The University of Lethbridge

Topics of the Day: Knowledge Management, Coherence and How People Work Together

Readings:

Chapter Six: Coherence Making
Chapter Seven:The Hare and the Tortoise

Purpose:

Perhaps you noticed in these readings how relationships between people continues to show up:

" Knowledge is people." (Fullan, p. 78)

" ...a heavy reliance on peer networks and visits..." (Fullan, p. 93)

" Intervisitations and peer advising..." (Fullan, p. 94)

" Opportunities to learn through study groups, action research, and the sharing of experiences..." (Fullan, p. 126)

"If you want to build leadership, you should focus on reciprocity, the mutual obligation and value of sharing knowledge among organizational members." (Fullan, p. 132).

" People, not systems, manage knowledge." (Petrides & Nodine, p. 11).

Perhaps too, you've made the association between the above and your life as a technology leader. As you read these materials, be thinking forward about how these things will look when you are actively trying to integrate a new technology. When you are leading for change.

References

Malhotra, Y. (1996) ’Organizational Learning and Learning Organizations: An Overview’ http://www.brint.com/papers/orglrng.htm

Salomon, G. and Perkins, D. N. (1998) ‘Individual and social aspects of learning’, Review of Research in Education 23, http://construct.haifa.ac.il/~gsalomon/indsoc.htm

While you look at new materials, as you read additional readings and as you engage in the process of leading for change, be aware of the dynamics of relationships, knowledge building and technology integration. Think about your school setting(s) and ask yourself the following questions (from Aiken and Aiken, 2003):

1. Is your support infrastructure robust enough to suport learning in a technologically friendly setting?

(Are connectifity, transmission of data, hardware and software, and human resources meeting an acceptable standard? Technicians and lead teachers need to work together on these questions. Connecting with current standards and emerging learning needs should inform this dialogue. Is there good communication/relationship in place?)

2. How many of your staff are adopters, adapters or resisters? Why are they taking these stances?

(This is tricky work! Leaders should be immersed in the initiatives sufficiently to be able to identify which staff members belong to which category. Also, applying Lonergan's TM to this ....all stateholders need to have a voice. Often we can learn most from the non-adopters. Be attentive to all parties and make an effort to understand their positions.)

Activities

Submit Email Activity Six: (last email activity :)

Using your reading of Chaps. 5-7 from Fullan and from Petrides' & Nodine's monograph, outline how you could begin implementing ed tech-oriented knowledge sharing on an informal basis in your school tomorrow. What problem(s) would you tackle? Why? How can you develop a community of practice? What are the steps you would take? And so on.

In doing this, make explicit what you have learned from these readings. Pay particularly close attention to internal instructional consulting services, learning in context (both from Fullan) and knowledge management approaches (from Petrides & Nodine).

Before you begin asking, "how many pages do you want?" and "what format do you want?" and other questions related to HOW you do this and WHAT does the instructor want, let me say this is an open assignment. Stay within the guidelines for the email activities outlined on the assignments page (1-2 pages maximum).

Due date: November 23, 2003
Turn in: Send your responses in the body of an e-mail. NOT AS AN ATTACHMENT!...in the body of an e-mail, to the class discussion list.

Assessment: 5 marks

Created by Lorraine Beaudin, PhD

University of Lethbridge, 2003