social media pedagogy
TRANSCRIPT
Michael Nantais, Ph.D. Brandon University Faculty of Educa5on
[email protected] @MikeN_bu People.brandonu.ca/nantaism About.me/mnantais
The findings presented in this poster presenta5on come from the author’s Ph.D. disserta5on (2014). Study Purpose & Ques:ons Research purpose: to examine the recent phenomenon of using social media in the grades 7-‐12 classroom for teaching from the perspec5ve of the teacher. Specific research ques*ons were,
1. How, and why, do teachers use social media as part of their prac:ce?
2. What are teachers' perspec:ves of their experience incorpora:ng social media in their prac:ce?
3. What factors support or hinder teachers' use of social media in their prac:ce?
4. Does incorpora:ng social media into teaching lead to
change in teachers’ pedagogical prac:ces and beliefs? What is the nature of this change?
Methodology A qualita5ve, interpre5vist mul5ple case study approach (Merriam, 2009; Willis, 2007) was used to follow nine teachers in a rural Canadian prairie school as they explored and implemented various social media in their teaching prac5ces. A hermeneu5c and phenomenological approach formed the theore5cal framework guiding this study. Data sources: several interview sessions with each par5cipant and with the school Principal, relevant documents, and social media interac5ons. Analysis used a thema5c approach employing a constant compara5ve method (Merriam, 2009). Concept maps and word frequency clouds aided analysis.
Social Media Pedagogy (a mul5ple case study)
M. Nantais, Ph.D.
The Study Context
Par:cipant Voices
Themes arising in the Data
Why Use Social Media?
“They [students] are tethered to th
em. . . . They’re
connected. They are wired differen
tly and we have
to accept it, so why not teach them
more about
it?” (James)
Summary of Findings
“No maber what tools we use in the classroom, there are always going to be plusses and minuses . . . it’s just one more thing, one more trade-‐off.” (Mary) “I have really gone to a more flexible schedule with the kids . . . social media certainly has helped that.” (Mary)
“I think it gives them [students] a ‘sense of empowerment’ ” (John)
“What’s been gained is, believe it or not, you connect more with the
kids.” (Frank)
“I think before there was this tension, there was this us versus them mentality where the kids where trying to hide and pull one over on the teacher and you don’t see that anymore. You see the kids being comfy in . . . communica5ng on a different level with teachers now.” (John)
• The meaning of ‘social media’ is uncertain among teachers and could lead to confusion in research and prac5ce.
• Teachers have a variety of underlying reasons for using social media – used in a variety of ways, to meet a variety of purposes. This reinforces the conten5on that its use is personal and contextual -‐ there is no one best tool to use, or way to use it.
• Teachers iden5fied a number of factors that supported their use of social media. Among these were access to working technology and good connec5vity; support from all stakeholders (students, parents, and administra5on); technical support; and professional learning opportuni5es.
• Teachers iden5fied a number of factors that hindered the use of social media. A major issue was a lack of access to technology, or technology that was not working. Other issues: privacy, safety, mul5ple spaces, and the possibility of the technology ac5ng as a distrac5on. The biggest barrier was a lack of *me, due to compe5ng priori5es and hec5c schedules.
• It would appear that the use of social media had an effect on the teachers’ pedagogical prac5ces. Change ranged from adding new strategies to contribu5ng to transforma*ve change.
• Par5cipants noted that using social media, in conjunc5on with other factors, had observable effects on the school environment. Par5cipants described an increase in communica5on between students and teachers, and a sense of student empowerment that fostered a culture of respect, responsibility, and trust.
“It’s made me take more chances . . . I am not afraid to use it anymore” (John)
Par5cipants made use of social media in their teaching for a variety of reasons, illustrated here. Chief among them was that it was seen as “where the kids are at” (Ann) and “It’s part of the life of our students in our school . . . you are rela5ng to kids in their own lingo.” (Joseph)
The Study
“I just haven’t got 5me now.” (Frank)
“. . . 5me to learn all this and keep up with all your [other] school stuff.” (Sally)
“look beyond ques.ons of how technology could and should be used, and instead ask ques.ons about how technology is actually being used in prac.ce” (Selwyn, 2014)