ABSTRACT
At the start of the ‘Learning How to Learn’ project in 2001 there were great hopes for the role of electronic networks in supporting teacher learning, and in particular the learning within and across schools. These networks were seen as a critical enabler of teacher learning and the development of practice across the educational sector. Indeed, as we have indicated, several of our initial research questions focused specifically on the role of technology and what forms would enable the creation and sharing of knowledge. At the time we began our research (2001), there was increasing interest in collaborative environments and virtual learning spaces, but the subsequent upsurge in ‘social’ software or ‘Web 2.0’ was still some way off (O’Reilly being credited with the use of the term in 2005). This chapter explores the role of electronic networks in relation to our respondents’ experiences of supporting and participating in networks (drawing again on the mapping task and other sources of data about their use of network technologies). It also explores how the continuing rise in popularity in electronic network tools, including ‘social’ software, might be theorised and how it might contribute to teacher networks and learning.
