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ABSTRACT The trend towards collaborative social software and technology in education appears to be exponential. The notion of ‘Web 2.0’ seems almost traditional in the face of aggregation tools and multi-platform spaces, intertwined by a proliferation of social networking tools. With the roll-out of ultrafast broadband and the development of the N4L managed network in New Zealand, it is timely to consider the extent to which online social networks present both challenge and opportunity for educators’ professional learning. This paper, derived from a thesis completed in partial fulfillment of a Masters in Education, explores the experiences of educators using the VLN Groups network (www.vln.school.nz) to determine how far this user generated mode of professional learning might extend professional practices in school. The study considered the ways and the extent to which the affordances of the VLN Groups social network site combine to affect educators' abilities to engage in effective professional learning. This study suggests that the VLN Groups can provide a thriving participatory system that enables educators to engage in an informal kind of professional learning focused on immediate concerns and contexts in their own teaching and leadership situations. It also raises questions related to 'counts' as professional learning and how self-driven learning can be integrated into a cycle of active inquiry into practice. The study makes recommendations for teachers, schools and policy makers related to connecting and coordinating professional learning in ways that maximise opportunities in the digital age.
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• Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning
• Karen Melhuish Spencer | @virtuallykaren | karenmelhuishspencer.comThursday, 1 May 14
Access the original thesis: http://bit.ly/socialthesis
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ultra-fast broadband & N4L managed network!
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Parliamentary !Inquiry !
& !21st Century
Reference !Group!
& !Ministry !
Statement of !Intent!
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Professional inquiry cycle !
Timperley et al, 2008
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The context: New Zealand’s Virtual Learning Network
http://www.vln.school.nz
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Q: What do we mean by social network sites?
Image (CC) by ButchLebo
clear purposeprivilege the individual
visible connectionsafford collaboration and
creationshared spaces
support curation & aggregation of content
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Can social networking support effective learning?
“It is pre:y random professional learning, but some?mes it’s really useful.
Image by tejvanphotos (CC)
”Thursday, 1 May 14
The study
• Interpretive, ethnographic study, using mixed methods
• Online survey 2012 [70 responses, 83.6% completion]
• Representative of wider sector
• Interviews with 5 educators
• Content analysis grounded in Activity Theory and effective professional learning frameworks
Image: (CC) Some rights reserved by NoJuan
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Activity Theory
Adapted from Engestrom
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Findings
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MotivationsI am a lead teacher... I access VLN primarily for: to gain ideas for my own development in prac?ce and to gain prac?cal ideas to take back to staff.
“
”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhwright/5874234034/sizes/m/
• reduces isolation• personal affirmation• explore topical issues• connect with colleagues•cherry pick & grab bag
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Activities and goalsproviding me with real <me
answers to my ques?ons, real tried and true resources and websites
and apps, given me other points of view and access to resources I
would not have found otherwise.
“
”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrs_logic/3556644715/sizes/m/
• sharing resources• gather information• pedagogy over content• whole school issues• fast rather than deep• personal focus over school/student
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Technology as an enabler “”
Image credit: RaHuL Rodriguez
•groups and forums•inbox as arbiter•browse inbox rather than personalise and post•groups as filters•managing info-flow•issues with navigation
The online discussions are something you
probably wouldn’t get unless you went to
ULearn.
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I had signed up but didn't use it. When I looked for advice about
iPads from ICT cluster facilitator she referred me there. It has been very
valuable. I had floods of advice from all around NZ when I asked a ques<on. Email advice of posts is also very good. I have even been able to pass on some things I've
learned -‐ pay back.
“
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bertknot/8236396151/sizes/m/
”
Community, rules and sharing the load
•Content over connections•Easy access to others•Safe and professional•Effectively facilitated•Ministry related
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Limitations
•Early adopters at the vanguard•Snapshot in time•Self-reported•Not tracked into schools
Image source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Concrete_wall.jpg
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Q: How does this compare with your own experiences?
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So what?
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Implications: Teachers
•Consider extending inquiry using such networks beyond the school• Discuss ways to actively collaborate with others•Digital literacy development to manage information•Understand notions of professional learning•Look for opportunities to connect•Understand that filters need to be judiciously used
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Implications: School leadership
•Consider personalised professional learning models• Learn within AND beyond school•Digital literacy professional learning•Integrate wider networks•Design blended professional learning
Image: rafal.postcrossing
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Implications: Policy level
•Coherent approach to blended professional learning across PLD, inc. online facilitation
•Understand the opportunities that networks might offer
•Support grass-roots community-driven approaches
•Extend effective PL facilitation models to include online/blended Image: florriebassingbourn!
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Q: To what extent is this approach to professional learning feasible in your
organisation?
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...a final word...
“It’s a taonga...I like the way it feels like it is continually moving. It’s not static, it is continually evolving...it feels like it is breathing. And that it has got life.”
[‘Amanda’]
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Q&A
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