Educators' use of social media for informal professional learning

Educators’ use of social media for informal professional learning

Debbie Fucoloro, Ph.D.International Society for Technology in Education Conference

June 29, 2014

ABOUT ME

• Ph.D. in C & I, Saint Louis University, 2012• B.A. & M.A.T. in Ed Tech, Webster University• 20 total years in education• Classroom teacher –• 3rd, 4th, 6th S.S., 7th Sci., and digital video to

middle schoolers• Instructional Technology Specialist • Currently, Technology Coordinator

Computers are not being utilized as education tools as expected.

Bauer and Kenton (2005), Toward Technology Integration in the Schools: Why It Isn’t Happening

Overriding sentiment: “It’s been 30 years since the advent of the personal computer and we’re still struggling to get teachers

and administrators to integrate digital technologies into their daily work in ways that are

substantive and meaningful.” ~ Scott McLeod (2011)

Purpose

Investigate educators who use social media for informal professional learning.

What motivates them: • to seek out and connect with other educators• to advance their professional learning• on their own time

Importance of the Research

filling the gap in literaturehttp://globaltoynews.typepad.com/.a/6a0133ec87bd6d970b014e86e58ea8970d-500wi

So What?

- shed light on how to better support all educators professionally

- nurture reluctant technology users- encouraging and mentoring their participation

in these environments- increasing their ability to use best practices in

technology integration in order to positively impact student learning

Conceptual Framework Evolution1. How to encourage and support educators in

technology integration when planning lessons?

2. Can use of social media for informal professional development increase technology integration and student learning?

3. However, first it is important to learn more about educators who currently use social media for informal professional development.

Foundation of Conceptual Framework

• Paulo Freire – learning is a social act and dialogue is the heart of education

Foundation of Conceptual Framework

ISTE Standards-S ISTE Standards-T ISTE Standards-C ISTE Standards-A ISTE Standards-CSE

Literature Review• Adult Learning Theory• Professional Development• Personal Learning Network

“Friends educating each other” Basil Yeaxlee, 1925

Adult Learning Theories

Stresses potential

for informal

social learning

Self-directed learning, desire for control, flexibility, and feedback

• Inclusion (giving voice)• Empowerment

(belongingness)• Opportunities to negotiate

between and across cultures

CoPs enable adults to learn with and from each other

Adult Learning

Adult Learning

Connectivism focuses on theamplification of learning, knowledge, and understanding through the extension of a personal network via social media

Professional Development

self-directed, ongoing and job embedded—not an event

Professional Development

• the community concept (social media) and

• the knowledge aspect (access to information) of learning

Personal Learning Networks

PLN = connections to

people and resources, both

offline and online,

who enrich our

learning

PLN = “friends educating each other” revived

Typical Teacher Networkby Alec Couros

The Networked Teacher

Socially Networked Teacher

New Paradigm Suggested

• Self-directed• Differentiated• Ongoing• Job embedded• Flexible• Encourages self-analysis and personal

reflection

New Paradigm

• PLNs should be validated as a powerful professional development component

• Not: Traditional vs Informal

• But a mix of:

traditional & emerging, formal & informal

Research Questions

Q1 What are educators’ perceptions and reported behaviors associated with participation in informal, online professional development networks?

Research Sub-Questions

Q1a motivationQ1b typesQ1c specific

Q2 Do educator’s perceptions and reported behaviors differ based on:• current assignment• years in education• age

Research Questions

Methodology

“Unless researchers first generate an accurate description of an educational phenomenon as it

exists, they lack a firm basis for explaining or changing it.”

~ Gall, Gall & Borg

Instrumentation

• 1st Demographics• 2nd Traditional Professional Development and

Technology Integration• 3rd Using Social Media/Networks to Meet

Professional Development Needs

• establish a baseline description of knowledge regarding educators who use social media for professional development

• lay the groundwork for further in-depth studies based on the findings

Variables

1. Current assignment – grade level, position, subject area, and school setting

2. Years in education--categories included 1-10 years, 11-20 years, and 21+ years

3. Respondent’s age included a drop-down box for exact age

Population Sample

• Pre-K through higher education• Teachers, administrators, librarians and media

specialists, specialists (Art, Music, P.E., Foreign Language)

• Instructional support personnel (Technology Specialists, Special Ed., Counselors, Gifted Ed., Language acquisition)

• Education industry (retirees, consultants, bloggers, authors)

Population

• Snowball sampling method to access approximately 16,900 educators via Twitter and Nings

• 1,000 Twitter followers• 10,000 members of Educator’s PLN Ning• 6,000 members of ISTE Community Ning

Findings

Demographic Sample

• 4,950 visited survey• 147 began • 14 dropped out before end of demographic

info and were excluded• 133 participants

Key Descriptive Findings

Respondent Demographics

Average Age43 years-old

43

Respondent Demographics

Most = PreK-5

Least = higher ed

Respondent Demographics

Most reported

they were

classroom

teachers

Respondent Demographics

No differences – surprise!

Respondent Demographics

Suburban

Respondent Demographics

1-10 years, but fairly distributed

Educators use Twitter significantly more than…

FindingsFavorite social media application to use for informal professional development:

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http://cdn8.staztic.com/app/a/2788/2788300/spreadytweetz-twitter-1-1-s-

307x512.jpg

Findings

Open-ended Themes - Why Twitter?

• Community• Convenience• Sharing• Informal learning• Professional improvement• Isolation reduction

Open-ended Themes - Why Twitter? Community & Convenience

“It is the modern equivalent of the 18th century coffeehouse—a place teaming with ideas, opinions, research, discussion, collaboration, and bold vision.”

http://blog.songcastmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/twitter-community-600.jpg

Open-ended Themes - Why Twitter? Community & Convenience

“It is the modern equivalent of the 18th century

coffeehouse—a place teaming with ideas,

opinions, research, discussion, collaboration,

and bold vision.”

