In this presentation, I discuss some of the problematics around contemporary teacher education posed by various constraints--time, $, personnel, physical space--and consider how social media, as a form of disruptive innovation, might help redress these constraints in ways that open up new spaces that might be conducive to teacher learning. I report on the lessons learned from a case study on engaging preservice teachers in using social media to develop their pedagogy in practicing contemporary classroom assessment in an integrated fashion. Using these findings to spring-board the discussion, I offered what emerged to be two particular dilemma facing those trying to engage teachers in professional learning using social media: 1) legitimizing social media to those involved in the learning process, and 2) (re)considering what concrete strategies might help promote teacher learning over social media. This presentation was given at the Ontario Teacher Federation/Ontario Association of Deans in Education 2012 Conference, Faculty of Education, UOIT, on February, 4, 2012.

1. Engaging Teachers in
Professional Learning using
Social Media
Chi Yan Lam, MEd, King Luu, MEd
Queen’s University
OTF/OADE Social Media and Teacher Learning #otfoade
February 4, 2012 @chiyanlam
UOIT, Fac. of Ed.
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2. Just by a quick show
of hands...
• a teacher?
• an administrator?
• a researcher/an academic?
• uses social media socially?
• uses social media for professional learning?
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3. Agenda
• Reporting Lessons
Learned :
“@QUAssessment -
Assessment Pilot
Initiative”
• 1) Legitimizing SM
• 2) Identifying strategies
for promoting teacher
learning over SM
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4. Premises
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5. Professional
Teacher Learning
is about learning to become a professional.
theory the interrogated practice
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6. Content Knowledge
PCK
Pedagogical Knowledge
(Shulman, 1987)
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7. One of the many paradigm shifts
social media defines is:
content-producer user-generated
As a result, educators (teachers, admins,
researchers) are generating content
that relates to professional practice.
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8. Create Connect
Collaborate
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9. @QUAssessment
A Twitter-enabled,
Blended Learning
Professional Learning Community
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10. @QUAssessment
Pilot Initiative
• Queen’s BEd (700/yr) in contemporary notions of
classroom assessment (Growing Success, 2010)
• Teaching and Learning Constraints (time, $,
personnel, physical space)
• Interested in integrating Social Media into Teacher
Education (classroom assessment)
• The thinking was that assessment learning
requires learners to actively engage with peers
and challenge their own experiences and
conceptions of assessment.
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11. @QUAssessment
Pilot Initiative
• 20 teacher candidates
• 2 Profs, 2 Grad TAs
• January - April, met once-a-week during on-campus
block (6 weeks), followed by two practica
placements
• Blended Learning; Professional Learning
Community; Non-formal Learning
• Developmental Evaluation to help bring the idea to
scale
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12. 12
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13. @QUAssessment
Lessons Learned
1. Deliberately teach and model how to
engage in professional learning over SM
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14. @QUAssessment
Lessons Learned
2. Learning curve to using Twitter/SM as a
educational technology (Which button to
click? How to navigate the site? What do I do
if I am over 140 char.?)....
...computer literacy
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15. @QUAssessment
Lessons Learned
3. What worked?
• Using Twitter to extend the
conversations beyond faculty walls
• Picking up the threads of discussion and
using them to inform subsequent
meetings.
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16. @QUAssessment
Lessons Learned
4. Success of the PLC depended on a critical
mass:
• of already-participating educators on the
network
• availability/quality of content
• participation of PLC members
What about legitimate peripheral participation?
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17. How do we...
Legitimize
Social Media
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18. What strategies might...
Promote
teacher learning over social media?
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19. Thank You!
Let’s Connect!
@chiyanlam
chi.lam@QueensU.ca
www.chiyanlam.com
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