Instant Scholarly Community

Conversations with colleagues foment enthusiasm and inspiration for scholarship.

This has been true ever since there've been conversations, colleagues, and scholarship. But it's hitting home, for me, that the model on which I imprinted, in the earliest stages of my professional academic life - the one where conversations like that happen at the occasional or periodic conference (maybe at the hotel bar...) - isn't the only place, or even the primary place, I find these inspirational professional connections.

Case in point: I just spent a solid hour at my favorite coffee shop just off campus here at MCLA, getting fired up by sharing questions and ideas about the nature of digital pedagogy, the shifting roles of professor and student, grades and assessment, openness in evaluation. This rapid-fire conversation wasted no time: I maxed out my words-per-minute typing abilities keeping up with conversations, and there were plenty of threads I missed. I collaborated with colleagues - grad students and profs - at Stanford, GSU, ktl.

Oh, and by the way: this conversation happened on Twitter, parceled out 140 characters at a time.

I think I'm starting to discover a theme in my musings here so far. I keep circling back to the realization that many of my colleagues evaluate online and digital resources, spaces, and experiences as a newly-fledged and volatile environment - and as such, an environment which isn't ready to support serious scholarly life. Interesting? Oh yes yes. Useful pedagogically? Sure, why not? The kids (and administrators!) will love the novelty of assigned readings on their iPads. An ancillary measure of scholarship, even? Maaaybe... after all, didn't So-and-so get recognized for doing some website project?

Not so many of us, however, are ready to accept that there's scholarly work and community that exist primarily and fundamentally in the digital space. We've spent so long with the notion of the digital as the "add-on piece". We start with our physical textbooks, and also convert articles to *.pdf. We evaluate face-to-face participation, and also devote 5% of the participation grade to the online discussions. We meet our colleagues at the APA, and also sign up for those email lists...

I have the growing suspicion that the next 10 years will see a critical mass of academics treating the digital as a primary space for scholarship. I have no idea what will happen then; but I'm glad I'll be around to see it.