"…it allows me to get ideas and feedback almost instantly…"

Open-ended Themes – Why Twitter? Informal Learning & Sharing

“I have created a PLN that I feel meets my needs by providing resources, ideas, and challenges to improve learning for my students.”

http://images.wisegeek.com/people-independently-working-in-a-cafe.jpg

Open-ended Themes – Why Twitter? Informal Learning & Sharing

“I have created a PLN that I feel meets my needs by

providing resources, ideas, and challenges to improve

learning for my students.”

"…the exchange of ideas and resources is phenomenal."

Open-ended Themes – Why Twitter? Professional Improvement

“I have developed more as a professional since participating in #edchat than I did in the last five years.”

http://appliedsimplicity.org/files/u2/group_3w.jpg

Open-ended Themes – Why Twitter? Professional Improvement

“I have developed more as a professional since participating in #edchat than I did in the last five years.”

"It has been an invaluable tool and has transformed

my classroom and my career."

Open-ended Themes – Why Twitter? Isolation Reduction*

“The largest difference is that I no longer feel alone in the classroom. I think it is hard for those outside of education to realize how isolated teachers were before social media.”

Open-ended Themes – Why Twitter? Isolation Reduction*

“The largest difference is that I no longer feel alone in the classroom. I think it is hard for those outside of education to realize how isolated teachers were before social media.”

"I learn a wealth of information from people I

would not have met living in a rural area."

Findings

How well did each of the following prepare you to make effective use of technology for instruction?

*Remember average age is 43 years old.

“School districts need to provide opportunities for teachers to find professional development that matches their needs, not a cookie cutter approach that everyone is in the same place.”

"I learn more in an hour long Twitter chat than most full day workshops I've attended."

Key Comparative Findings

Administrators vs Classroom Teachers

http://leadershipfreak.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/disagreeement.jpg

Current Assignment - Position• Administrators perceived that employers used

more methods to support technology integration than classroom teachers.

• Administrators had a more positive view of the effectiveness of PD in educational technology provided by school, district, or campus than classroom teachers.

Yes

No

{

"Social media has filled a gap in my professional development between the required district pd and the individualized learning I want."

As age increased:

• confidence using technology decreased

• PD activities made respondents feel more prepared

• use of social media decreased

Other Relevant Findings

Findings

• Educators (99%) believed they should take personal responsibility for continued professional growth and improvement.

"It has allowed me to find my passion for teaching again and I do not know where I would be without it."

"Being able to participate in conferences that I can't attend in person is simply mind-blowing!"

"Being connected with educators in a variety of settings and content areas allow me to find resources I might not otherwise know of."

"Establishing my PLN has opened up new worlds to integrate tech and reexamine my teaching goals."

"I believe that through the use of social media a teacher can greatly increase their development/advancement as a professional."

"I am on the computer every night searching for new technologies to use in my classroom and learning from my PLN."

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

"I wish my district acknowledged all the time I spend learning via informal professional development networks such as Twitter."

New Paradigm Suggested

• Self-directed• Differentiated• Ongoing• Job embedded• Flexible• Encourages self-analysis and personal

reflection

New Paradigm

• PLNs should be validated as a powerful professional development component

• Not: Traditional vs Informal

• But a mix of:

traditional & emerging, formal & informal

Key Recommendations & Implications

• Researchers• Educational leaders• Teachers

Key Recommendations to Future Researchers

1. Examine successful programs currently supporting the use of, and giving credit to and recognizing educators for participation in informal, online professional development networks.

Key Recommendations to Future Researchers

2. Is there a correlation between participation in informal, online professional development and:- Improved practice- Increased student learning- Increased technology integration- Increased confidence in tech integration and lesson

planning- Increased feeling of belongingness—less isolation- Increased satisfaction with personal professional

development

Key Recommendations to Future Researchers

3. Conduct longitudinal studies to investigate:- quality of teacher education programs - employer-provided professional development

on the integration of technology for instruction

Key Implications forEducation Leaders

1. Make technology integration a priority. Focus on sound pedagogy and lesson planning rather than just tools and application use.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/4138613146/

Key Implications forEducation Leaders

2. Allow educators input regarding professional development:- differentiated- self-directed- example – unconference and edcamp models,

cMOOCs, Twitter chats and/or GHOs

Key Implications forEducation Leaders

3. Provide professional development that is ongoing and job embedded.

4. Encourage (don’t demand) participation in informal professional development networks and support development of PLNs.

Key Implications forEducation Leaders

5. Explore ways that would support, honor, and give credit for time spent in informal, online professional development.

6. Administrators need to lead by example by modeling effective use of technology—for example, in communicating with students, parents, and staff.

Key Implications forEducation Leaders

7. Teacher education programs should focus on teaching pedagogical aspects of effective technology integration.

Implications forEducators

1. Participate in informal, online professional development by starting your own PLN built on your needs and passions—start small, find mentors, be patient.

2. Take responsibility for your own professional growth and improvement.

Implications forEducators

3. Advocate for the legitimacy and recognition of time spent participating in informal, online professional development networks.

4. Advocate for professional development that is self-directed, differentiated, ongoing, and job embedded.

Implications forEducators

5. Be bold and share what you learn in these environments and encourage others to join in the conversation.

6. Model lifelong learning by staying as up to date as possible regarding technology integration.

The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. ~ C. S. Lewis

http://sociability.ca/blog/thanks-21st-century/

Find me at:Twitter: @debbiefucoBlog: The Educators’ CaféEmail: debbie.fucoloro@gmail.com