This document summarizes the history and purpose of Learning2gether, an online community for teacher professional development. It began in 1998 as weekly online meetings called Writing for Webheads. Over time, it expanded to include conferences, podcasts, and a wiki platform. Learning2gether is funded by volunteers and relies on the intrinsic motivation of educators to share, help others, and feel professionally rewarded. It provides a distributed model for collaborative learning through online events and resources accessible on its website and wiki.

1. Learning2gether through Wiki-
based Worldwide Teacher
Professional Development
Vance Stevens
English teacher coordinator, UAE Naval College
HCT / ADMC / CERT
&
Coordinator for Webheads in Action
March 9, 2012

2. My presentations are always online
These slides
http://slideshare.net/vances
You can hear the rehearsal recording and read the
write-up here
http://learning2gether.posterous.com/vance-stevens-
presents-what-teachers-around-t
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

3. In the beginning …
1998-1999
Writing for Webheads
Weekly meetings each Sunday noon GMT at http://tappedin.org
Archives of logged chats
All: http://prosites-vstevens.homestead.com/files/efi/chatlogs.htm
Turkey meets China in 2001: http://prosites-
vstevens.homestead.com/files/efi/chat2001/wfw011031.htm
2000 - 2002
Online events at conferences where we put students in touch with
teachers using voice
Grant of Elluminate from http://learningtimes.net
2002
Webheads in Action http://webheads.info
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

4. More history
Webheads in Action Online Convergence
2005, 2007, 2009 http://wiaoc.org
Hosted in Elluminate by Learning Times
We learned about “speed geeking”
We tried it in 2009 http://learning2gether.posterous.com/teresa-
almeida-deca-taggalaxy
Speedlifing:
http://advanceducation.blogspot.com/2009/06/speedlifing.html
Learning2gether came about in 2010 to
Enhance quality of our weekly meetings
Avoid more 3-day = 72-hour webcastathons
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

5. Speedlifing
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

6. What is Learning2gether
Class roots online teacher professional development
Distributed
Community of Practice
PLN (Personal learning network)
Models teaching through modeling learning
A teacher models and demonstrates
A student practices and reflects
Wiki-based
In theory, anyone can join, write in an event
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

7. Learning2gether: the Podcast
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

8. Funding for Learning2gether
What funding?
No funding at all, ever, since 1998
No hidden agendas, truly cooperative
Rely on Cognitive Surplus (Clay Shirky)
http://advanceducation.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-cognitive-surplus-drives-us-to.html
Intrinsic motivation of people to
Share, help others
be highly regarded professionally
feel good about themselves
Monetization would undermine cooperative mutual
community support (Deci, Soma experiments)
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

9. Where is Learning2gether
Front page, cfp
http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/cfp
Upcoming events
http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/volunteersneeded
Index of past events
http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/archiveindex
Archive of podcasts and live recordings
http://learning2gether.posterous.com
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

10. TAEdtech-SIG Connection
http://taedtech.ning.com/events
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

11. Our next big event
Sunday March 11, 2010
TESOL Arabia Wrapup
Hosted by Jim Buckingham
13:00 GMT = 5 p.m. in UAE
In Elluminate http://tinyurl.com/y3eh
Register with Learning Times (benign)
Please use a headset to prevent echo
Check your mic and speakers using
tools / audio / audio wizard
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether

12. Please join us 
http://learning2gether.pbworks.com
This is not just a request or suggestion for participation in a one-off event.
If you are seriously interested in professional development to the point
where you might like to join in our activities at learning2gether, we would
welcome your participation.
But even better, we would appreciate your sharing with colleagues
something that YOU know at these events.
Vance Stevens, TESOL Arabia 2012, Learning2gether