Do beginning teachers know how to participate and interact in online discussion? Outcomes from a Victorian case study

The use of online discussion has a long history in distance education and higher education generally, and has recently been proposed as a means of supporting beginning teachers as they face the challenge of being new to the profession. Often using text-based asynchronous programs, online discussion...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAustralasian Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 27; no. 7; pp. 1247 - 1262
Main Author Jordan, Kathy
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education 01.01.2011
Subjects
Asynchronous Communication
Beginning Teacher Induction
Beginning Teachers
Case Studies
Communication Skills
Computer Mediated Communication
Content Analysis
Discourse Communities
Discussion (Teaching Technique)
Discussion groups
Distance Education
Educational Technology
Group discussion
Microteaching
Participation
Skill Analysis
Skill Development
Social Networks
Teacher Competency Testing
Technological Literacy
Transcripts (Written Records)
Vignettes
Australia
Victoria
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Summary:The use of online discussion has a long history in distance education and higher education generally, and has recently been proposed as a means of supporting beginning teachers as they face the challenge of being new to the profession. Often using text-based asynchronous programs, online discussion is advocated to enable teachers to interact with one another, and therefore remove teacher isolation and encourage reflective practice. This article reports on a small scale study of 64 beginning teachers, who were asked to simulate online discussion, as a means of preparing them for later participation and interaction online. Participants were involved in the Supporting New Teachers Practice (SNTP) program, a Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) initiative, which aims to provide further support to beginning teachers as they face the challenges of being new to the profession. Transcripts were analysed using Henri's model of content analysis, revealing considerable one-way posts and few interactive posts. This study suggests that rather than being 'digital natives' these beginning teachers lacked the skills to participate and interact online. [Author abstract, ed]
Bibliography:Refereed article. Includes bibliographical references.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology; v.27 n.7 p.1247-1262; 2011
ISSN:1449-5554
1449-3098
1449-5554
DOI:10.14742/ajet.915