Category: Lancaster PhD

Model of Formal Virtual Learning Communities

I am happy to share that our vacation from classes is over, and now we are back to the books and studies! Now that I have supposedly had some time off (though work and teaching does not really cease), it is time to again focus on my studies and my research.

One of the readings I did for our internal discussions has really captured my interest. I have previously read this book chapter, though now that I am actively engaging in research in this area, this model of virtual learning communities (VLC) is becoming more present and intentional in my thinking. I like this model for VLCs, with the various elements the authors are recommending:

Model-for-Forming-Virtual-Learning-Communities

While I generally think these elements are useful, I wish I could learn a little more about the research that supports there items; this was not included in the chapter, and as a developing researcher, I can’t help but wonder how the authors came up with these, and not others.

What do others think; do these elements fit with your practice and experience?

Reference:
(Schwier, R. A., & Daniel, B. K. (2008). Implications of a virtual learning model for designing distributed communities of practice in higher education. In C. Kimble, P. Hildreth & I. Bourdon (Eds.), Communities of practice: Creating learning environments for educators (Vol. 2, pp. 347-365). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing)

England and Scotland Pictures

I have finally uploaded all my photos from my trip to England (where I took a lovely walking tour of Manchester and went to class for a week with my colleagues in Lancaster) and Scotland (where I stayed in Edinburgh, and drove to Loch Ness, the Isle of Skye, and finally into Glasgow).

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness

Click on the image of Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness above to see all the images I uploaded.

Vacation Over, back to work . . .

When I returned after my trip to the UK for my residential (England) and short vacation (Scotland), I immediately returned to work the following day (last Thursday). After 2 days in the office, I limped to the weekend to recover and try to focus myself on my work, studies, and life here in our busy metropolis of NYC. I now have to focus on getting back into my routine, though one with the benefit of a lot of time thinking about online identity (sometime referred to as digital identity, or my own play on it as virtual identity), my research direction and stream, and the new perspective that only travel can bring.

Expect to have my trip photos and vidoes online this week, as well as ongoing reflection on my research direction. Interesting things await!

Lots of Debriefing Ahead

As I am sitting on the plane ready to fly back to New York, after my residential at Lancaster University with time in Edinburgh, by Loch Ness, and Portree on the Isle of Skye (with a drive through the snow!), I am finally able to begin processing my trip. I have blogged less than I expected, as I wanted to spend my time experiencing things, rather than processing them. The blogging will come very soon . . . .

Best to grab the experiences while we can get them. Reflective practice, here I come.

Proposal to Discuss in Class

So, time to present my idea (ready or not) in 15 minutes, so no better time than the present to summarize it. Wonder what my colleagues will think when they see my blog, especially with some of the outdated content? Perhaps they will not notice . . . I really need to focus on the task  at hand.

I have been processing the potential proposal idea for some time now, and here is where I am.

Interests and Context

I am interested in identity development and how people experience transformative experiences, especially when they struggle through troublesome knowledge. I am interested in how people share this online, through blogs or Twitter. I am interested in how people engage in this as a result of higher education, whether this involves online / distance education or through more traditional face-to-face studies. I am interested in how these experiences change their worldviews, or paradigms, for how they see and make sense of the world (ontological changes). I am interested in how people develop as researchers, how they experience this related to communities of practice, and how this can be expressed through autoethnographic inquiry. I am especially interested in exploring how these experiences affecttheir practice of education, especially with their own current and future students.

Research Questions:

What is the experience of developing researchers engaged in doctoral studies who experience troublesome knowledge and, as a result, experience perspective transformation? How do they express and make sense of this online? What effect does this have on their studies, research direction, and teaching?

Methodology:

I like the possibilities of narrative inquiry to tell an engaging story, but I think I should wait until I attend a workshop on grounded theory that I am scheduled to attend in late May before I really settle on the specific methodologies. The population I hope to study can be in any of the areas of the social sciences (education, technology-enhanced learning, nursing, sociology, and the like), and I will identify this population by requesting participants on email distribution lists and via direct email and Tweeted requests to friends and colleagues.

I am now looking for some feedback on this . . .