Online Teacherpreneur Collaborations: Exploring Participation in an Online Community of Practice

• In Event: 34.078 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 34.078-11 - Connected Forms of Professional Development: Social Media, Open Online Courses, and Teacherpreneurs

Abstract

The present study represents the first investigation of online teacherpreneurs, or teachers who share teaching ideas online via blogs, social media, and websites like TeachersPayTeachers.com to benefit their careers, including possible financial gain. Online teacherpreneurs commonly collaborate together online, via private professional learning communities on sites like Facebook. These informal collaborations offer a potentially meaningful professional learning experience. This study explored Spanish Teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers, a Facebook group of 40 online teacherpreneurs. Results indicated that this collaboration was an active community of practice where participants negotiated relationships over shared goals, and developed new ideas and collective accomplishments. Teacherpreneurs associated participation in the community with new achievements in entrepreneurship as well as teaching practice.

Authors

• Catharyn Crane Shelton, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Leanna Matchett Archambault, Arizona State University