Online Community Of Teachers Research Articles

The story of an online teacher community in Cyprus

The building of teacher networks or communities is increasingly seen as an alternative form of professional development, allowing teachers to share experience, information and good practice. The present article describes and analyses the activities of such a community, developed within the framework of a national debate, initiated to investigate the potential of online teacher communities in Cyprus. The study outlines how this community evolved on the basis of data collected through, firstly, records on the extent and the quality of contributions, and, secondly, telephone interviews with group members to reveal their own interpretations of participation. In light of an apparent failure of this online community to become a community of practice, factors contributing to this failure are further discussed. In particular, this study reflects on underlying issues, involving mostly the social infrastructure required for such communities to function efficiently and effectively. Such issues relate to enhancing participation, building identity and community, facing administration and facilitation concerns and addressing technical aspects.

Online Professional Communities

Online communities offer teachers a forum to discuss ideas, seek support, engage in professional discussions and network with a wider peer group. The popularity of online communities for teachers is self-evident by the quantity that has emerged in recent years and they present as opportunities to engage in continued pedagogical growth. The study presented in this paper has focused on the electronic discussions of three online communities for teachers, two Australian-based communities and one UK-based community. The aim was to analyse the content of the messages, via content analysis using the Practical Inquiry Model (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2001) in an attempt to determine if membership had an impact pedagogy. This study will present findings that support the conclusion that membership to online communities provides genuine opportunities for continued pedagogical growth for teachers. It will also show that they are being used as a problem solving resource, provide opportunities for professional discourse and professional support.

Graphically Mapping Electronic Discussions: Understanding Online Conversational Dynamics

Transcripts of electronic discussions have traditionally been examined via the use of conversational analysis techniques. Coding such transcripts provides rich data regarding the content and nature of the discussions that take place. However, understanding the content of a message is not limited to the actual message itself. An electronic message is sent either in response to or to start a discussion thread. Examining the entry point of a new message can help to clarify the dynamics of the community discussion. Electronic discussions do not appear to follow traditional conversational norms. New messages may be immediate responses or they can be responses to messages posted over a longer period of time in the past. However, by graphically mapping electronic discussions, a clearer understanding of the dynamics of electronic discussions can be achieved. This article presents the findings of a study that was conducted on three online communities for teachers. The transcripts of electronic discussions were collected and examined via conversational analysis. These messages were then analysed via graphical mapping and the findings concluded that three distinct patterns exist which electronic discussions may follow. It was further discovered that each of these patterns was indicative of a distinct type of electronic discussion. The findings from this study offer further insight into the nature of online discussions and help us to understand online conversational dynamics.

Factors Cultivating Sustainable Online Communities for K-12 Teacher Professional Development

The purpose of this study is to discover factors related to fostering a sustainable online community for K-12 teachers. This study was conducted through the investigation of an online teacher community called INDISCHOOL in Korea. Data were gathered through in-depth telephone interviews with INDISCHOOL members, the examination of archived postings on the Web-boards, and participant observations. Twelve factors, including eight support factors and four hindrance factors, were identified as results of this study. These factors were categorized into three subgroups: internal, external, and outcome factors. Findings from this study revealed that internal factors, such as having a sense of ownership and autonomy and acknowledging the value of participation, played a significant role in the growth of INDISCHOOL. It was also noted that the value of teachers' participation was related to their belief that active involvement in INDISCHOOL improves student learning. These teachers also reported that INDISCHOOL participation is a valuable part of their professional development.

Cultural and organisational issues facing online learning communities of teachers

Collegial sharing and reflection about practice has been widely suggested as an effective form of teacher professional learning. Information and communications technology (ICT) has the potential to foster this professional learning through online community environments. Whilst the potential of self-sustaining online teacher communities to support professional learning through reflective sharing of practice is recognised, the journey to realising this potential is not straightforward. This paper identifies two key aspects of school culture that are acting as barriers on the journey--schools do not adequately value collegial reflective sharing of practice, and classroom teachers do not use online communications tools as an integral part of their professional practices. The paper suggests a framework for maximising participation in online teacher communities.

Online teacher communities and continuing professional development

This article describes and analyses the first year of a pilot project undertaken by a large examination board in the United Kingdom to investigate the teacher support and development opportunities afforded by email discussion lists. Discussion lists were set up to support teachers of two of its United Kingdom examinations. The author describes how these lists have, over the lifetime of the project, built into two lively online communities and how these communities are contributing to continuing professional development for their members, and discusses the factors that may have led to their success.

Online teacher communities and continuing professional development

Online teacher communities and continuing professional development