When the backchannel isn’t in the back anymore

March 3, 2013March 22, 2017 ~ Jeff Merrell

This past week in my class - MSLOC 430 Creating and Sharing Knowledge - I brought in three outstanding guests for a panel discussion to explore challenges related to digital networked knowledge sharing. Bill Chamberlin of IBM, Alison Seaman of ETMOOC and Jason Seiden of Ajax Workforce Marketing brought diverse perspectives to the topic and … Continue reading When the backchannel isn’t in the back anymore

On nurturing the fantasy that knowledge is always cumulative

January 13, 2013March 22, 2017 ~ Jeff Merrell ~ 2 Comments

Last week I read a piece on Shane Parrish's excellent Farnam Street blog -- "We nurture the fantasy that knowledge is always cumulative" -- highlighting commentary on that topic from author Kathryn Schultz (Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error). I tweeted the link and it struck a chord with a number of people … Continue reading On nurturing the fantasy that knowledge is always cumulative

Brave enough to go half-baked

August 25, 2012March 22, 2017 ~ Jeff Merrell ~ 7 Comments

Twice each year I teach a course that depends a great deal on students thinking-out-loud in blog posts and various forms of online discussions. Most of this is conducted in a private community space we use specifically for the course but at times the conversations seeps out into Twitter or Google+. Each time the course … Continue reading Brave enough to go half-baked

Seeing the sense-making dance

January 15, 2012March 22, 2017 ~ Jeff Merrell

"Artefacts without participation do not carry their own meaning; and participation without artefacts is fleeting, unanchored and uncoordinated." - Etienne Wenger in “Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems: the Career of a Concept” in Social Learning Systems and Communities of Practice, 2010. (Chris Blackmore, ed.). It is the beginning of the third week of … Continue reading Seeing the sense-making dance

Collective learning

October 4, 2011 ~ Jeff Merrell ~ 4 Comments

This week's topic in the Change11 MOOC -- collective learning -- captures my attention because it taps into a long-running conversation I've been having (primarily with my colleagues) about re-imagining the practice of learning & development and knowledge management. And along with that: teaching in higher education. It's timely also because I'll be talking about … Continue reading Collective learning