The author began the chapter by stating that we must put relationships first. This is because these interactions become the bases for getting to know each other and finding common perspectives and experiences. In addition, the author stated that "Fostering, nurturing, and maintaining positive, congenial relationships is the first step toward building collaborative cultures—in your school and in a more global connected learning community" (Nussbaum-Beach). She then directed her discussion into the difference between congeniality and collegiality. The author stated that "Congeniality refers to the polite, friendly relationship we have with one another, where as collegiality is a shared belief that none of us is as good (or smart) as all of us, and we can all contribute to improved individual practice" (Nussbaum-Beach). In order to build a collaborative culture, we must foster collegiality.
Next, Nussbaum-Beach discussed how to establish trust through an online community. Trust, empathy, and reciprocity bond members together in any community or social setting, but even more so online. At times it is difficult to build trust online since there are no face-to-face interactions. It is not impossible however. The author shared several examples of the different ways that her online community came to trust her. One main way to establish trust online is to manage your online reputation in a positive way. As the author stated, "Reputation management is another important trust-building tool in online spaces" (Nussbaum-Beach). The figure below gives other details about how to create trust.
Nussbaum-Beach continued the chapter by discussing the importance of transparency. She stated "An educator in the Netherlands said transparency is the catalyst for connected learning, that "being transparent makes what you share something from which all can learn”...An elementary educator in an independent school in Virginia feels that transparency is essential; otherwise, she said, you are “simply taking from your personal learning network without giving back"" (Nussbaum-Beach). I completely agree with the statement that if you are not transparent, you are taking from your personal learning network without giving back. You must be open and honest so that you are able to get appropriate feedback from your audience. I also really liked the quote from Siemens that said "It is when we make our learning transparent, we become teachers”.
Finally, Nussbaum-Beach briefly discussed leadership's role within a personal learning community. She used a quote by Linda Lambert that stated "The key notion in this definition is that leadership is about learning together, and constructing meaning and knowledge collectively and collaboratively. It involves opportunities to surface and mediate perceptions, values, beliefs, information, and assumptions through continuing conversations; to inquire about and generate ideas together; to seek, to reflect upon and make sense of work in the light of shared beliefs and new information; and to create actions that grow out of these new understandings. Such is the core of leadership".
Overall, I believe that Chapter 4 was very useful and informative. Before reading this chapter, I was concerned about how I would be able to get individuals in my personal learning community to trust me and vice versa when there are no face-to-face interactions. Now, I know that to establish trust I must maintain a respectable reputation, especially online. In addition, I must be transparent so that I may share what I learn and also give back what I take from others in my community.
Trust is something that is very hard to receive and maintain, but it all starts with having a respectable reputation, in person and online, as you said. I try to carry myself with pride and self-awareness in person and online, you never know who is watching! What ways could you gain your colleagues trust online?
ReplyDeleteHi Desiree! I liked how you talked about the importance of transparency when creating and fostering an online community. I completely agree when you said that if you are not transparent, you are not giving back to the community. It is also hard to develop trust in an online relationship if you are not transparent. As a future teacher, it is important to establish trust with other teachers in the building so that they feel comfortable sharing their ideas and listening to your ideas. I can see this being important in all professions where you have to establish relationships with other professionals in the field.
ReplyDeleteHi Desiree, this post was well worth the read. Your questioning about how to gain and maintain trust when there are no personal or face time interactions involved was the same question I had while reading Chapter 4. As we have learned, trust is very important in any relationship. To establish and maintain it, we must actually do the things we say we will do. Sometimes, things as simple as this can get thrown in the shadow when really that says a lot about you and later, your reputation. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete