Week 29 Using social online networks in teaching or professional development

Descriptive:
In my teaching practice I have used Google+ communities for mathematics, videos from Youtube and Blogger to share what is happening in the classroom. However I have found that I have used social online networks such as facebook groups, Google+ communities, Youtube, Google slides to help me develop professional. Engaging in online discussion and the sharing of resources has been beneficial for my practice as a teacher.

I feel that in my own practice in the classroom I have not use social online networks to their full potential, to connect the learners in my classroom with those around New Zealand and the world. However I have found they have been beneficial to how I teach and what I teach in the classroom.

Comparitive:
In the school I teach at some teachers have used closed Facebook pages instead of blogs to share what is happening in the classroom, these are private and can only be shared with the parents. The teachers found that they had a higher engagement from their parental community and it was easier to share the learning in realtime, this is supported by Magnette (2014) in their writing. As a school we have also been sharing what is happening via the Facebook page, this allows parents and whanau to see what is happening in our school and to receive any important notices, as Twitter has not worked for all our parents. I would like to use this platform as a way to share in realtime what is happening in the classroom. I want to use this as it is what is happening in our school, rather than blogger or seesaw.

I signed up to twitter as a part of the Mindlab course, however I have not really used it. I have found in my teaching practice I tend to go to what is familiar. I have seen through this course the benefits of using twitter to share learning and connect with other learners internationally. It is something I would like to begin to use more effectively in my classroom. I wish to do this by following Whitaker, Zoul and Casas (2015) of Follow 5, Give 5 and Take 5. I hope that using this in my classroom will help me to better use twitter.

Critical Reflection:
In my teaching I have found the use of the online world incredibly beneficial to my teaching practice. However I have found that time always seems to be a factor. I have enjoyed being a part of a community of teachers journeying together with Mindlab, but have found that I have not had the time to interact as effectively as I would like. After this course I would like to be not only someone who views and get ideas from others, but to share more in online forums and seek advice from others, to get the full benefits from forums such as Facebook, google + and twitter. Going ahead and using social media to inform my practice and share learning (using Give 5 model) I hope to improve my personal learning network and my engagement with other educators.

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.


Magette, K. (2014). Embracing social media : a practical guide to manage risk and leverage opportunity. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.(Available in Unitec library).

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