Ann's community is closed - that is it contained within the Brookline
school system and involves interactions with colleagues with whom Ann has a
long standing relationship both professionally and personally. These
relationships are important both online and off. The need for trust and
cultivating of the community is important. The interactions are not
anonymous and perhaps the interactions involve support on many levels.
Joyce's Genetics listserv involves a large group of geographically
dispersed individuals who do not have as strong a stake in the
interpersonal aspect of the interaction. While Joyce's group may be
soliciting similar support and information as Ann's - that is curriculum
ideas, solutions to teaching challenges etc. I would imagine the
interactions are more short term. Someone puts forth a problem and others
suggest a solution. There is not the face to face relationship that exists
in Ann's community. In speaking with Joyce she contrasted this listserv
with another she is on for weavers. The weaver's listserv provides a good
deal of personal interaction and support while the genetics one is more
"professional".
Beverly's interaction would appear to be the most "purpose" driven.
Both of Joyce's listserv's and Ann's were instigated and supported by the
individuals who saw a need for the interaction. They entailed organic
growth. This I believe provides a very different profile from the forum
that is set up and driven from those outside the community. This is were
the puzzle comes in. Those of us planning electronic forums are often not
direct members of the communities for whom we are planning the interactions
or we present "seed" questions which may not be of prime import to
ourselves and thus lack some authenticity.
Brian - what components do you see as paramount to LabNet's success? Which
would you maintain were you to set up another forum?
> The recent postings to this conversation are pretty interesting!
>So far it sounds as though people get the most value from list-servs or
>other forums that are rooted in communities (off-line) that they feel part
>of already.
> Ann Kouffman's posting in comparison with Joyce Schwartz's makes me
>wonder -- I have assumed that most e-discussions that last any length of
>time at all include a fair amount of "chat" -- it was why the original
>Labnet project referred to the electronic forum as a "piazza," in which
>the content of the conversation reflected the nature of colleagues'
>face-to-face conversations -- professional content with a strong mixture
>of gossip or matters of general or personal interest.
> It sounds as though the forums/lists that Ann has known are like that,
>but Joyce's and maybe Bev's experience is different. yes?
>
>
>
>
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Laurie Pattison-Gordon http://learning.bbn.com
lpg@bbn.com 617 873-2695
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TEECH Electronic Discussion Forums in Professional Development
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