ABSTRACT
Teacher educators play an important role in guiding and empowering pre-service teachers, which requires unique knowledge and skills. Nevertheless, in most teacher education institutes there is no preparation or professional learning for novice or expert teacher educators. The development of a teacher educator identity is a significant component of teacher educators’ professional careers. Thus, they need to continually learn, update their knowledge, and participate in a professional community. Today, the increasing use of the internet makes it possible to create an online learning community that connects people from different locations, such as a professional social network (PSN). Members of on-line communities can create groups of colleagues and experts to share knowledge and construct new knowledge. The purpose of this chapter is to outline a comprehensive picture of the contribution of the PSN to its members’ professional development. This chapter describes an example of a PSN for teacher educators entitled Shluvim, intended for educators in Israel. Mixed methods methodology was employed to investigate the characteristics of the PSN. Two examples of network use are highlighted: for course teaching and for a live journal. The development of the network, as well as the studies that accompanied the network, contributed to understanding its significance and influence on teacher educators.
