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Socially Professional Networks

This is the sixth in a series of posts in which I will attempt to demonstrate critical reflection with respect to different aspects of life as a teacher.  This post aims to explore my use of social media for professional development.

Thankfully, I explored the ethics of using Facebook for learning in last week's post, so I feel I can leave out that aspect of the discussion.  In short, as long as the teacher is careful to frame and facilitate, it's okay to use social media for education, and it can be a very effective way to organise and engage students.



Above are screenshots of some online social networks that I use professionally.  These are Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Yammer (from top to bottom).  Listing like this prompts me to feel that the range and extent of my involvement is a bit excessive, but I swear I use each network quite differently and they all serve quite different purposes!

I use Google+ as a requirement for a course with The Mind Lab.  The site functions works well as a hub for posts and as a way of connecting learners who otherwise wouldn't (or couldn't) cross paths.  This is in keeping with Melhuish's findings (2013): "social network sites offered a way for, often geographically separated, people to connect with and learn from others who were
previously inaccessible." (p. 39).  However, I feel that the very successful grouping of the large number of course participants has limited effectiveness as a hub for discussion.  With so many people posting so often and about so many things, it can be very difficult to focus in on any particular topic or thread.  As such, many course participants have found other avenues to share and discuss course content.

My Twitter use is certainly the most loosely connected to professional development, in that I use it only sporadically, and for a combination of personal and professional interest.  I find it most useful for tracking themes at conferences and checking into #edchatnz to get the latest goss on what's hot in NZ education.  As with my experience of Google+, the scale of Twitter can be overwhelming and useful posts can be buried under less-useful content.

"Only-useful-when-you-really-need-it" has described LinkedIn for me in the past, but I've hit a point (perhaps a level of following/followership) wherein the social functions are proving somewhat beneficial.  In particular, I have friends in other industries who write industry-targeted blogs, and LinkedIn seems to be a great platform for sharing these.  Many of the commenters are purely professional connections, and it makes for some insightful and robust conversation.

A great example of community making up for a not-awesome platform.  Participation requires a Microsoft login, and the layout can be pretty confusing, but it is used extensively by the Microsoft NZ Education group and has become an incredibly valuable resource for me [in my Office 365 school].  The Microsoft Education NZ staff are very active in engaging with teachers and have sustained this for a long time.  They're clear investment and intent has built trust, and fostered a culture of sharing and forward-thinking.  It has seemingly also been beneficial for Microsoft, in that they get rich, honest, feedback from their customers as and when good and bad things come about.  A truly socially professional network!

References


Melhuish, K. (2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrived on 05 May, 2015 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han...

Seaman, J., & Tinti-Kane, H. (2013). Social media for teaching and learning. Babson Survey Research Group. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/social-media-for-teaching-and-learning-2013-report.pdf

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