Learning Place community spaces on offer

How do I start a community?

The Professional Communities website now features in excess of 250 community websites. These websites are available for professional associations and educational networks that benefit Education Queensland staff.

Contact Linda Cooper, Project Officer on tel: 3421 6652 to inquire about a community space for your association today. The cost is $3,000. Websites are limited and the following selection criteria applies - The Professional Association or Educational Network must:

• Have an educational focus as their core purpose
• Show that their online community will benefit Education Queensland
• Have an existing sustainable network of members across Queensland
• Have a successful history of offering quality professional learning for members
• Maintain a capacity to manage and update the community website
• Pursue only non-profit activities

If a community already exists which may suit your network needs, you can ask to join as new members. If your network is active and busy, ask to join as a sub-community of the main community, which is a website in it’s own right. A community is not charged to create sub-communities, and the creation of a sub-community is at the discretion of the community manager of the main community site.

What kind of community website will suit our network?

The online Professional Communities are designed according to the nature and needs of the community itself. There are three main types of communities:

• Geographical educational networks
  Community based professional development, such as the Bayside Communities or the Emerald Learning Community

• Professional focus networks
  Groups with a specific professional focus, such as Gifted and Talented Education or Inclusive Education

• Shared vision networks
  Networks uniting groups of unaffiliated education professionals working towards a common goal, found under the Educational Alliances section, such as Girls and ICTs or Arts Education Alliance