Comments on: Community requires tending.

By: MariaD

MariaD — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:03:13 +0000

The online communities, where people can find like-minded people across the world, cause certain Renaissance to happen - in some areas. Children write more than ever, for example. In other areas, like the one I consider my own (mathematics), we still don’t see enough communities even online. Some practical questions for community tenders are very simple, yet few people ever pose them before designing educational (or “educational”, if the community of learners fail as a result) activities.

- When we do what we do, where is “togetherness”? What will the learners do WITH OTHERS? (pair, group, distributed collaboration work)
- How is the activity promoting communication? Does it? (The tools for communication, taking turns, integrating and analyzing other people’s ideas have to be built into activities)
- Collection (of artifacts, histories, previous day’s work) is hugely important for cultures, because people keep contributing to a common collection that provides continuity with the past. Will the activity promote accumulation of artifacts into collections and their easily accessible display?
- Connection with other human endeavors already important for existing cultures to which participants belong (food, holidays, history)
- Forming these entities that make a culture: history, common rituals, holidays and memorial days, common language and so on; there are lists among historians (Pi Day, anyone?)

By: Ben Wilkoff

Ben Wilkoff — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:07:24 +0000

Man, those are some really great questions. We need to get some more people asking/answering them. Diigo group? Discussion on this blog?

By: Ginger Lewman

Ginger Lewman — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:53:39 +0000

What causes humans to disregard that which is good for us? Why do people not automatically tend our communities? What is it that keeps the tending from being intrinsic? What makes it need to be deliberately conscious work?

Every single person I know neglects in varying degrees. Is it because we have too many communities? Is it because guilt forces us to create or participate half-heartedly in communities that are not intrinsically motivating? Are those communities like the spinach, liver, broccoli, lima beans on a child’s plate? (eat them, you may not like them, but they’re good for you!)

Are we forced into the “wrong” communities by societal norm, and therefore that devalues the truly important communities for each of us? For all of us? Do all of us suffer due to artificial or superficial communities that we think we must tend? If so, why do we choose those?

I’m asking why because if we can get to the root of it, we can decide what to do about it.