In reading professor Dennen’s article, “Intersecting
Communities of Practice” it mentioned how communities of practice are essential
for those beginning in a career path to attempt to identify with others in the
field in a sort of apprenticeship. This is precisely how we learn. Something that also struck me while reading, was that communities of
practice are reciprocal and should follow the precedent set forth by the Golden
rule. This metaphor granted me a lot
clearer of an understanding of how sharing in the Web 2.0 world should ideally
take place. I also enjoyed reading about
the “insiders” and am excited about feeling like we as designers are well on
our way to creating various trajectories for our students to follow. “Gatekeepers” may be too strong of a word to
use here but the feel is definitely similar, as the insiders or SME’s, set the
bar for what is considered pertinent. Often times insiders regulate or strongly influence
in a sense, what is taken into the minds of their learners and what is left out.
What do you guys think? Are insiders gatekeepers?
I think that they may be. A lot of what makes you an insider is the autonomy you earn by establishing yourself. If you choose to move in one direction people follow you. If you choose not to move on a topic a peripheral learner is interested in then they may be neglected. I feel like in this way they are catalysts rather than gatekeepers. They can choose to promote newcomers but if someone is determined then insiders can't prevent newcomers from promoting themselves and earning a following.
ReplyDeleteThanks Casey, awesome post, I agree. I really like the word catalyst instead of gatekeeper, the insider is for sure the catalyst to springboard the followers into further discussion and often times dictates whether or not the discussion is taken into a new trajectory. However, you are right if a follower is curious enough he can create his own path despite the lead or lack there of from the insider.
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