Constructionist principles in online teacher professional development: Robotics and hands-on activities in the classroom

Nathaniel Ostashewski, Susan Moisey, Doug Reid

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingPublished Conference contributionpeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This report explores the first iteration of a teacher professional development Courselet grounded in constructionist theory and activities. A design-based research approach guided this continuing examination of online teacher professional development (oTPD) activities within an educator social networking site. The topic of the oTPD was "Robotics and Hands-on Learning in the Classroom" for teachers interested in integrating constructionist LEGO robotics-based pedagogies. The Courselet engaged teachers in just-in-time, ongoing TPD utilizing Web 2.0 tools. Key findings of the first delivery of the oTPD Courselet point to flexible access, sharing of resources, teacher discussions, and support for constructionist pedagogical activities as the PD value for participants. Findings support the potential for an ongoing online community of practice around classroom robotics. The approach taken in this oTPD Courselet continues to inform a model of oTPD delivery within a social networking enabled environment. Further research is needed to determine the transfer of oTPD to classroom practice.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, ASCILITE 2010
    Pages721-729
    Number of pages9
    Publication statusPublished - 2010
    Event27th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, ASCILITE 2010 - Sydney, NSW, Australia
    Duration: 5 Dec. 20108 Dec. 2010

    Publication series

    NameASCILITE 2010 - The Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education

    Conference

    Conference27th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, ASCILITE 2010
    Country/TerritoryAustralia
    CitySydney, NSW
    Period5/12/108/12/10

    Keywords

    • Constructionist
    • Courselet
    • Lego robotics
    • Online teacher pd
    • Otpd

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