Online PLC's Do They Really Work?~ PME 810 My e-Journal - Entry #4

 Online PLC's Do They Really Work?

"For more than a decade practitioners have promoted professional learning communities (PLCs) as an effective structure for providing teachers with professional development" (Chappuis, Chappuis, & Stiggins, 2009; DuFour, Eaker, & DuFour, 2005 as cited by Blitz, C., 2013, p.1).

Traditional face-to-fact professional learning communities maintain logic model characteristics of inputs, outputs and outcome, As noted in the reading by Blitz, "Notably missing from current work on online PLCs are logic models that can bridge the gap between the abstract theorizing that is characteristic of current work on online PLCs and the clear operationalization of their inputs, outputs, and outcomes" (Blitz, C., 2013, p.3).

According to Blitz (2013), "the absence of logic models impedes not only the translation of ideas and goals into practice but also the ability of researchers and practitioners to rigorously evaluate online PLCs and their impacts on teachers’ development and students’ learning and achievement" (Blitz, C., 2013, p.3). This brings me back to my question about the efficacy of online PLC's. Do they really work? Have you had the opportunity to engage in an effective online PLC, and if so, what were the characteristics that made it successful?

For this assignment, we are asked to join an online PLC community, that will enhance personal learning in our context of practice. I have requested to join the Higher Ed Learning Collective, hosted on Facebook. As a new member to this community, I am exploring the ways in which to connect and to communicate about the things that matter to me the most in my work.

 

References:

• Blitz, C. L. (2013). Can Online Learning Communities Achieve the Goals of Traditional Professional Learning Communities? What the Literature Says. REL 2013-003. Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic.