Discussion forum #1 – Which KM definition and Why?
Word Count: 300 Words
Tips for getting started:
Aim to keep your discussions brief, between 2-4 paragraphs or approximately 300 words, and as a guide your entry must NEVER exceed an A4 page in length.
Please aim to be discursive – don’t prepare a mini-essay with references, respond to the source materials for the forum and the discussion prompts/questions asked.
Acknowledgment of any additional sources you consult is expected and appreciated, but formal Harvard referencing is NOT required in a discussion forum.
Do not post attachments like word docs for your answer aim to raise a conversation
Marks shown below are an indicative guide to weighting. Your posts are assessed on evidence of their engagement with: the unit content overall, the topic asked about, and with your fellow students in a discussion inside the forum.
Discussion Forum 1 Task:
To address the discussion forum topic, review both of the two attached pdf handouts (1) “Which & Why” Download (1) “Which & Why”(2) Rob Kling’s What is social informatics and why does it matter, section 5.1, Download Rob Kling’s What is social informatics and why does it matter, section 5.1,and address the following discussion points:
In your own words, what do you take the term Knowledge Management to mean? (1 mark)
In presenting your view on point 1, which of the ‘formal’ definitions of knowledge management from the “Which & Why” handout (1) do you prefer and why? (2 marks)
There are a further 2 marks available this week by supporting your answer with evidence & justification (a supporting argument) from handout (no. 2) above. What does it tell us about knowledge management? (2 marks)
While handout no.2 is an old paper – dated to 1999 – it is an extract from Robert Kling’s (Links to an external site.) seminal work on social informatics and is largely considered a founding paper in the research field of social informatics. It is included in this class because of this importance. It is arguable also, that many of the challenges of knowledge management presented in section 5.1 remain the same today: e.g. try switching from Lotus Notes for Microsoft SharePoint, or to Slack, or Yammer, or any number of other current collaborative communication tools. As you read this handout and provide your answer, please reflect on the extent to which the context – for a workplace – is much the same today or is radically different today and bring this to your discussion.
