Using virtual classroom: Learning through video analysis to engage educators in meaningful facilitated, online distance learning

NanoTeach is a National Science Foundation sponsored Discovery Research K-12 project, (#DRL-0822128), led by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) with assistance from partner organizations: Stanford Nanofabrication Facility, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Aspen Associates. NanoTeach is developing and evaluating a professional development model intended to assist high school educators in integrating nanoscience and technology into their curriculum in life, physical, or earth science to promote student understanding. Using instructional strategies from Designing Effective Science Instruction [4], NanoTeach supports educators in designing and implementing lessons that integrate emerging content in a manner that reflects effective science instruction. In this project, the emerging science content of nanoscience and technology intersects with the pedagogical shift to create a coherent content storyline to increase educator understanding and practice by seeing and listening to active science instruction in a classroom through synchronous video coding. The learning platform, Virtual Classroom: Learning through Video Analysis (VC-LVA), effectively integrates distance learning, collaboration, and discourse among educators, using technology.