Same vocation. Different location. Teacher exchanges are a professional development opportunity that offers new ways of knowing and doing in a different country and cultural context. The challenge extends beyond simple physical relocation. Teachers who have been on exchange liken the experience to that of a first year teacher. Leaving their current professional support networks to create new connections in their professional and personal lives and to experience growth in their practice is an acculturative process that can result in four outcomes: 1. Integration 2. Assimilation 3. Separation 4. Marginalization Research Question How can these practitioners be supported in adapting to their overseas post by the infusion of technology? This discovery research will investigate the use of blogging tools for Alberta teachers on exchange to create networked narratives to aid in the acculturation process. 1. Introduction 2. Rationale4. Methodology Survey research data on the Alberta teacher exchange group will be collected, analyzed and interpreted utilizing: Cross-sectional survey to gain demographic as well as opinion and attitudinal data Data collection settting: in the field Data source: Alberta educators on an educator exchange Data sampling strategy: random selection method Format of interviews: face-to-face structured interviews Questionnaire architecture: consider order effects and sensitivity to diversity Survey questions: mix of closed-format and open-ended questions, as well as filter and contingency questions Instrumentation and the measurement of survey data: Likert scale The validity and reliability of the procedure and instrument will then be assessed and the generalizability of the sampled data determined. Leading researchers in intercultural studies reveal that migrant groups’ help-seeking behaviours in the acculturation process prefer accessing their peer groups over government or formal institutions. The proposed research offers an opportunity to leverage the exchange experience and gain additional insight into teaching methods practised elsewhere. Wider Societal Implications Increasing collaborations and building capacity in such international initiatives benefit Alberta’s students, administrators and teachers, and help foster understanding between peoples and countries. It deepens the understanding for the need of global citizenship and navigating our world of 21 st century learning. Networked Narratives and Cultural Adaptation Processes of Practitioners Working Abroad : A Cross-sectional Survey of Teachers on an International Exchange Teacher Exchanges acculturation Networked narratives 3. Theory The Diffusion of Innovations theory proposes that the blogging platform is conducive to the formation of “weak ties”- acquaintances who are outside of one’s regular social network. Applicable tenets: micro-level communications bridged by the blogging macro-level network is a powerful phenomenon weak ties are more likely to link members of different small groups than strong ones, and helps in the diffusion of ideas and resources “village opinion leaders” must be sought out, reaching a critical mass and become self-sustaining Effecting change is made even more effective when shared by someone with a “mutual subcultural language” Gaps Gaps in this area of study are significant. Much of the acculturation literature focuses on immigration of cultural groups or on teacher adjustment in the early years of teaching, not on the acclimatization of exchange teachers as practitioners working abroad. Acculturation _______ = integration assimilation separation marginalization ? References Berry, J. (1997). Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaptation. Applied Psychology: An International Review. Frey, L., Roysircar, G. (2006). South Asian and East Asian International Students’ Perceived Prejudice, Acculturation, and Frequency of Help Resource Utilization. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development Rogers, E. (2003). (5th Ed.). Elements of Diffusion.Free Press. ISBN: Berry’s Model of Acculturation Carolyn Freed MACT Communications and Technology Graduate Program Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta