Share Paper: Immersive World Technology for Professional Development Beyond Pedagogy to Practice

  1. Maryanne Maisano, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, United States
  2. Randy Olsen, Canyons School District, United States
Tuesday, March 8 4:00 PM-5:00 PM McGavock's B

Abstract: "If we teach today like we did yesterday we rob our children of tomorrow" -John Dewey.Online professional development allows teachers to receive training in a time that suits them,and most obviously can be specific to what an individual teacher wants to learn. In a specific example of successful online professional development Maisano and Olsen (2010) explored the virtual world of Second Life and its impact on pre-service teachers. The format allows for teachers to go back to their classrooms and attempt a new strategy and then connect with peers and facilitators to talk about what worked and what didn’t. Virtual ...