About Tapped In

Topics:   Vision | Features | Educator activities | Creators | Sponsors | Publications

Vision: Transforming teacher professional development online

Research has shown that student achievement is directly linked to teacher quality. State and national teaching standards provide a framework for teachers' professional growth that requires teachers to engage in ongoing professional development throughout their careers. The increasing demand for continuous professional development means that providers must expand face-to-face programs to include online activities and content that engage teachers anytime, anywhere. The growing recognition that no single organization can satisfy teachers' ongoing professional development needs requires that educators and providers form communities to share strategies, resources, and support. Tapped In was developed to support this vision.

Tapped In is a Web-based learning environment created by SRI International to transform teacher professional development (TPD) for professional development providers and educators. Tapped In enables providers to offer high-quality online professional development experiences and support to more teachers cost-effectively. Through Tapped In, educators can extend their professional growth beyond courses or workshops with the online tools, resources, colleagues, and support they need to implement effective, classroom-centered learning activities.

Tapped In features

• Virtual buildings with public, group, and personal rooms
• Group creation and management
• Event rooms with registration, sessions
• Calendar system
• Job bank
• Guests and member access
• Student accounts

Communication:
• Text-based chat and private messaging
• Threaded discussion boards in every room
• Conversation transcripts automatically emailed
• Messages saved for someone who is not logged in

Information sharing and retrieval:
• File and URL storage in personal and group rooms
• Room "sticky notes" for posting welcome messages, agendas, etc.
• Group and member directories
• Search for members and other resources

Educator activities: Tapped In gives teachers a career-long online home

Tapped In brings educators together both locally and worldwide to cultivate a community that supports each teacher as a professional. We build the capacity of teachers to support one another through peer networks supported by the Tapped In community. Educators

• Plan and conduct learning projects with colleagues and students.
• Participate in or lead topical discussion and groups.
• Manage and attend online courses offered by TPD providers.
• Mentor other educators.
• Try out new ideas in a safe, supportive environment.

The creators of Tapped In

SRI International's Center for Technology in Learning focuses on significant issues in learning and teaching, and on the ways that innovative uses of technologies can help address those issues. In our work, we routinely partner with education organizations, school systems, and technology companies. We also engage in participatory design of new learning technologies with our user communities. Members of the Tapped In team, left to right, include: Zaz Harris, designer and software engineer; Patti Schank, technology director and project co-director; Mark Schlager, project director from 1995 to 2008; Melissa Koch, product strategy director; Larry Hamel, software engineer (contract); Judi Fusco, community director and project co-director. Individually pictured on the right, top to bottom: BJ Berquist and Kari Holsinger, community support; Aaron Becker, interaction designer.

Our sponsors

Tapped In went online in 1997 and has had ongoing funding from the National Science Foundation, an independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through various programs that fund research and education projects.

We have also received support from Sun Microsystems, a leading provider of hardware, software, and services. Sun donated the server on which Tapped In runs.