Professional Online Social Networks

Social Media is now a part of everyday life. It is everywhere (or at least accessible everywhere) and it is always on, available, in use.
The are a range of social media platforms ranging from older, now at least, systems like Facebook to more recent systems such as Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram or even LinkedIn (business oriented).

Description - My Experiences
I have used Social media in my own teaching practice in a number of ways. Each of these has not necessarily utilised the same system or platform either.
Twitter - Because it has a limit on the number of characters one can write this platform encourages brevity. I have used it to communicate ideas with other teachers, not just locally but often around the world. It promotes concise discussion while also allowing the sharing of other content or links to such content. For example I curate content of interest to my own teaching or that I wish to share with others using ScoopIt! and share this content using Twitter.
I have also used Facebook to read/follow school members or events. Many schools now have Facebook pages for the purpose of rapidly disseminating content/information and allowing interaction with a wider audience.

Comparisons - My thoughts on what I have seen
Ways that I have seen social media used by other teachers are:

• Facebook used effectively as an LMS through the creation of a group to which the teacher and students have access to post and share ideas. NB: In situations such as this however, the teacher should be using a dedicated teaching/school based account not a personal one.
• Use of Twitter to share ideas or promote discussion between students and teachers.
• Use of Twitter to create groups and share ideas around teaching and learning within a school. 

When teachers look to incorporate social media into the teaching and learning process there are a number of things to be mindful of.

• Personal boundaries
• Appropriate content
• Timing
• Ease of use (time may have to be spent ensuring students know how to use the chosen social media platform/system. This time should not be so great as to be detrimental to the primary learning)

Before jumping into using social media a teacher should look at "what each platform offers". Different platforms have different ways of operating. Some might be more fun than others from the students perspective. However, if they do not allow the learning to progress then they could easily become an unwelcome distraction that impedes rather than enhances learning.
Teachers should be willing to seek the advice of other teachers who have used social media in their classrooms/teaching before embarking on using it themselves. One of the best ways to learn/resources is the social media platform the teacher wishes to try. Getting onto to the platform and  becoming involved in discussions with other educators on it will help to inform decision making around the effectiveness of the given platform for use in a classroom setting.

As a tool for Professional development, social media platforms enable educators to engage with content and each other in a collaborative and ongoing discussion. This can take a one off session where teachers are face-to-face and allow it to become an ongoing dialogue involving the sharing of ideas and experience. Including feedback on things that work or did not work in relation to a given Professional development program. Thereby continuing and enhancing the learning and improving the practice of all those involved as well as potentially spreading the ideas to an even wider audience.

There are challenges that can come along with the use of social media even in a Professional development context. Teachers are people at the end of the day and therefore social creatures just like anyone else (it is why social media has been so successful). But this can lead to teachers using social media more for the purely social aspect than the sharing of ideas of practice and discussions around optimal learning.

To make social media work best for the teaching and learning in the classroom, and in particular for teachers to benefit from it in relation to Professional development, the platform/s chosen should be only used for those areas. This demarcation/separation of platforms/systems will help with the mindset of the teacher when using social media. e.g. A Teacher tweeting to colleagues about a resource, experience (good or bad) or feedback on a lesson. Is different from the Snapchat message they sent about their meal out at a restaurant the previous evening. And so it should be.

Reflective - So...what now?
Social media  provides ways in which to interact with other educators and content in an ongoing manner. More often than not Professional development programs are one off symposiums or tutorials that can have little lasting impact on a teachers pedagogy. Social media allows for the learning and discussion to be ongoing, reinforcing the ideas and providing a place for the teachers/educators to get feedback and alternate points of view which would not otherwise occur.
In a teaching and learning, classroom context, social media provides an avenue for students and the teacher/s to engage with learning and content/ideas in a more consistent manner. Creating a Twitter feed for a class can allow students to maintain more constant conversations about their learning, with the teacher being accessible effectively 24/7. Instead of students only seeing and thinking about learning, particularly in high school, in discrete blocks. The conversations can be ongoing, with students and teachers contributing whenever and wherever they are.

References

Source: p. 36-44 in Chapter 3 of 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/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y