I’m not a fan of social media. I hate Facebook, I don’t tweet and I have never instagrammed. I don’t want to see daily pictures of someone’s pets, no matter how matter how cute, and I don’t need to see pictures of what they had for breakfast. Even if it looks mouth-wateringly amazing. Especially if it looks mouth-wateringly amazing.
But to me professional networks are quite different to social media in their purpose and use.
For many years I have been a member of a Japanese teachers email group which communicates regularly whenever someone is need of advice, ideas or resources. This has been and continues to be a useful forum for Japanese teachers, especially as many of us are geographically isolated and most schools only have one teacher of Japanese.
In 2016 I started using a messaging app called “Line” to communicate with my students in preparation for our trip to Japan. This app allows group or individual chats, and we use real names so everyone knows who is saying what. Before we even got to Japan students were using the app to message each other and me about fundraising activities, what to pack for the trip etc. We found this so useful that on our return we created a group for our whole class which students used to communicate with each other throughout the year and while revising for their exams.
Other types of electronic communication have also been useful in my teaching. Yesterday my Year 9 class created this padlet to practice saying what they like in Japanese. Everyone contributed their ideas in a safe and non-threatening way.
https://padlet.com/barberj2/v4cgcp5a2kod
All of these appeal to me as I prefer to know who I am communicating with. Apps or websites such as Pinterest or Twitter have a multitude of materials and can be really useful to search for new ideas and find out what people are doing in other countries but without a personal connection they don’t hold my interest, and I find these quickly become time-wasting and distracting, although I know other teachers who find them invaluable.
During the uLearn conference last year I became aware of various types of social networking being used by teachers. Several primary teachers use applications such as Seesaw for communicating with parents and showcasing student work. Mention was also made of class and student blogs being used effectively.
The Innovative Pedagogy report from Open University (Sharples et al, 2016) gives some fascinating examples of how social media is being used to enhance teaching and learning. The idea of tweeting in Middle English is something I have never heard of but sounds like a wonderful way to engage modern day students with language, ideas and concepts from long ago.
Melhuish (2013) cautions that social networking by teachers is not particularly beneficial unless it can be measured by data and informed by inquiry questions and evidence. I would disagree with this as in my personal experience, many teachers have found the informal learning driven by their immediate needs to be extremely useful as they are quickly able to gain insights and advice from experienced colleagues in a range of contexts.
Use of social media by teachers to connect with each other can be very beneficial but care should be taken when engaging with students over the internet. Blurring of lines between personal and professional connections can easily occur. The code of professional standards for the teaching profession (Education Council, 2018) makes it clear that teachers are to demonstrate a high standard of professional behaviour and integrity, and to engage in ethical and professional relationships with learners that respect professional boundaries. It is important that teachers consider this before instigating online interactions with students or parents.
References
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
Sharples, M., de Roock , R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Looi,C-K, McAndrew, P., Rienties, B., Weller, M., Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016: Open University Innovation Report 5. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Retrieved from http://proxima.iet.open.ac.uk/public/innovating_pedagogy_2016.pdf
Our Code, Our Standards (2018) Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession, Education Council Aotearoa New Zealand retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf
I found your blog to be very interesting and insightful. Two days ago, I had a notification come up on my Facebook feed, saying that I have using Facebook for 2 years now. It gave me a small presentation of the photos I had posted (which was very few), encouraging me share it with my friends. I asked myself, why, for what purpose? I did not have an answer. I just ignored it – life has gone on. In my personal life, I do not post much on Facebook, I don’t use Twitter or have an Instagram account – I have never really been interested in it.
ReplyDeleteI tend to use my Facebook account for more professional work. It has been a great tool for connecting with others and seeing what is happening in their classroom and work environment. I have only just started to use Twitter, for Chapter Chat, where I send tweets out about my classes work. Yes, I did have to sign up to Twitter for MindLab, which did give me an insight into how it works and the pros and cons of it, but have not looked at it in a long time.
I agree with you, where teachers need to carefully consider accepting social media friendship requests for students and parents, as it can have a negative outcome. I know that some teachers can sometimes feel pressured to accept requests from parents in their class, as they do not want to create an uncomfortable environment. I always say, would you meet up with this parent for coffee after work or on the weekend. The majority of the time the answer is no.