Resources Within Reason

Abstract

Would you like to connect online with colleagues who have similar responsibilities for insights, information or advice? Would you like to contribute to a “professional pantry” of knowledge, practices, and approaches using social networking tools? If you answered yes, you may enjoy participating in an early childhood online learning community, joining a network of colleagues who are exploring topics of common interest. Sometimes these groups are also called virtual communities of practice (CoP). The Beach Center on Disability describes its online CoP as “families, practitioners, researchers, and policy leaders [working] together to share and create knowledge that will inform and inspire them to take action in implementing wise solutions that benefit children with disabilities.” This column will provide basic information about existing online learning communities that might prove to be a resource for you.