Reflecting on My Learning this Semester | W12 Q2 | Forum

This semester gave me a greater understanding of the shifting views and uses of technology over time, as well as the expanding role that technological innovation brings to bear on our everyday lives, constantly creating, morphing, and ever-changing our understanding of what it means to live in a world that is increasingly shaping and shaped by technology. While we are far from the days of debating Kozma and Clark, I think it is important to put into perspective how far technology has come in such a short span of time. Keeping this pivotal debate in mind allows me to recognize that there are endless opportunities and possibilities to reshape, rethink, and recreate our worlds with technology. By reimagining what learning is and where learning happens, the value of social media becomes essential to opening new spaces, new ideas, new ways of communicating with one another, and new ways of creating learning communities.

One of my beliefs that was challenged this semester was that social media would never be something that I would consider incorporating in my own instruction. As we learned, one of the affordances of using social media (like Facebook) as an instructional tool is that this space allows for the hybridization of expertise learners (Manca and Ranieri, 2016). As such, educators can tap into this wealth of knowledge that flattens the hierarchies between and amongst learners, creating a space where “knowledge is decentralized, accessible, and co-constructed among a broad base of users (Greenhow et. al, 2009).” These ideas fit well with my social constructivist views of learning as social collaboration and co-construction of knowledge are key to what I believe constitutes learning. As such, I can envision ways in which social media could be carefully incorporating into my instruction in intentional ways.I also believe that social media and the sheer access to information and people from all over the world allows for and facilitates learning beyond the school walls, outside of the dictates of formal education settings, and as well into our lives, creating life-long learning experiences that are accessible, affordable, and available at anytime. One of my beliefs that was that was re-affirmed was that social media provides people a network of support and allows individuals to stay in contact with people in ways that were never before available. The social bonds that can be created and maintained on social media allow for people to build new relationships with other and also keep contact with friends that, without social media, we would no longer have access to, enhancing and preserving our social capital (Ellison, 2007).

One of the most interesting topics we covered this semester is how social media can be used by teachers. Teachers often rely on social media for learning, sharing resources, and community building with other educators (Greenhow et al., 2019; Greenhalgh and Koehler, 2017; Macia and Garcia, 2016). As a teacher, I also participate in this network of teachers, particularly on Teachers Pay Teachers and Instagram. However, it wasn’t until I started reading about this practice that I was reminded of how often I used and relied upon these sites for my own learning and the learning of my students. With this in mind, I think the readings this week, particularly Krutka et al., (2019) reminds me to be careful, cautious, and conscious about each decision that is made when using social media in education. Overall, this semester opened my eyes to new ideas and formulated new interests.