Establishing Virtual Communities of Practice and Building Virtual Communities of Practice

Two parts In Chapter 3 of Professional Learning Communities at Work and Virtual Collaboration: On the Tipping Point of Transformation, the authors discuss 10 dimensions of establishing and shaping virtual collaborative teams. The 10 dimensions include: * Identification of open or closed membership. * Determination of the type of connection to be utilized: virtual, face-to-face, or hybrid. * Identification of the scope of the initiative: team, school, local district, rational/state, or national/international. * Format selection: asynchronous, synchronous, or hybrid. * Grade level/content area or function identification. * Determination of the duration of the collaborative initiative: ongoing or term. * Come up with an agreed upon plan for meeting: extemporaneous or impromptu meetings or scheduled meetings. * Establish the purpose of the teaming initiative: ignite or inform; learn and transform; or give voice or send a message. * Establish the size of the group: limited or unlimited. * Establish group management: direct, facilitative, or minimal. For this discussion, use the 10 dimensions to establish the framework for the community of practice that you will establish in support of your technology integration plan. Provide a detailed explanation as to how you will set up the collaborative team using this framework. Then, in 1–2 paragraphs, describe some of the challenges you might face in establishing and supporting the framework and discuss some possible solutions to overcome these challenges. In the article "Distributed Leadership and Digital Collaborative Learning: A Synergistic Relationship?" Harris, Jones, and Baba (2013) provide an analysis of research around the creation and facilitation of virtual online collaborative teams. After reading the article, write 1–2 paragraphs identifying points made within the article that you can use to develop a successful and productive virtual collaborative team for supporting teachers in technology plan integration. Also, discuss how those points and suggestions connect to one or more aspects of the 10 dimensions offered by DuFour and Reason, and on which you will base your own virtual collaborative team planning.