APC. 6 Using Social Online Networks in Professional Development

APC 6 Using Social Online Networks in Professional Development

“Social networks might be described as a phenomenon of the modern age. There is a plethora of online spaces that aim to make face-to-face social connections visible. The meteoric rise of leviathans such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn stand on the shoulders of predecessors such as Friendster, MySpace, SixDegrees.com, LiveJournal and Ryze.com (boyd & Ellison, 2007). This review reflects the way such sites have evolved to become central to contemporary culture and social interaction. So common are they that they are increasingly used to extend professional discussion” (Melhuish, 2013, p. 30)

Current Active Social Media

My professional online social networks cover a range of apps and programmes. Until I was asked to do this activity I had not realised how many social networks I belong to such as Words with Friends - an interactive scrabble game that allows me to play scrabble with my niece in New York and a stranger in Florida who has become a friend over four years of games at one or two words a day and some occasional comments through the internal messenging on the app. I care about her birthday, her family events and she remembers significant personal anniversaries of mine. We are socially connected. I have not included this app in my diagram as it does not fall in the professional online forums. The diagram below shows the social networks that I do use most often in my professional life. It covers most but not all as there is a constant change and new opportunities that respond to specific need at particular times. I use pinterest during non school time to search out craft ideas or activities for English for Speakers of Other Language ( ESOL) and LinkedIn when I am searching for professional colleagues or organisations with specific expertise or information such as a person qualified to diagnose dyscalculia.

Choose two of these questions. 

1. What are some key features of social media that are beneficial for teaching and learning? Why?
2. What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities? Why?
3. What social media platform do you feel best supports engagement with your professional development? Why?
4. How do/would you use social media to enhance your professional development? Why?

The last two questions are ones prick my interest the most – I love learning, it is why I became a teacher. My own going learning is always of interest to me and I believe that our willingness to engage in learning is one of the best gifts that we can offer the younger generation along with a sense of fun in learning new skills and ways of thinking and working in a changing world.

https://youtu.be/nA1Aqp0sPQo  by Austrialian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership

As a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour I find that skype has a great deal to offer in sharing and meeting for an hour across distance for groups of people who have a relationship and common professional issues. I particpate in a group of 6 RTLB who are all Incredible Years Teacher programme facilitators and we meet in a group call twice a term to share, problem solve and celebrate successes. It is a forum that operates much like a community of practice and yet there is a strong element of peer supervision also as at times we will use a shared framework for problem solving or a De Bono thinking process to problem solve. Each session is specific, targeted and of great value for learning to improve as a facilitator of IYT. We are a group of diverse facilitators who live in different parts of New Zealand from Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch, Nelson, Whangarei and New Plymouth. We all had social connections prior to the group gathering via skype and although we could engage in face to face COP's with other colleagues, this forum works as a way to manage time, maintain social links and provide quality professional development in a collaborative and trusting environment. All members are comfortable with the technology.

Why is the skype media so successful for us? I am comfortable with the personal notes that I take of our skype calls and relaxed around issues of confidentiality. There is no digital footprint of any shared casework with all attendant practices of not using any identifiable names. The geographic distance adds a safety factor also around sharing as there is very little possibility of members of the skype group recognising local schools or teachers. This further adds to the trust in confidentiality from professional colleagues. 

I have also begun to use Trello as a planning tool for work tasks with a team of colleagues and support from a young entrepreneur who participates by asking questions that make us think more closely about why we are doing things in a particular way. He is often puzzled by how cautiously we work and surprised at the care that the teachers take over making things work well for students. His energy and enthusiasm have been inspirational in getting plans underway and happening when we would have gathered more data, consulted more people. He is coaching us in the use of Trello in an informal agreement to mentor us through effective use of Trello. This is probably one of the more exciting innovations I have begun and I believe that part of this is the cognitive dissonance provided by someone outside of the education profession who brings a fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective to challenges and who asks questions that would never occur to us- what we take for granted is unpacked and looked at more closely to see if it is needed or just how we have become used to doing things.

The primary teachers facebook page is a great tool for a quick brainstorm of ideas or resources when I am stuck for age specific learning in literacy and numeracy for students on my case roll. I find twitter and G+ communities good sources of new ideas and information on a more personal level. There is not the same level of social engagement as with the skype sessions which are usually filled with a mix of laughter and learning. I find myself part of an exponential trend where “The notion of ‘Web 2.0’ seems almost traditional in the face of aggregation tools and multi-platform spaces, intertwined by a proliferation of social networking tools.” Upon reflecting more on my facebook and skype experiences, they could well be represented in the diagram below.

 (Melhuish, 2013, p. 30)

The skype community  and the facebook social network fulfil different functions in my professional development. One allows for deeper and richer levels of openness and vulnerability with corresponding trust in the integrity of participants to deal with highly sensitive issues of competence and ethical challenges. Facebook provides rapid and widespread eclectic  ideas and tips that no one person or small homogenous group could hope to generate.  Both forums offer professional development specific to different needs that in turn have a direct bearing on how effective I can be in my practice and ultimately increase the impact that I have on student achievement.  Ultimately, “Teachers who model good social media use will grow learners who apply positive, respectful values in their interactions on social media platforms. “ (Education Council, 2016).

  

Education Council. (2016, June 18). Education Council and Social Media. Retrieved from Education Council Aotearoa: http://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/about-teachers-council-and-social-media-project

Melhuish, K. (2013). Online Social Networking and its impact on New Zealand educator's professional learning. Retrieved June 27, 2016, from The University of Waikato: http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

http://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/