A networked learning community (NLC) comprises teachers from different schools engaging collaboratively in purposeful and sustained professional learning. Networked learning entails the construction of knowledge that is new to the members of the group by tapping their collective practitioner knowledge and the public knowledge base. Members can use…

This paper explores the experiences of university educators who use personal learning networks (PLNs) to enhance professional knowledge. With growing expectations to design and deliver effective online learning experiences, the PLN may offer flexible and supportive professional learning opportunities that build digital pedagogical capabilities.…

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study examining the influence of professional development (PD) on tutors' teaching philosophies. It found that tutors construe their role in three ways: as transmitter, facilitator, or reflexive practitioner. The findings suggest most tutors, prior to a PD program, hold a teacher-focused conception…

This study investigates the practices and perceptions of teachers using social networking sites (SNSs) for informal continuing professional learning in Vietnam. The paper describes one part of a larger exploratory sequential mixed-methods study and draws on data collected via four focus group interviews of 19 EFL teachers from five provinces of…

The ways in which educational practitioners represent themselves on social networking sites (SNSs) continue to provoke discussion and potential controversy. This study investigates how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Vietnam manage their self-presentations within SNSs for professional learning purposes. Participants in this mixed…

Scholars' engagement with digital social networks is complex, warranting a comprehensive understanding of their use and participation. Current research has not yet grasped the motivators, gratification, and challenges that academics encounter across multiple digital social networks. With this in mind, this study surveyed scholars who purposely…

While a great deal has been published about the educational value of social networking sites (SNSs) for teachers, less has focused on teachers who are arguably more dependent on these virtual platforms for informal professional learning due to financial constraints and a lack of regular in-service professional development. Situating this study in…

This paper is a report of an examination of educational professionals' perspectives on their decision processes to use a Twitter personal learning network (PLN). When investigating each of the participants' decision-making processes to accept or reject the use of a Twitter PLN, the externally supported individualized learning experience was…

In this era of technology, teachers need to adapt to changes in their profession, and learn faster than before. They don't want to be restricted to their isolated classrooms and schools but continue learning anywhere, anytime. When a teacher attends conferences, joins teaching communities and discusses new techniques and innovations with…

The purpose of this study was to describe and examine how school leaders in the United States used social media and networking (SMN) for professional development (PD), and to determine which SMN platforms school leaders perceived as most useful for PD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six school leaders who used SMN for PD to provide…

This mixed methods study followed an explanatory sequential design to explore the formation, development, and evolution of a formal online teacher community of practice (CoP). The online CoP supported 382 teachers as they implemented the instructional conversation (IC) pedagogy, a collaborative conversation-based pedagogy for culturally and…

Nine women faculty, who are members of a global mentoring network, collaboratively designed a professional development project to explore their mentoring relationships and practices. Using a Learning Management System (LMS), they designed six modules with supplementary learning activities. Project findings highlight the need for a mentoring…

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced school closure thus shifting teaching and learning towards full home-based learning (HBL). Technology plays a key role but the considerations to design online learning environments that meaningfully engage students are complex. This exploratory, qualitative study attempted to elicit eight mathematics teachers'…

The Professional Learning Community (PLC) has been used in higher education to provide a platform for faculty members to discuss challenges and build professional skills. While the virtual PLC (VPLC) is becoming a more acceptable delivery mechanism for faculty professional development, successful practices for designing these learning environments…

This paper explores, educators' use of technology to supplement traditional professional development that they may receive in their schools or institutions. Many educators in the 21st century use various forms of technology as part of their daily teaching practices and as part of their personal lives. This paper sets out to explore the impact of a…