- Rely on a timely deliverance of information
- Require people that are committed to the group
- Support computer assisted collaborative learning situations guided more by the group than a single individual.
There are several reasons for the development of Learning Communities for teachers. These websites help educators to setup and locate daily lessons or individual activities, allow for Professional Development Opportunities so that information can be shared, and it allows a venue for Authoring Communities where research can be carried out. These websites allow teachers to "make connections between those resources and their practice by providing examples of how to introduce ideas that connect with their learning goals.
Most of these websites operate on a "Scaffolded Knowledge Integration System". Examples are WISE system and the NetCourse system. These systems are used to exchange resources or information, develop coherent ideas, and to support an individuals understanding. WISE uses web pages, classroom ideas, and scientific investigations. These web pages emphasize coherent understanding by supporting participants as they compare, contrast, sort out and organize ideas. It also allows participants to support ideas with evidence and compare alternatives. (Cutbbert, Clark, and Linn, pg. 216)
How to introduce ideas to students can sometimes be a little rough. It is a great opportunity to tweek your teaching to fit your students. Sometimes you need to do a lesson a little bit differently in order for all the students to understand. I learned this first hand when I was taking physiology. There was a concept in which the instructor was talking over my head. My friend, after class said "Think of it this way" and offered a different example. By simply putting the information another way, I understood perfectly. I don't think I ever would have figured it out otherwise. Sometimes it takes someone else's slant on it to make it understandable.
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