Exploring a learning community, Forums on Codecademy by Emily Soffa https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4 en-us 2022-07-20 21:23:13 UTC 2022-07-25 19:43:39 UTC hello@padlet.com Q: Who is part of this online community? A: People who are interested in learning more about the skill of coding. esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2247124394 Codecademy forums offer "an opportunity to solidify what you’ve learned—ask for feedback, share your expertise and experience, and respond to others’ code questions. In the Codecademy Forums, you can connect and get inspired by your fellow learners.

At Codecademy, their community motto is "When one teaches, two learn," a quote attributed to Robert Heinlein. With over hundreds of daily active members, they are continuously striving to create a friendly and inclusive culture of peer support.

]]> 2022-07-20 21:26:02 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2247124394 How do platforms influence the formation of online community? esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2247132674 There are many literacies and specific skills and norms that are observed within the Codecademy Forum online community. The norms or "Do's and Don'ts of Codeacademy" are explicitly articulated so that users know the norms and how to navigate and best engage in the community. For example, users are asked to not start debates, not advertise, and not to give personal details. This is interesting because from my observations, it seems that clear information sharing related to a specific skill or task is a value in this community, rather than general socializing interpersonal relationship building. ]]> 2022-07-20 21:58:31 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2247132674 katelynm565 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248189551 This online forum contains a variety of categories to contribute to and collaborate within. This means that this forum actually contains several different practices, requiring users to share only about specific topics within each category. Some of these categories include "Careers, Journeys, and Stories", "Tips and Resources", "Suggestions", and more. Each of these categories includes a brief explanation and set of examples of what would be appropriate to add within. ]]> 2022-07-22 13:12:12 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248189551 itsnotsylvia https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248368625 Users of the site can communicate in Codecademy Forums once they have an account and are logged in. (sharing career choices and job opportunities), Tips and Resources (coding guides, tips and advice on learning programming languages), and the 30-Day Challenge (sharing goals and lessons on staying on track) etc. 

In Looking for Pair Programming Peers, for example, users make a post seeking peers in the thread, and interested parties can like or reply to the post.]]> 2022-07-22 23:32:47 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248368625 Codecademy Forums itsnotsylvia https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248369328 2022-07-22 23:37:22 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248369328 Q: What digital literacy practices shape online community activities? itsnotsylvia https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248374286 Read blogs within the site, respond to posts, user participation in online interactions and join specific programming courses.]]> 2022-07-23 00:04:06 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248374286 Q: What digital literacy practices shape online community activities on Codecademy? esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248596390 Members of Codecademy Forums engage in the digital literacy practices of searching for and finding information on specific topics within the forum, creating content, and sharing that content.

Collective Intelligence is defined in the Henry Jenkins article, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture, as "the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with other toward a common goal"(xiv, Jenkins). The contributions of individuals helps to form the collective intelligence that is organized in Codecademy forums. For example, on the thread regarding "beginner Python programming," individual users pose questions, processes, and experts offer feedback to make the information more clear, complete, and helpful for beginner coders.

Collaborative Problem Solving is defined in the Henry Jenkins article, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture, as "working together in teams, formal and informal, to complete tasks and develop new knowledge. On Codecademy's forum, individual contributors work informally, asynchronously, to answer questions, and even develop new knowledge. 

]]> 2022-07-23 19:13:19 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248596390 Q: How do people converge and participate in communal activity online? esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248599035 Codecademy offers both virtual and in person meet-ups for users to connect to other users around certain topics of interest. This is an indication that the Codecademy forum community fosters the convergence and participation among individuals who want to learn more about different aspects of coding. ]]> 2022-07-23 19:30:25 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248599035 Q: Why we are looking at Codecademy Forums? esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248600714 For the purposes of this ethnographic project, our group decided to study Codecademy Forums. We thought that Codecademy was a large worldwide learning platform with an active online community of students and experts. Within the umbrella of "membership" in Codecademy, Forums are a thriving space where members are actively participating to get help, collaborate, and share resources with other students. The term "students" in this case could indicate a member of the community who is activity paying for Codecademy classes, or someone who has a free membership, as well as individuals who are not taking Codecademy classes at all and are contributing as experts to offer feedback to beginner coders on a variety of topics. ]]> 2022-07-23 19:41:13 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248600714 All of these digital literacy practices are visible on Codecademy Forums esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248602795 2022-07-23 19:51:51 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248602795 Q: What are the pedagogical affordances of this community? esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248604614 Codecademy Forums offer an opportunity for members to find affinity in the connections they make with users interested in similar topics (make friends). These peer-to-peer social interactions can be a major source of motivation for learning, and have strong pedagogical affordances.

Codecademy Forums have clear and consistent expectations about how to engage with the community (language used, tone, etc.). These expectations offer clear boundaries and can contribute to a safer online environment, both emotionally and physically. Creating and maintaining a safe environment has many pedagogical benefits, especially allowing learners to ask questions and make mistakes to learn and grow. ]]> 2022-07-23 20:00:59 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248604614 Q: What literacy practices are affiliated with and embedded in member’s participation? esoffa1 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248606796 Inquiry/ Research: Following a question to find the answer, solution, or process.
Fostering motivation to read: Following the thread of a member's interests is a way to feed their motivation to learn more about a specific topic/ literacy. 
Interactive Writing: Engaging in a conversation on a thread of Codecademy Forum is a form of interactive asynchronous writing.
Collaboration: Members work together to solve problems and learn together. 
Familiarity with vocabulary/ terms and common platforms: This forum offers an opportunity to practice vocabulary learning.

]]> 2022-07-23 20:12:03 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2248606796 Explore what it means to be a member of this community? lexysong19 https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2249424943 While I was browsing Codecademy Forums, I found groups that are specially for members coming form different areas and countries. China, France, Latin America, and etc. Codecademy teaches you the basics of a number of programming languages, therefore, every one who is interested in learning the entry level of coding of different languages are members of this online learning platforms. ]]> 2022-07-25 18:32:36 UTC https://padlet.com/esoffa1/ton59v246jt6cy4/wish/2249424943