Activity 6: Using social online networks in teaching and/or professional development

First, there was the Internet, and from this there was information. Currently, we have Web 2.0, and fast approaching is Web 3.0. Our world is changing and the way that learning occurs is changing too.

“Professional learning for educators is a lifelong endeavour, sustained through one’s career and evolving largely as a result of practice-based experiences” (Melhuish, 2013, p. 20).

Living in a siloed education system is not enough.  We as educators need to collaborate not only within our school but also nationally and internationally as well. With the rise of easily accessible Web 2.0 tools that can follow us wherever there is a networked device, this is now becoming easier and easier. Siemens (2006)and Downes (2012) describe this as connectivism through the use of Communities of Practice (Learning-Theories.com, n.d.; Wenger, 2009) where there is a community, a domain and a practice (Wenger, 2009, p. 1).

I, myself, am not as connected as I should/could be.  It’s not to say I am not learning in a digital way but there are times where I struggle to see the purpose to have social media consume every moment in my life.  Maybe because the school I was employed at didn’t actively encourage it either.  In saying this, in recent months I have become more attuned to the benefits especially when it comes to learning for my students. Especially as I know that many of our students are connected to many forms of social networking at the ‘hip’. It would be interesting to experience the shift from using such tools as communication tools to ones that are also used for learning.

Image Source: http://www.cybersecurity.hk/en/learning.php

I love professional development, especially those that focus on increasing engagement and achievement of my learners.  I have attended Google conferences based on digital technologies and met some wonderful like-minded people from throughout New Zealand. Furthermore, finally making a Google+ account has not only connected me with Mindlabbers but also to other communities like Google Apps in Education. I thoroughly enjoy learning about new ways to achieve a task and see further potential.

I have made a start, and it is only a start, so I look forward to utlising my learning, becoming more active in my ‘networked communities’ and extend my learning even further. 

Downes, S. (2012). Connectivism and Connective Knowledge: essays on meaning and learning networks. National Research Council Canada,. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&btnG=Search&q=intitle:Connectivism+and+Connective+Knowledge+Essays+on+meaning+and+learning+networks#0

Learning-Theories.com. (n.d.). Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger) - Learning Theories. Retrieved May 15, 2016, from http://www.learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html

Melhuish, K. (2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’professional learning. The University of Waikato. Retrieved from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

Siemens, G. (2006). Connectivism : A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technologyand Distance Learning, 2(1), 3–10. Retrieved from http://202.116.45.236/mediawiki/resources/2/2005_siemens_Connectivism_A_LearningTheoryForTheDigitalAge.pdf

Wenger, E. (2009). Communities of practice: a brief introduction. Communities, 1–5. Retrieved from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/