I use social media in my professional development as a librarian. As librarian I follow two national on-line communities– Slanza and National Library. These both offer discussion and professional development courses, web sites with masses of information, and helpline connections.
Our school is part of a Manaiakalani outreach cluster, which offers professional development face-to-face as well as through a Google+ community. The community of learning also has a Google+ community.
Intra-school communication is primarily through email, and teachers are expected to follow up links sent to them. School wide professional development is usually based on a meeting, with any follow up work available through blogs, google communities and the like. This means that professional development is available to staff as it is needed, and can be accessed from different places at times that suit individuals.
Comparative
All teachers at our school are expected to have a class site, and to move towards developing a learn–create-share pedagogy. This has been more difficult for some than for others, and as teachers come and go there is a need for continuous development of skills by staff. While there is an opportunity each week for teachers to get one-to-one help, there is not enough time for everyone to have this help. Therefore, teachers who choose to be proactive learn and develop their skills more quickly than others. Some faculty leaders have released teachers from their classes so they can have this learning opportunities.
Whanau have access to their child’s learning through the classroom web sites, and whanau hui show they are keen to learn how to do this, and also how they can contribute. The school Facebook page keeps whanau informed of upcoming events as well as student successes. Magette (2014) discusses the need for managing risks with social media use. One of the school’s responsibilities is to teach safety while using social media, and education is given to students and whanau on this topic. This is usually limited to one or two whanau sessions for new students, and is not followed up very well. As yet, there is no policy or set of procedures for staff to follow.
Reflection
Whitaker (2015) suggests that teachers can overcome their feelings of isolation and lack of support by nurturing their own community through social media. His suggestions for becoming a connected teacher demand a concentrated effort on the part of the individual, but will pay dividends in the form of sharing ideas, resources and support. I tend not to use twitter, and think I would find it overwhelming to research and follow fifty educators on top of the personal and professional connections I already have. However I find his suggestion of making four different responses each day ( a question, sharing a resource, responding to a comment and sharing my own thinking) is something I could do to move my involvement to a higher level than what it is now.
References
Magette, K. (2014). Embracing social media : a practical guide to manage risk and leverage opportunity. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.(Available in Unitec library).
Whitaker, T., Zoul, J., & Casas, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY: Routledge.
Our school is part of a Manaiakalani outreach cluster, which offers professional development face-to-face as well as through a Google+ community. The community of learning also has a Google+ community.
Intra-school communication is primarily through email, and teachers are expected to follow up links sent to them. School wide professional development is usually based on a meeting, with any follow up work available through blogs, google communities and the like. This means that professional development is available to staff as it is needed, and can be accessed from different places at times that suit individuals.
Comparative
All teachers at our school are expected to have a class site, and to move towards developing a learn–create-share pedagogy. This has been more difficult for some than for others, and as teachers come and go there is a need for continuous development of skills by staff. While there is an opportunity each week for teachers to get one-to-one help, there is not enough time for everyone to have this help. Therefore, teachers who choose to be proactive learn and develop their skills more quickly than others. Some faculty leaders have released teachers from their classes so they can have this learning opportunities.
Whanau have access to their child’s learning through the classroom web sites, and whanau hui show they are keen to learn how to do this, and also how they can contribute. The school Facebook page keeps whanau informed of upcoming events as well as student successes. Magette (2014) discusses the need for managing risks with social media use. One of the school’s responsibilities is to teach safety while using social media, and education is given to students and whanau on this topic. This is usually limited to one or two whanau sessions for new students, and is not followed up very well. As yet, there is no policy or set of procedures for staff to follow.
Reflection
Whitaker (2015) suggests that teachers can overcome their feelings of isolation and lack of support by nurturing their own community through social media. His suggestions for becoming a connected teacher demand a concentrated effort on the part of the individual, but will pay dividends in the form of sharing ideas, resources and support. I tend not to use twitter, and think I would find it overwhelming to research and follow fifty educators on top of the personal and professional connections I already have. However I find his suggestion of making four different responses each day ( a question, sharing a resource, responding to a comment and sharing my own thinking) is something I could do to move my involvement to a higher level than what it is now.
References
Magette, K. (2014). Embracing social media : a practical guide to manage risk and leverage opportunity. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.(Available in Unitec library).
Whitaker, T., Zoul, J., & Casas, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY: Routledge.
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