Title: Online communities for teachers and lifelong learners: a framework for comparing similarities and identifying differences in communities of practice and communities of interest

Authors: Ann Jones, Jenny Preece

Addresses: Institute of Educational Technology, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK. ' College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

Abstract: In recent years online and blended communities have become a popular topic among educationalists. In this paper we present a framework that supports the analysis, development and maintenance of online and blended communities. This is applied to two community case studies that differ along several key dimensions such as type of membership, the purpose of the communities, their policies and size. The analysis draws attention to the differences between the two types of communities. It also highlights the advantages and weaknesses of the framework with respect to these two case studies and suggests areas for future development. In the discussion that follows we highlight some key differences between this framework and Wenger|s work on Communities of Practice (COPs).

Keywords: communities of practice; communities of interest; blended communities; informal learning; sociability; online communities; teachers; lifelong learning; learning technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLT.2006.010615

International Journal of Learning Technology, 2006 Vol.2 No.2/3, pp.112 - 137

Published online: 09 Aug 2006 *

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