Posts made by Brenda Kaulback

Since I don't work in a higher education environment, I am not familiar with PLEs. I work in a business environment and am thinking, however, that PLEs might be a worthwhile addition to a collaborative environment where members are collaborating online. I am imagining that it must be like a personal portfolio, where student's keep their work and their personal knowledge artifacts. Is this correct? Is there a place where one might see a sample?

Nick, I appreciate (and agree with) your objections to the word leadership in relationship to dialogue - certainly to the extent that leading has to do with directing, managing, or controlling. Perhaps that is why Harrison uses words like "convener." It does seem, however, that there is a role that is different than that of participant or ones engaging in the dialogue - the one who takes responsibility for stepping in to "restart or reorient the process." I would suggest that this person does this most effectively when it is someone whose primary role is to attend to process. In an educational setting, that is the teacher or professor. In other settings, this is the facilitator or convener - the person who "sets things up, starts things off,  and steps aside."

I also wonder if that role doesn't ideally involve some function at the other end of the process as well - like bookends, perhaps, framing the conversation - the one who closes and or leads a closing process - or just posts a thanks to everyone and says this convesation is over. In that sense, that person holds the space in a different way than the other participants - although I also agree that ideally everyone takes responsibility for doing that as part of his/her participation.

Perhaps I say these things as a result of my involvement in my own kind of dialogues - which are in business settings or community settings, where people are interested in results and want to carry something from the dialogue into action.

Thank you so much for adding the info about the 1989 Feenberg article. I thought it was absolutely fantastic and I hadn't seen it. I can see why it might be considered a "classic!" I haven't gotten to the second paper yet, but I am looking forward to it...Thanks so much.