Online global collaborative educators and pedagogical change

Despite over 20 years of internet access in the classroom, online global collaborative curriculum-based activities are not typical in K-12 schools. Those educators who are collaborating globally identify the potential for student-to-student global interactions leading to deeper understandings of how the world works. The scope of this study was educators in K-12 learning environments and included participants from different countries and school systems. The research was guided by the question, 'How might online global collaboration influence educators’ pedagogical approaches?' This qualitative study used a single case study methodology where the phenomenon of online global collaboration was explored through K-12 educator survey responses and interviews. The researcher used a two-part case study design to initially collected responses via a survey from a larger group of globally active educators. This led to the ultimate purpose of the survey for the selection of a smaller group of participants who were implementing extended and ongoing online global collaborations. Semi-structured interviews with selected participants explored the following points related to participants’ school contexts: a) how online global collaborative learning was implemented; b) how these educators were influenced by their beliefs about teaching and learning; and c) how their personal pedagogies enabled online global collaboration. Findings reveal that educators who successfully implement online global collaborative learning are champions in the digital learning environment, adopt constructivist beliefs and employ innovative pedagogical practices. The findings also reveal how educators developed a Global Collaborator Mindset (GCM), identified as having attributes of openness, connection, autonomy and innovation. Pedagogical influences inform the Online Global Collaborative Learning (OGCL) construct, developed as a tool for understanding classroom learning modes that are online, global and collaborative. The key outcome of the research is the OGCL Framework that encapsulates the wider pedagogical implication informing shift in practice for educators