Online Learning Communities
Description:
“An online learning community is a social and collaborative network using a shared Web-based space. Online communities use technology to bring people together. Members discuss issues, conduct brainstorms, seek advice, take polls, work together on projects, hold meetings, and share best practices.
Online community members also publish comments and documents, make suggestions, ask questions, and host or take part in “live” online events in the community. Unlike the pre-published content of a traditional website, content in an online community emerges from the users’ own activities.” (http://www.bccampus.ca/Page96.aspx)
An online learning community may also deliver recorded or live training and continuing education.
Examples:
WebJunction (http://www.webjunction.org/)
Mission: To be “an online community where library staff meet to share ideas, solve problems, take online courses - and have fun.”
WebJunction is a true online learning community as much of the content available to the community is generated by the community. The 6 main content areas of WebJunction are: Policies and Practices, Technology Resources, Buying and Funding, Service to Libraries, Learning Center, and Community Center. The main focus has been “public access computing”, but WebJunction is undertaking several projects, including the state partners project to expand the content available to WebJunction members.
Anyone can register for a free WebJunction account which gives them access to a diverse array of resources. The Learning Center houses online courses, including several course series covering dozens of topics suggested by librarians and library staff. Because online training isn't right for every situation, WebJunction provides resources to help members structure and conduct live, in-house training for every stage of development from the initial plan to implementation, and train-the-trainer resources to promote sustainability.
The WebJunction community hosts discussions covering a wide range of topics, including software, hardware, public access policies, etc. and offers live, online presentations and workshops accessible from the member’s desktop. As of January 31, 2005 WebJunction began charging for some of the courses in the Learning Center because they are no longer covered by grant funding. Course fees are moderate. State partners have access to these course for their constituencies at no charge to the endusers.
The Infopeople Project (http://www.infopeople.org/)
Mission: “The Infopeople Project improves the quality of information access to the people of California by upgrading the skills, resources, and tools available through libraries.”
The Infopeople Project disseminates training through a top-down model, but offers both online, recorded training and live, face-to-face workshops through the California State Library. Training is open to all members of the California library community-academic, public, school, and special. Training modes include a video conference network.
Infopeople training is tailored to libraries' needs, is developed and presented by experienced library professionals, offers hands-on exercises based on actual library situations, supplies high-quality custom handout materials, accommodates varying levels of expertise, provides individual workstations for computer-based instruction and offers post-workshop assistance from instructors. Training is offered at locations throughout the state of California and online. Infopeople charges a modest fee to assist in cost recovery.
Other features are a California Library Training Clearinghouse, a “Resources” collection of original content including tutorials, quickguides, fact sheets, articles and reports, webliographies, and product reviews and “wazzup?”, a weblog that delivers the latest information about Infopeople, including website changes, training events, new tools and products and library-related news and information of general interest.
LibraryU (http://learning.libraryu.org/home/)
LibraryU and its enhanced version, LibraryU, are free web based training provided to Illinois Librarians 24/7. Training courses were initially developed by a number of Illinois Library systems through an LSTA grant and enlarged to become a statewide training model through funding provided by the Gates Foundation to the Illinois State Library.
According to LibraryU, web based training is more convenient and less costly than traveling for continuing education. Online training also aids librarians in gaining the technology skills necessary to their work and as a result leads to improved library service.
LibraryU offers courses for administrators/directors, reference staff, young adult librarians, trustees, front line library staff, and public service librarians. Course categories listed by the Library U website include administrative skills, cataloguing, community building, customer service, information services, marketing, public library, trustees, and public sector services.
Participants can register for a Library U account or take demonstration courses anonymously. Registered participatnts can track their progress and receive a certificate when they complete a module. Other features of the LibraryU community are note taking capability and the ability to communicate with instructors and other students.
Advantages of Online Learning Communities:
• One stop “shopping” for continuing education in recorded formats
• Interactive and rapid access to assistance with individual member issues and problems
• No need to “reinvent the wheel” if we participate in an existing community
• Reduced development costs resulting from the collaborative nature of the community
• 24/7 access to learning materials
• Readily available resources to assist in development of face-to-face training
• Participating in a community that extends beyond our state borders
Disadvantages of Online Learning Communities:
• Cost of development of our own learning community or of membership fees if we join an existing community
• Need for well developed, coordinated network of human and technology resources if we develop our own community
• Some restrictions in customization of content for our users if we join an existing community
• Existing content does not cover entire scope and sequence of existing professional development and continuing education needs
• Participating in a community that represents widely diverse needs and ideas
• A lack of trustee-specific training
Number of participants served:
Potentially, every librarian, library staff member and trustee working in Kansas.
Requirements for presenter (sponsor):
• Stable, renewable and adequate funding
• Human resources dedicated to the coordination of collaborative development, marketing and end-user training
Requirements for participant:
• A computer with Internet access (preferably broadband)
• Familiarity with web browsing applications
• Time to devote to exploration and online training
“An online learning community is a social and collaborative network using a shared Web-based space. Online communities use technology to bring people together. Members discuss issues, conduct brainstorms, seek advice, take polls, work together on projects, hold meetings, and share best practices.
