The organic nature of COP growth would argue that these develop over time, may be uneven, often don't "gel" like we'd want them to. This is an argument for making sure there is the freedom to fail (hat tip to Clay Shirky) and allowing the ones that do flower to grow as the members want.
Who is the education community if it is not teachers and educators? I know I sound like a broken record, but giving them tools is great only if those are actually tools of creation--where they build their own communities and their personal learning networks.
I have to admit a negative reaction to the terms "efficiency" and "productivity" in this context. These drivers often lead to the creation of systems that, by virtue of not being collaboratively built but instead created for others, become inefficient and unproductive because they are not part of voluntary engagement.
If the students' learning is going to be increasingly self-directed, will the educators' as well? A "personal learning network" would to me be one that the educator chooses--or rather, the unique set of resources that the educator chooses.
What communities are these, and are their creators or active members being actively involved in the process of determining the values and opportunities that exist?
This is a quibble, but I don't think you "make" professional learning timely and relevant in this new world of social media, I think you "allow" for it to be as the users themselves help to create and build.
You will be missing something of true significance if you don't expand from "educators' access to and participation" to also allowing for their creation of online COPs.
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