Chapter 5: E-Mentoring: Guiding Across Barriers Through Technology

This chapter highlights excerpts from interactions with the dynamic men- tor/mentee relationships between K-12 leaders and teachers in different levels in their career. The chapter opens with brief definitions of mentoring and e-mentoring then jumps directly into the study. The chapter applies the parameters and guidelines set forth by Bierema and Merriam's (2002) key factors to the mentor-protégé relationship of e-mentoring. The researchers utilized informal e-mentoring interactions in K-12 settings to identify the spe-cific characteristics that assist in making the relationships work. The first step of this exploration involved an examination of two case studies of written communications between two mentor-protégé interactions-Corine-Absa- lom and Wynn-Tsion both in a K-12 setting. Through the case study of these two e-mentor relationships the authors illustrate benefits, setbacks, and best practices of creating and maintaining both informal and formal e-mentor relationships in the K-12 education setting.