Professional Online Social Networks

What is social media?

Social media is difficult to define due to the fact that technology, in general, keeps evolving at an exponential speed (Obar and Wildman, 2015). Obar and Wildman (2015) suggest the following four features to help define social media:

1. internet-based platforms
2. users are able to generate content on social media
3. individuals and groups are able to create user-specific profiles
4. online networks are developed by connecting a profile with those of other individuals/groups.

What are the implications for using social media in my professional development?

Jay and Johnson's (2002) reflective model makes it simple for me to assess the implications that using social media has on my professional development. At the moment, I am currently using blogger to document my reflective practice and share some of my teaching ideas and strategies. This has become an online reflective journal for me as it allows me to see the progress that I am making as an educator, as well as reflect on my current practices. I've been hesitant about joining an online community due to my past experiences with online platforms, and I've limited myself to the amount of social media platforms I'm involved with.

Whitaker, Zoul & Casas (2015) shed some light on the subject for me. They use the analogy of a person running alone on their treadmill at home, and lacking motivation and enthusiasm. By joining a Sunday running group, an individual is likely to feel energised and 'jacked up', in their words. This brought me back to a conversation a colleague and I had about the exact same topic. I explained why I wasn't drawn to online networks and that I was using my blog to share my ideas, when my colleague shared her online experience with me. Being part of an online network allowed her to feel part of something greater, outside of her own school, and know that she wasn't working in isolation. She explained that educators all over the world, share their ideas and experiences with each other. This made me realise that my blog was great for my reflective purposes, however I wasn't actually interacting with anyone. There was no connection, no collaboration.

So, I then watched a short clip titled 'Connected Educators' and it completely opened my eyes to what online networks can actually mean for educators and, specially, for their professional development. Tom Whitby talks about educators collaborating in their professional practice for thousands of years, and highlights the fact that technology has simply allowed us to collaborate at a more efficient and productive level. Elana Leoni discusses the importance of being connected and says it is one of the most powerful and impactful things we can do as educators. Finally, and my favourite part of the video, was Sandy Hayes, who says that online social media networks are "collaboration and communication across not just disciplines, but philosophies". Throughout this reflective entry I've noticed my own philosophy around online platforms change. Being open-minded to the views and philosophies of others, allows educators to adapt, to change, to reflect, and to take risks; all such powerful tools in education.

References

Jay, J.K. and Johnson, K.L. (2002). Capturing complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 73-85.

Obar, J.A. & Wildman, S. (2015). Social media definition and the governance challenge: An introduction to the special issue. Telecommunications Policy, 39(9), 745-750.

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

Whitaker, T., Zoul, J., & Casas, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY: Routledge.