Online Professional Development: Researching the Outcome of Connecting Teachers Online

Roberts, S. & Pruitt, E. (2003). Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

This section of the encyclopedia talks about what students and teachers can contribute to online learning environment. It talks about who the average online learner is and the online relationship between the student and the teacher, and the student and their peers. Above all the author stresses that thinking differently is important to make online education work.

In ED 505, one of the requirements was to obtain a Twitter account and tweet weekly information that pertained to professional development. This assignment was very effective. I was given an opportunity to experience collaboration through an online learning environment that was common between my classmates and I. This task also reminded me that as an educator, I should be a life-long learner. Therefore, it’s vital that I stay current on best practices in an effort to remain an effective teacher. This assignment made this task manageable. Prior to the having the Twitter account, I didn’t possess the expertise of locating professional development opportunities that would be favorable for my career. Now, I have the confidence to research and seek

Have you been to use blog to share your information with strangers? What kinds of topics do you usually post, public topics or personal? Posting blog is one of the most popular events but there is a transition process of society behind it.

Creating a trusting and rapport online class is my method of approach. Communities of practice (CoP) explains that through encouragement and respect and patience educators can create an extremely vibrant course (Kats, 2013). In doing so created

Receiving an education via an online course is one that has begun with many challenges. I have come from having no knowledge of researching information to feel like I have journeyed a long way finding the confidence to research pertinent and quality resources. Through this particular unit I have been given the implements to develop a sound knowledge of online group collaborations and the programs to allow the communication to take place.

Traditionally, teacher development typically occurs through trial and error in the isolated confinements of each teacher’s classroom with some periodic whole-group professional development (Goddard & Goddard, 2007). Within the past few decades, many schools and districts, including ours, have considered and experimented with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as an alternative framework in guiding a more efficient development program for their teachers. PLCs are focused on enhancing student learning through developing teacher practices. The concept of PLC relies on using structured collaborative sessions amongst teachers within the school to build internal capacity. Through PLCs, teachers critically reflect on current

Communities are all about groups of individuals who share something in common. This makes going on the internet seem like an odd way to find more communities, form new ones, or strengthen pre-existing ones. The internet however is full of communities. Communities can be based upon religion, location, ethnicity, an interest, or a personal matter. The internet itself is “a global distributed data communications network” (Kirmayer, Raikhel, & Rahimi, 2013, p. 166). This is what makes the internet so full of communities because communication is the key to putting multiple individuals with commonalities into communication, which is the basis of any community. Online communities differ from communities that exists off the web in a couple of

Themes and patterns were extracted from interview transcripts through content analysis, and data were analyzed in relation to the main study questions. Findings indicated that virtual communities of practice could be successful, information sharing could be limited but was evolving, and information shared was generally perceived to be accurate but may not have been routinely updated. The results included positive and negative aspects of the virtual community of practice within an organization, through which the organizational leaders could gain a deeper understanding of the uses of virtual communication in the company. Increased efficiency, improved collaboration strategies, and a deeper understanding of the uses of virtual communities of practice within organizations have implications for positive social change. Recommendations for further research include specific guidelines and an action research project for virtual communities of

A meta-synthesis design was adopted, to generate a new interpretation of the existing qualitative studies related to faculty use of VCoPs for FPD in higher education. According to Erwin, Brotherson, and Summers (2011), a meta-synthesis is a method that “enables researchers to identify a specific research question and then search for, select, appraise, summarize, and combine qualitative evidence to address the research question” (p. 186). Therefore, the intent of this meta-synthesis approach was to rigorously analyze examples of research studies using a qualitative method to answer the following research question: What impact does a virtual community of practice have on the professional development of online instructors?

U.S. teachers are engaging today's students in many ways to help them improve their education, social skill, and prepare them for society. One of the most popular methods that teacher use to engage students in teaching is the social network. Today, teachers use the social network to provide lessons in class and outside of class, with the idea of getting the students' attention when participation

Compared to classroom learning, the interaction occurring at online courses is more international. Learners can develop online conversations on forums and interview other students around the world by using web-conferencing technology (Kruger-Ross and Waters, 2013:182). However, it is reported that students prefer face to face contact directly with the tutor who was seen as the focal point of learning, a channel through all interaction that connects ideas, builds understanding, provides feedback and gives summary immediately (Sweeney et al, 2007:316). Additionally, establishing social relations may need classroom environment (Paechter & Maier, 2010:295). Classroom teaching and learning is a complex, multilayered, and social experience, which develops friendship, connection and satisfaction among students. Social community is considered to be relatively poorly experienced in online learning due to learners’ disconnection and could probably cause isolation (Baturay & Bay, 2010:44).

With the goal of achieving Millennium Development Goal 2(MDG-TL, 2014), Timor-Leste is currently working to enhance the quality of education, particularly in the Ensino Basico (Basic Education) (NESP-Tl, 2011). Responding to these challenges, the Ministry of Education provides professional training referred to as ‘curso intensivo’ in order to facilitate pedagogical change in teachers (Shah, 2013). This professional training embraces the concept of the community of practice because teachers are principally engaged in joint activities to support each other, and to share information on the subject of knowledge in order to enhance the quality of teaching. Educational Policy in Timor-Leste, The National Educational Strategic Plan 2011-2030, emphasizes that a holistic approach such as communities of practice, is the best way to facilitate pedagogical renewal in Timor-Leste educational system (NESP-TL, 2011). Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder (2006) acknowledge the benefit of communities of practice by explaining that each group member’s concerns and issues on the practical subject can be mutually addressed through regular interaction.

Blog is a truncate version of “weblog” which is used as a term for websites, are maintained by one or more than one individuals to discuss or express new ideas and informational topics. It’s an ongoing activity done by individuals having chain of information and knowledge gathered. The blogs are also used to link the many articles are presented in other websites to discuss or interact, also a blog can be focused on a narrow compass of subjects or broad compass of subjects from personal to politics or to any topic ethically. Information are added into the blogs in consecutive order like the newest one will be on top to see or read.

Online teaching is defined as any educational activity that requires a student to complete some learning or assessment activity via a personal computer and a connection to a network (Murdoch University Academic Council 1999). This network connection is usually to the Internet (Demirdjian 2002). It is a seen by the Murdoch University Academic Council as a teaching and learning technology, not a method of study (2002), but this depends on how it is to be used and by whom. For example, distance education student using online teaching would be more inclined to see it as a study method than a QUT student who uses online teaching to download and print lecture notes to attend a lecture on campus.