Technology and Theology: A Qualitative Study of Social Media Use for Religious Education

This study examines the experiences of Unitarian Universalist religious educators learning to use social media for religious education purposes. Initial findings indicate that this learning impacts overall social media use

Educators Perspectives on Integrating Social Media to the ESL Classroom

This article presents a study on the perspective of two higher education professors from Puerto Rico in the use of social media for the ESL classroom. It covers the millennial generation characteristics and its influence on the teaching and learning process at the university level. Several strategies within the use of social media and emergent technologies are presented. The study participants reflect on the use of social media in the classroom and present how beneficial it has been in student achievement, retention, and engagement. Several remarks are made within the use of social media for the classroom and participants expose their experiences in the ESL classroom at the university level

A review on use of social media in teaching and learning

Online learning are rapidly evolving in educational uses through social media. Previous research has identified the problem occured where the guidance for appropriate use of social media is needed so that can embark more effective and efficient learning environment. Social media has been shown to have a positive impact towards learner hence making the process of teaching and learning more meaningful. This is because social networking tools can provide opportunities for students to find information, collect their own material, communicate and interact towards each other. Therefore, this concept paper reviews the use of online learning through social media conducted by previous researchers. Besides, the advantages and disadvantages of implementing social media in teaching and learning also beeing reviewed. This review paper describe the use of online learning through social media and also its pros and cons compared to traditional media. As the conclusion, results from the previous research shows that, online learning through social media have a good feedback and advantages that can inline in education purposes

THE USE OF FACEBOOK PAGES FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Some teachers find they have limited chance to do formal professional development program such as classroom observation, classroom research, and even training program to improve their knowledge and skill in teaching. However, teachers nowadays look for the information from the internet for their professional development, like Facebook pages for ELT. Teachers use it as an alternative source to improve their professionalism. This present study investigated about advantages of using Facebook pages for English teachers’ professional development. Quantitative method was conducted by the researcher in this study. Moreover, 35 English teachers were selected purposively. They were given a questionnaire and some open-ended questions. The results show that English teachers got many advantages from Facebook pages, such as for their overall professional development as English teachers, their practice in classroom and their collaboration with others. That is why; teachers should be selective in choosing Facebook pages to be followed and filtered the material they adapt from this page.Keywords: Professional development, English teachers, English language teaching, Facebook pages

The Pressing Need to Raise the Status of the Teaching Profession: The Launch Story of the Teachers of Australia Social Media Campaign

This paper presents the start-up methodology for a project that leverages the opportunities that social media affords to give teachers voice and agency. In response to negative press about teachers in mainstream media, coupled with research that shows that teachers are working hard to meet student academic and wellbeing needs, the researchers employed the assertive technologies of social media and started a campaign to promote the work of pre-service and in-service teachers. The paper presents the theorising behind the start-up methodology for the social media campaign and outlines a response to an identified opportunity. It argues that social media provides new opportunities for professional connectedness, story sharing and collegial support

What kinds of social network groups do teachers find useful?

This paper presents results from a survey of teachers describing their two most useful Facebook groups (n=108 teachers). It addresses a gap in the literature, in that many studies investigate teachers within certain Facebook groups, but little is known about the types of groups that teachers-who-use-Facebook find to be most useful. Analysis of the survey results looks at the privacy, thematic focus, and regional focus of groups that teachers report to be useful. The study also addresses the question of “what kinds of peer support do teachers find within these useful Facebook groups?” The results show that useful Facebook groups tend to be private, positioned at a state/jurisdiction/national level, and have a clear thematic focus. Results also show that within these useful Facebook groups teachers report high levels of pragmatic support, with lower levels of modelling of practice, reflection and feedback, meaningful connections, and emotional support (in that order). The paper discusses the significance of these findings with respect to issues of policy, design, and facilitation of Social Network Sites (SNSs) as well as teacher preparation for competencies to thrive within SNSs

Twelve tips for implementing a community of practice for faculty development

Teaching and learning practices often fail to incorporate new concepts in the ever-evolving field of medical education. Although medical education research provides new insights into curricular development, learners' engagement, assessment methods, professional development, interprofessional education, and so forth, faculty members often struggle to modernize their teaching practices. Communities of practice (CoP) for faculty development offer an effective and sustainable approach for knowledge management and implementation of best practices. A successful CoP creates and shares knowledge in the context of a specific practice toward the development of expertise. CoPs' collaborative nature, based on the co-creation of practical solutions to daily problems, aligns well with the goals of applying best practices in health professions education and training new faculty members. In our article, we share 12 tips for implementing a community of practice for faculty development. The tips were based on a comprehensive literature review and the authors' experiences