Abstract
The development of technological solutions often consists of a small group of experts selecting the type of technology and how it is to be used, regardless of the culture of the user. This practice excludes practitioners from the decision-making process, and can lead to frustrations and an unsustainable community of practice. This paper addresses the problem of selecting and developing appropriate technologies to advance best practices through communities of practice for teachers in the lower grades in Namibia. Considering cultural norms and practices common to Namibians and applying it to a technological solution of a virtual forum, reduces the feeling of technology inadequacy and the desire to be part of a “meeting of the elders.” Consultative meetings with teachers in our sample group resulted in data on the technology use of lower primary school teachers. Results indicate that, even with an appropriate choice of a technological solution, coordination or leadership is essential for success. The cultural notion investigated in this paper is related to, and may be dependent upon, the headman/chief model of providing active leadership by continually pulling the “meetings” together, consistent with the cultural norms of participants.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Perien Joniell Boer, declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Tutaleni I. Asino, declares that he has no conflict of interest.
Appendix
Appendix
The survey questions are in the table below:
1. | List three relevant topics in education that you would like to discuss with peers. _________ |
2. | Is it important for you to share your concerns and solutions about your teaching practice on a regular basis – YES or NO or other. Why or why not? _________________________ |
3. | How frequent do you have access to the internet? (Check what best describes your access) |
• Once a month | |
• Once a week | |
• Once a day | |
• Regularly during the day | |
4. | When you on the internet what activities are you engaged with? _______________ |
5. | When you go online which technology do you use mostly? |
• PC/Laptop | |
• Smartphone | |
• Tablet | |
• All of the above | |
• Other (Specify) | |
6. | Do you use social media on a regular basis? If yes, which from the list below do you use frequently |
• Other (Specify) | |
7. | If you were asked to choose a virtual sharing/discussion platform, which of the following would you prefer to use |
• Website Forum | |
• Email listserve | |
• Wiki | |
• Develop an APP | |
8. | How best can a virtual discussion forum be implemented so that you would want to use it. What elements would it need to address, for you to participate? ____________________ |
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Boer, P.J., Asino, T.I. Kopano Virtual Forum: Using Cultural Norms to Develop Online Communities of Practice Environments. TechTrends 62, 364–374 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0287-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0287-4