The Lie of Community

Dave Cormier is pretty much always thinking about community.  And learning.  And how maybe the two are much more related than we typically think about.  Whether it’s in his work with EdTechTalk or through his thinking and writing about community, Dave is a passionate community builder and frequent critical friend to online communities,  I enjoy listening to him discuss these issues.  I suspect you will, too.

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Nathan Lowell lives within half an hour or so of my house, but I’ve never seen him in the flesh, and had never spoken to him until we had this conversation.  That said, he’s been a teacher and conversation partner of mine in a wide variety of online formats.  Oh, and one of my favorite authors of late, too.  In this chat, broken up a bit due to some spotty connection issues with our Internet connections, we talk about some of what he tries to convey to students in his distance learning courses, and lots more.  I also might have asked him a question or two that will necessitate that you go ahead and begin listening to his books.

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Jennifer Jones thinks about social media and communities.  Lots.  She also thinks about how digital spaces can assist in learning.  And she plays in those spaces.  In our conversation, we talk about some of that play, and also how she refocuses when the tools get in the way of her purposes for using them.

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Jackie Ballarini is a second year math teacher in the Chicago, Illinois, area.  In our conversation, Jackie says some useful things about balance and about the differences she sees between online and offline community.  I recall that she and I “met” via Twitter, I think.  And, as she asks at the beginning of the conversation, does that mean we know each other?

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Jabiz Raisdana teaches in Doha, Qatar.  In our conversation, we talk about some of his thoughts about community offline, online and in our classrooms, as well as his (then) fresh experiences from the Learning 2.008 Conference.  I think his recent post on how we present ourselves through our avatars is interesting reading.

Direct Link to the Audio File

This page exists to support my presentation for the 2008 K12 Online Conference with the same title.  Look to the sidebar to catch up on the latest links I’ve marked as relelvant to my thinking on the topics of networks and community.  Also, take a listen to the various conversations I’ve had with others on the topic.  Several, but not all of these conversations are excerpted in the formal presentation.  All are worth a listen.  Content will continue to be added to this space as the late October date of publication for the presentation approaches.