Google Groups

55 JOPERD • Volume 83 No. 7 • September 2012 Tecnology T ps Collegial interaction is one of the many workplace conditions that have been identified as an influence on teacher effectiveness and job satisfaction (Stroot, Collier, O’Sullivan, & England, 1994). Unfortunately, many teachers develop few collegial relationships and feel isolated from their peers. For instance, Hur and Brush (2009) interviewed 23 K-12 teachers to examine the reasons why the participants joined online teacher communities. They found that one of the primary reasons for joining a community was to combat teacher isolation. Many physical education teachers also experience feelings of isolation due to the physical and psychological separateness associated with the day-to-day activities of the profession (Locke, 1975), which often take place in the gymnasium or on the athletic field, apart from classrooms, administrative offices, and other teachers. In addition, from a psychological standpoint, physical education is often marginalized by individuals from other disciplines and from the school community at large, contributing to that feeling of isolation (Locke; Lux, 2010). Past research has shown that collegiality and dialogue among teachers are important factors that encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration, thereby helping individuals feel connected to the school community (Meirink, Imants, Meijer, & Verloop, 2010). More importantly, teachers are better equipped to face the challenges associated with teaching large classes, planning lessons, and managing their students when they have a support system in place (Bechtel & O’Sullivan, 2007). The Social Networking Solution Internet tools are becoming an increasingly popular method of communicating and are commonly used to establish online communities in K-12 settings (Hew & Hara, 2007; Hur & Brush, 2009). In contrast to face-to-face interaction, meaningful discussions and exchanges of ideas can take place among teachers from various schools and districts via participation in online discussions. Google Groups is a social networking tool that enables users to participate in online discussions by creating web pages specifically designed for a particular group. This form of communication allows users to join discussions at any time and provides a stored written account of past comments based on particular topics or questions of interest (Meyer, 2004). Users also can exchange files and personalize the color/design and layout of their web pages (Abrantes & Gouveia, 2011; Schuster, 2010). What is particularly appealing about Google Groups is that it is easy to use and free, and it includes a number of features that facilitate communication with fellow group members in an efficient manner. For example, when someone from the group has posted a comment or question, users receive an email to their personal or work account as a reminder to join the discussion. Physical educators can use Google Groups for discussing classroom management issues, lesson ideas, and activities, and for providing an avenue for sharing their thoughts and feelings with colleagues who face similar day-to-day challenges. The fact that group participants can post comments and participate in discussions without having to meet in person makes this method of communicating extremely convenient and flexible. This is particularly important considering that many physical education teachers have additional job responsibilities (coaching, recess supervision, parking/crosswalk duties) that make it difficult to correspond with others during school hours.