Electronic networking in initial teacher education: is a virtual faculty of education possible?

Abstract

This article is a report of the use of an electronic network by trainee teachers in a `school-based' initial teacher education course to facilitate discussion between participants. A rational for incorporating computer conferencing, drawing on teachers' knowledge and how this might be acquired, is presented. The potential of electronic networks for sharing ideas about teaching, and encouraging `reflective practice', is examined. Features of one application of electronic working are briefly described, and data are reported on the extent to which the potential of the medium was realised with the trainee teachers in a specific case. Deeply held concerns about computer conferencing by these trainees indicates that participation in a `virtual community' cannot be assumed when computer conferencing is introduced into initial teacher education courses.