Book Review - Digital Habitats

Abstract:

A Review of Digital Habitats: Stewarding Technology for Communities [1],

a book by Etienne Wenger, Nancy White, and John D. Smith

Etienne Wenger [3], Nancy White<= /a> [4], and John D. Smith's [= 5] Digital Habi= tats: Stewarding Technology for Communities [1] (Portland, OR:CPsquare, 2009) is designed to help the= reader understand the role of a technology steward within a community. Eti= enne Wenger is a global thought leader in the field of communities of practice [6] and social learning systems. Nancy Wh= ite, of Full Circle Associates, has over 25 years of communications, techno= logy and leadership skills in her work supporting collaboration, learning= and communications in the NGO, non profit and business sectors. John David= Smith, of Learning Alliances= [5], also has over 25 years of exper= ience to bear on the technology and learning problems faced by communities,= their leaders and their sponsors. Together they are members of CPsquare [7], a non-profit organization that provides a place where people gather to= connect and learn.

Digital Habitats grew from a 2001 report [8] Wenger wro= te for the United States government on how Internet technologies can potent= ially support communities of practice. Wenger's report contained a bro= ad survey of technology products available and their ability to support com= munities of practice. Wenger and his associates, White and Smith, began upd= ating the report as a book. The need for this updated volume was directed= by three areas that were rapidly changing: the evolution of the community= support tools market, broadened mutual influence of community and technolo= gy, and finally, deepened experience with technology. "We observe comm= unities now facing larger and more complex technology choices for their cre= ation of digital habitats" (xii).

Digital Habitats describes what skills are necessary for choosi= ng, implementing and maintaining a web presence along with digital tools th= at enable stewards to facilitate groups coming together as an online commun= ity. Digital Habitats is a valuable tool for anyone who coordinate= s community activities as well as for explaining what a steward's role= is, who are the people who take on this role, why you may be interested in= stewardship, and how to begin. One of the most valuable parts of the= book is the "Itinerary: A reader's guide" at the beginning= of the book. The authors are clear in who the potential readers of the boo= k are and what they might get out of it.

Deep Divers are interested in deeply exploring the connections= between technology and community through the application of learning theor= ies to practical situations such as the use of technology by communities of= practice.
Attentive Practitioners are interested in developing their pra= ctice while learning with fellow practitioners. They are searching for bett= er ways to serve their communities and need to be able to talk about techno= logy stewarding, and to demonstrate its value. They seek practical advice= as well as theoretical concepts to effectively communicate their role as= technology stewards.
Just Do It-ers are action-oriented, making things happen. They= are most interested in practical information that will allow them to facil= itate the needs of their communities. They are tasked with supporting their= community's technology and immediately get right down to figuring out= how to do the job.

While structuring the book for its potential audience the authors realiz= ed that different readers had different needs. The authors outline which ch= apters the three groups of readers should focus on as they advance the prac= tice of stewarding technology.

Deep Divers should read Chapters 1 and 2 which focus on theory= and history of technology. They should also read the reflections of the fu= ture in Chapters 11 and 12.
Attentive Practitioners should focus on Chapters 4 to 6 that= offer three models for thinking about technology in communities. There are= also tables of activities, tools and practice notes that provide resources= that will anchor their practice.
Just-Do-It-ers should start with Chapter 10 then move on to ot= her chapters as they need relevant information. They will also prefer the= more concrete information in Chapters 7 to 9 and the concluding comments= in Chapters 4 to 6.

As an Attentive Practitioner, I found that I focused on "= ;Part II - Literacy", as my own practice involves stewarding various= networks of teachers working together on collaborative student projects.= Chapter 4: "What aspects of technology should a steward consider"= ;, resonated with me as I'm constantly looking at the tools, features,= platforms, and configurations of the technology that our communities use.= Even though the book gave examples from communities where the steward had= a strong programming background, I believe that most stewards are technolo= gy users rather than developers. The type of steward that I am is one that= uses and adapts technologies for the community rather than one that create= s new technologies. The authors state that "this book is about the ide= ntification, description, and practice of an emerging function. The order= of the chapters reflects the need to build a useful repertoire of concepts= , models, and practice tips for those who undertake the role of stewarding= technology for communities and its complex set of activities" (xvii).= I believe this to be a really important function of the book as I continue= to build my repertoire of Internet tools that will accommodate the needs= of the communities that I steward.

