What kinds of knowledge do teachers share on blogs? A quantitative content analysis of teachers' knowledge-sharing on blogs

Abstract

In the era of Web 2.0, blogs are often used by educators as a tool to promote interaction within online communities. Related studies indicate the limitations of the knowledge sharing within teachers' online communities (eg, Barab, MaKinster, Moor & Cunningham, 2001; Hou, Sung & Chang, 2009). The use of blogs for teachers' professional development may promote teacher interaction and is an important issue that deserves exploration. In particular, what dimension and content of pedagogical knowledge are mainly shared on teachers' blogs, and what are the limitations to interaction among teachers engaged in knowledge sharing? Examining the questions mentioned earlier will aid in the development of interactive strategies/tools for the promotion of teachers' knowledge sharing on blogs (eg, using the observed limitations to provide advanced knowledge sharing interactive strategies or to help design automatic detecting/guiding modules for enhancing the knowledge interaction).