Examining an Online Community of Practice From a Cultural Historical Activity Theory Perspective

• In Event: 73.050 - Impact of Technology From Multiple Perspectives

Abstract

Increasingly more teachers are participating in online communities of practice to find and share knowledge with educators around the world. However, the research on how teachers find knowledge in online communities of practice is limited. Researchers have yet to explore the network of sociocultural factors that shape how teachers acquire knowledge in an online community of practice. This study was designed to address the need for a more comprehensive and multifaceted exploration of an online community of practice. A Cultural Historical Activity Theory framework was used to explore the activity system elements that shaped the process of knowledge acquisition in a teacher-driven online community of practice.

Author

• Torrey Trust, University of Massachusetts - Amherst