Cultivating professional communities of teachers and practitioners through social network sites

Article Sidebar

Cover illustration by Valeria Sechi
PDF (Italian)
Published: Apr 30, 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17471/2499-4324/177
Keywords:
Social Networks, Web 2.0, Informal Learning, Professional Development, Educational Technology, Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL), Social Networks and Learning

Main Article Content

Maria Ranieri
Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione e dei Processi Culturali e Formativi, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze
Stefania Manca
Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche - CNR | Genova
Antonio Fini
Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze

Abstract

This paper provides an original contribution to the field by exploring pathways of social network uses within professional communities, with special attention to groups of teachers. Through a purposely designed survey, the study analyses the motivations and aims of a range of social network group managers, and attempts to highlight mechanisms of members’ affiliation and participation. As an exploratory study, it is a first step towards comprehension of these mechanisms and their implications for learning and professional development. The study reveals that, typically, group managers are advanced Internet users, that groups are founded not only for professional reasons but also for the Internet’s ethical and participatory value, and that groups pave the way towards processes of contamination between the real and virtual which generate new professional initiatives. A more in-depth study is currently underway that also involves social network group members.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 20 No. 1 (2012): TD55 - Social Networks and Learning
Section
Articles - Special Issue

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 Attribution 4.0 International License.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access)

References

Anderson T., Poellhuber B., McKerlich R. (2010). Self-paced Learners Meet Social Software: An Exploration of Learners’ Attitudes, Expectations and Experience. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 13 (3), http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/Fall133/ anderson_poellhuber_mcKerlich133.html (ultima consultazione 09.12.2011).

Arnold N., Paulus T. (2010). Using a Social Networking Site for Experiential Learning: Appropriating, Lurking, Modeling and Community Building. The Internet and Higher Education, 13 (4), pp. 188-196.

Baran B. (2010). Facebook as a Formal Instructional Environment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41 (6), pp. 146-149.

Besana S. (2012). Schoology: il Learning Management System diventa “social”. TD - Tecnologie Didattiche, 20 (1), pp. 51-53.

Bosch T. E. (2009). Using Online Social Networking for Teaching and Learning: Facebook Use at the University of Cape Town. Communication, 35 (2), pp. 185-200.

boyd d. (2008). Taken Out of Context: American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics. PhD Dissertation.

boyd d. (2011). Guilt Through Algorithmic Association. Apophenia, September 12th, 2011, http://www.zephoria.org/ thoughts/archives/2011/09/12/ guilt-through-algorithmic-association.html (ultima consultazione 09.12.2011).

boyd d., Ellison N. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13 (1), pp. 210-230.

Castells M., Fernandez-Ardevol M., Qiu J. L., Sey A. (2008). Mobile communication e trasformazione sociale. Milano: Guerini e Associati.

Comunello F. (ed.) (2011). Networked Sociability and Individualism: Technology for Personal and Professional Relationships. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Crook C. (in stampa). The ‘Digital Native’ in Context: Tensions Associated with Importing Web 2.0 Practices into the School Setting. Oxford Review of Education.

Cucchiara S., Sansone N., Ligorio M. B. (2012). AAAFuturo Cercasi: orientare con i Social Network. TD – Tecnologie Didattiche, 20 (1), pp. 40-43.

Diggins Y., Marcus-Quinn A., Dundon A., Allen M., Bruen C. (2011). Using Innovative Social Networking Tools to Foster Communities of Practice. eLearning Papers, 26 October 2011, http://www.elearningeuropa.info/it/article/Usinginnovative- social-networking-tools-to-foster-communitiesof- practice- (ultima consultazione 09.12.2011).

Duffy P. (2011). Facebook or Faceblock: Cautionary Tales Exploring the Rise of Social Networking within Tertiary Education. In Lee M. J. W., McLoughlin C. (eds). Web 2.0- Base E-Learning: Applying Social Informatics for Tertiary Teaching. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 284-300.

Fini A., Cigognini E. (2009). Web 2.0. e social networking. Nuovi paradigmi per la formazione. Trento: Erickson.

Greenhow C. (2011). Online Social Networks and Learning. On The Horizon, 19 (1), pp. 4-12.

Halverson E R. (2011). Do Social Networking Technologies Have a Place in Formal Learning Environments?. On The Horizon, 19 (1), pp. 62-67.

Hampton K.N., Sessions Goulet L., Rainie L., Purcell K. (2011). Social networking sites and our lives. How people’s trust, personal relationships, and civic and political involvement are connected to their use of social networking sites and other technologies. Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Technology-andsocial- networks.aspx (ultima consultazione 09.12.2011).

Mazman S.G., Usluel Y. K. (2010). Modeling Educational Usage of Facebook. Computers & Education, 55 (2), pp. 444-453.

Merchant G. (in stampa). Unravelling the Social Network: Theory and Research. Learning, Media and Technology.

Nielsen (2011). State of The Media: The Social Media Report Q3 2011. NM Incite, http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/social/ (ultima consultazione 09.12.2011).

O’Reilly T. (2005). What is Web 2.0. Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html (ultima consultazione 09.12.2011).

Pachler N., Bachmair B., Cook J. (2010). Mobile Learning. Structures, Agency, Practices. New York-Dordrecht- Heidelberg-London: Springer.

Park N., Kee K., Valenzuela S. (2009). Being Immersed in Social Networking Environment: Facebook Groups, Uses and Gratifications, and Social Outcomes. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12 (6), pp. 729-733.

Riva G. (2010). I social network. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Scimeca S. (2012). eTwinning. La comunità delle scuole europee. TD - Tecnologie Didattiche, 20 (1), pp. 35-39.

Selwyn N. (2012). I social media nell’educazione formale e informale tra potenzialità e realtà. TD - Tecnologie Didattiche, 20 (1), pp. 4-10.

Smith A. (2011). Why Americans use social media. Social networking sites are appealing as a way to maintain contact with close ties and reconnect with old friends. Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Why- Americans-Use-Social-Media.aspx (ultima consultazione 09.12.2011).

Wang Q., Woo H. L., Quek C. L., Yang Y., Liu M. (in stampa). Using the Facebook Group as a Learning Management System: An Exploratory Study. British Journal of Educational Technology.

Wenger E. C. (1998). Communities of Practice. Learning, Meaning, and Identity. New York: Cambridge University Press