Supporting distributed communities of practice with interactive television

In this study, we examined three distance-learning programs conducted over Vision Athena, an interactive television distance-learning system. Emphasis in each project was on using interactive television to engage learners in communities of practice in designed, or intentional, learning environments. Specific findings of what kinds of communities emerged are reported for each case. Cutting across the three cases, we found that interactive television was a useful tool for providing learners access to authentic resources, and affording learners opportunities to participate in authentic communities of practice. How the instructors facilitated student and expert interactions also played a key role in how each environment emerged. In these cases designing communities of practice as learning environments in secondary school settings necessitates changing the role off he instructor, student, and the expert from traditional models, allowing more access to community resources, and creating opportunities for trajectory through communities of practice.