Title: What does it take to be active? Teacher participation in online communities

Authors: John Philip Cuthell

Addresses: University of Huddersfield, UK, 232A High Street, Boston Spa, Wetherby, LS23 6AD, UK

Abstract: Web-based communities of practice are seen as a critical component in the development of a knowledge society. This is particularly so in education: the vision of e-learning, empowering learners, supporting creative and innovative teaching, is dependent on teachers being able to access professional forums in which they can construct praxis appropriate to new ways of teaching and learning. This paper examines a number of such online communities of practice and examines the factors that contribute to teacher participation. The extent to which knowledge is constructed in these forums is also examined.

Keywords: teachers; continuous professional development; communities of practice; construction of knowledge; participation; web-based communities; teacher participation; educator communities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2005.006930

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2005 Vol.1 No.3, pp.320 - 332

Published online: 25 Apr 2005 *

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