Online Collaboration and Online Collaboration and Professional Learning Communities:Professional Learning Communities:

Navigating the Maze of Education Networks

Julia WilsonEDLD 5362Lamar UniversityApril, 2011

Defining our TermsDefining our Terms

•“A network is a way to share information or move it among locations efficiently and effectively” (Mathews, 2004)•“Moodle” is a virtual learning network platform that can be used by teachers and districts to create online curriculum (HEB Learning Site Administrators, 2009)•A “wiki” is an editable, collaborative website

A great network can multitask:A great network can multitask:

In looking at networks, we confront In looking at networks, we confront the very large and the very small…the very large and the very small…

These infinities are among the most awesome

of human ideas.-Carl Sagan

(Oyster & Malone, 1980)

How These Networks Touch How These Networks Touch my Classroommy Classroom

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK: Edutopia• Founded in 1991 by George Lucas, American filmmaker• Committed to celebrating and encouraging innovation in pedagogy and technology integration• Ongoing, experiential, collaborative: connected to and derived from working with students and understanding their culture • Offering educators multiple means and effective methods to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding(Edutopia, 2011)

CAMPUS NETWORK: HEB Learning

• HEB Learning is HEB’s first online learning community. • HEB Learning can be used to host online courses, provide professional development and lends itself to blended teaching models. • HEB Learning is powered by Moodle, a powerful learning environment with endless teaching resources.(HEB Learning Site Administrators, 2009)

CAMPUS NETWORK: Wilshire Geek Gals• Our task for the year is to facilitate a variety of professional development opportunities, including short "SMART shares" to give teachers lesson ideas for the interactive whiteboards, and "open labs" where teachers can come to seek help and collaboration on specific areas of technology integration into instruction and professional productivity. • We utilize this wiki as a collaboration tool for exchanging ideas, recording meeting minutes and collected data, and reviewing that data.

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What Comes Next?I hope to one day see networking as the norm for professional development and collaboration. This can create an environment where classroom teachers collaborate with resource staff and valued their contribution to the learningprocess. (Hurd, 2010) The model of collaboration at the center of these networks (Moir, 2008) can then become the model for classroom collaboration.

Arsham, H. (March, 2002). Impact of the internet on learning and teaching. USDLA Journal, 16(3). Retrieved from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/MAR02_Issue/article01.html

Edutopia. (2011). Core strategies for innovation and reform in learning. Retrieved April 22, 2011, from Edutopia: What Works in Education: http://www.edutopia.org/

HEB Learning Site Administrators. (2009, October 27). HEB learning: Welcome. Retrieved April 23, 2011, from HEB Learning: http://heblearning.hebisd.edu/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=23

Hurd, C. C. (2010). The effect of professional learning community principles on English language learner instructional practices and reading achievement. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Beach, VA.

Leonard, L. & Leonard, P. (2003, September 17). The continuing trouble with collaboration: Teachers talk. Current Issues in Education [On-line], 6(15). Retrieved April 23, 2011, from http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume6/number15/

Moir, E. (2008, May 27). Ask ellen: Collaboration is at the heart of plc's. Retrieved April 23, 2011, from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/ask-ellen-professional-learning-communities

Mathews, J. B. (2004, April). Why statewide educational networks are important to state and educational leaders. Southern Regional Educational Board. Retrieved from http://www.sreb.org/programs/EdTech/pubs/PDF/04T02Statewide_Ed_Tech_Net_Important.pdf

Oyster, D (Director), & Wells, D. (Producer). (1980). The lives of the stars [Television series episode]. Malone, A. (Executive producer), Cosmos. Los Angeles: Public Broadcasting Service.

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