M. Schlager, J. Fusco and P. Schank, Cornerstones for an On-line Community of Education Professionals. IEEE Technology and Society, 17(4) (Winter 1998), 15-21,40. from http://www.tappedin.org/info/papers/ieee.html#notes

These authors write about the efforts to establish and maintain TAPPED IN, an online community specifically for educators. they discuss the difficulties inherent in the nature of teacher professional development such as being isolated during the school day, little access for informal learning opportunities, and a predominance of formal learning activities that are outside the of their work.

Two foundations of TAPPED IN are: "on-line environment should support the same ebb and flow of communication and information sharing that face-to-face work teams engage in over time ", and "a scaleable and sustainable TPD community of practice requires the participation of several organizations representing a variety of approaches and perspectives ".

The article goes on to talk about how teachers got excited about the community, but had no reason to log in on a regular basis. Means of scaffolding the community are discussed.