Activity 6 and 7: Professional Context -Broader Context, Professional Online Networks

Activity 7

Social Media in learning and teaching and professional development.

Thinking about Social Media

A year ago I was hesitant with social media for both teachers and learners. For learners I thought it was a dangerous territory. Social media is 13+ and what danger was I exposing them? I didn't have control over what they will be exposed to and I was scared. For a teacher, I didn't really see the point. Social media was for social purposes. 

This changed after uLearn14 watching the Tweetdeck - opinions were being shared and challenged. Learning was being created and .....it was fun. Discussions were interesting and thought-provoking. I get it.

How do/would you use to enhance your professional development?

• The beauty of social media is how accessible it is - learning anywhere and anytime. I could be waiting for my coffee and have access to instant professional development.
• Having a choice and control on what to learn - it's a personalised learning that plays on my strengths and weaknesses.
• Know what is currently going in the education systems and attending conferences without having to physically attend them
• Being exposed to different points of view and having meaningful discussions on issues.

I joined Twitter soon after and played around to see how this may work in the classroom.

What are some key features of social media that you have identified as beneficial for teaching and learning?

• Easy access. Joosten (2013) has argued that social media allows for open access to learning. This is true. The learners can have a record of what they have learnt before and keep going back to it.
• Something they can relate to. They know this medium, this is where they are and why not use the medium to give them feedback? This is a way to communicate with them.
• Wanting to belong. It is also as builds community (Joosten, 2013) . The learners' sharing of learning builds class community and better understanding of everyone.
• Everybody having a voice. Encourages learner voice - having to voice out your opinion, your thoughts and learning are a complex processes.
• Posting and communicating. The interactive features engage students in literacy skills and critically think about how to connect to others and effectively communicate their message.
• Socialization (O'Keefe & Clarke- Pearson, 2011). It's a medium to negotiate and develop societal norms.

But there is still that feeling that I have with social media - how can I make it as safe as possible for them?

Padlet used as a "controlled" social media

I used Padlet as our classes' social media forum - however there is no authentic audience in this medium. How can learners negotiate the world around them, connect with others if they are working in the confines of the classroom still? It's online, but it doesn't mean I have broken down the walls. 

So this term, I will join my class to twitter but I have to think of the challenges involve in this and what is the purpose of it? Why am I doing it? Am I just trend chasing?

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

• Laws and regulations - Social media is 13+ - my learners/students are under that. How do we address this?
• What are the school's policies on social media?
• How do we involve the community/parents that are reluctant with the idea of social media?
• How do we deal with any cyberbullying incidents?
• How can we teach cyber safety and social responsibilities?(SocialMediaForKids, 2014) It's our responsibility as teachers to make sure they are safe out there? Have we equipped them to deal with issues on the internet?
• How do we respect the students/learners' privacy?
• How do we promote it as a learning tool? Mao's (2014) study showed they did not conceptualise social media. Did they see it as a learning tool?

Social media has a potential to be a great learning tool, but we have to be aware of the why we are doing it and the dangers associated with it. I think it's about taking a risk and letting go of control within a "controlled" environment eg. joining your class to a social media account.

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

Mao, J. (2014). Social media for learning: A mixed methods on high school students' technology affordances and
perspectives. Computers in Human Behaviour, 33(2014), 213-223. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.002

O'Keeffe, G. S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and
            families. Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-804. Retrieved from
            http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full.pdf+html

SocialMediaForKids (2014, Aug 15) Social Media For Kids® The Social Media Education Experts.[video file]. 

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2rOekhi20E

Activity 6:
Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally.
            

 How are we addressing the emerging contemporary trends in the education world?

Trend 1: Rethinking learners  

Learners and digital learning

I agree that technology, social and economic advances has changed the learners (Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins, 2012). Education is focussed on the learner - learning like technology has become personalised. Learning is ubiquitous, accessible, affordable and personal (Pearson 2013).

This changing nature of learning has forced the learners to be active participants of their learning, but I think more importantly it has changed the teachers' role. What is the teacher's role now especially in the day of learner agency? Learning is now an equal power role between the teacher and learners.

How are we addressing this in our learning community? It started with the introduction of digital classes that forced me and many of my colleagues to question our pedagogy. The learners are learning everywhere and anytime - what are we doing as a community to utilise this? Am I doing the best for them? As teachers, we have lost the power to tell them when and how learning occurs. So what am I doing? Embrace it, question it, discuss it - change the classroom, change the teacher. Both teachers and learners have on choice on what to learn.  Classroom delivery and PLD is slowly changing towards a personalised learning approach. I'm constantly reflecting on learners and what learning means - are we doing the best we can to make these learners successful in the global and local context? I'm talking others and seeking feedback about this.

Trend 2: Changing idea of knowledge 

(Schaefer, 2008)

Knowledge has changed to something that is created and developed (Bolstad et. al, 2012). I agree with Bolstad et. al (2012) who states schools were able to predict what skills need to be taught so learners/students can fill their economic role.  But that has changed, we can't predict the skills anymore - they are not tied to the industrialisation age. There are jobs now that didn't exist before. The population will grow to 8 billion (Pearson, 2013). The implication? How do we share a limited resource between 8 billion people? We have to create knowledge to find innovative ways to share/use those limited resources. Learners need to build an identity around self-reliance, critical thinking, creative thinkers, team players and initiative (Bolstad et.al, 2012). But even these skills are not set in stone - they are educated guesses. In this age, teachers and learners need to be adaptable like knowledge.

How are we addressing this as a community? A slow change and challenging of current planning. Is our planning knowledge transmitting knowledge or is it knowledge creation? We are re-structuring planning so it is moving towards an integrative/integration model but more importantly dynamic and adaptable one.

Trend 3: New partnerships and relationships. 

Technology has formed new connections - they are faster and has made us feel closer globally. We have wider access to expertise and resources (Bolstad et. al, 2012). I found it interesting the biggest economy is predicted to be China and non-western economies (Pearson, 2013). The implications? A new economic power but more importantly we have to learn to make connections. We have to be aware of different cultures to make connections and collaborate to access resources. In a local sense, professionals need to collaborate and be open to new thinking to be more future-oriented (Bolstad, et. al, 2012).

(Geralt, 2015)

How are we addressing this in our community? Our school has joined a cluster that meets monthly to share resources, problem solve and collaborate on issues. We are not alone in our journey. In our digital classes, we emphasize in effective communication, collaborating and making connections to different people.

I think it is difficult to have "answers" to these trends and we are playing a "catch-up" to the 21st-century game. The only thing we can do is have educated guesses and continue to reflect on whether we are addressing them. The worst thing to do is just sit and watch.

References:

21st Century Learning Reference Group. (2014). Future Focused Learning in Connected Communities. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/

              Documents/Ministry/Initiatives/FutureFocusedLearning30May2014.pd

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012).Supporting future-oriented learning & teaching: A New Zealand perspective. Wellington: Ministry of Education. Retrieved 5 May 

2015, from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306

Geralt. (2015). Social Media. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/social-media-personal-552411/

Pearson. (2013, April 26). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZiTQy3g1g

Schaefer, D. (2008). Brain. Retrieved fromhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/dierkschaefer/2961565820