Exploring the landscape of educator professional activity on Twitter: an analysis of 16 education-related Twitter hashtags

Carpenter, Jeffrey P.; Tani, Tania; Morrison, Scott; Keane, Julie

doi:10.1080/19415257.2020.1752287

Cited by 75 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Even at points of thematic intersection between the two subreddits, such as critiques of education, what participants did with this content differed greatly. This finding aligns with our prior quantitative research that indicated distinctions between teaching‐related subreddits (Staudt Willet & Carpenter, 2020) and other studies that have demonstrated how one online platform can play host to diverse spaces (Carpenter, Tani, Morrison, & Keane, 2020; Greenhalgh et al ., 2020) that may reflect different affinities or fill distinct ecological niches. Some spaces can host regular and robust discussions (eg, Lantz‐Andersson, Peterson, Hillman, Lundin, & Rensfeldt, 2017), while others appear to be less interactive and conversational (eg, Staudt Willet, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

A tale of two subreddits: Change and continuity in teaching‐related online spaces

Willet¹,

Carpenter²

2020

Brit J Educational Tech

Self Cite

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Despite social media’s ubiquity in modern life, research on some topics related to educators’ use of social media for professional purposes remains underdeveloped, such as how use may change over time. This study explores educators’ self‐directed learning through social media by comparing change and continuity in how users contribute, interact and converse in two teaching‐related subreddits, r/Teachers and r/education. More than a million Reddit contributions spanning three‐and‐a‐half years comprise the dataset: 696 660 contributions to r/Teachers from 55 148 users and 339 618 contributions to r/education from 43 711 users. Learning ecology and affinity space concepts frame multiple methods of analysis, including quantitative measures of individual contributions, content interactions and social interactions, as well as qualitative content analysis of top posts and responses. Findings are discussed in light of the literature as change and continuity in Redditors’ participation patterns in the two subreddits suggest distinct spaces for distinct purposes. This study offers a starting point for further work to understand the opportunities and challenges of self‐directed learning in open and complex social media spaces. What is already known about this topic Educators use social media to reach outside their local contexts for self‐directed learning. Teaching‐related subreddits vary in how users contribute and interact. What this paper adds Different online spaces host distinct kinds of discussion. Educators’ participation in online spaces is not static. Social media research methods should account for the possibilities of change and continuity in contributions, interactions and conversations. Implications for practice and/or policy Teaching‐related subreddits continue to grow and may offer helpful content and interactions to users; however, self‐directed learning through social media also necessitates increased digital literacy. r/Teachers appeared to be a conversational space primarily for teachers. r/education seemed to be a bulletin board space for posting about broader educational topics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

A tale of two subreddits: Change and continuity in teaching‐related online spaces

Willet¹,

Carpenter²

2020

Brit J Educational Tech

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“…By including hyperlinks, social media tools can function as “pointing devices” to content found elsewhere on the web ( Forgie, Duff, & Ross, 2013 ). For example, Carpenter et al. (2020) found that among a sample of 2.6 million education-related tweets, one third included hyperlinks.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While schools may be staffed by adults who have been “brought together more by the vagaries of career paths and the central office than by affiliation or purpose” ( Huberman, 1995 , p. 195), social media can facilitate connections among educators with shared interests, needs, or goals. For example, various education-focused Twitter hashtags provide spaces where educators who might otherwise not have occasion to interact can discuss their particular content area ( Rosell-Aguilar, 2018 ) and myriad other education topics ( Carpenter et al., 2020 ; Greenhalgh & Koehler, 2017 ). Research on social media use during initial teacher preparation has also suggested potential benefits for aspiring educators, including access to increased sources of mentoring and development of professional networks ( Carpenter, 2015 ; Smith Risser, 2013 ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different social media may shape experiences in distinct ways. Retweeting, for example, is a particular feature of Twitter and is a common practice among educators who use education-related Twitter hashtags ( Carpenter, Tani, Morrison, & Keane, 2020 ; Greenhalgh, Rosenberg, Staudt Willet, Koehler, & Akcaoglu, 2020 ). Retweeting involves rebroadcasting content posted by other users to one’s own followers and provides for a more passive form of engagement with others that invites legitimate peripheral participation ( Lave & Wenger, 1991 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How and why are educators using Instagram?

Carpenter

Morrison

Craft

et al. 2020

Teaching and Teacher Education

161

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Social media are commonplace in many educators’ lives, but their Instagram activities have received no prior attention in the empirical literature. We therefore created and disseminated a survey regarding educators’ Instagram use. Analyses of 841 responses suggested participants were generally intensive users of Instagram who engaged in the exchange of both professional knowledge and wisdom, as well as affective support. In addition to identifying benefits to Instagram use, some participants offered critiques of Instagram’s professional utility. We discuss the implications of these findings for educators’ work in a digital era and the future of research on educators’ social media activities.

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“…However, social media has also been integrated and investigated in secondary education with teenage populations (Dennen et al 2020 ). Today, social media in teaching and learning is used to expand formal learning environments across geographically-dispersed educators (Carpenter et al 2020 ), serve as an outlet of professional development for instructors (Carpenter and Krutka 2014 ; Luo et al 2020 ) and learners (Romero-Hall 2017b ; Rosenberg et al 2016 ), facilitate networked scholarship (Veletsianos 2016 ), engage in informal learning opportunities (Greenhalgh and Koehler 2017 ), and share information and resources from institutions (Kimmons et al 2016 ; Veletsianos et al 2017 ) and educational programs (Romero-Hall et al 2018 ) to members of their communities and the public.…”

Section: Framework For Networked Learning Using Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Current initiatives, barriers, and opportunities for networked learning in Latin America

Romero-Hall

2021

Education Tech Research Dev

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This paper explores and describes the current initiatives, barriers, and opportunities for formal, non-formal, and informal networked learning experiences using social media in Latin America. It focuses on networked learning initiatives such as the use of institutional social media accounts, educational hashtags, social media in the classroom, educational channels via video hosting platforms, and government established networked learning programs for connected classrooms. The same multiplicity, diversity, and heterogenicity that represent the culture, languages, and socio-economic status of the people of Latin America also characterize the vast mixture of networked learning initiatives across the region. Potential barriers (i.e., the digital divide, Internet filtering policies, lack of research) and opportunities for implementation (i.e., networked learning educational reforms, mobile learning technology, and social media ethical considerations) are explored. The paper concludes with recommendations that policymakers and education leaders in Latin America should keep in mind to engage in fruitful networked learning initiatives.

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Exploring the landscape of educator professional activity on Twitter: an analysis of 16 education-related Twitter hashtags

Cited by 75 publications

References 59 publications

A tale of two subreddits: Change and continuity in teaching‐related online spaces

A tale of two subreddits: Change and continuity in teaching‐related online spaces

How and why are educators using Instagram?

Current initiatives, barriers, and opportunities for networked learning in Latin America

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