Sport Informatics and Analytics/Introductions/Communities of Practice/Introduction

Introduction
A theme that pervades this course is that we live in a world of connections. Although we might not always be aware of it, we share interests with others and together we have the opportunity to form a community.

Zygmunt Bauman has explored the characteristics of a community. He suggests: Words have meanings: some words, however, also have a 'feel'. The word 'community' is one of them. It feels good: whatever the word 'community' may mean, it is good 'to have a community', 'to be in a community' Etienne Wenger has discussed the benefits of communities of practice for learning communities. He proposes: Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. His definition of communities of practice has three important characteristics: Etienne Wenger, Nancy White and John Smith have discussed how such communities might flourish in digital habitats. They identify the role technology stewards can play in such flourishing. Technology stewards are: people with enough experience of the workings of a community to understand its technology needs, and enough experience with or interests in technology to take leadership in addressing those needs.
 * A domain that has an identity defined by a shared interest.
 * A community in which "members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other.
 * A shared practice that is developed through "a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems.