March 3, 2005 - Cycle One - Summary Reflection - The Whys!
My first cycle action was really an ice-breaker. It provided the means for me to learn some information about this new staff that I was working with. I felt that it was important that the staff have a chance to tell me what they feel they need in the way of technology training and skills. Being that the staff is itinerant, a survey was the most efficient method of getting a big picture of the staff and technology. It certainly worked. While the survey that I created provided options for each question, many of the staff wrote in comments and added things. I really enjoyed reading these comments--they were filled with human, frustration, and concern and we certainly as valuable as the fixed options that I provided--actually, these comments were in more valuable. I know had a picture of what's been happening and where their direction is. My questions about CoPs served as a "hint" of what I was about--an icebreaker. The responses gave me an indication of the culture and climate of the division. I sense that there was interest, but some caution related to volunteering. This is natural since I am the newcomer.
My next step was to create an invitation and personally invite. I choose this step to help personalize the project and connect individually with the interested members. My purpose in choosing this AR project was to help me become better at establishing relationships, geniunely serving the needs of the staff, and developing an understanding of the division--therefore it is important that I find ways to establish dialogue with this distributed staff.
MY ACTIONS (Cycle 1): The research question is
. If I invite staff members to participate in my quest to cultivate a community of practice by describing the potential value, will this develop a sense of interest and trust among them and encourage their participation? The first actions that I have taken: 1. Invite participants to participate in a survey. The survey provides a means to uncover those interested in my quest to build a community of practice among staff members as a means to connect with each other, share common practices, solve everyday problems, expand our skills, provide innovative solutions to problems that we all face, empower ourselves to grow professionally, and share knowledge among our organization. 2. Conduct a survey to determine potential participants and key issues that are of concern to staff members.
Karen Connaghan AR Plan and Timeline Draft 2 Version 4 2/6/2005
3. Personally invite key members whom I have identified as necessary to provide legitimacy to the community. 4. Analyze the results of the survey.