Communication & Collaboration...Local & Global Community: COPSS & VLE

Community of Practice Support Software (COPSS)

(Click Under-the-Bonnet for a pdf showing these functions available to registered users only.)
  

The Community of Practice software used by easiCOP benefits from WEB 2.0 services architecture and in particular JOOMLA Community Builder. in practice, this means that (1) The modules exist (2) They are tried and tested by others (3) Most modules are FREE and freely available. Our approach has been to support, not lead, others in the development of solutions which the community, or school owns. In the same 'open source' community of practice, learn and give-back spirit, we are DELIGHTED to offer free informal advice on how you might build your own solutions. Below, we aim to make entirely clear what is free and what is not! 

Our easiCOP Community of Practice software configuration as used on this site allows each project to be managed by a Project Manager - with an array of (allegedly :-) easy-to-use WEB 2.0 support tools including the Dashboard (not visible to a visitor).  You can also download an Under-the-Bonnet view of another similar configuration showing in particular the Dashboard tools available to the project manager.

This software can be used to support other Communities Of Practice: Joining a community or setting up a new community depends on the purpose/objective/challenge and whether a community is big enough and/or wishes to assert its own identity. The JOOMLA Community Bulder modules would be assembled and configured to meet this specific requirement: this has a development cost ie somebody has to do it - it is non-trivial. More fundamentally, the software must be considered a support tool to a wider community engagement activity - which can take considerable time and effort. A whitepaper on Community Building addresses this.

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

The modules can be put together to form a very powerful VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) reaching from the school to the local and global community.

However, we recognise that most schools have their own preferred VLE solution and so it has been very important that modules can be used separate to or fully integrated with a single log-in to existing VLE's. The solution below in which we support our lead technology school Brownhills also uses the PURCHASED Joomla Learning Management System module plus a PAID FOR database integration module - so these are NOT free (sorry to labour the point :-)

Brownhills have developed a very powerful VLE for themselves (image 1), their feeder primary schools (image 2) and their Local Community Association (image 3). Click on the images for the PDF downloads: