Social Networking for Professional Development

1. Social Networking for Professional Development Marian Thacher

2. How has the Web changed our professional relationships? • Easy to create a variety of Web sites • Anyone can have an online presence, post content, have conversations • “Watch” what other people are doing, thinking, reading, talking about • Your network now includes “strangers”! (and strangers are not so strange)

3. What is a Social Networking Site? • A Web site that allows users to connect, communicate and/or share information with each other By Moonjazz, http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonjazz/651498439/

4. Examples of Social Networking • Email Lists • Blogs • Social Bookmarking • Facebook, LinkedIn • Ning, Wiggio From premiardeigo, http://www.flickr.com/photos/9119028@N05/591163479/

5. Your Personal Learning Network • How do you learn new things? • ? • ? • How did you learn new things 10 yrs ago? • ? • ? • Any differences?

6. Your Personal Learning Network • 2.5 billion searches per day on Google, in 40 languages • 75% of the time people go to information directly from their search results, NOT from the home page of a site

7. Your Personal Learning Network • Example of Stephen Downes www.downes.ca • Saw references several years ago • Followed him on Twitter and Facebook • Received interesting links and references • Went to his blog and signed up for his newsletter • Posted on my blog about him and he responded • Now he is in my PLN, and he notes that he actually came up with the concept!

8. Your Personal Learning Network “Information has always been a conversation, it’s just that most of us weren’t part of it, until the Internet.” --Steve Hargadon www.stevehargadon.com

9. David Warlick’s PLN http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

10. Supervisors Prof. Groups Students Friends Colleagues Lesson Plans Articles Work-shops Parenting Class Activities Reports My PLN 10 Years ago Conferences Classes Site Workshops Journals Books Web Pages Teacher Coordinator Presenter Mom

11. My PLN Now Supervisors Prof. Groups Colleagues Online Network Friends Blogs Social Networks Listservs Podcasts Aggregators Twitter Journals Books Web Pages Conferences Classes Site Workshops Administrator Presenter Blogger Grandma Web site Articles Blogs Grand-parenting Work-shops Reports

12. Viral Professional Development • We learn on our own with support from each other • Build a network! • Share everything – tape it, blog it, tag it, post it • Celebrate and get the word out up and down the food chain

13. Menu • Email Lists • Blogs • Wikis • Social Networking • Social Bookmarking

14. Email Lists

15. Email Lists, or Listservs PROs • Easy to access • Comes to you (push) • Access to a wider community • Get answers to your questions CONs • Too much email • Not all of interest • Public in ways you might not realize

16. Email Lists, or Listservs • LINCS lists (ESL, Math, Tech, Assessment, etc.) • Adult Numeracy Network • National Literacy Advocacy • CA Tech Mentor Network • CA Distance Learning • Start your own!

17. Email Lists, or Listservs • When to create your own list • Large group, geographically dispersed • Need to share information and/or keep in touch • Can be one-way or discussion • To moderate, or not to moderate • When NOT to create your own list • No one to be responsible for keeping it going • Can communicate a different way (shared doc, wiki)

18. Blogs

19. Blogs • What is a blog? • Go to the Wiki

20. Blogs • How are you using blogs? • What do you want to learn? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of blogging?

21. Blogs PROs • Easy to create, fast • Easy to add links, photos, video • Can be used to create community (followers, commenters, shared editing) CONs • Generally one author • Used for personal opinions and reflection • Some constraints on organization

22. Blogging for Prof. Dev. • Provide information to staff • Jefferson Adult School • Create an online community • TIMAC Blog • Newport Mesa Blog • Reflect on practice • Jan, Marian

23. Wikis

24. Wikis • What is a wiki? • Go to the wiki http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/19490596/

25. Wikis • How are you using wikis? • What do you want to learn? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of wikis?

26. Wikis PROs • Easy to create, fast • Good for frequent updating • Many can contribute • Can be public or private • Basic service is free CONs • Sometimes a clunky interface • Have to pay to get rid of ads • Hard to make it graphically pleasing

27. Examples • Adult Literacy Education Wiki • California Budget Cuts • mLearning wiki • Lots more examples

28. Social Networking sites

29. Ning • Tool for creating online communities • No longer free, but affordable for education • Many features – groups, blogs, discussions…

30. Ning Examples • California ABE Initiative • CALPRO Multilevel ESL e-PLC • Educator’s PLN • Classroom 2.0

31. Wiggio • Similar to Ning, but free • Easy to set up group • Use to create an email list

32. facebook

33. Facebook PROs • Everybody is already here! • Variety of page types – group, business page, personal • Wide access for discussions and sharing CONs • Privacy issues • Confusing re types of pages • Need to have a separate professional account

34. Facebook Examples • CA Adult Schools on Facebook • Torrance • Downey • Milpitas • OTAN on Facebook From mattkeefe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fil/3151423/

35. Social bookmarking

36. Bookmarking and Tagging • How you save sites now • Bookmarking • Tagging • Tag clouds • Go to the wiki (my Delicious account) (my diigo account)

37. Education: the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty.--Mark Twain

38. GO FORTH AND CONNECT!