Rural Networked Learning and Teaching Community: A Collaborative Adventure
University Collaborators
Maureen McMahon, Assistant Professor, Division of Education, UC Davis;
Rick Pomeroy, Supervisor of Teacher Education, Secondary Science, Division of Education, UC Davis
Research Assistant
Liz Gibson, Ph.D. Student, Division of Education, UC Davis
K-12 Collaborators
Woody Fridae, Donna Grim, Marj Hein, Waggoner Elementary, Winters Joint Unified;
Jim Johnston, Yuba Feather School, Marysville Joint Unified;
Janee Phelps, Walt Watson, Charles Wiederhold, Camptonville Elementary;
Jorge Ayala, Bruce Schmidt, Woodland Community High, Woodland Joint Unified;
David Inns, Peter Stanzler, Winters Middle, Winters Joint Unified
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Funding
1995-96: $994.90, Planning Grant
1996-98: $14,991.80, Large Grant
School Collaboration
11 teachers from 5 schools in 4 school districts in 2 counties
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Program Description
Researchers in this project studied the creation of a Rural Learning Network (RLN) to link five rural school sites (spanning elementary through high school) and the UC Davis Division of Education. The schools are located in the foothills of the Sierras to farmlands in the Central Valley.
Initially, the research focused on issues and concerns that might arise with the collaborative development of a rural teaching-learning network of teachers (including some UC Davis student teachers) and University educators. In particular, researchers wondered if such a network would be affected by economic or socio-cultural factors, and how the network's structure and technology might affect the nature of a teaching/learning community.
Meetings were held in the initial planning year at each of the five school sites. Participants discussed how they thought the Rural Learning Network might serve as a teaching and learning tool, as well as what hardware, software, and training teachers and student teachers would need in order to use the Network effectively. They also conducted a literature search to learn more about how other rural schools have used technology to gain access to online educational resources and to facilitate communication between teachers in remote classrooms.
Following the creation of an interactive RLN listserv and a website, collaborators continued their discussions online. Participants used the RLN for teacher research studies of the effects of technology on teaching and learning, student-centered instructional support and collaboration, and the development of alternative assessment ideas.
As a result of the two grants, researchers saw several trends that characterized the teachers' use of the RLN. Those teachers who previously knew each other from school assignments or other projects used the listserv more readily and with more apparent ease than those teachers who were not acquainted with other participants. The frequency of use also depended upon the perceived relevance of the information being shared on the listserv; certain hot topics elicited much wider participation by the teachers as a whole. Finally, participation on the listserv did not depend upon teachers' access to technology in their school; some of the most ardent users of the RLN were at schools that had scant technology available.
Work on the large grant extended over a two-year period; it also developed two further levels of research. Level one involved teachers fully experienced with the RLN. These teachers conducted teacher research on such topics as how students use computers and the Internet for learning; how the RLN influences the creation of curriculum; and how the RLN affects the perceived isolation of teachers in rural schools. Level two research involved all teachers using the RLN and dealt with the evaluation of the RLN as a learning community and the use of multimedia in both teaching and learning at the rural sites. These findings are being analysed by the collaborators.
The RLN, then, operated as a 'virtual faculty room,' offering student teachers and rural teachers e-mail communications, work group links, and curriculum development opportunities, and bridged the geographical distances between teachers. Participants at first had electronic conversations about social, administrative, or informational topics. As they became familiar with the RLN and the benefits it could provide, the majority of the messages became informational. Teachers and student teachers used the RLN as a source for ideas on lessons and resources. The RLN, then, created a community of teachers in small rural schools whose unique teaching situations have, until now, existed mostly in isolation.