Activity 5: Using social online networks in teaching or professional development

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Activity 5: Using social online networks in teaching or professional development

Using the Jay and Johnson's (2002) model for reflection, I will be focusing on the epak as well as the team drive for sharing best practices.  
Descriptive: The professional development that the Math's department has been focusing on is the shared Team Drive with in the google drive network. Our department has been building on this drive to gather and be able to share our best practices among each other. Pakuranga College itself has been focusing on the up-skill of teachers to keep them up to date with the ongoing technological innovations. Our Epak wheel covers multiple areas to facilitate for the 21st century learner.
My objective for this year was to integrate digital innovations and work on a collaborative environment. Not only have I been doing this with the students via google classroom, google docs, and padlet, but with the Mathematics department as well.
Comparative : Whitaker, Zoul and Casas (2015) said that "we elect to continue on with our daily lives like we are living in some prison of unfulfilled connectivity."  This quote resonated with me because it feels that I contribute a lot, but do not really get much in return.
As I build the teachers' shared drive, I do not see as much contribution done by others.  Reflecting on this I know that I am very spontaneous and do not communicate that well with other members of the same course.  I know that I should possibly use not an email, but focus on sending out a shared document or even maybe use a Twitter account since many of the younger teachers coming up are mainly on this type of online forum.  Facebook has become obsolete and upgrading towards Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram may prove more beneficial with sharing ideas in a timely manner.  This building of ideas is the main focus for me so that we are able to collaborate more on a similar topic.  I really do not want "unfulfilled connectivity" with my department.

Critical: Social media is here to stay and is now becoming an integral part of professional development among teaching staff. I have been very traditional and avoiding certain social platforms for personal reasons. This course through Mindlab has brought to my attention that it is necessary to evolve as a teacher. “Educators  around the  globe are transforming  their classrooms and schools  by stepping outside their comfort  zones, finding value in their connectivity, and utilizing free tools accessible to them via their computer, iPad, and smartphones which allow  them to connect with like-minded colleagues on a daily basis. They are forming “connected communities,” which, in turn, is elevating  them to greater heights and ultimately benefiting their school communities and students in positive ways.” Whitaker, Zoul & Casas, (2015, p13). This long quote has turned my focus toward stepping outside my comfort zone and to build not only myself, but to also embrace the sharing within the Math's Department and break the silos of other subjects. This collaboration can only aid us teachers in today's 21st century collaborative environment.
References:
Jay, J. K., & Johnson, K. L. (2002). Capturing complexity: A typology of reflective practice for teacher
education. Teaching and teacher education
Whitaker, T., Zoul, J., & Casas, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY: Routledge.

Comments

  1. Unknown9 July 2018 at 19:17

    I like the idea of social media breaking down the silos of learning to support collaborative professional development. Have you found this empowering?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown9 July 2018 at 20:58

    Other than the team drive what other digital and or collaborate tools are you using with the Maths Department to get them on board with your vision.

    ReplyDelete

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