Why Many Teachers Don't Engage Professionally Online

Last night I had one of the most exciting things happen! After the blizzard went through Nebraska providing two snow days in our area, I sent an invitation to the teachers in my graduate class on technology integration to join #nebedchat last night. I was so excited to see five out of eight teachers join in the ed chat! While there was a glitch in viewing questions, each participant found ways to add to and learn from the discussion. I look forward to reflecting on the process when we meet tonight.

Last week in class they practiced answering questions using Twitter notations such as A1 and their response, and remembering to include the hashtag of the ed chat at the end. But attending an ed chat for the first time can be a little intimidating. With two required Ed Chats in the syllabus, I felt these teachers were ready to participate. However, a recent article I read made me question if this would indeed be the beginning of lifelong education for these teachers. A Core Education study coming out of New Zealand asked the question, "What keeps so many teachers from professionally engaging online?" While teachers may join a required ed chat, the majority of teachers in the study did not network at all outside of the scheduled research meetings. The researchers considered factors of time, lack of interest, and dislike for social media, but found none of them to be the key factor. In fact "all of the teachers used social media on a daily basis in their personal lives."  After further interviews teachers noted that the real factor that determined whether or not they joined an ed chat conversation was confidence in their own teaching. They wondered what they had to contribute to a wider audience. Findings of the study suggest that recognizing the gaps in one's teaching knowledge in certain areas motivates one to look for ways to fill in those gaps. Ed chats can be one way to accomplish this, building PLNs of experienced professionals. As one teacher in the study stated, "You have to know that the network is a supportive group." 

Will my teachers continue to build their professional learning network online? I hope so! I have found the Teacher's Guide to Twitter by Edudemic to be filled with lots of great ideas to get started: creating not just consuming, connecting and networking, sharing your resources, and keeping at it. It takes time to build a network. It takes time to feel confident sharing your ideas. I have found Tweetdeck to be very helpful in organizing tweets to follow in an ed chat. To find the perfect ed chat, visit http://cybraryman.com/chats.html, and remember to check for your time zone as these chats go on all over the world at all times! You will never be without a professional to answer a question you may have.

So get involved in an ed chat, become a contributor, enlarge your PLN, and have fun!