W10 Q1 Abdu | W10 Q1 | Forum

1) I stand firm in my opinion on the role of social media in the learning process as an informal source. In this regard, researches show that while the young generation, including students, are using social media mostly to keep online or offline connections(Ellison, 2007), professionals use it for work-related topics(Marcia & Garcia, 2016). Therefore, In my opinion, social media have more potential outcomes in professional development in terms of learning. In other words, professionals, in this case, teachers use social media with the purpose of finding, assessing(Trust, 2016) and sharing(Hanraets Et al., 2011) materials, which are important in the learning process.
Regarding finding sources, the approach of professionals is more specific. In particular, even if they spend several hours a week in informal learning (Marcia & Garcia, 2016) using social media, they know what information or materials they need and therefore do not waste time on trivial things or entertainment.
Turning to the assessment of learning materials, they have experience in comparison and analysis. Therefore, when they use professional development through collaboration (Marcia & Garcia, 2016), such as joining some e-group or participating in training activities, they are able to select appropriate materials and adapt the knowledge(Trust, 2016), which is relative or important to use in his/her school context.
Regarding sharing, teacher professional development through collaboration among equals has been shown to be a key factor for student achievement(Marcia&Garcia, 2016). Due to the affordances of social media, today teachers can share knowledge and learn with other peers who are located far away from each other (Marcia&Garcia, 2016). In addition, in the process of implementing knowledge sharing plays an important role by helping integrate a resource, such as an online website, app, or homework tracking document, into their lessons(Trust, 2016).
2) The role of an instructor/facilitator could be seen as a motivator, network organizer and experimenter while others could be co-facilitators(Marcia & Garcia, 2016). Particularly, in the early phase inviting and motivating (Hanraets Et al., 2011) is important in order to form a learning community(Marcia & Garcia, 2016). In the next stage, the instructor role can be changed to the organizer by providing support and guidance(Trust, 2016) during the networked learning process. Last but not least, the instructor could experiment with whether the organized process is working or not by becoming a member of this community.
Thus, I think, social media can bring more benefit to the students’ outcomes by using it purposefully and organized.