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Boundary‐crossing in Web 2.0 Learning Communities/OEB 2009 (Extended Overview)
Boundary‐crossing in Web 2.0 Learning Communities
Ilona Buchem
Researcher
Beuth University of Applied Sciences
Research Project “Mediencommunity 2.0”
D‐13353 Berlin
buchem@beuth‐hochschule.de
Abstract: Web 2.0 technologies open a wide range of possibilities for the
enhancement and support of learning but they also bring a host of new
pedagogical challenges. One of the central questions is: What are the best
strategies for bringing informal and formal learning closer together. Post‐modern
transformative pedagogies focus on crossing boundaries between formal
education and work‐related practices. The presentation focuses on how social
media and transformative pedagogical strategies can be applied to build and
manage learning communities, fostering distributed participation and
collaboration beyond traditional boarders.
Keywords: boundary‐crossing, learning communities, transformative learning
Introduction
The way that people learn today calls for new educational structures and strategies. Driven
by demographic and economic changes there is a growing need for integrating informal,
non‐formal and formal learning. Social media open a wide range of possibilities for creating
permeable educational structures which enhance interaction between different learning
contexts. However, such deployment of social media in education brings a host of new
pedagogical challenges. The key question is, what pedagogical strategies can be applied to
facilitate this interaction, create supportive, permeable and distributed learning
environments and facilitate transitions between different contexts within lifelong learning,
such as from education to work‐based learning or from school to higher education.
Boundary‐crossing and transformative pedagogy
This presentation explores the notion of boudary‐crossing and raises questions for a
discussion on potential benefits and risks of boundary‐crossing in community‐based
learning. Bearing in mind, that boundaries are multi‐dimensional, facilitating transitions
between occupational and educational stages is aimed at taking advantage of diversity.
Potential benefits are that boundary‐crossing is likely to result in effective competency
development, intensive social exchange and information flow, more inclusion through
connections to other social systems, a better understanding of the complexities of the
industry as well as innovations within the industry. Potential risks are that boundary crossing
can lead to culture and role conflicts as well as confusion and disorientation (HARRIS 2008,
MEZIROV, 1995).
In this sense boundary crossing refers to facilitating transitions such as between educational
stages or experise levels. The pedagogical philosophy underpinning this strategy is based on
Ilona Buchem 2
Boundary‐crossing in Web 2.0 Learning Communities/OEB 2009 (Extended Overview)
the theory of situated learning and social theory of learning by LAVE/WENGER (1991, 1998)
and WENGER (1998) as well as the theory of transformative education by MEZIROW (1995)
and TAYLOR (1998). It can be described as a socio‐transformative appraoch to learning
aiming at bridging gaps beween formal and informal, vocational and academic, individual
and collaborative learning.
The research project “Mediencommunity 2.0”
The research project “Mediencommunity 2.0”, supported by the German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research (BMBF) and funding from the European Social Fond (ESF) aims at
gaining insight into the above question through designing and implementing an exemplary
online learning community for the printing and media industry sector in Germany. The
printing and media sector in Germany and worldwide has undergone many changes over
time. These changes range from new technologies and production processes (e.g. digital and
information technologies, cross‐media production), through increased global competition, to
transition of traditional occupations (e.g. type setter) into new practices (e.g. digital media
design). By creating a permeable learning environment using Web 2.0 technologies and
applying transformative pedagogies to cross multiple boundaries within educational and
work‐related settings, “Mediencommunity 2.0” attempts to promote an integrative
approach to learning and teaching in an online environment.
“Mediencommunity 2.0” intends to act as a mediating platform for all people working and
learning in the printing and media industry sector in Germany, enhancing work‐related life‐
long learning beyond the borders of traditional systems of education. The presentations
demonstrates how this can be supported by employing boundary‐crossing principles and
transformative pedagogical strategies.
Boundary‐crossing in Mediencommunity 2.0
The presentation focuses on facilitating transitions at individual and social levels through
fostering self‐directed and self‐reflective learning as well as exposure to different
perspectives and experiences through distributed interaction, cooperation and
collaboration. Based on pedagogical principles applied to the design of a didactical
framework of "Mediencommunity 2.0" as well as first findings from the implementation of
Web 2.0‐enhanced, community‐based learning scenarios, the presentation shows how social
media and transformative strategies can be applied to cross boundaries at multiple levels,
most notably between:
1. Industry sectors, i.e. different occupations in the preprinting, printing and postprinitg
sub‐sectors.
