Abstract
<p>This report explores the first iteration of a teacher professional development courselet grounded in constructionist theory and activities. This online teacher professional development (oTPD) courselet provided opportunities for teachers to engage in just-in-time, ongoing TPD within a social networking site for educators. The topic of the oTPD was Robotics and Hands-on Activities in the Classroom. The courselet was designed for teachers who are interested in integrating constructionist pedagogies into their practice. Key findings of the first delivery of the oTPD courselet point to a need for flexible access, sharing of resources, and support for constructionist pedagogical activities as a PD value for participants. Findings further support the potential for an ongoing online community of practice around robotics in the classroom. The approach taken in this oTPD courselet of study continues to inform a model of oTPD delivery within a social-networking-enabled environment.</p>
Highlights
This paper reports on a single iteration of an ongoing design-based research (DBR) study focusing on the development and delivery of online teacher professional development (oTPD) within a social networking site
The second key finding was that the utilization of a social networking site for the delivery of the courselet supported teacher professional development (TPD) learning in a new manner
Participant feedback regarding the delivery of the courselet within a social networking site indicated that while some participants were familiar with the Web 2.0 toolset and used it daily in their teaching practice, it was new to other teachers and required time to learn how to navigate and use
Summary
The delivery of professional development via a social networking site provides teachers with firsthand experiential learning about online technologies, using tools such as blogs, forums, and video and file sharing. The opportunity to actively engage with these online tools for the purpose of creating online resources and artifacts and sharing them with other teachers to support their learning (an example of constructionist pedagogy in practice) provides teachers with an authentic experience of how online technologies can be used in their own classrooms.
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