Social Media

Although I’m open to using technology and integrating new forms of communication into my teaching practices, there’s still one aspect of technology that I’ve remained quite apprehensive about: social media. Unlike most of the people I know, I actually don’t have any social media accounts, besides

a Tumblr account that I browse from time to time. That being said, I realize that I don’t have much of an online presence and that’s kind of been the goal! However, I also understand that online networking is important to my professional career and can serve as a great way to meet other professionals in my field. I think I’m always going to be reluctant to create online profiles and to have an online identity because I’d rather remain anonymous. However, I do want to participate and learn new things from people online, which is why I’m slowly opening up to the idea of social networking. For example, one platform that interests me is Twitter because of the access to educational hashtags, which can definitely benefit my teaching practices. I know I can gain a lot of tips and tricks related to teaching if I take advantage of the plethora of resources that people have to offer online.

This is definitely an area in which I’ve experienced growth over the past couple months because I’ve found a real use for social networking: my career and teaching practices! Therefore, I think I’m

developing Competency 11 because I’m more aware of the available resources (pedagogical networks, online forums, blogs, etc.) and I’m starting to use them for my professional development. I know I still have more to learn and I’m excited about the kinds of things I will learn from online networks of other professionals. Being a networked teacher is complex and involves many aspects, but I know that I’ve learned a lot about how to access different resources and technologies.

In addition, I think Twitter and other social networking sites are good tools to use with my students. If used properly, online platforms can create a community of learners and can encourage students to interact with classmates. I like the idea of showing students how to use social networking in positive ways and in ways that enhance their learning. It would also be interesting to connect with educators in other parts of the world and to have their students and mine interact online. In high school, my teacher connected my class to another group of students in Belgium, and I communicated with a girl through written letters. An online blog or forum would have facilitated this process and might have given us more chances to communicate. This has helped me develop Competency 8 because I’ve found yet another way to engage my students in school through communication technologies and to incorporate social networking in my teaching practices. Another part of this competency is to use technology to build professional networks, which I described above.

One of my goals is to develop my professional network and to be a bit more open to using social media for professional purposes. In this day and age, I don’t think it’s necessarily wise to avoid all forms of social media and to shy away from creating a professional network, which is why I hope to develop mine. This online portfolio was a great way to start, and the next step could be opening up a Twitter account and learning from educators on that platform.

#MELSCompetency8 #MELSCompetency11