T10+-+Tech+Educators+Community+of+Practice

1) How do you connect with or get peer support from colleagues & organisations now? How would you like to get support?
We are not all eLearning people (assumptions to be tested there) - not everyone here might want to contact others about ed tech.

Through Ako community of practice
 * but issues with not much action there
 * Ako has collaboration fund
 * Knowledge Manager (Justin) helping to get people using the site

email/skype research network
 * kept vibrant by constant interraction

foundation educators forum

need leaders/facilitators to drive the communities - bring others in and keep them involved.

virtual communities difficult - encourage face to face.

communities are relationships - not content dumps

conferences

informal blogging networks (informal networks) e.g. Graduate Cert in eLearning

Video Conferencing (Literacy)

Current connections: happens mostly by email - tips/requests for help from colleagues time is often issue Polytech library managers have annual F2F meeting plus forums Ning by a few library managers across NZ/OZ Getting support - forums with specific focus Possibly Ako site (incl Learning Design) Network having core, then less active members, then lurkers

Facebook, twitter feeds, F2F conferences, meeting for collaborative projects/programmes, email (for help), video conferences in the past - too many forums, too many places to go Too many blogs Time constraints Stress of having to be committed What is wanted: Clear, focused communication, degree of commitment, current projects, clear purpose, Seaparate group for different areas

Range of communication lines ASCILITE conference, and similar Professional memberships (IEEE, ACM) Topic specific groups (JISC eLearning in UK) Some mention of Ako General sense: you build the community that you need for the area at that time

Own IT environment Basic organisations like Moodle.org, Moodleman blog Australian Flex Learning Network Twitter offer of help from connections made today

2. Is there a need for a New Zealand Community of Practice for Technology Educators (or fill in appropriate term here)?
it's not open, it's not a content dump, it's about relationships what is value of adding another one if there are other communities (ASCILITE, DEANZ) communities that are working - they had clear representation from organisations which is different from open network would it be possible to have a mixture of both? with someone/ several someone's as leader?