WEEK 29: Using social online networks in teaching or professional development

“Using social media tools for student learning activities brings an engaging real-world relevance for students of all ages” (Magette, 2014).

This week, I will be reflecting on the social online networks I use for teaching using Jay and Johnson’s (2002) reflective model.

STEP 1: DESCRIPTIVE

The social media platforms I am currently using in my teaching are: Blogs (Blogger) and Content/Document (Google docs). Every class in our school has a ‘class blog’ and every student in my class have their own individual blog. Our class blog has been set up as the main platform for our online discussions over an inquiry topics/ questions/ class projects, also sharing and viewing YouTube videos, class photos, class newsletters and notices. Students participate blogging once or twice a week, either at school or from home. I monitor and moderate our class blog to make sure the discussions are on point and appropriate. And on weekly basis, I teach using Google Docs (and Hapara) which includes Google Drive, Slide, Forms… and Gmail, for sharing information and files (like the lesson plans, resources and activity tumbles) with my students.

STEP 2: COMPARATIVE

In past years, I have used Wikispaces, Edmodo, OneNote and O365 in my teaching before our school made a shift from Microsoft O365 to Google Docs. Similarly, to Wikispaces and Edmodo, Blogs provide greater opportunity for each student to have the freedom to post an inquiry question or contribute to our discussions without any disruption. According to Williamson & Jesson (2018), they have stressed the fact that students who posted on their blog more than twice a week, on average, had larger gains in reading and writing achievement than students who posted less frequently or not at all. And Magette (2014), states that “blogging tools can achieve the real-world relevance that enriches student learning.”

Screenshot 18.10.18 at 4:50pm.

According to the “Social Media Tools” – Survey, the graph above shows the social media platforms that teachers have used while teaching/leading. The most popular platform is the Video (Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo, TED…) with 92.7%, followed by the Content/Documents (Slideshare, O365, Google Docs, Prezi…) with 72.9%, and then Blogs (Blogger, Wordpress or other…) with 53.1%.  This gives me a great satisfaction about the social media platforms that I currently using with my own class are the most popular ones for teachers.

STEP 3: CRITICAL REFLECTION

According to Magette (2014), the use of social media in any classroom becomes a natural way to teach students critical digital citizenship skills, …and learning to effectively communicate on social media is an essential 21st-century skill. However, there is a risk using some of the social media platforms. From last week’s reflection, we understand that social media can bring challenging and ethical dilemma for teachers in terms of “improper use of social media within the context of school” and “blurred personal and professional boundaries in electronic communication.” The implications for using social media in teaching are, firstly to make sure that the social media policy is in place and then get the parent’s consents.

REFERENCES

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

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

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

Williamson, R., & Jesson, R. (2018). Evaluating the Impact of Participation in the Summer Learning Journey Blogging Programme. Auckland, New Zealand: The University of Auckland. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/15cIdomtuxOXEGT_aTttxm_y8If18l_EJ/view