Wenger Ch. 5 and Coda

 Wenger continues with a more thorough description of what a learning community is. It's amazing how this chapter immediately follows the discussion last week in class. Coincidence? Pages 125-126 includes a straightforward list of 14 indicators that a community of practice has formed. No need to repeat them here. Instead I ponder on some of the technologies that we are examining in class. Do they facilitate community discourse, communities of practice, or constellations of practice? Let's take blogs for example. I think the short but accurate answer is that it depends on how the blog is used. If it is used in a productive way as the 14 indicators describe then of course a blog can be the communicative medium for a community of practice. But a blog can just as easily be a posting board with little actual interaction between members of a community. What about some of the other technologies we are examining in class? (read this as an attempt to establish meaningful dialogue in a blog)