Preservice Teachers Collaborating and Co-Constructing in a Digital Space

Participatory literacy practices include the ways in which individuals interpret, make, and share as a way of connecting in our digitally mediated culture. This chapter is a culmination of an across-university partnership created between the two authors and the pre-service teachers that collaborated online about teaching and learning. Three threads of participatory literacy practices are shared within the chapter including 1) the use of blogging across university settings, 2) the implementation of digital professional learning communities (PLCs) to connect and collaborate with other pre-service teachers, and 3) the formation and participation in digital literature circles to co-construct meaning from children's literature. This chapter includes the authors' attempts at collaboration across university settings using different tools, platforms, and resources. This work is an example for other teachers and teacher educators to consider how we can help pre-service teachers be part of the participatory culture and provide an even wider community of learners.