When a Peer Group Isn’t Needed: Effective Online Learning in an Individual Mentoring Model

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss the design and refinement of the Learning to Teach with Technology Studio, an online professional development environment for teachers who are interested in learning how to use technology to support inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning. We specifically focus on our initial design commitments of flexibility and relevancy and how they were embodied in the system. We examine the iterations made to the system in response to our design-based research efforts and explore the implications of our research on our beliefs about the role of collaboration in learning in online environments.