[Air-L] Call for Chapters: Virtual Professional Development and Informal Learning via Social Networks

[Jennifer Myers]

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS
Virtual Professional Development and Informal Learning via Social Networks
Edited by Dr. Vanessa P. Dennen and Jennifer B. Myers, Florida State University

Introduction

People are increasingly engaged in profession-related learning via
social networks supported by Web 2.0 tools. Some of these informal
online learners are already actively engaged in a profession, whereas
others are preparing to enter a profession. Regardless, their online
interactions enhance their formal education and face-to-face
professional experiences. These individuals represent a sub-set of
their larger professional community, not all of which has sought or
may wish to seek online interaction. Still, the robust nature of these
online communities, often developed in a bottom-up fashion, indicates
the value of Web 2.0-based interaction for at least some people.

Informal, voluntary professional development activities allow
professionals to focus on individual learning needs as they arise.
These opportunities do not replace formal education and training,
which should focus on core knowledge and skills within the profession.
Instead, they enhance formal experiences by providing a platform
through which individualization, social networking, mentoring, and
knowledge brokering all may take place. Thus, the power of informal
online learning and professional development is in supporting
individuals as they determine their own learning needs and, typically
through interaction with others, find pertinent and timely ways of
meeting those needs. Ironically, these activities may not be validated
by the organizations in which people work as true learning or
professional development because they are free to participants, are
not typically led by “experts” (or are led by self-proclaimed
experts), are socially constructed, may include personal/off-topic
chatter, are not formally assessed, and do not result in a
certification or degree. Still, the activities fill an important gap
in professional learning because they enable on-the-job knowledge
exchange and teach what is not or what cannot be taught in formal
environments.

Objective of the Book

This edited volume will examine how individuals and organizations are
using Web 2.0 tools to create informal learning and professional
development opportunities. Informal learning is learning which occurs
outside of a formal educational context, typically driven by a
personal question or an immediate need. In other instances, informal
learning may occur as a by-product of other social interactions. In
this context, we focus on informal learning that occurs through online
social networks on a voluntary basis. Professional development, then,
is defined as learning that will enhance one's job-related knowledge
or career growth regardless of field.

Some of the technologies that will be examined in this volume include
but are not limited to Twitter, blogging, discussion forums, social
bookmarking tools, You Tube, and Wikis. Particular phenomena that will
be addressed include:  knowledge brokering (e.g., cross-pollination of
institutional knowledge); ongoing online support communities;
event-based communities (e.g. conference tweeting, current event
blogging); cognitive apprenticeship via shared online narratives; and
informal development of knowledge and learning object repositories.

Recommended topics

The book will cover:
·      Theories of Social Networks for Professional Development and
Informal Learning.
·      Development of Social Networks for Professional Development and
Informal Learning.
·      Impact of Social Networks on Professional Development and
Informal Learning.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
·      pedagogical frameworks for informal online professional development
·      social networking frameworks for informal online professional development
·      technology support for informal online professional development
·      how professional development networks are designed and developed
·      how norms and practices develop in professional development networks
·      technologies used for professional development networks
·      case studies of social network development
·      evaluations of online professional development networks
·      empirical research on network interactions in professional
development networks
·      case studies of cognitive apprenticeship, mentoring, and
knowledge brokering through online social networks.

Submission Procedure

Authors are invited to submit chapter proposals on or before March 15
2011. The proposal should consist of a 2-3 page chapter proposal
clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed
chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by April 15,
2011 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.
Full chapters are expected to be submitted by August 15, 2011. All
submitted chapters will undergo a double-blind review. Contributors
may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project. This
publication is anticipated to be released in 2012.

Important Dates

March 15, 2011:           Proposal Submission Deadline
April 15, 2011:             Notification of Acceptance
August 15, 2011:          Full Chapter Submission
October 15, 2011:        Review Results Returned
November 15, 2011:    Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word
document) or by mail to:

Dr. Vanessa P. Dennen and Jennifer Myers
Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL USA  32306-4453
Tel.: +1 850-644-8783 • Fax: +1 850-644-8776
E-mail: vdennen at fsu.edu and jab07s at fsu.edu
Joint account: dennen.myers.book at gmail.com