Learning 2.0: K–12 Teachers' Conceptualizations of Professional Learning Networks

• In Event: Exploring the Internet Applications in Education

Abstract

We live in an era of rapid technological and educational change, and adapting and responding to this shifting landscape requires new knowledge, skills, and dispositions. With shortcomings in teacher professional development (PD) well documented, educators have increasingly used web 2.0 tools and social media sites to cultivate and extend Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) in order to learn and improve their practice. While many educators claim to benefit from PLNs, much remains unknown about how teachers conceive of PLNs and what they learn from them. This manuscript reports the findings of a qualitative study in which our aim was to investigate teachers’ understandings of PLNs through the analysis of survey data from 732 teachers in Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade settings.

Authors

• Torrey Trust, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Jeffrey Paul Carpenter, Elon University

• Daniel G Krutka, Texas Woman's University