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Communities of Practice in Tech & Literacy:

A Dynamic Example from the Field

http://bit.ly/virtualcop-aerintlconf

Yue-Ting Siu, UC Berkeley & SFSUCharlotte Cushman, Perkins School for the Blind

Cyral Miller, TSBVI

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Today’s Objectives

• Describe: A “Community of Practice” and its value in expanding access to educational resources.

• Discover: The Paths to Literacy site, use of social media platforms, and interactive features.

• Discuss: Ways a Virtual Community of Practice supports teachers and families in literacy activities.

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What is a “Community of Practice”?

“Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”

-- Etienne Wenger (2006), Cognitive Anthropologist http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

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Elements of a CoP

The Domain: Shared interest and values

The Community: Members interact and learn from each together

The Practice: Mutual development of a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, and ways of addressing recurring problems - a shared practice

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Levels of Participation

From: http://wenger-trayner.com/resources/slide-forms-of-participation/

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Relevancy to Itinerant TVIs

• Invite different and informal levels of participation

• Focus on shared values, goals• Combination of mentors and mentees• Access to shared expertise, experiences

-- by Etienne Wenger http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/2855.html  

(Harvard Business School, 2002)

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Example: Teachers’ technology use

Teachers and students in general education:

1. Improved infrastructure

2. Increased funding and availability of technology

3. Standards for tech instruction in pre-service

4. Professional development• Learning communities• In-service trainings

TVIs and students with visual impairments:

1. Improved infrastructure

2. Increased funding and availability of technology

3. Standards for tech instruction in pre-service

4. Professional development?

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Differentiated Tech Use for TVIs

• TVIs are the gatekeeper• Device-specific knowledge is

insufficient• Must flex tech in response to:

- student needs- subject/content- technology constraints

• Toolkit changes quickly as technology progresses

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What’s next?

• Provide solutions using a “what works” approach

• Create professional networks for better access to resources and development:

• Social media• Virtual networks

• Nurture communities of practice (CoPs) • Introduce skills and start building CoPs

in pre-service!

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What is Paths to Literacy?• A community of practice that is dynamic

• A symposium or think tank that gives people access to ideas and conversations about literacy

• A home to multiple platforms, including an interactive website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

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Content AreasThe site is divided into 12 content areas:

1. General Literacy2. Learning Media

Assessment3. Emergent Literacy4. Multiple Disabilities5. Braille6. Struggling Readers7. Print8. Writing9. Dual Media10.English Language

Learners11.Auditory Strategies12.Math Literacy #A

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Features of the Site

• Blogs• Strategies• Resources• Technology• Research• Instructional Guidelines #A

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Value of Registering on the Site

• Email notifications of blog posts• Subscribe to learn when posts are made in

different areas• Make comments, ask questions• Submit a post and earn continuing education

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Interactive Possibilities of Site

Conversations/comments

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Dear Pathshttp://www.pathstoliteracy.org/dear-paths

Sample questions include:- Parent of child with CVI looking

for suggestions- How can I teach my deafblind son

about the passage of time?- Which video games are

accessible?- I need ideas about teaching the

concept of “wide”.- Where can I find out about the

methodology of teaching braille?

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Social Media

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Facebook

★ Great way to share information quickly!

★ Conversation threads and meaningful engagement continue to increase

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Twitter

★ The Power of the #

★ Immediacy -- Connecting quickly throughout the day

★ Quick links, such as Assistive Tech. resource list

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Pinterest

• Tool to visually organize information

• Locate ideas on topics and themes that are of interest

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Finding the Community

We need to go to where the discussions are happening:

• Facebook• Twitter• Pinterest• Comments on posts on website• Dear Paths

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How do people follow us?

Note that these numbers are old and we now have more than 5,000 people registered across all platforms. #A

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Who is in our community?

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Non-Registered Users

• 136,500+ unique visitors to the site since launch in April 2012

More than 520,000 page views during that time

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International Community

• Visitors from 196 countries• Spanish-language posts• Cross-cultural content• Posts from UK, Australia, Argentina,

Canada, Philippines

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Some of our favorites!• Student-Made IEP Book • Making Toast: Conversation Boxes• O & M Literacy: “Routes “Journals• Test Down and Teach Up: Task Analysis of a Duck• Flying Fingers: Fluency Instruction for Beginning Braille Readers• Using the iPad to Develop Literacy and Social Skills• Toy Bars and Literacy• Using the Preferred Learning Medium to Design a Communicatio

n System • Follow-up Q & A from above• Word Processing on the iPad Using VoiceOver• Montessori Activities to Promote Pre-Literacy Skills for Tactual Le

arners

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What would you like to see from the community?

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https://www.facebook.com/ptliteracy@PathstoLiteracy

http://www.pinterest.com/pathstoliteracy/

http://bit.ly/virtualcop-aerintlconf

• Yue-Ting (Ting) Siu, TVI & Doctoral Candidateyueting.siu@gmail.comwww.facebook.com/yuetingsiuTwitter: @TVI_ting

• Charlotte Cushman, Project Manager Perkins School for the Blind charlotte.cushman@perkins.org

• Cyral Miller, Outreach DirectorTexas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired millerc@tsbvi.edu

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