The target population of this PLE will include parents of special education students, special education teachers, general education teachers, and other adults who support or work with special education students. Specific members would include:
Parents of children who have children who are struggling in school and want to learn more about how to help their students.
- Parents or future parents who are seeking information and strategies, so that they can support and work with their children at home.
- General education teachers and teaching assistants who want to learn more about instructional strategies/supports that have been effective with special education students.
- Special education teachers new to the profession seeking ideas, and existing teachers who are looking for fresh/different strategies to use with students on their caseload.
- Tutors, after-school daycare providers, and school administrators/personnel who are investigating other ways to instruct students with special education needs.
I expect some of the audience members will be familiar with the design and layout of a Wiki however, most will be new to using and interacting with wikis. Considering the levels of familiarity among my targeted audience, navigation will be an important factor when designing this environment. I will be attempting to create easy to use navigation design with clear links and resources integrated within the wiki. I expect most members will feel like this wiki should operate somewhat similarly to an internet website, so I will try to have a FAQ page explaining how to navigate around the wiki I have created. I feel many of the constraints I will encounter will be in creating a wiki that users can interact with when some will have only a very basic understanding of Web 2.0 technology. The FAQ/guide page will try to address anticipated technical challenges.
I intend for this wiki to be a publicly accessible site, where any user can view, comment, leave feedback and interact with other users.
Users who would like to join this wiki community and become a member, will be asked to create a member profile and register an e-mail address to receive updates of new content. Registered members will be able to contribute to content and ideas displayed in the wiki however, content will still be monitored to ensure postings present professionalism and reliability.