Date of Award
2001
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Ed.D. Program in Instructional Technology And Distance Education
Advisor
John Saylors
Committee Member
Katherine Tsamasiros
Keywords
asynchronous communication, chat facilities, collaboration, communication, community of practice, discussion boards, elementary schools, face-to-face meetings, intranet sites, K-12 teachers, learning communities, online communities, online environments, organizational constraints, professional development, resource sharing, school districts, synchronous communication, teacher isolation, traditional education, Web pages, Web resources
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide a means of communication for teachers at several elementary schools. Isolation is a common issue facing K-12 teachers sustained by the organizational constraints of traditional methods of education. Few opportunities for interaction and collaboration were provided by the school district. Interaction is needed to change the image of teachers from independent instructors to members of a community of practice like other professions.
The writer developed an Intranet site that utilized synchronous and asynchronous communication technology to create an online learning community. To facilitate collaboration the discussion board and chat facility were supplemented with face-to-face meetings. Participants shared ideas and Web resources that were organized and developed into Web pages to be used by other teachers in the school district.
An analysis of the data revealed that online learning communities could be used for professional development purposes. The continuation of the community testifies to the satisfaction of the community members with the online environment. The most successful activities involved the sharing of ideas and resources.