Blogging and Tweeting about Teaching: Teachers’ Perceptions of Informal Online Professional Networks

This is a case study of teachers that use blogs and/or Twitter to connect with other teachers online. This purpose of the study was to examine the perceived benefits of teachers who use blogs and/or Twitter to connect with other teachers. Social media has the potential to create a connected network of professional colleagues beyond the constraints of face-to-face meetings. In this study bloggers were contacted and interviewed in regards to the benefits to participating in online interactions. Interview data were analyzed to determine perceptions about the benefits of blogging and/or Twittering. Preliminary analysis suggests that participants identified of potential benefits such as one that creates some emotional distance that it is more convenient to interact on their own time schedule, and that they are able to learn from these interactions. The results of the study indicate that online networks can help to overcome many barriers that prevent teachers from interacting face-to-face. Although these networks may not fit into traditional professional development schema, it is clear that teachers feel that they benefit professionally from their participation in these professional networks. However, the type of interactions that participants preferred (e.g. Skype, Twitter, blogs) were influenced by the specific barriers faced by the participant in building their face-to-face professional networ

Partnerships to Build Enduring Understandings: Education, Outreach, and Broader Impact (EOBI) Workshops for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Faculty

Presenters: Eda Davis-Butts (Director, the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program, Oregon State University), SueAnn Bottoms (Associate Director, the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program, Oregon State University), Sujaya Rao (Associate Professor, College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University). Abstract: Research faculty and outreach practitioners at Oregon State University collaborated to develop, implement, and refine a series of workshops to enhance the capacity of faculty to respond to growing requirements for meaningful education, outreach, and broader impact initiatives as part of their scientific research programs. Faculty in various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines participated in and provided feedback about the usefulness of the workshops, as well as identified factors that would support their engagement in STEM outreach. This session shares the elements of the workshops, participant responses, self-identified enabling conditions for STEM engagement, and resulting collaborations

Finding FRiENDs: Creating a Community of Support for Early Career Academics

Starting on an academic journey can be a stressful and isolating experience. Although some universities have formal mentoring structures to facilitate this transition for new faculty, these structures do not always provide the variety of supports that may be needed to navigate the complexities of transitioning to the world of academia. As we (the authors of this paper) began our academic journeys, we found ourselves searching for support that was not available within our institutions. By drawing on previous connections and building new connections to peers at other universities, we created an informal peer mentoring structure that has continued to support us through the early years of our careers in academia. In this paper we share our stories of the challenges we faced as early career academics, discuss the ways this informal peer mentoring community provided support for us at the beginnings of our academic journeys, and offer advice for other early career academics seeking non-traditional forms of support along the academic career path