings and workshops, and

coming along to the CET lunch (around 20, a high number at short notice). When

messages are posted on the portal with reference to the blog,79 the number of

click-throughs is very high. The material is designed either to be standalone or

encourage people to come to sessions, and the efficacy of that can’t really be

determined until the semester starts again, but even over the summer, there

have been a number of attendees at workshops.

Wenger identified a number of factors that would define a successful Community

of Practice,80 and the University of Winchester is working towards this, which

each step of the resource package bringing in a number of others to the

conversation. As with Solent, where the Emerging Technology User Group meet

once a quarter (sharing practice in what people have been doing), we tend to be

preaching to the converted,81 so more work needs to be put into reaching those

who are simply not interested.

Being ready for the future

Johnson & Johnson in 2004 indicated that educators need to use the tools that

are common in the social context of their day, because they are determining the

way that people learn, and therefore a key part of the role is to consider open-

79
‘Blended Learning Blog’, http://wblb.wordpress.com/
80
Wenger, E., White, N., Smith, J.D., Op. Cit. Part 1, Chapter 5, including: sustained mutual
relationships – harmonious or conflictual; Shared ways of engaging in doing things together; The
rapid flow of information and propagation of innovation; Absence of introductory preambles, as if
conversations and interactions were merely the continuation of an ongoing process; Very quick
setup of a problem to be discussed; Substantial overlap in participants’ descriptions of who
belongs; Knowing what others know, what they can do, and how they can contribute to an
enterprise; Mutually defining identities; The ability to assess the appropriateness of actions and
products; Specific tools, representations, and other artefacts; Local lore, shared stories, inside
jokes, knowing laughter; Jargon and shortcuts to communication as well as the ease of producing
new ones; Certain styles recognized as displaying membership; A shared discourse reflecting a
certain perspective on the world.
81
Lewis, B., quoting Lee, B. & Moxon, D., http://digital-fingerprint.co.uk/2010/06/creating-a-
community-in-blended-learning-using-the-talents-of-all-iblc10/, accessed 17/06/10

13 | P a g e
source materials and their repurposing with an educational context.82 In 2007

Anderson (editor of Wired magazine) made three predictions that he believed

would affect academics and academies. With the growing use of crowd-sourcing,

there is a threat to universities as the traditional repositories of wisdom and

knowledge creation, as it draws upon the wisdom of the crowd, rather than the

wisdom of the expert. The growth of an amateur culture also challenges the

academy as the elite repository of knowledge. Intellectual Property (IP) debates

over the huge amount of data on the internet, and the use of tools for

aggregating and processing it83 is echoed by Steve Wheeler in a recent post.84

Academics need t-o be prepared for change, and the resources are now available

for them to be aware of at least some of the technological changes.

82
Mason, R. & Rennie, F. (2008) E-Learning and Social Networking Handbook: Resources for Higher
Education p13
83
Ibid. p177
84
Wheeler, S., (2010) ‘The ivory towers are crumbling’, http://steve-
wheeler.blogspot.com/2010/08/ivory-towers-are-crumbling.html, accessed 23/08/10

14 | P a g e
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