Week 29 Reflection - Activity 5: Professional Online Socila Network
My week 29’s reflection is based on Jay and Johnson’s
reflective model
Practice 2 – Activity 5: Professional Online Social Networks
The use of social media has become increasingly
critical to my teaching professional development.
1. Descriptive
I have always been
withdrawing myself from using social media since my bank account scam experience.
It keeps alerting me my personal information being accessed when logging into any
digital device.
Although it was
chaotic at the start to set up own blogging media, things improved for I learn
from mistakes. My Mind Lab journey has increasingly regained my trust and
confidence, allowing my exposure to blogging with professionals through google
communities (g+). Incredibly, many fellow Mind Lab colleagues shared their amazing,
deeply justified views with various literature, contributing a lot to my personal
growth and professional digital technology learner development. It reaffirms
numerous social media services like communication channel, engagement tool and
a collaboration’s platform (Faizi, Afia & Chiheb, 2013) I have used, supporting mine
and others’ teaching practice. I am grateful for undertaking the course which
allows me wonderful opportunities to learn and practise consuming social media
safely particularly G+. Anyhow, I still question social media disadvantages as
surveyed by Pearson (Seaman & Tinti-Kane, 2013). To clear these doubts of
mine an, it is important that I learn how to use social media platforms
effectively to harness students’ potential.
2.
Comparative
Through my increased
confidence of using google communities, I totally appreciate, value and highly
respect Mind Lab students’ professional perspectives of various topics. I have
been pleasingly follow and read through different thoughtful views which
lightens up my confusions of specifically the issues that I seek solutions for,
reminding me of other aspects to consider before finalizing what and how to
enable safe teaching and learning
environments. It has been so
mind blowing to collaborate online for Melhuish (2013) assures that technology
access and its advance pace has responded greatly, changing the general
education system aspects, including educators’ professional leaning medium. I
did try to create a twitter account but unsuccessful and therefore stick with
google communities for the time being until I am confident to twitter.
Although teachers play significant roles in
preparing the learners well for life and to be lifelong learners since the
beginning, yet Whitaker and Casas (2015) doubt their commitment in cementing
this act. I personally assume this to be a sole responsibility but not
according to Whitaker and Casas (2015), for it takes numerous educators to
collaborate and communicate effectively through various means to engage in
meaningful dialogues, sharing and discussing the creation to solidify lifelong
learning. Educators’ cooperative social networking contributes to this as well
because it can influence and extend teachers’ learning over time (Dika & Singh, 2002; Dwyer et al., 2009; Greenhow, 2011; Simonson,
2008). Learning, driven
by the urgent ‘just in time’ desires of teachers does not have the same impact
as sustained professional learning with clear outcomes, driven by evidence and
inquiry (Timperley, 2011). Mind Lab has reminded and taught me a lot about huge
and effective impacts of social networking to improve my teaching profession as
carried out in my G+ reflections that others feedback to.
3. Critical Reflection.
Because I want to prepare the students’
lifelong learning and to match up with the 21st century education, I
have to quit my old teaching strategies but learn to consistently connect to
the other educators in a professional sense as a lifelong learner through networking.
I am solely responsible for this change since my practice won’t go anywhere if
I don’t take responsibility for my own learning. I am the best model of my own talk but not
just the words.
.
References
Dika, S. L., & Singh,
K. (2002). Applications of social capital in educational literature: A critical
synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 72(1), 31–60. Retrieved from JSTOR
database.
Dwyer, N., Farooq, U.,
Fusco, J., Schank, P., & Schlager, M. S. (2009). Analyzing online teacher networks: Cyber networks require
cyber research tools. Journal of Teacher Education, 60(1), 86. Retrieved from
Gale Group database.
Faizi,R., Afia,A. &
Chiheb, R. (2013).Exploring the potential benefits of using social media
in education. International
Journal of Engineering Pedagogy. 3(4), 50-53.
Greenhow, C. (2011).
Online social networks and learning. On the Horizon, 19(1), 4–12.
doi:10.1108/10748121111107663
Melhuish, K.(2013). Online
social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’
professional learning. Master
Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved on 05
Seaman, J., & Tinti-Kane,
H. (2013). Social media for teaching and learning. Babson Survey
Research Group. Retrieved
from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/social-
Simonson, M. (2008).
Social networking for distance education: Where is the research? Quarterly
Review of Distance Education, 9(2), VII. Retrieved from ProQuest Education
Journals database.
Timperley, H. S. (2011).
Realising the power of professional learning. Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Whitaker, T., Zoul, J., &
Casas, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY:
Routledge.
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