ERIC Number: ED510033
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010-May-3
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
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Available Date: N/A
Community and Communication among Instructors of Educational Psychology
Seifert, Kelvin
Online Submission, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Denver, CO, Apr 30-May 4, 2010)
Even though introductory educational psychology is a widespread feature of preservice teacher education, instructors of this course generally learn to teach the course in isolation from each other--a circumstance that limits the effectiveness of this course. The traditional strategies of professional development are conducting research about the teaching of educational psychology, attending conferences, and sharing resources online. The first two strategies each help in breaking down instructors' isolation, though each has inherent limitations as well. The third strategy--sharing resources online--also has advantages, but has not yet been explored or utilized by instructors of educational psychology fully. To illustrate this claim, the author describes a case of an online wiki, http://teachingedpsych.wikispaces.com, designed to bridge the communication gap among instructors. Informal assessment of the wiki suggests that it succeeds at its goal of facilitating communication and sharing, but that it, too, has certain inherent limitations for this purpose. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Educational Psychology, Preservice Teacher Education, Teacher Educators, Professional Development, Professional Isolation, Teacher Effectiveness, Interpersonal Communication, Interprofessional Relationship, Educational Research, Conferences (Gatherings), Internet, Electronic Publishing, Web Sites, Social Networks, Community
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: Adult Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A