Step 1 (Descriptive
stage):
I have
mainly used facebook in my professional practice to connect to professionals in
the education sector. Within this social network site, I have joined several
different closed groups that specialise in areas of interest, such as the
specific age range I teach, or an aspect of my professional development that I
want to upskill, such as the use of digital portfolios or new and innovative
programmes within the classroom. I joined the Virtual Learning Network several
years ago, but found I was inundated with emails and did not have enough time
to explore these to find new ideas.
Step 2 (Comparative stage):
There are
many benefits to the use of social network sites for teachers. Social media
platforms can support creativity, collaboration, communication and sharing of
resources (Sharples, de Roock, Ferguson, Gaved, Herodotou, Koh, Kukulska-Hulme, Looi,
C-K, McAndrew, Rienties, Weller, Wong, 2016, p.12).
From research, Melhuish (2013,
p.39) has found that “system components such as groups and forum threads can enable
collaboration, connectivity, openness and information sharing, as well as
providing platforms to generate new knowledge, co-ordinate resources and
participation, and access diverse perspectives.”
Challenges to the use of social network sites
for professional development is the criticism
for the lack of quality control, poorly
thought through ideas, issues related to privacy,
identity, message control and management of information overflow (Melhuish,
2013, p.39).
Being aware that sharing information in a
social network site does not mean that
the comments are theory driven or
particularly formative in ways that impact on practice (Melhuish, 2013).
Step
3 (Critical reflection):
After reading the required texts and watching
the videos, I felt affirmed in the way I use social network sites to develop my
practice as a teacher. It is an essential go to for me whenever I am seeking
resources or information, especially when trialing something new in my
practice. The benefits of connecting people in different geographical locations
for discussion and sharing of resources and ideas is in alignment with the very
nature of collaboration (Melhuish, 2013). Education
is transforming rapidly and as educators we are scrambling to keep up within
the constraints of curriculum and time, and social network sites are at our
fingertips for instant access.
The
criticisms around privacy and information control are relevant, and I have
experienced frustration in both these arenas myself. As mentioned in Establishing
Safeguards (Education Council, 2012), we must think about the purpose, the why and how. What
is the benefit for me and the students? Think about the process and discuss it,
plan it and make it clear to the community as to why you are using social
media. As long as transparency is maintained, the use of Social Network Sites will continue to be an effective source of collaborative professional development for me in my professional practice.
REFERENCES:
Education Council.(2012). Establishing
safeguards. [video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49216520
Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on
New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master
Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved on 05 May, 2015 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han…
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 http://proxima.iet.open.ac.uk/public/innovating_pedagogy_2016.pdf
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