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New knowledge network for teachers: the Internet Learning Forum
March 1, 2000
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Beginning today (March 1), math and science teachers across Indiana can watch other teachers teach, look over colleagues' lesson plans, examine student work and resources, and reflect on their own best practices -- all from their personal computers.
Researchers at the Indiana University School of Education's Center for Research on Learning and Technology have developed a new electronic knowledge network, the Internet Learning Forum (ILF), that will build an online community of middle- and secondary-school math and science teachers working together to share, improve, reflect, and create learner-centered classrooms.
Funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the ILF is open to all Indiana teachers, university faculty and education students free of charge. Its Web address is http://ilf.crlt.indiana.edu
"The ILF is a community in which teachers can virtually visit each other's classrooms to discuss approaches to teaching mathematics and science topics and to share artifacts," said Donald Warren, University Dean of the IU School of Education. "The ILF is a resource to support continuous professional development -- and we at the IU School of Education are proud to offer this service to the many teachers of Indiana."
The ILF is designed around a metaphor of "visiting a classroom." When members enter, they have the option of visiting several "rooms" typical of a school building.
The primary space is named "Visit Classrooms." Here, videos and discussion forums act as anchors to a variety of support materials: teacher reflections, lesson plans, links to state standards, resources, student work and more.
Other "rooms" open for exploration include the "Lounge," an informal meeting space with Web forums and chat; the "Auditorium," featuring presentations and live events and discussions; and the "Library," which houses resources submitted by ILF members.
"Supporting a community of practice is central to our goals in designing the ILF," said Sasha Barab, ILF principal investigator and assistant professor in the School of Education's instructional systems technology department. "We believe that learning involves not only sharing information, but also becoming a member of a community that shares common goals, methods, history and identity. We hope the ILF will become a community of practice in which beginning and experienced teachers can share thoughts and stories about the teaching process."
In addition to creating an online community, the ILF will help CRLT researchers build a better understanding of how online communities work. The ILF is designed to provide research data to faculty and graduate students studying the use of the Internet in education. Research projects associated with the ILF will address issues ranging from interface design to the role of communities in learning.
Barab said what is so exciting about the ILF from a scholarly standpoint is that "the research issues converge at the intersection of learning, instruction, technology and sociology and have important implications for each."
The IU School of Education's newest research arm, the Center for Research on Learning and Technology aims to promote and support a community of scholars dedicated to research and professional development in the design, use and implementation of technology to improve learning. Professor Donald Cunningham of the School of Education's counseling and educational psychology department serves as CRLT director, and professors Barab and Martin Siegel are associate directors.
(Ceci Jones, School of Education, 812-856-8031, ccjones@indiana.edu)