Chapter 2: Using Knowledge Management Technology to increase teacher collaboration

1. By: Danny Biro Chapter 2: Using Knowledge Management Technology to increase teacher collaboration

2. Introduction • My literature review addresses the barriers and benefits of electronic collaboration and knowledge management, and the possible methods of implementation within a high school.

3. Definition of Terms • Knowledge Management: • The method in which an organization or institution accumulates and distributes its collective knowledge (Carroll, Choo, Dunlap, Isenhour Kerr, MacLean, & Rosson, 2003).

4. Definition of Terms • Electronic Environment: • The use of the Internet, e-mail, or any other computer-based technology (Suntisukwongchote, 2006).

5. Definition of Terms • Communities of Practice: • Communities where “collective learning results in practices that reflect both the pursuit of our enterprises and the attendant social relations (Wenger, 1997, p. 38).”

6. Search Methodology • Most of the literature covering KM is weighted towards business when being compared to education, especially at the high school level. • A ProQuest search for: • “’Knowledge management’ in business” produced 5047 scholarly journal articles • “’Knowledge management’ in college,” produced 494 scholarly journal articles • “’Knowledge management’ in ‘high school’” produced 17 scholarly journal articles

7. Barriers of Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Availability of technology for teacher use • Suntisukwongchote (2006) discovered: • 42% of teachers at 16 high schools in Western Austrialia had daily access to computers • 32% had their own e-mail address

8. Barriers of Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • How many teachers know how to use current technology? • Suntisukwongchote (2006) discovered: • 55% are comfortable using current technology • 29% described themselves as beginners

9. Barriers of Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Isolation and lack of time • Teachers are isolated in there classrooms and rarely share the same prep period with other members in their department. • Teachers are given very little time to collaborate

10. Barriers of Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Some teachers refuse to share their knowledge because: • Knowledge is “sacred” • They feel they are undereducated and are afraid of being criticized by their peers

11. Quiz Time: Which of the following is not a barrier of electronic collaboration and knowledge management? • Isolation • Lack of time • Too much technology is available • Too little technology is available • Teachers refuse to share their knowledge

12. Quiz Time: Which of the following is not a barrier of electronic collaboration and knowledge management? • Isolation • Lack of time • Too much technology is available • Too little technology is available • Teachers refuse to share their knowledge

13. Benefits of Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Using e-mail: • Gives the less vocal and assertive teachers a chance to express their ideas • Increases concise collaboration by reducing off-topic small talk

14. Benefits of Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Increase collaborative time and reduces wasted time • Wikis and Web sites are an easy and fast way to access and distribute lesson plans, assignments, and ideas

15. Incorporating Electronic Knowledge Management and Collaboration • Top-down approach • Site or district administration introduces plans that restructures a school’s curriculum • Usually is not that effective because it does not give the teachers enough control over the implementation of the plan and/or gives them little ownership

16. Incorporating Electronic Knowledge Management and Collaboration • Bottom-up approach • Begins with teachers collaborating within their own department on a particular goal which then evolves into school-wide collaboration where all the staff members develop a common goal (Carroll et al., 2003) • Gives teachers the freedom and responsibility to develop and implement an effective way for electron teacher collaboration and KM

17. Quiz Time: Which of the following is not a benefit of electronic collaboration and knowledge management? • Reduces time • Increases off-topic conversations • Increase collaboration • Increases access to more resources

18. Quiz Time: Which of the following is not a benefit of electronic collaboration and knowledge management? • Reduces time • Increases off-topic conversations • Increase collaboration • Increases access to more resources

19. Using a Wiki for Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Wikis are a type of open source software that are similar to a word processor which allows users to create their own wiki or add, if given permission, to the content of another author’s wiki (Sagotsky, Zhang, Wang, Martin, & Deisboeck, 2008).

20. Using a Wiki for Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Wagner (2006) and Prasarnphanich & Wagner (2009) Studies: • Wanted to know if Wikipedia increases collaboration and whether the sharing of knowledge is altruistic in nature • The results showed that most of Wikipedia’s authors contribute primarily for collaborative and altruistic reasons and that these practices may be applied to other wiki applications.

21. Using a Wiki for Electronic Collaboration and Knowledge Management • Sheehy’s (2008) Study: • 12 members of a high school language arts department participated • Used grant money to pay the 12 teachers for 2 hours of wiki training • Results: 7 of the 12 teachers said they would use the wiki for collaboration and knowledge management

22. Discrepancies in the Literature • Most of the literature covering electronic collaboration and KM discuss its use within the business community and, to a lesser extent, the college community. • The implementation of a high school department or school wide teacher collaborative Web site or wiki is almost completely absent from the literature.

23. Summary • The research on electronic collaboration and knowledge management (KM) within the high school environment appears to be in its infancy, therefore the benefits and barriers are still not entirely understood • Even though the bulk of the research on electronic collaboration and KM focuses on businesses, colleges, and collaborative Web sites and wikis, such as Wikipedia, Sheehy’s (2008) study does describe the potential of this technology within the high school setting

24. References • Carroll, J., Choo, C. W., Dunlap, D. R., Isenhour, P. L., Kerr, S. T., MacLean, A., & Rosson, M. B (2003). Knowledge Management Support for Teachers. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 51, (4), 42-64. • Prasarnphanich, P. & Wagner, C. (2009). The Role of Wiki Technology and Altruism in Collaborative Knowledge Creation. The Journal of Computer Information Systems, 49, (4), 33-41.

25. References • Sagotsky, J., Zhang, L., Wang, Z., Martin, S., & Deisboeck, T (2008). Life Sciences and the Web: A New Era for Collaboration. Molecular Systems Biology 4, 201, 1-10. doi:10.1038/msb.208.39 • Sheehy, G (2008). The Wiki as Knowledge Repository: Using a Wiki in a Community of Practice to Strengthen K-12 Education. TechTrends, 52, (6), 55-60.

26. References • Suntisukwongchote, P (2006). Testing Models of Collaboration among High School Science Teachers in an Electronic Environment [electronic version]. The High School Journal, 89, (3), 22-33. • Wagner, C (2006). Breaking the Knowledge Acquisition Bottleneck Through Conversational Knowledge Management [electronic version]. Information Resources Management Journal, 19, 70-83. • Wenger, E (1997). Practice, Learning, Meaning, Identity. Training, 34, (2), 38-39.