چکیده (انگلیسی):

The study investigates the value and effectiveness of online workshops as a tool for creating professional learning communities. The pattern of interaction, mentoring quality and attitude of teacher toward participation in a Web-based Teacher's Professional Development Platform were addressed. One hundred and twenty eight participants were co-mentored by three senior elementary mathematics teachers to meet a professional development requirement. Data collection involved content analysis and supplemental surveys. The content analyzed included the participants' message posts, the quality of the dialogue and the quality of mentoring by assistants. A survey was administered to elucidate participants' attitudes towards and perceptions of the Web as a tool for professional development.

The study revealed that most participants claimed to have benefited emotionally and intellectually from using telecommunications networks for professional development and support. Positive learning effects on members were satisfactory, yet their participation was not highly interactive or as reflective as the authors would have wished. Closely examining the messages posted by participants revealed that the categories general introduction and organization were most, with the fewest associated queries and responses. The assistants' mentoring strategies mainly included feedback/praise, directing, modeling, questioning, cognitive elaboration and efforts to explore accounted for less than 10% altogether. That is, the assistants focused more on social and organizational functions, and less on intellectual function. The study was significant in that the computer-mediated workshop nurtured the teachers' professional growth, but their participation was neither highly interactive nor and, even though there much anecdotal evidence supported the claim that members enjoyed and valued the online workshops. The paper concludes by offering some recommendations concerning the future design of technology in professional learning.