a post based in a book chapter I published a few years ago
Educational environments today demand that teachers constantly evolve their curriculum to reflect rapidly changing content expectations and new discoveries from the learning sciences. For educators who are developing previously untaught curricula or using unfamiliar tools and methods, robust support is essential. Fortunately, the technology used to deliver online learning can be adapted effectively to facilitate teachers’ professional learning.
In several rural districts, school leaders recognized that online classrooms could become powerful tools for supporting their professional staff. They deployed open-source online learning platforms, such as Moodle, specifically to create dedicated online classrooms for teachers. This strategy was instrumental in supporting teachers tasked with initiatives like increasing problem-based learning or integrating new hardware, such as Chromebooks, into their teaching.
Building a Collaborative Online Space
One of the primary goals of these online classrooms was to provide access to instructional materials and support the collaborative development of teaching methods. For instance, a Moodle classroom was established in one district dedicated entirely to project-based learning, enrolling all participating teachers. Similarly, in another district, teachers used Moodle to “explore how the Chromebook can help you teach and share ideas”. For many teachers, this deployment marked their first use of Moodle in their professional lives.
Crucially, these online systems were not deployed and forgotten. They were constantly refined through an iterative planning process based on user feedback. When teachers noted that shared resources were disorganized and difficult to scroll through, leaders resolved the issue by implementing tagging—the preferred method for organizing materials due to its ease of use. This ensured that the site became “much more useful” for the educators involved.
Mentorship and Peer Support
The online classrooms succeeded by fostering a culture of peer support and collaboration, shifting away from slow, traditional, face-to-face meetings. Teachers, impatient with the time required to schedule in-person reviews, began posting projects they were contemplating in online forums to seek feedback from colleagues and identify connections across different subjects.
This system leveraged the concept of Social Expectancy, part of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), which posits that technology is more likely to be used if others whose opinions are valued use it. The role of teacher-leaders was vital here, as they served as mentors, passing along knowledge to novices. These leaders were carefully chosen because they were perceived as strong teachers, possessed technical skill, and could work patiently with colleagues.
Even simple features, like forums, required thoughtful deployment. When one district introduced a forum for Q&A about Chromebook use, initial participation was low. However, following a brief, targeted in-person training session, participation immediately soared, with teachers posting suggestions and answering questions.
In essence, these online classrooms acted like digital apprenticeships. By using open-source technology, which is available at no cost, and grounding their refinement in collaboration between educators and those with technical expertise, these districts created sophisticated, dynamic, and effective environments that provided sustained professional support for teachers embracing new practices.