The Use of Twitter in the Creation of Educational Professional Learning Opportunities

Abstract

This study sought to examine how educators are using Twitter to increase their professional learning opportunities beyond the boundaries of traditional professional development offers, and whether educators feel a greater sense of fulfillment receiving professional development through networking and community learning than they do through traditional means of learning. A population of 160 educators-105 females and 55 males between the ages of 22 and 65-were surveyed using education related hashtags on Twitter. Thirty-two educators from the survey population elected to participate in an interview. The study discovered that educators are frequently using Twitter professionally to collaborate, network, and engage in professional development. Ninety percent of the educators responding said they are extremely likely to use Twitter for professional development in the next six months, and 69% of educators said their use of Twitter for professional learning will increase over the coming school year.Keywords: Twitter, professional development, education, technology integration rofessional development opportunities and professional learning networks where educators meet to exchange ideas, acquire new knowledge, and receive feedback have existed almost since the beginnings of education itself (Kabilan, Adlina, & Embi, 2011;Killion, 2011). Over the course of the past ten years, technology has moved into every facet of the classroom as students and teachers are being prepared to interact with and compete in a 21 st -century digital world (King, 2011). Educators must be able to navigate this world in order to prepare students appropriately. The melding of social media, professional development, and professional learning networks are expanding the way educators acquire information from "one-size-fits-all, sit-and-get professional development" (Killion, 2011, p. 4) sessions that have little transference to the classroom to highly engaging, dynamic, and interactive applications that allow for individualized learning through the management and selection of content, co-construction of knowledge, demonstration of competencies, and generation of networks for ongoing learning. Just as education is pushing students to be accountable for their education by navigating and evaluating an ever-expanding network of information, highly effective teachers must model this process by collaborating, engaging in ongoing professional development, reflecting through communication and feedback, and using instructional technology tools to enhance instruction (Reich, Levinson, & Johnston, 2011;Trust 2012). The opportunity for asynchronous learning that occurs outside of the constraints of time and place and synchronous learning, where a group takes part in learning at the same time, allows educators to transform the traditional ideas of professional development and the creation of professional networks restricted by boundaries and time (Trust 2012). In making this transition, educators move from isolation to become true life-long learners wh...

The Meaning of Mission Statements to School Practice and Professional Development: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

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