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Examining the Use of Social Networking in a Teacher Education Program

Examining the Use of Social Networking in a Teacher Education Program. Anna Witt Boriack Beverly L. Alford Kayla Braziel Rollins Hersh C. Waxman Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture Texas A&M University Presented at Global Learn 2012. Background.

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Examining the Use of Social Networking in a Teacher Education Program

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  1. Examining the Use of Social Networking in a Teacher Education Program Anna Witt Boriack Beverly L. Alford Kayla Braziel Rollins Hersh C. Waxman Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture Texas A&M University Presented at Global Learn 2012

  2. Background • Facebook has 955+ million users (Facebook, 2012) • A survey of 1,000+ students at UNH indicated that 96% used Facebook on a daily basis (University of New Hampshire, 2009) • Most students are already familiar with using a social networking site on a daily basis which allows for easy integration into a teacher education program

  3. Facebook for Communication • English and Duncan-Howell (2008) examined a Facebook group that was created for fourth year education students to use during student teaching • The wall posts were analyzed, and five categories emerged: 1) “Other”(n=54) posts of encouragement and support 2) “Excitement” (n=37) 3) “Problem” (n=20) 4) “Joke” (n=19) 5) “Solution” (n=18)

  4. Facebook for Professional Resources • Pilgram and Bledsoe (2011) examined using Facebook to increase pre-service teachers’ knowledge of professional resources, rather than as a mode of communication • Students in the experimental group became “fans” of a professional organization on Facebook and learned about the organization through Facebook postings • Students in the control group learned about professional organizations via articles, websites, and classroom discussions • The experimental group scored significantly higher on two items on the posttest. • These two items indicated that the Facebook assignment increased pre-service teachers’ understanding of and knowledge about professional organizations, as well as the resources that these organizations offered to teachers

  5. Methods and Participants • A Facebook group was created for a cohort of students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher certification program at a public four-year university • Students were required to complete a one-year internship at a public school anywhere in the state and only met in-person for class on selected Saturdays • The scattered geographic format made it somewhat difficult for students to form a community and support each other during their internships

  6. Format of Facebook Group • The Facebook group was closed, so members had to be approved before joining, and only members could view postings on the group’s wall • A teaching assistant for the course maintained the group, and the professor did not join the group • Upon creation of the group, multiple documents with links to professional groups were posted, along with various teaching resources • After the cohort had completed the program, wall postings were analyzed for themes, and the teaching assistant was interviewed

  7. Theme #1: Sharing of Teaching Resources • “To any English/Language Arts teachers out there-a great resource that my mentor teacher showed me is www.litcharts.com! It has definitely been a BIG HELP for The Great Gatsby, and I’m wishing I had been able to utilize it for The Scarlet Letter too!” • “Hey everyone! I just wanted to share what one teacher did when I was subbing. I was subbing at a high school for a math teacher, and she used Sympodium and SmartBoard to record her lesson! It was really good for the students (and me) because it was as if she was actually there teaching the lesson.”

  8. Theme #2: Asking About Teaching Resources • “Math people! I am subbing Algebra I and Geometry this week. The teacher left no work so they’ve been teaching themselves from a workbook. I want to do something fun and educational on Friday! Any ideas or websites I can check out?” • “Has anyone taught Monster by Walter Dean Meyers? If so do you have any tips/reading guides/project ideas, etc. you want to pass my way? It would be greatly appreciated!”

  9. Theme #3: Sharing Successes and Struggles • “A student who has been struggling in my class wrote me a note that said I was her favorite teacher because she felt like she could talk to me about anything.” • “I had to send my first kid to the office yesterday. It freaked me out and I am not sure I did it ‘right’ or if there is a “right” way to do it. Have any of you had to send students to the office? Any tips on how to handle it better next time?”

  10. Theme #4: Discussions About Coursework • “I understand what statistically significant means. I am having difficulties with educationally significant. Can anyone help or share their thought with me?” • “I believe that educationally significant refers to your personal observations about the effect it had on your classroom. Did your students actually do better after your teaching method? Someone correct me if I am wrong….”

  11. Conclusions • Similar to English and Duncan-Howell (2008), the students used the Facebook page to communicate on a wide variety of topics. • The teaching assistant commented: • “The group allowed students to communicate and share with other first-year teachers. I also feel that it extended the seminar class and allowed extended discussions prior to and after class meetings. The group was also a valuable tool for teachers to share resources, questions and concerns.” • Social networking may be a valuable resource for teacher education programs—particularly for programs that enroll students who live in a variety of geographical locations.

  12. Future Research • It was not evident if students utilized the links to professional groups and teaching resources that had been posted. Future studies should focus on this aspect of the Facebook page. • Studies should be conducted with cohorts at different universities to see if similar themes emerge. • Both undergraduate and post-baccalaureate teacher certification programs should be examined.

  13. Recommendation from the Teaching Assistant “I absolutely recommend that courses develop and maintain a class Facebook group. One reason I believe we received such good participation is that I (the teaching assistant) ran the page. They felt more comfortable sharing and asking questions due to the fact that the professor was not monitoring the page. I believe that this type of page is extremely beneficial for first-year teachers to share resources, joys, concerns and questions.”

  14. References English, R., & Duncan-Howell, J. (2008). Facebook goes to college: Using social networking tools to support students undertaking teaching practicum. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4, 596-601. Facebook (2012). Key facts. Retrieved from http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22 Pilgrim, J., & Bledsoe, C. (2011). Engaging pre-service teachers in learning through social networking. Journal of Literacy and Technology, 12, 2-25.   University of New Hampshire (2009). Social networking usage and grades among college students: A study to determine the correlation of social media usage and grades. Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/UNHsocialmedia.pdf

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