Oriol Miralbell's_research

I’m working in my PhD research and after two years of rambling through the immense world of scientific and academic literature dealing with Social Networks, Knowledge Management, Virtual Communities and Informations Systems, I discovered last year the CCK08 course which impressed me so much that I’ve decided to follow it this year again. I must give up that this is something completely different of the course last year,and it’s because of the people taking part on it. The act different, react differenr. In other words we all are different, which makes connective leanring something unique depending on the moment it’s done and the group.

I’m working on a model that wants to understand what factors inmpacta positively in generating knowledge in a virtual community that uses online social apps to communicate. My research wants to study a specific VC, that is a VC on Tourism Professionals,. because this is an Industry where professionals seldomexchange knowledge and thus where innovation is scarce among the small and middle sized companies, qhch are de huge majority of the industry. Only big oturism companies (groups or chains) are using internal knwoeldge management tools and innovate.

So I decided that Connective learning could be also a way to learn outside the classroom. Professionals could use it and I wwanted to see if these professionals use Connective leraning as means to generate knwoeldge, or at least if they are aware (or recognize) that they’re using connective knowldge inside their VC.

I asked to Stephen Downes on the factors that would be determinant to consider that a VC is achieving a coonnective learning. A sort of success factors for connective leanring communities. I must thank Stephen for his quick and generous answer. The fundamental factors like Autonomy, Diversity, Openness and INteractions / connectivity have been integrated in my analysis model tha I will use ion a survey to the members of these VCs.

Todau, though I got a mail from another participant to the CCK08 last year (Dolors Reig) and great  expert in participatory communities of knowledge who sent me her feedback to my research proposal and suggested two new issues to be considered in my research: Find relations in benefits for thr organization vs. benefits to the individual; and the second: learning vs. knowledge sharing. I will have to work on those comcepts to integrate them in my model.

Finally I knew over Twitter about the Post of Prof. Valdis krebs about the Connections of the Chicago 2016 Commitee and the reasons of the failure. And after thinking his conclusions (he could proove after a SNA, that there were two different clsuters with different interests) that this showed a lack of leadership in the Chicago Commitee which probably influences he decision of the CIO.

So it comes to my mind a questions: do connective learning communities leed any kind of leadership? What do you think?

Sorry for making it so long.