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![]() | PKAL Networks National Advisory Council Forum |
Comments are posted in the order in which they are received, with earlier postings appearing first below on this page. To see the latest postings, click on "Go to last comment" below.
Welcome Name: Paul Grobstein Date: 2002-03-10 14:31:56 Link to this Comment: 1475 |
NAC colleagues -
Come on in. Glad you're here, hope you'll find the forum comfortable/usable/productive (email me if things aren't clear). And, if you haven't worked this way before, that you'll come to share some of my enthusiasm for this additional way of working. Nope, doesn't replace getting together, but does add to it.
As I mentioned, I use this in courses. If you're curious about that, have a look at Biology 103 and Biology 202. There's a link on the right for the course forum area and forum archive. We've also been exploring the use of on-line forums for other kinds of conversations (cf Mental Health, Gender and Science, 11 September.
Looking forward to seeing what we can ourselves make of this kind of environment.
Paul
Change Forces Name: Jeanne Nar Date: 2002-04-04 10:18:14 Link to this Comment: 1715 |
I was alerted to a 1993 book on educational reform that analyzes and clarifies some of the work that we are about: Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Education Reform, by Michael Fullan (University of Toronto). Published by The Falmer Press.
I present here some ideas from that text that seem to undergird our effort to build networks:
...alliances, partnerships, consortia and collaboration all connote joint agreements and action over a period of time in which all parties learn to work differently and achieve qualitatively different results. Cooperation, communication, coordination all have their place, but do not go deeply enough. Schrage' (1990) definition of collaboration captures the idea nicely:
Collaboration is the process of shared creation: two or more individuals with complementary skills interacting to create a shared understanding that non had previously possessed or could have come to on their own.
...'no fault' partnerships among a variety of stakeholders in for the long haul is another essential ingredient for learning individuals and learning organizations. But you have to know what you are doing (and why and how), because new levels of complexity are encountered. In any given collaborative effort, each partner will have to be willing to change its culture, especially in terms of how it relates to other institutions. In our [work], we have drawn the following conclusions:
· Schools/school systems and universities need each other to be successful.
· They are dissimilar in key aspects of structure, culture and reward systems.
· Working together potentially can provide the coherence, coordination, and persistence essential to teacher and school development.
· Both parties must work hard at working together- forging new structures, respecting each other's culture, and using shared experiences to problem-solve by incorporating the strengths of each culture.
· Strong partnerships will not happen by accident, good will or
establishing 'ad hoc' projects.
Even in working in particular collaboratives, learning organizations continually reach outside the partnerships in question. Successful collaborators 'use outsiders for complementary insights and information;' they solicit outside assistance, and 'are constantly on the lookout for people and information that will help them achieve their mission.'
...systems change when enough kindred spirits coalesce in the same change direction.
...like-minded people, pushing for change, do add up.
Using this forum Name: Dennis Mar Date: 2002-04-04 10:40:10 Link to this Comment: 1716 |
Thanks,
Dennis
First comment Name: Rick Moog Date: 2002-04-04 13:11:55 Link to this Comment: 1720 |
all for now.
Rick
Forum for the Advisory Council Name: Bill Rauck Date: 2002-04-05 10:07:42 Link to this Comment: 1727 |
Best regards.
Bill
a few thoughts ... Name: Paul Grobstein Date: 2002-04-05 11:59:32 Link to this Comment: 1728 |
Jeanne's posting helpful along these lines. Made me think about the "like-minded people" part of "like-minded people, pusing for change, do add up". Yes, change does depend on SOME "like-mindedness" ... but I think it also depends on some "NOT-like-mindedness". What was fun (for me at least) about the Atlanta gathering was feeling the differences between us, the ways in which one of us was THIS way and the other THAT way and so forth ... so that together we might be able to do things that none of us could do by ourselves. The other aspect of "NOT-like-mindedness" that seems to me important is the idea that when different people come to similar "like-mindedness" along different paths, from different backgrounds, for different reasons it increases the sense for everyone that there is actually a there there.
So, let's be different as well as like-minded?, both to keep us interested and to get things done? Maybe there's a general principle there for good networking building among ourselves as well as in general?
Finally on board Name: Karen Oat Date: 2002-04-14 08:20:25 Link to this Comment: 1806 |
My best to you all
Karen
on-board Name: Cathy Mand Date: 2002-04-26 19:36:37 Link to this Comment: 1971 |
I am very much looking forward to meeting you all in Williamsburg. I am hoping that no ice storms will keep me grounded in May. Jeanne reported an exciting and free wheeling discussion at our first meeting.
By way of introduction, the things I am most interested in thinking about right now are 1) how can web-sites and fora scaffold interactions to guide a group new to a topic to productive interaction and more importantly action and 2) what are the myriad of ways the web can be used to effectively foster faculty professional development--and of this myriad, which ones will faculty actually use and learn from.
Any thoughts?
Cathy
whether or not we view Name: Tom Levita Date: 2002-05-11 11:29:21 Link to this Comment: 2074 |
Greetings - First Visit Name: Norma D Date: 2002-05-13 13:26:29 Link to this Comment: 2080 |
Sorry I will not be with you in Williamsburg...
Until soon.
Norma
looking forward to seeing you all Name: Karen Oate Date: 2002-05-22 18:42:28 Link to this Comment: 2127 |