I found that Part II keeps good on its promise to "offer three mo= dels for thinking about technology in communities . These models are meant= to help tech stewards "read" situations and propose courses of= action. They constitute a kind of "literacy" of the function&quo= t; (xviii). As I read the chapters, I found that the content helped me begi= n to understand my community better, including its characteristics, and the= needs and membership of my group. Part II also helped me in "providin= g a framework for considering technology from the perspective of the life= of a community, with a focus on what is unique about a given community&quo= t; (70). It also gave me insight into what my goals were in providing techn= ology for my community: what strategies I needed to use, how I could solve= difficulties, and how I could meet the changing needs of my community. Fin= ally, this portion of the book helped me to consider the activities and too= ls I would need to work with my community. "People experience being pa= rt of a community in a wide variety of ways: communities have different sty= les. That's why different habitats work for different communities. Thi= s chapter organizes this diversity into nine distinct 'orientations&#x= 27; we have observed in practice" (69). Chapter 6 explained the needs= of the nine orientations, a typical pattern of activities and connections= for a community, and provided a table of tools that supports the needs of= the activity of the groups. This information would be valuable to people= beginning as community stewards along with supporting those already workin= g with communities.

Although the Introduction stressed what Digital Habitats i= s not, a shopper's guide to technology products or a roadmap for techn= ology selection, this book provided strategies for both. Part III of the bo= ok focused on the practice of stewarding technology and being responsive to= the needs of the community. Chapter 7 takes the reader through an assessme= nt of the community's needs and "many contextual factors involved= in making the pragmatic technology choices that shape a community's= digital habitat" (103). This chapter also takes into account the comp= lexity and varied experiences of the membership and how that will impact th= e community. Chapter 8 discusses the various strategies for acquisition of= technology for the community. Seven acquisition strategies such as "g= ot for the free stuff", "patch elements together", "use= open-source tools" and "build your own" (119) are examined= and discussed. The choice of what strategies to use will depend on the kno= wledge and expertise of the steward along with needs of the community. Even= though this isn't designed as a shopper's guide, I found that th= ere are enough examples and tool suggestions to make it a valuable chapter= for those that wish it were so. I found myself reading through the strateg= ies in both Chapter 8 and 9 then substituting my own situation to provide= myself with new ideas on how to connect my community members; therefore,= facilitating their need to communicate with other teachers in our= online community. I understood why the authors suggested that "Just= Do-It-ers" should skip directly to Chapter 10. Chapter 10 is an actio= n chapter, full of practical checklists, tables and questions that provide= an outline of where to begin and how to continue a practice of community= stewardship.

Digital Habitats finishes with the authors' examination of= the future of technology stewardship. Chapter 11 looks at the current tren= ds affecting community and technology while Chapter 12 "uses these tre= nds to frame a learning agenda for the practice of technology stewardship&q= uot; (xix). "In the final two chapters of the book, we step back from= the day-to-day practicalities of technology stewarding and take a more con= ceptual look at the trends in the search for new digital habitats at the in= tersection of community and technology" (171). The authors discuss the= "increased connectivity across time and space" (174) and how the= many ways in which we are able to interact online will change along with= the "changing geographies of community and identity" (177). The= complexity of the web will grow to meet the demands of users who are more= demanding of social interaction and information.

Digital Habitats is a practical, easy to read book that wi= ll benefit anyone who is a technology steward, or those considering taking= on that role. The book is a combination of text, tables and diagrams that= ensure these important ideas are understandable. Digital Habitats&= nbsp;will support the steward in making a difference in how they suppor= t their community, what tools and strategies they should consider, and most= importantly, how to best understand the needs of the community members tha= t they serve.