03.+Justification


 * Justification of Collective Learning Opportunity **

A learning community is defined as a community in which, most simply, learning occurs. The value for this is that the interests, knowledge and conversations shared benefit the whole community (Kilpatrick et. al 2003). It is these common interests which bind people within the community together and cause them to seek out each other's skills and knowledge to further their own (Downes 2004, Kilpatrick et. al 2003). Furthermore, group diversity is valued (Gokhale 2005) for it can contribute to, and in some cases increase, the process of learning and the viewpoints expressed.

It is these features of a learning community that give rise to a collective learning opportunity for its members. Members look to each other for shared interests, conversations and the formation of community.

This can be applied to our model in numerous ways. The fast and accessible nature of Twitter makes it ideal for the generation of ideas, the formation of networks and social groups. The structure of Twitter, itself, lends to deeper learning. As a hub, Twitter generates an interconnectivity between members and also between communities. The essentially self-directed nature of its interactions means that community members take their learning into their own hands, and together with the learning of others, make it an ideal collective learning opportunity. In addition, using activities such as blogging in conjunction with Twitter, will give community members the opportunity to share, inform and educate others and in turn provide further opportunities for deeper learning and communities of practice.  The use of Twibes and tags extends the notion of network and social group formation, and gives focus to areas of the community while allowing them to remain inclusive for anyone interested in joining. While the aim is to focus on corporate adult educators, allowing the community to remain open ensures that group diversity is maintained and that a constant new source of ideas and knowledge is being brought in (Gokhale 2005).

This structure is required to enable learners to begin to filter out the "noise" of the twitter hub. And indeed this is part of the collective learning experience. Being able to find and follow information and learning experiences that are relevant to your own learning and self development are crucial to being a self-directed learner.

In addition it is also important to note that the openness of the community is important with regard to the formation of personal learning networks (PLN). The technologies mentioned as well as the interactions with other members of the community are vital in the formation of PLNs. Having learning occur in an open environment is central to the course's goal of developing a PLN, as learning in an open forum allows for organic network growth beyond the course participants through interaction (Downes 2007). Part of this stems from observational learning (Bandura, 1977, 1997; cited by Cornford 1999) but also Saunders' (2008) discussion of social learning theory (which was also derived from Bandura's work). To some extent social penetration theory and disclosure would also apply here, with technologies such as blogging allowing members to disclose more information about themselves than a technology such as Twitter might (Saunders 2008). It is possible to see the formation of a link here with the existence of the community leading to observation within that community, the beginnings of social and observational learning and finally the formation of a personal learning network.