Developing online communities of practice in preservice teacher education

Despite attempts to encourage greater teacher collegiality, the privacy of the classroom persists. Online communication tools offer opportunities for teachers to overcome these boundaries in professional communities of practice. This study of two cohorts of preservice teachers sought to determine if they were successful in building community in class and online and to examine factors that may have enhanced or impeded their ability to create community. Findings suggest that the physical and pedagogical contexts of the classroom and the way the communication tools are implemented are important factors in their use.