Advantages+and+the+Downside+of+CoPs

=__ ﻿Advatages and the Downside of CoPs __= = Downside of online Communities of Practice =
 * TRUST -** Nichani and Hung (2002) argue that because of the brief and intermittent communication of virtual connections, that the opportunities are limited for members of these online cummunities to develop relationships and build trust.

" Trust is the glue that binds the members of a community to act in a sharing & adapting manner. Without trust, members would hoard their knowledge and experience and would not go through the trouble of sharing with or learning from others" (Nichani, Hung, 2002, p.51).

Wentling, Page, & Ardichvili (2003) discuss that i ndividuals are often sceptical about participation online due to "fear of criticism or inaccuracy". Often people will be reserved when entering or participating in information and knowledge sharing. The information once posted in an online forum is irremovable therefore they may not be entirely honest, they may withhold information that they don’t believe is particularly interesting, relevant, risky or truthful. There exists the potential of loss of intellectual property rights.


 * INTERNET** - Fontainha, Elsa and Gannon-Leary (2008) highlights a couple of the major issues that ICT has on the development and sustainability of CoPs. People are often selective in their use of ICT as they aim to meet their operational needs, irrespective of their ICT skills. A CoP may be established for a specific learning activity such as eLearning papers, a course or seminar. On the other hand, a practice-based or subject-based virtual CoP may develop more organically and be less transient. When using a CoP to decrease the geographical gap it can lead to misinterpretation of messages, as a lot of non-verbal cues can be missing from the communication.

The capability of the user's internet, especially in the reliability of connection and speed of internet, and their personal knowledge or access to expertise is highlighted in the following: The Metiri Group (2009) states that "many of the technologies which demonstrate the most promise in bringing together, fostering, and sustaining collaborative communities of practice are blocked by the content filters in place on school networks."


 * FREE-RIDERS -** those who sit back and watch. Whilst they gain professional knowledge and access the entrepreneurial expertise from collaborating members they do not actively participate in the Community of Practice.

Advantages of online Communities of Practice MUTUAL GAIN - Mitchell, Wood and Young (2001) discusses many benefits of Communities of Practice and split these into two categories:
 * 1) Individuals
 * 2) Organisations (for practice and productivity)

__For the individual,__ this article suggests that by empowering the person to manage change and to learn they need to interact with other people with common interests that they may not necessarily have face-to-face contact with. This helps to foster a team approach where the individual is supported and encouraged through knowledge sharing and a collaborative reflection point. By giving people opportunities to collaborate they provide each other with an access point for new knowledge, especially tacit. This sharing within the Community of Practice gives people the ability to solve day to day problems and also to float ideas, provided people who feedback are practising e-etiquette it is an encouraging environment facilitating the mutual development of each other.

__For the organisation__, both productivity and practice, the benefits of CoPs are that it encourages team based learning, mutual accountability to development, it fosters innovation. It also provides opportunities for new and experienced employees to be able to gain expertise knowledge and feedback on ideas. The flow on effects from this is that the customer benefits from a more thorough result, e.g. trouble shooting, through more effective feedback systems that have been accessed by numerous employees. It also is a clear indicator of leaders and motivated workers.

The majority of literature is clear in advocating for teacher's professional learning that is situated in authentic groups, tasked with real outcomes, which provides the professional time needed to learn, collaborate, discover, and reflect. In other words, moving the space of interaction to a virtual environment presents new opportunities that still require our continued attention to lessons learned when working with teachers in face-to-face contexts.

It gives teachers a voice and an ear in which to share their knowledge and expertise and develop new understandings. It helps to give them and those around them encouragement and advice to be dynamic in their profession.