The Education Council (n.d.), our
professional standards body, defines social media as “web-based and
mobile-based technologies which facilitate interactive communication between
organisations, communities and individuals”. Teachers are increasingly using social
online platforms in their teaching practice and professional development.
There are many benefits in using social media and networking in education. A study
investigating social media use in teaching university students by Silius et al
(2010) revealed student motivation for social media can enhance study.
Pearson’s survey (in Seaman & Tinti-Kane, 2013) found an increase of 21.3%
from 2012 to 2013 in social media use in teaching and the engagement of
learners in blended learning. Online social networks can certainly enrich the learning
environment. According to Sharples et al (2016) “social media can bring
learning to life by summoning up different times, spaces, characters and
possibilities” and “social media platforms have been able to provide
personalised learning which is need-based and flexible in time and location.
But it’s not all sunshine and roses. There
are also many challenges in using
online teaching and learning platforms. 56% of respondents of the Pearson’s survey (in
Seaman & Tinti-Kane, 2013) believed social media was more distracting than
helpful to students. Melhuish (2013), looking
at online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’
professional learning, raise the concern that it can be harder for educators to
switch off when we’re so easily connected to our students. I often think of our current students as the instant
gratification generation; while it can be great to give that more immediate
feedback, has being connected and more available led to an unrealistic
expectation by our students of our availability to them? As Melhuish (2013)
says, students can lose their sense of time, so how do we manage the impact
online connectedness can have on our time as teachers?
The effectiveness of social media in teaching
and learning is very much dependent on the expertise and motivations of those
using it. That is certainly the case with me.
What online social networks do I ‘use’?
When I completed The Mind Lab survey on the
networks I use I was surprised how many platforms I actually use. I’m a late
bloomer, so to speak, and operate almost completely within professional sphere
(I’m not hooked, as of, yet, on the use of networking in a more personal
sense). I’m regularly using Facebook, Linked in, Twitter, Padlet, curriculum-based
Wiki, Pinterest, Office 365, Google platforms, video, and of course blogging. Melhuish (2013) says “technology
accessibility and the pace of advancement to all communities both locally and
internationally has resulted in changes to aspects of the general education
system, including the professional learning medium for educators. This has certainly
been the case for me; to date, social media has been of the most use to me in
terms of my own professional development.
What social media am I using
in my professional development?
I am predominantly using Facebook as a PLD
platform. I regularly receive feeds from Edutopia, Teach Thought, Cult of Pedagogy,
and Mind Shift; and I belong to three closed-groups for NZ educators – Junior Social
Studies Teachers, History Teachers, and Scholarship History teachers.
In what ways has social media been used to support my professional
development?
Edutopia, Teach Thought, Cult of Pedagogy, and
Mind Shift constantly keep my head in the ‘Pedagogy-game” but it has been the
collaboration through the Facebook groups that has been the most valuable to my
curriculum knowledge, skills and understanding. My personal experience matches what Sharples et al (2016) found
- “teachers can use online social network to seek
information, share ideas and even contribute to the development of deeper
knowledge”. Given our location in on the northern West Coast of the South
Island, geographical isolation is an issue. Since moving here from a bigger
centre 9 years ago, I’ve worked hard to ensure I’m not “outside the loop” in
terms of curriculum and pedagogy. With distance and limited opportunities to
participate in curriculum-focused PLD, these Facebook pages have helped counter
the restrictions and constraints mentioned. Discussion takes place on
pedagogical understandings pertinent to the Social Sciences, questions are
asked and answered about programme structures, assessments ideas, NCEA, and so
on. I have access to some of the finest teachers in my subject areas in the
country – that is amazing.
What are the challenges that arise from using social
media for my professional development and how do I address these?
As mentioned in my
previous reflection on ethics, it’s not just me as an individual person is
networking; I have a responsibility to BHS as I am participating on these
online forums in my capacity as a teacher here. It is important that I think
before I ‘speak’ (post) and follow the Education Council’s ‘Teaching and Social
Media’ guidelines – I make use of the Council’s ‘before you share’ graphic
(Reflection 5). I also regularly check my Facebook privacy and security
settings. As Seaman and Tinti-Kane (2013) highlight, integrity and privacy are key considerations.
How am I using social media in my teaching? In what ways
has social media been beneficial to student learning?
This is a steep learning curve for me. I’ve become
hooked on Padlet as a fantastic discussion and information gathering and
sharing forum; my junior and senior students have benefitted, both those with
learning difficulties and gifted-and-talented students, as Padlet has the scope
to cater well for both. The Facebook group I belong to for History teaching is
a useful tool for answering the questions of my students I don’t always have
the answer to. Student can ask an assessment-based question (e.g. “how many
annotations do we actually have to do?”), I’ll post the question and, without
fail, a range of interpretations will come through for us to consider. Checking
my understanding with people from around the country is a great way of
achieving consistency nationally.
What are the challenges that arise from me using social
media in my teaching and do I address these?
For me
the challenges cover ability and ethics. Firstly, I have to work within the
constraints in my in
knowledge, skills and understanding that come from being a ‘newbie’ in the social media domain.
Secondly, similar to my point earlier about ethics, being a positive role model
for digital citizenship is crucial for my integrity and that of the programmes
I run with my students.
Reference List:
Education
Council of Aotearoa. (2017). Teachers and Social Media. Retrieved from https://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz
Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social
networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning.
Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved from https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
Seaman, J., & Tinti-Kane, H.
(2013). Social media for teaching and learning. Babson Survey Research
Group. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/social-media-for-teaching-and-learning-2013-report.pdf
Sharples, M., de Roock , R., Ferguson, R.,
Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Looi,C-K, McAndrew, P.,
Rienties, B., Weller, M., Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016:
Open University Innovation Report 5. Milton Keynes: The Open University.
Retrieved from https://iet.open.ac.uk/file/innovating_pedagogy_2016.pdf
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