Share Paper: Reinvigorating Connectivity: The Importance of Blended Communities of Practice

1. Alicia Baier Wideman, Arizona State University, United States
2. Annie Hale, Arizona State University, United States

Abstract: Blended communities of practice complementarily incorporate online and in-person opportunities to enhance the learning of its members. The need for reinvigorated connectivity and the importance of blended communities of practice was highlighted during a teacher-directed inquiry-based science workshop. Here, we discovered that educators in a seemingly tight-knit community were actually disconnected and isolated from one another. Using this workshop as a micro-case study situated at the threshold of the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigate how blended communities of practice can further support K-12 educators in a post-pandemic paradigm. Consistent with the literature, the educators expressed a need for opportunities to connect ...