Online Teaching Communities 101
Did you know that the earliest form of virtual community websites include Theglobe.com
(1994) and Geocities (1994)? These sites focused on bringing people
together through chat rooms, and share personal information or ideas
about virtually any topic using homepage publishing tools.
These were actually what led to the blogging and social networking
phenomenon which arrived with a bang in the early 2000s. Virtual
communities such as Flickr and Facebook became the norm to any person
who goes online, and a similar trend is now emerging within businesses
or professions.
What is an online community? This is a group of
people who primarily interact using a computer network (not face to
face) for social, professional or educational purposes, among others.
They depend on social interaction and exchange between the online
users, emphasizing the element of reciprocity.
What is an online professional “learning community”? A
term usually reserved for teachers who network, ask questions and share
ideas with colleagues online, the online professional learning
community is basically an online community for educators.
Since effective use of technology aids greatly in professional
development, these networking sites have become a hit because teachers
can now learn more, share and improve their skills anytime, anywhere.
The best part is most of these sites give educators on-demand access
to videos, tutorials and other advice that can be part of a continuous
learning process and training for those who do not necessarily have the
chance to do so.
Samples. While there are a lot of educational websites and online learning communities, let us focus on a few:
Highlighting the exchange of ideas to improve the quality of learning. The Discovery Education's Discovery Educator Network
(DEN) is composed of educators passionate about teaching with digital
media. In the site, they collaborate, share resources and inspire each
other.
Tom Turner, a technology specialist from Florida,
said that the site merely provides the tools, but it’s the members who
guide each other. It is truly a network of teachers sharing
information. There are also summer programs, week-long seminars,
classroom activities, lesson plans, educational technology conferences
all over the US, documents and other resources at the website.
Highlighting professional development online. PBS TeacherLine
provides easy and flexible access to valuable professional development
resources. This is why teachers, who would want to be certified or
would want to improve but do not have the time, are now turning to
online learning communities.
PBS TeacherLine has
facilitated online courses, collaborative learning communities and
Internet-based resources. The site is even attributed by Greg Mingo, a
principal in South Carolina who took online courses along with all his
faculty, when they noticed a rise in their students’ reading
achievement. The first online course they took? “Teaching Reading
Across the Content Areas.”
Highlighting the treasure trove of resources in online communities. PD 360
is a professional learning resource that gives educators access to
hundreds of research-based professional development, including more
than 1,000 real classroom examples.
Through this website,
educators can watch video segments, provide training follow-up, take
part in community sessions and track professional development. If you
have a question, the answer can be located in an archive of video
segments featuring educational experts. These, teachers can watch again
and again as they apply the new practices they learned.
There are also 46 “video journal of education” video programs, which are then broken down into searchable segments.
Through this website, educators can watch video segments, provide
training follow-up, take part in community sessions and track
professional development. If you have a question, the answer can be
located in an archive of video segments featuring educational experts.
These, teachers can watch again and again as they apply the new
practices they learned.
There are also 46 “video journal of education” video programs, which are then broken down into searchable segments.
Sources:
Devaney, Laura. “Online communities transform teacher development.” Retrieved May 15, 2009 from
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=46366&CFID=7747162&CFTOKEN=18763375
“Virtual community.” Retrieved May 15, 2009 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_communities
(Published 01 June 2009, Smart Communications, Inc.)
