Professional Online Social Networks - Using Social Online Networks in Teaching and/or Professional Development

"We have to realise that as educators, we're always telling our students to be lifelong learners, well, education doesn't stop when you get your teacher's licence, you have to be a lifelong learner.  Too often we profess it, but we don't follow it.  And we have to get educators to consistently and constantly educate themselves and the tools for education today, life in technology."

Tom Whitby, #edchat founder; Connected Educators

Activity #6: 

Social networking isn’t new, predating the internet however, social media online has allowed communication and the building of new social network connections to occur between people at a phenomenal rate whether it be for personal or professional purposes.  Due to its asynchronous nature, social media is a powerful tool opening the door to a multitude of learning opportunities for teachers and students alike, not bound by time nor location.  Using a social media forum such as ‘Twitter’ can for example, allow NZ teachers to pose a question leaving home for school, and by the time they’ve reached their classroom, teachers can expect a collection of answers and suggestions from colleagues here and abroad.

No one can deny the potentiality of social media occurring for educators and students is huge, but there is a darker element to using social media therefore monitoring and precautions have to be accounted for such as educating students about becoming digi-safe and digi-aware citizens when using the online world.

1.     What are some key features of social media that are beneficial for teaching and learning?  Why?

The most obvious beneficial key feature of social media for teachers is developing connections with people from a variety of different backgrounds, surrounding oneself with passionate like-minded educators who are willing to share and co-collaborate knowledge and advice.  Twitter or Facebook allows people to ‘Follow’ others almost instantly, to join specific groups or ‘communities’ of interest, allowing teachers to find and use different platforms to engage students and support learning and furthermore, connecting students to the wider world to enhance their world-view at a more profound level of understanding.  Professional development does not need to only occur within the realms of the physical world, PD is readily available with a few taps upon the keyboard.

For teachers, learning opportunities available online are enabling students to learn and use a range of new skills such as Web 2.0 tools whilst enhancing literacy and communicative skills and especially, their personal voice.  For example, ‘blogs’ can be dynamic and effective ways of allowing students to be responsible when showcasing their learning to families and with each other, creating a digital footprint to be always available to return to.  Creating connections with classrooms from other countries, allows students to see how same aged peers live, how they are educated, how life is different or similar and importantly, observing issues arising for their peers which students might not necessarily need to contend with in their own countries, hence encapsulating a world-view.

2.     What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities?  Why?  

Keeping students safe when online at school and at home are integral aspects of becoming a digi-safe citizen.  As mentioned earlier, the darker element of social media can be destructive and extremely harmful for impressionable young minds such as cyber bullying or worse, exposure to online sex-extortion as I had briefly mentioned in an earlier posting.  For me as a teacher and a Mum, I dread exposure of any child to these damaging components social media can pose therefore the best plan of attack is to prepare children and make them ‘mindful’ of potential dangers (age appropriate).

Students connecting with the wider world must become empowered by being aware and ‘armed’ to cope.  Preparing students into becoming responsible online citizens must be a necessity and starting young may help develop an automaticity, a habitual behaviour which is second nature.  Becoming a responsible online citizen involves an array of necessary strategies such as learning internet etiquette when interacting with others, learning to use technology for positive outcomes for themselves, the community and their school, learning about cyber bullying and its harmful effects, and the tools to keeping oneself safe.  Additionally, investing time into developing empathy for others involving values such as ‘caring for others’ or ‘being kind’ should not overlooked.

Another challenge is finding a platform best serving teacher and student needs.  Finding one may take time, and especially if the teacher is not yet comfortable with using social media as a medium for student learning opportunities.  This is even more problematic if teachers are not yet ‘connected’ but they themselves can see potential learning outcomes beneficial to students.

References:

Joosten, T.( 2013. October 22). Pearson: Social Media for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/tjoosten/social-media-for-teaching-and-learning-27456257?ref=http://professorjoosten.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/pearson-social-media-for-teaching-and.html

Office of Ed Tech. (2013, Sep 18). Connected Educators. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=216&v=K4Vd4JP_DB8

Social Media For Kids. (2014, Aug 15). Social Media For Kids® The Social Media Education Experts.[video file]. Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2rOekhi20E

Tvoparents. (2013, May 21). Using Social Media in the Classroom.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riZStaz8Rno

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3