What is Social Media?
According Seaman &
Tinti-Kane (2013) the debate at Pearson was whether YouTube was social media.
They discussed that it allows for posting, sharing and commenting, but is
it just gaining new content for the user?
Wikipedia's definition:
"Social media are computer-mediated tools that allow people companies and
other organisations to create, share or exchange information, career interest,
ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
It seems to be quite loose in what
defines social media and generally when there is sharing and communication
about content it is considered to be social media.
What social media platform do you
feel best supports engagement with your professional development? Why? I personally use the 'Pinterest'
and for someone that is creative it is very addictive! It is easy
to navigate and search for ideas and follow colleagues for their saved ideas. I
have set up boards that can be shared to colleagues and for specific content.
We have started to use it when we plan from the saved pins (YouTube videos,
Slide share, blogs, websites, pictures, etc).
 |
| Create your own titles for boards |
 |
| Inside one board |
According to Silius, Miilumaki,
Hutamaki, Tebest, Merilainen & Pohjolainen (2010) it is important to
have easy access to information and to share friends with similar interests to
maintain engagement and motivation. Engagement and motivation using
social media is the driving force behind the user's preferred social media
platform. User's will frequent social media sites when they are engaged with
the community, content and navigation.
My favorite: Pinterest came in at number 5 this year (2016) and of course Facebook number 1.
View the Top 15 see: http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites
How do/would you use social media to
enhance your professional development? Why?
I believe a range of social media
allows connectivity and opportunities for 'knowledge' and collaboration with
local and global colleagues. Blogs and social media including Twitter provide
'knowledge' to support and develop our learning. Social media allows for
communication and in real time, anywhere and anytime of the day. This allows
communication to other parts of the world including platforms such as
Skype.
Our perspectives and 'knowledge' through collaboration can extend and grow with the advantage of technology. It allows for professional development and growth. The resources and availability of knowledge using technology and social media provides multiple alternatives and ideas.
I also agree with Melhuish (2013)
that teachers need to review the models that they currently use for
professional development and consider other options that are available using
tools such as social media.
Using the google+ community during
this course has allowed participants to view and contribute in a friendly, but
informative manner sharing different perspectives to gain new knowledge.
Melhuish also discusses using a
network (social media) as a 'taonga' (treasure) because the advantages provide
us with valuable experiences to use within our practice.
References:
Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrived on 05 May, 2015 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han...
Seaman, J., & Tinti-Kane, H. (2013). Social media for teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/reports/social-media-for-teaching-and-learning-2013-report.pdf#view=FitH,0
Silius, K., Miilumäki, T., Huhtamäki, J., Tebest, T., Meriläinen, J. & Pohjolainen, S.(2010). Students’ motivations for social media enhanced studying and learning. Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 2(1), 54-67. Retrieved from http://www.kmel-journal.org/ojs/index.php/online-publication/article/view/55/39
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Pinterest too! Though often for the more creative part of my job as a science teacher, setting team challenges, projects and problems for my students to solve. I like the visual nature of a Pinterest board and the recommendations that pop up and suggest it meets the criteria of Silius, Miilumaki, Hutamaki, Tebest, Merilainen & Pohjolainen (2010) - as it is giving you easy access to information that you can share with our colleagues in your planning. I hadn't used the google+ community before this Mindlab but am finding I am using it more often and enjoy the interaction especially since we no longer have our weekly meetings. Have you tried Facebook or What's App with your students? My class has a Facebook page. I was a little doubtful about managing it to start with but I am finding that it is a very effective way of keeping contact with my students.
Thanks for you post
Anne