Share Paper: Using NING to Build Communities for Extended Professional Development

  1. David Pugalee, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, United States
Tuesday, March 26 1:30 PM-2:30 PM Grand Ballroom D

Abstract: Sustained professional development offers participants ongoing opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. This study investigated the use of NING, a social networking site, in providing teachers a means of sharing their work and engaging in discussions. Photos, Forum, and Blogs were salient features of the site for this group of participants. Photos were under utilized as a means of sharing. Forums and Blogs primarily served the same function as a repository for sharing resource materials for implementing a new STEM-focused math curriculum in the participants’ secondary classrooms. NING shows promise as a tool for extending professional development projects by ...