The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the shared, lived experience of elementary teachers' participation in Edmodo as a community of practice. The theoretical framework guiding this research included Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice theory and Bandura's social learning theory (1977, 1984) which explained how…

Audience can serve as powerful motivation in learning--and network technologies have the potential to greatly broaden audience for the processes and products of learning. But these new opportunities for audience are accompanied by new challenges. In this paper, we examine and problematize the notion and role of audience in learning by presenting a…

The issue of girls' lack of connection to science has received much attention. Situated approaches such as research apprenticeships offer the chance to engage learners fully in science communities of practice and thus connect girls to science. However, such programs are often designed with lab settings, rather than field settings, in mind. This…

This article shares findings from a qualitative study of an undergraduate urban education fellowship designed to connect teacher-candidates with activist teacher communities and explore questions of social justice, equity, and multicultural teaching. Fellows attended conferences, professional meetings, and on-campus dialogues over one semester.…

This paper presents a study grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework using qualitative content analysis and focus group interviews in an effort to identify aspects of learning presence in a blended learning course. Research has suggested that the CoI framework may need additional emphasis based on the roles of strategic learners in…

This article provides a history of the founding and maturation of the Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASACCU). It is the story of a group of lay and ordained student affairs professionals from Catholic colleges and universities who were inspired by the vision of "Gaudium et spes" and "Ex corde…

This qualitative case study examines the perspectives and experiences of seven Chinese primary teachers on the integration of shared knowledge artefacts into teaching in professional learning communities. The analysis of the semi-structured interviews and observation data revealed that using knowledge artefacts, such as preview sheets, flowing…

This study examines a MOOC instructor's use of social presence, teaching presence, and dissonance for attitudinal change in a MOOC on Human Trafficking, designed to promote attitudinal change. Researchers explored the MOOC instructor's use of social presence and teaching presence, using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework as a lens, and…

New technologies seem to have expanded traditional face-to-face communities of practice across spatial and temporal boundaries into "online communities of practice." However, these virtual landscapes are significantly different from the context of face-to-face communities of practice that Lave and Wenger (1991) observed. This study…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how teachers experience a stance toward inquiry through participation in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). In order to meet this objective, the following questions framed this research: (1) How do individual teachers make meaning of the epistemological and dialogic aspects of…

A professional learning community (PLC) is one of the most promising strategies for effecting change in educational practices to improve academic achievement and wellbeing for all students. The PLC facilitator's role in developing and leading blended (online and face-to-face) PLCs with members from Ontario's school districts was examined through a…

Mobile technologies continue to have a growing influence on contemporary society, are becoming more commonplace within tertiary educational settings and hold the potential to impact on the learning process. This project evaluation considers the perspectives of participants who trialled the use of new technology to enable remote supervision and…

A new first-year seminar at a large research-intensive university provided the context for a topic-based faculty learning community (FLC) in which the first faculty to teach in the program worked together to identify the most effective ways of conducting the seminar. Membership in the FLC consisted of faculty from diverse disciplines and with…

The purpose of this study was to understand the organizational level decision factors in technology adoption in the context of digital libraries. A qualitative case study approach was used to investigate the adoption of a specific technology, XML-based Web services, in digital libraries. Rogers' diffusion of innovations and Wenger's communities of…

Studies have shown that when K-12 school districts implement a new technology initiative, it is not always accompanied by effective teacher professional development (PD). Many teachers have indicated that effective technology PD experiences should incorporate their individual PD needs. The authors surveyed technology-using K-12 teachers at two…