RSA 3: Teachers Making Connections

Link:   http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c3e231f5-f673-481d-a68f-3bc9cd25565c%40sessionmgr15&vid=2&hid=14


Discussion:

This module focuses on creating online professional learning communities.  The Internet provides a gateway for a larger number of teachers and professionals to communicate, voice concerns, and actively engage in a discussion to improve student learning.  Online learning communities function best when all participates are engaged and consistently contributing to the online conversation.  Also, according to Palloff and Pratt (2007), a successful participant within an online learning community must be “open-minded about sharing life, work, and educational experiences as part of the learning process; able to communicate through writing; self-motivated and self-disciplined” and many other attributes to be the most effective (p. 8).  Essentially, online communities necessitate dedicated professionals willing to work with others to develop as learners and teachers.

The article by Jennifer Duncan-Howell promotes online communities as a great location for professional development to occur.  She recognizes that often full day workshops or after school meetings do not create the lasting effects on teachers that ongoing online communication can.  Duncan-Howell (2010) ascertains that “for professional learning to be sustained and not limited to short programs, the mode of delivery needs to suit teacher conditions and be sympathetic to their specific needs as learners” (p. 325). Therefore, an online professional community is a great solution for teachers to engage with other professionals in collaboration, conversation, and suggestion as far as learning and teaching is concerned. 

While this article reinforces the positives regarding online communication for educators, Duncan-Howell is promoting various websites that teachers can access in conjunction with their subject areas rather than one continuous professional learning community as Palloff and Pratt discuss.  Duncan-Howell does, however, endorse the need for a community to allow access for all participates in a social forum where professionals can discuss new ideas, experiment with new lessons, and share those results.  The online communities mentioned in both readings mention how with easy access, like through the Internet, typical time constraints are eliminated and the communities almost cater to the needs of each individual teacher.

References:Duncan-Howell, J. (2010). Teachers making connections: Online communities as a source of professional learning. British Journal Of Educational Technology, 41(2), 324-340.

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom, (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.