Weturtle.Org: A Web Community for Teacher Training and Sharing Resources in Educational Technologies

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a stronger than ever need in Italy for teacher training in digital skills and pedagogical and teaching innovations. This is also due to an increase in national funds and European resources available for innovation in the field of education. This paper first describes the main innovations in learning that are made possible by web-based and other technologies, and how they currently meet teacher training needs. Next, the authors present Weturtle.org, a practical example of a “Community of Practice” and the TPCK model, which enables an integrative view at the subject, pedagogical and technological levels, to face the challenge of learning innovation. In the middle section, Weturtle.org is described with a focus on the opportunities for teacher training and validation, not only as an active user of the community, but also as a trainer him or herself. Finally, the authors present browsing data from October 2018 to September 2019, final considerations and future developments for the platform.