Online Learning Communities and Teacher Professional Development: Methods for Improved Education Delivery: Methods for Improved Education Delivery

Lindberg, J. Ola · Olofsson, Anders D.

aug 2009. · IGI Global

O ovoj e-knjizi

In today's society, the professional development of teachers is urgent due to the constant change in working conditions and the impact that information and communication technologies have in teaching practices.

Online Learning Communities and Teacher Professional Development: Methods for Improved Education Delivery features innovative applications and solutions useful for teachers in developing knowledge and skills for the integration of technology into everyday teaching practices. This defining collection of field research discusses how technology itself can serve as an important resource in terms of providing arenas for professional development.

O autoru

J. Ola Lindberg earned his PhD in Education at Umeå University (Sweden). Dr. Lindberg is a senior lecturer and his main research interest lies in TPD and distance education supported by ICT. His research conducted departs from a philosophical hermeneutical approach with an overall aim at understanding social and ethical processes of teaching and fostering. In TPD and distance education his focus is on how the participants negotiate meaning in OLCs. He has contributed with book-chapters, conference-papers and journal articles on this specific topic. He is member of the international network ‘The Research Network on Online Learning Communities’. A list of publications may be found at http://spica.utv.miun.se/medarbetare/detail.lasso?ID=P10019

Anders D. Olofsson, PhD, is a senior lecturer in learning & ICT at the Department of Education, Umeå University (Sweden). From a philosophical hermeneutical approach his research is aimed at understanding the meaning of social processes of teaching, fostering- and professional development, establishing the meaning of for example ethics, democracy, learning and teaching, in OLCs. Dr. Olofsson is the scientific leader for a research group titled LICT (Learning & ICT) and is in addition involved in several development- and research projects within the field of medical education. He has contributed with book-chapters, journal articles and papers to conference proceedings on this specific topic. Dr. Olofsson is member of the international network ‘The Research Network on Online Learning Communities’. A list of publications may be found at http://www.pedag.umu.se/personal/olofsson_a/index.html [Editor]