2. Educational sectors, i.e. vocational training within the German dual system in
German, higher education and continuing education.
3. Learning modalities, i.e. different types of informal, non‐formal and formal learning
outside and within educational institutions and workplace settings.
4. Educational roles, i.e. bringing together and changing traditional perspectives on the
roles of learners and teachers.
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Boundary‐crossing in Web 2.0 Learning Communities/OEB 2009 (Extended Overview)
5. Expertise areas and levels, i.e. learners with different levels of competencies in
different occupational areas within the industry.
Figure 1: Boundary‐crossing in Mediencommunity 2.0
The presentation provides a number of expamles of how boudary crossing is supported in
“Mediencommunity 2.0” at the levels mentioned above. The examples range from using and
producing educational mediacasts as user‐generated content, through open collaboration in
wikis to self‐organised online study groups. All examples focus on how such learning
scenarios foster learning.
The didactical framework of Mediencommunity 2.0
Based on the components of social participation as a process of learning and knowing, i.e.
meaning (learning as experience), practice (learning as doing), community (learning as
belonging) and identity (learning as becoming) (WENGER, 1998, pp. 5), the didactical
framework of “Mediencommunity 2.0” defines three pedagogical principles to be applied to
the design of any community‐based learning scenario. These principles include opportunities
for identity formation, relationship formation as well as experience and practice.
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Boundary‐crossing in Web 2.0 Learning Communities/OEB 2009 (Extended Overview)
Figure 2: Components of social participation in Mediencommunity 2.0
Supporting transformations on individual and social levels is central to group work, which is
the core of didactical design of „Mediencommunity 2.0“. Based on the model of
SEMBILL/SEIFRIED (2007), the didactical framework of „Mediencommunity 2.0“ integrates
the following pedagogical dimensions: „learning for oneself“ as individual learning, „learning
for others“ as work‐sharing and social responsibility, “learning with others” as cooperation
and collaboration in groups and „learning with risk“ as acceptance of failure and learning
from mistakes.
Figure 3: Components of group work in Mediencommunity 2.0
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Boundary‐crossing in Web 2.0 Learning Communities/OEB 2009 (Extended Overview)
The three tier modell of Mediencommunity 2.0
The three tier modell of Mediencommunity 2.0 as a part of the didactical framework focuses
on categorising and integrating informal, non‐formal and formal learning scenarios at the
conceptual level. Learning scenarios are categorised into the informal learning tier with user‐
generated mediacasts and glossaries, interactive maps and serious games, the non‐formal
learning tier with cooperative and collaborative applications of wikis, blogs, discussion
boards and trainer‐community and the formal learning tier with structured and quality
assured online study groups, e‐portfolios and blended learning. Transformative strategies
are applied within and between the tiers allowing for two‐way transitions between learning
community, community of practice and social networking (KUHLMANN/SAUTER 2008).
Figure 4: The three tier modell of Mediencommunity 2.0
The first tier “information” aims at promoting as hoc and on‐demand use and production of
content and interaction with other learners. Informal learning is thus defined as non course‐
based learning with no prescribed learning framework and no external specification of
learning outcomes. The second tier “cooperation” is characterized by semi‐stractured, open,
cooperative and/or collaborative group work, using e.g. wikis or blogs. Thus non‐formal
learning refers to organised learning with specified learning outcomes, supported by
moderators or tutors. The third tier “qualification” refers to prescribed and organised
learning frameworks with the specification of outcomes and award of a credit or certificate.
The re‐launch of Mediencommunity 2.0
The re‐launch of “Mediencommunity 2.0” in fall/winter 2009 is aimed at meeting a growing
demand for flexible, self‐directed and work‐related learning and knowledge transfer within
the printing and media industry. The community combines Web 2.0 technologies, such as
wikis, blogs, social tagging, sharing and microblogging, with more traditional e‐learning, such
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Boundary‐crossing in Web 2.0 Learning Communities/OEB 2009 (Extended Overview)
as web‐based learning, discussion boards and e‐assessment. The community supports
sharing of information and content, exchange of good practice, special interest groups,
awareness and e‐moderation functionalities to enable communication, interaction and
collaboration on multiple levels. A number of strategic partnerships with research
institutions, vocational and higher education as well as sector‐specific networks and
agencies have been established and collaborative projects are under way.
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