Online community members also publish comments and documents, make suggestions, ask questions, and host or take part in “live” online events in the community. Unlike the pre-published content of a traditional website, content in an online community emerges from the users’ own activities.” (http://www.bccampus.ca/Page96.aspx)
An online learning community may also deliver recorded or live training and continuing education.
Examples:
WebJunction (http://www.webjunction.org/)
Mission: To be “an online community where library staff meet to share ideas, solve problems, take online courses - and have fun.”
WebJunction is a true online learning community as much of the content available to the community is generated by the community. The 6 main content areas of WebJunction are: Policies and Practices, Technology Resources, Buying and Funding, Service to Libraries, Learning Center, and Community Center. The main focus has been “public access computing”, but WebJunction is undertaking several projects, including the state partners project to expand the content available to WebJunction members.
Anyone can register for a free WebJunction account which gives them access to a diverse array of resources. The Learning Center houses online courses, including several course series covering dozens of topics suggested by librarians and library staff. Because online training isn't right for every situation, WebJunction provides resources to help members structure and conduct live, in-house training for every stage of development from the initial plan to implementation, and train-the-trainer resources to promote sustainability.
The WebJunction community hosts discussions covering a wide range of topics, including software, hardware, public access policies, etc. and offers live, online presentations and workshops accessible from the member’s desktop. As of January 31, 2005 WebJunction began charging for some of the courses in the Learning Center because they are no longer covered by grant funding. Course fees are moderate. State partners have access to these course for their constituencies at no charge to the endusers.
The Infopeople Project (http://www.infopeople.org/)
Mission: “The Infopeople Project improves the quality of information access to the people of California by upgrading the skills, resources, and tools available through libraries.”
The Infopeople Project disseminates training through a top-down model, but offers both online, recorded training and live, face-to-face workshops through the California State Library. Training is open to all members of the California library community-academic, public, school, and special. Training modes include a video conference network.
Infopeople training is tailored to libraries' needs, is developed and presented by experienced library professionals, offers hands-on exercises based on actual library situations, supplies high-quality custom handout materials, accommodates varying levels of expertise, provides individual workstations for computer-based instruction and offers post-workshop assistance from instructors. Training is offered at locations throughout the state of California and online. Infopeople charges a modest fee to assist in cost recovery.
Other features are a California Library Training Clearinghouse, a “Resources” collection of original content including tutorials, quickguides, fact sheets, articles and reports, webliographies, and product reviews and “wazzup?”, a weblog that delivers the latest information about Infopeople, including website changes, training events, new tools and products and library-related news and information of general interest.
LibraryU (http://learning.libraryu.org/home/)
LibraryU and its enhanced version, LibraryU
According to LibraryU, web based training is more convenient and less costly than traveling for continuing education. Online training also aids librarians in gaining the technology skills necessary to their work and as a result leads to improved library service.
LibraryU offers courses for administrators/directors, reference staff, young adult librarians, trustees, front line library staff, and public service librarians. Course categories listed by the Library U website include administrative skills, cataloguing, community building, customer service, information services, marketing, public library, trustees, and public sector services.
Participants can register for a Library U account or take demonstration courses anonymously. Registered participatnts can track their progress and receive a certificate when they complete a module. Other features of the LibraryU community are note taking capability and the ability to communicate with instructors and other students.
Advantages of Online Learning Communities:
• One stop “shopping” for continuing education in recorded formats
• Interactive and rapid access to assistance with individual member issues and problems
• No need to “reinvent the wheel” if we participate in an existing community
• Reduced development costs resulting from the collaborative nature of the community
• 24/7 access to learning materials
• Readily available resources to assist in development of face-to-face training
• Participating in a community that extends beyond our state borders
Disadvantages of Online Learning Communities:
• Cost of development of our own learning community or of membership fees if we join an existing community
• Need for well developed, coordinated network of human and technology resources if we develop our own community
• Some restrictions in customization of content for our users if we join an existing community
• Existing content does not cover entire scope and sequence of existing professional development and continuing education needs
• Participating in a community that represents widely diverse needs and ideas
• A lack of trustee-specific training
Number of participants served:
Potentially, every librarian, library staff member and trustee working in Kansas.
Requirements for presenter (sponsor):
• Stable, renewable and adequate funding
• Human resources dedicated to the coordination of collaborative development, marketing and end-user training
Requirements for participant:
• A computer with Internet access (preferably broadband)
• Familiarity with web browsing applications
• Time to devote to exploration and online training
posted by Cindi Hickey at
2:20 PM
1 Comments:
Are we going to include LibraryU, http://learning.libraryu.org/home? It is from the Illinois State Library.
By
Charlene, at 7:35 AM
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