Online Professional
Learning Communities
Lee Alan Hanawalt Roher
lroher@ms.uky.edu
Access to Algebra: A
Professional Learning
Community

Through this Online Embedded
Professional Development (OEPD)
program a professional learning
community has developed a
collaborative team of individuals
working together toward a shared
educational vision, values, and goals.
Population: Access to
Algebra
2006 - present
 17 Appalachian
region secondary school
mathematics teachers
 Over 210 Appalachian region
secondary school students

A Professional Learning
Community: The setup
 Summer
Institute
 Weekly Meetings
 Sponsor Students in a
College Algebra Program
Access to Algebra Startup
Meeting Format


Weekly meetings online
Discuss:
– Access to Algebra Student Program
– Instructional practices
– Technology implemented and developed
through the
– Student progress
Communication Equipment

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
Headset with microphone
Connectix Web camera
Notetaker (electronic pen
set)
Instructional Structure
Instructional Materials
 Free Textbook
 Online Textbook
 Online Homework
 Online Exams
scored at UK
Class Structures
(determined by local school)



Face-to-Face Class
Independent Study
Daily Teacher Access
Independent Study
Limited Teacher
Access
Meeting Etiquette & Communication
Ask a question – or wait to be recognized to
participate
Confirm/Agree or Just say Yes
Disagree or Just say No
Show amusement
Applaud
Need to leave your computer for a moment
OnLine Meeting Communication



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Video
Audio
Application Share
Text chat
Meeting Recording
With the exception of the Centra conferencing system,
the intellectual property employed in this program was
developed in open source by the University of
Kentucky Mathematical Sciences through grants and
contracts funded by :





The National Science Foundation
The US Department of Education
The Ky Department of Education
The Ky Council on Postsecondary Education
The University of Kentucky