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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Communities of practice versus individual learning

I read about linkbaiting as a way to increase the number of visitors and comments on your blog. Though I don't think that's really my style it made me think about a discovery I had over the weekend that may be controversial in relation to communities of practice. I talked to an artist (painter) who is sharing a workspace with other artists. So I asked her about her interactions with the other painters and whether that is stimulating/influencing her in her work. But she said she doesn't like to interact with them and discuss her work, she intuitively knows what to work on and how to improve it. And it's hard work. They don't know her struggles and she's happy that she doesn't have to explain it others like in art school.

Since then I'm thinking about the space for individual learning versus group learning and group pressure to go in a certain direction. Maybe some people thrive when they are not (or not so much) connected to and influenced by others? Maybe individualistic journeys are more authentic? Do blogs create that space for online communities? Is this a linkbait?

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