Education Commons^™

Online Practice & Offline Roles: A Cultural View Of Teachers’ Low Engagement In Online Communities, Sarah Howard, Jonathan Mckeown

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

An online community of practice (CoP) can extend teachers’ professional interaction beyond their school, but these practices are often underutilized. Using cultural theory, this paper proposes that teachers’ low engagement in online CoPs is that this “practice” is not part of their role as a teacher, individually or in their school culture. These ideas are examined through teachers’ low engagement in an online CoP as part of a research project. Findings suggest that teachers saw the online community as part of their role in the project, not as part of their “offline” role as a classroom teacher. The discussion conjectures …

Creating Virtual Classrooms For Rural And Remote Communities, Kavita Rao, Michelle J. Eady, Patricia Edelen-Smith

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Rural and remote communities, in the United States as well as in other countries, often have only limited access to higher education. In order to pursue professional training or advanced degrees, people in these communities must leave home. This causes more than just a financial burden. Those with commitments to jobs, families, and traditional roles in the community find it difficult to leave home to further their education.

This is especially true for indigenous and native people. These people often live in villages or communities far from large cities and towns. Although they’re increasingly integrated with the modern world through …

Understanding The Need: Using Collaboratively Created Draft Guiding Principles To Direct Online Synchronous Learning In Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This article reports on the experience of members of an Australian Aboriginal community as they used synchronous computer technologies to enhance their literacy learning. The aspiration to learn meaningful and relevant literacy and computer skills was discussed in focus groups, as well as the need to articulate the group’s position within the wider community, the value of the wisdom of the Elders, and the importance of the dissemination of traditional language and Aboriginal knowledge. Educational integrity was deeply embedded in the project’s approach to the Aboriginal learning experience, and included ensuring respect for cultural needs and traditions, as well as …

Literacy Practitioners' Perspectives On Adult Learning Needs And Technology Approaches In Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Anthony Herrington, Caroline Jones

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Current reports of literacy rates in Australia indicate an ongoing gap in literacy skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian adults, at a time when the literacy demands of work and life are increasing. There are many perspectives on what are the literacy needs of Indigenous adults,from the perspectives of community members themselves to the relatively under-researched perspective of literacy practitioners. This paper provides the insights, experiences and recommendations from adult literacy practitioners who work with adult Indigenous learners in communities across Australia. Focus group interviews, using an online synchronous platform, were used to elicit views about the literacy needs of …

Crocodiles And Polar Bears: A Cross Cultural Comparison Of Adult Learning In Remote Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Alison Reedy

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This presentation compares and contrasts the context of adult learning for two groups of adult Indigenous students, one from the northern Australian tropics and one from far Northwestern Ontario. It also examines the ways that technology is used to try and bridge the distance between Indigenous adult learners' goals and educational opportunities. From this comparison we conclude that the educational gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous learners in Canada is closing, while the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is widening. We reflect on the reasons why Indigenous adult learners in Northwestern Ontario are being better served in comparison to …

Crocodiles And Polar Bears: Technology And Learning In Indigenous Australian And Canadian Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Alison Reedy

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Crocodile infisted, swollen rivers, Troop Carriers, light planes and red dirt typifY the landscape of remote tropical Northern Territory in Australia. In contrast, the remote landscape in for northwestern Ontario in Canada is characterised by rough terrain, snow and ice, sea planes and sometimes even polar bears. 1he traditional owners of the land in these two very dijferent locations foce similar issues in accessing adult learning and ongoing educational opportunities. 1his paper compares and contrasts the experiences of two groups of adult Indigenous students, one from the northern Australian tropics and one from for Northwestern Ontario, and examines the ways …

Risky Journeys: The Development Of Best Practice Adult Educational Programs To Indigenous People In Rural And Remote Communities, Roselyn M. Dixon, Sophie E. Constable, Robert Dixon

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The findings from a culturally relevant innovative educational program to support community health through dog health are presented. It will report on the pilot of a program, using a generative curriculum model where Indigenous knowledge is brought into the process of teaching and learning by community members and is integrated with an empirical knowledge base. The characteristics of the pilot program will be discussed. These included locally relevant content, appropriate learning processes such as the development of personal caring relationships, and supporting different world views. Recommendations include the projected use of local Indigenous health workers to enhance the sustainability of …

Representing Authentic Learning Designs Supporting The Development Of Online Communities Of Learners, Ron Oliver, Anthony J. Herrington, Janice A. Herrington, Thomas C. Reeves

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Authentic learning designs have been explored for some time now and have frequently been shown to provide learning settings that provide many meaningful contexts for learning. These meaningful contexts provide not only encouragement for students to learn but also a raft of learning enhancements including higher-order learning and forms of learning support. The establishment of a sense of community among learners creates support mechanisms that can readily enhance learning outcomes. This paper describes several technology-facilitated authentic learning designs that involve the development and support of learning communities. The learning designs are represented in several forms to provide an overview of …

Fostering Communities Of Practice During The Creation Of An Online Classroom-Based Simulation, Brian Ferry, Lisa K. Kervin

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Working with and managing a team can be a challenge in any project development. This paper reports on how a team of researchers, an instructional designer, programmers and graphic artists worked within a community of practice, as simulation software was created and further developed. The simulated classroom represented in this software was designed to enhance the initial practicum experience of pre-service teachers. The teaching of literacy skills in primary schools framed the pedagogical focus of the software – one of the priority areas within primary schooling. We report on how research associated with each iteration of the simulation prototype software …

Building Online Communities Of Practice For Teachers, Anthony J. Herrington, Janice A. Herrington, Ian W. Olney

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Numerous online communities of practice have emerged, in both formal and informal settings, to meet the professional needs of diverse groups throughout the world. While some of these communities fail, many become self-sustaining in their ability to meet the needs of their members. Using current research and theory relating to the creation of online communities, this paper describes the development o f a generic model to guide the design and development of sustained, engaging, supportive and collaborative communities. The paper illustrates the way a website built for the professional development and support of beginning primary teachers can be used as …

Inviting Dissent: Classroom Practices For Nurturing Communities Of Readers In The Early School Years, Pauline J. Harris, Barbra Mckenzie

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In the context of the early school years, this paper examines established classroom practices that focus on engaging young readers with texts. The lens used for this exploration is provided by transtextuality theory that accounts for ways in which texts build networks of meaning for readers to negotiate. Transtextuality theory originated in and serves literary criticism. However, this paper demonstrates how this theory provides teachers and researchers with tools for interrogating classroom practices that seek to develop young readers as meaning makers. Examples of teaching strategies and learning experiences are shared. These examples sometimes see dissent over interpretation arise among …