Information and Communication Technologies to connect the members of different communities

[Deutscher Titel: Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologie zur Verbindung der Mitglieder von Gemeinschaften (Text übersetzen: Deutsch)]

Stefanos Ziovas, Maria Grigoriadou
Connecting communities through ICT: boundary crossing and knowledge sharing in a web-based ‘community of communities’
International Journal of Web Based Communities 2009 – Vol. 5, No.1 pp. 66 – 82

Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) provide the means to connect the members of a community across geographical or institutional boundaries. However, there are relatively few examples that utilise ICT to connect the members of different communities across the boundaries of their practice. This paper provides empirical support to the issues that concern the connections of different communities that are involved in computer science teaching in secondary education. The members of the communities participated in a web-based community and contributed to project development activities regarding the design, implementation and evaluation of ICT-based educational material. The projects served as the mediating objects around which members of the different communities crossed the boundaries of their practices and achieved mutual engagement.

Keywords: web-based communities; communities of practice; boundary crossing; knowledge sharing; teacher development; professional development; virtual communities; online communities; ICT; computer science teaching; secondary education; educational material.

DOI (Link): 10.1504/IJWBC.2009.021562

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