Social Online Networks

So what social media do I use in my practice?  There are two main lens to look at this through: Professional Development; and Classroom use.
Let's take a look at the PD aspect first.  It is safe to say my social media use for PD has developed organically.  I first joined twitter while attending my first Ulearn conference in 2012.  I was completely overwhelmed at first.  I experienced FOMO in a big way, if I didn't constantly check twitter imagine what I was missing out on!  This early experience highlights one of the problems of social media use for PD identified by Karen Melhuish 2013 Masters Thesis: Online social networking and its impact on NZ educators' professional learning, which is information overload.  Other problems of lack of quality control and organisation also became apparent.  Yes I had to sift through posts and threads to find what I was after, then I discovered the power of the #tag and lists.  But really, the "luck of the draw" approach of gaining professional learning via twitter is similar to who you sit next to at a conference workshop or even which workshop you pick to attend.  There are some gems, but also a few duds.

What am I looking for in my professional learning from social online networks?  If I'm completely honest it is probably the affirmation of my practice - looking to see that what I am currently doing is in fact OK.  The danger in this is that I may then only be open to learning about and from people who hold a similar view to me.  What I hope actually happens is that if I see someone is doing something different or another way I am motivated to explore the potential benefits this approach may have for my students.  As the Innovative Pedagogy Report for the Open University observed one of the main drivers for teachers to explore online social networks is for new resources.  This is a enticing motivation to go searching.  One problem I have is that I tend to be a bit of a "lurker" when it comes to the online realm.  Although Karen Melhuish suggested that lurking did not mean non-learning, in the spirit of a community of practice it is not sustainable to only observe and 'take' resources, I should be contributing myself to add to the collection and dialogue, without which an online community might not survive.

The collaborative nature of being a "connected educator" is a real benefit of using online social networks for my PD.  The fact that the "experts" are the very participants in the network rather than a singular superior individual, can aid this collaboration.  The benefits of this collaborative approach have even been identified by NZQA who are now offering online "best practices" workshops for NCEA subject teachers to "engage in professional discussions with colleagues and the facilitator about interpreting the standard."

So if using social online networks is good enough for NZQA surely there is no excuse not to get involved.