Webheads Communities of Practice in Action

1. Webheads Communities of Practice in Action Vance Stevens, Abu Dhabi, UAE Presented at Put the Learning back in eLearning: British Council, Manchester February 14, 2006

2. How this talk was prepared It’s a convergence of many streams that have let to the creation of this slide show TODAY • I followed a pre-conference discussion in Moodle  audience-directed • I have followed blogs of some respected thinkers, for example Stephen Downes, for latest thoughts on related topics • I have co-opted ideas from distributed CoPs in which I am involved • I’ve invited live voices to join us from throughout these communities (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

3. What this talk is about • BRIEFLY, how Webheads got started • How we've changed, evolved, and continue to change • How Webheads can serve as a model change agent for others who want to change themselves I plan to allow time for Webheads present to comment on these points and for questions and discussion from the live audience in Manchester (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

4. Who were the Webheads • Student group since 1998 • http://wfw.webheads.info • More recently • Webheads in Action since 2002 • http://www.webheads.info • Becoming a Webhead since 2004 • http://dafnegonzalez.com/baw-06/index.html 400++ members in each WfW and WiA Yahoo Group (250 in BaW-06) (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

5. How have Webheads changed? Webheads 2.0? • Moodle for Webheadshttp://www.opensource.idv.tw/moodle/course/view.php?id=26 • Now this is very nicehttp://dafnegonzalez.com/baw-06/content/participants.html • But this is much easier for moderatorhttp://baw-06.pbwiki.com/ • More pics: Frappr and Flickrhttp://www.opensource.idv.tw/moodle/course/view.php?id=20and http://dafnegonzalez.com/baw-06/index.html (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

6. How can YOU change? • Join CoPs • Follow lists • Read Blogs • Utilize RSS • Learn about Web 2.0 • Experiment • Don’t be afraid to have FUN (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

7. Join Communities of Practice • Gavin Dudeney’s presentation at this conference: http://www.britishcouncilinteractive.tv/moodle/file.php/5/Seminar_Files/CommunitiesOfPracticeGavinDudeney.ppt (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

8. Follow lists • Webheads: • http://www.webheads.info • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evonline2002_webheads (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

9. Read Blogs • Stephen Downes http://downes.ca • George Siemens • Jay Cross • Dave Cormier • Peter Tosh • Etc etc Blogging and Language Learning - http://www.vancestevens.com/blogs.htm (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

10. Utilize RSS • Venn diagramshttp://fraser.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/venns.gif • Learn about: RSS and aggregators; excellent resources from Will Richardson • Presentation: Recording: "RSS: The New Killer App for Educators". Description page: http://home.learningtimes.net/learningtimes?go=679449; direct link: https://www.elluminate.com/site/pmtg.jnlp?psid=d429011575.202706 • RSS Quick Start Guide for Educators, http://www.weblogg-ed.com/rss_for_ed • Will's blog, Weblogg-ed dot com: http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

11. Learn about Web 2.0 • What's a blog? plog? etc?? http://www.educause.edu/content.asp?page_id=7495&bhcp=1 • So, what's next? Web 2.0 is about making sites more interactive, less statichttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/01/30/BUG4FGUN9H1.DTL&type=tech • Another brick in the wallhttp://www.cetis.ac.uk/members/scott/entries/20050125170206 (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

12. Experiment and have F.U.N. • Voices heard having F.U.N. in online communities of practicehttp://www.homestead.com/prosites-vstevens/files/efi/papers/tesol/colloquium2004/fun00.htm • Over to Webheads in the remote audience … • And to our ‘on-site’ participants in Manchester (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006

13. Last word • Valentinasays it very well http://odeo.com/a/UE66smL4kL3flKZHCP6f8ibGLmlwQ8PO5iK4xjff/#cmnt6778 • I ‘hear’ you - Vance (C)opyright Vance Stevens 2006