Papers by Jeff Carpenter
Many educators in the 21st century utilize social media platforms to enrich professional learning... more Many educators in the 21st century utilize social media platforms to enrich professional learning networks (PLNs). PLNs are uniquely personalized networks that can support participatory and continuous learning. Social media services can mediate professional engagements with a wide variety of people, spaces and tools that might not otherwise be available. Teachers who once might have had access to only a handful of colleagues can now employ Facebook, Twitter and other mediums to learn from peers across the globe at any time. However, educators face numerous challenges building and enhancing their PLNs for professional growth. To support educators in the development of their PLNs, we present a framework for PLN enrichment. Rooted in our research and experiences with PLNs, this flexible framework is designed to help educators reflect upon how they might continuously improve their PLN experiences and outcomes.
In recent years, many educators have turned to participatory online affinity spaces for professio... more In recent years, many educators have turned to participatory online affinity spaces for professional growth with peers who are more accessible because of reduced temporal and spatial constraints. Specifically, professional learning networks (PLNs) are “uniquely personalized, complex systems of interactions consisting of people, resources, and digital tools that support ongoing learning and professional growth” (Trust, Krutka, & Carpenter, 2016) that have increased in popularity with the rise of social media. We offer a model for teacher educators and teachers to consider key elements of PLN experiences: engaging, discovering, experimenting, reflecting, and sharing. This model can provide educators both a window into possibilities and a mirror for reflection as they build or improve their PLNs.
In recent years, many educators have turned to professional learning networks (PLNs) to grow in t... more In recent years, many educators have turned to professional learning networks (PLNs) to grow in their craft with peers who are more accessible online because of reduced temporal and spatial constraints. While educators have cultivated PLNs, there is a dearth of research about the effects of PLNs. This manuscript reports the findings of a qualitative study that investigated PLN experiences through the analysis of survey data from 732 P-12 teachers. Data analysis suggests that the anytime, anywhere availability of expansive PLNs, and their capacity to respond to educators’ diverse interests and needs, appear to offer possibilities for supporting the professional growth of whole teachers. These findings have implications for defining the present and future of teacher learning in a digital age.
The microblogging service Twitter offers a platform that social studies educators increasingly us... more The microblogging service Twitter offers a platform that social studies educators increasingly use for professional development, communication, and class activities, but to what ends? The authors drew on Deweyan conceptions of participatory learning and citizenship aims of the field as lenses through which to consider social media activities. To determine how and why social studies educators use Twitter, 303 K-16 self-identified social studies educators were surveyed in this study. Results from respondents suggested that they valued the professional development experiences afforded by the platform, but were less likely to utilize Twitter for communication or class activities. Themes and examples that point to ways social studies educators use Twitter are described to provide insights for educators aiming to use social media professionally. Questions are also raised concerning whether social studies educators have missed opportunities to use social media to connect across racial and cultural boundaries and for civic purposes.
While most young people regularly consume and produce social media content, many schools focus on... more While most young people regularly consume and produce social media content, many schools focus on what students should not do with these technologies rather than address what students and teachers can do. The authors share ways that some educators leverage social media to enhance the who, when, where, why, how, and what of educational processes.
Learning and Leading with Technology, Feb 2014
Did you know that you can access more than 150 free online professional development workshops eac... more Did you know that you can access more than 150 free online professional development workshops each week—and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home or school to attend them? Learn how to find, participate in, and start your own Twitter chats with this easy-to-follow FAQ.
This article explains the basics of Twitter, hashtags, and moderated chats. It will also detail why you should chat, who organizes them, how to participate, what to do if you miss a chat, and how to start one. There are also recommendations for various popular education-related chats that in which to participate.
‘Unconferences’ are a non-traditional form of professional activity defined by the absence of man... more ‘Unconferences’ are a non-traditional form of professional activity defined by the absence of many conventional conference structures. One example of the unconference model is the ‘Edcamp,’ a voluntary, participant-driven form of grassroots educator professional learning. More than 600 of these events have been held worldwide since the first in 2010. This exploratory study situates Edcamps in relationship to the literature on educator professional development and teacher collaboration, and reports on data gathered from 95 participants in an Edcamp in the United States. Respondents indicated diverse motivations for their Edcamp participation, including colleagues’ recommendations, anticipated learning and the desire to network and collaborate. Respondents generally rated their Edcamp experiences highly, and overwhelmingly reported intentions to attend future Edcamps. The positive environment, participant autonomy and integration of technology were highlighted. Most participants, however, also identified ways in which their experiences could have been improved. The nature and topics of discussion, as well as challenges associated with Edcamp novices and technology, presented barriers to full participation. Implications of this research for educators, researchers and educational institutions are discussed.
Twitter has demonstrated potential to facilitate learning at the university level, and K-12 educa... more Twitter has demonstrated potential to facilitate learning at the university level, and K-12 educators’ use of the microblogging service Twitter to facilitate professional development appears to be on the rise. Research on microblogging as a part of teacher education is, however, limited. This paper investigates the use of Twitter by preservice teachers (N = 20) in a face-to-face undergraduate teacher education course taught by the author. The participants completed student teaching the subsequent semester, after which a survey was conducted to explore whether they had continued to use Twitter for professional purposes and why or why not. In reflections upon the fall semester’s experience, preservice teachers noted several benefits to the use of Twitter in the course, including support of resource sharing, communication, and connection with educators both inside and outside of the class. During the spring semester, the majority of participants stopped professional Twitter activity, with many citing a lack of time. Those who continued use in the spring most commonly did so to gather teaching resources. The majority of participants maintained a positive opinion of Twitter’s educational potential and indicated intentions to utilize it for professional purposes, including classroom applications, in the future.
Traditional, top-down professional development (PD) can render teachers mere implementers of the ... more Traditional, top-down professional development (PD) can render teachers mere implementers of the ideas of others, but there is some hope that the participatory nature of social media such as Twitter might support more grassroots PD. To better understand Twitter’s role in education, we conducted a survey of K–16 educators regarding their use of the microblogging service for professional purposes. Respondents described multifaceted and intense use, with PD activities more common than use with students and families. This paper delves into qualitative data from 494 respondents who described their perspectives on Twitter PD. Educators praised the platform as efficient, accessible and interactive. Twitter was credited with providing opportunities to access novel ideas and stay abreast of education advances and trends, particularly regarding educational technology. Numerous respondents compared Twitter favorably with other PD available to them. Members of our sample also appreciated how Twitter connected them to educators beyond their own schools and districts, with mention of exposure to both like-minded and diverse perspectives. Respondents described positive and collaborative professional activity facilitated by Twitter, and many noted how it helped them combat various forms of isolation. We conclude by discussing implications of the survey results for educators, researchers and policy-makers.
The microblogging service Twitter has played an integral role in protest movements, democratic re... more The microblogging service Twitter has played an integral role in protest movements, democratic revolutions, charity fundraising, disaster relief, and has also been adopted by some
teachers for professional purposes. In order to better understand Twitter’s role in education, we conducted a survey of educators regarding their use of the service. This paper delves into the
data from the 109 English teachers who responded to the survey. These educators described frequent and versatile use of Twitter. Respondents provided a variety of examples of uses of
Twitter to communicate with parents and students, as well as specific learning activities that incorporated the service. However, Twitter was most popular among the teachers as a tool for
professional development. The respondents valued how Twitter facilitated resource and idea acquiring and sharing, and also praised the service for providing them a way to connect to other
educators beyond their local schools and districts.
Standardized test-based accountability measures often result in overemphasis on knowing facts and... more Standardized test-based accountability measures often result in overemphasis on knowing facts and cast students into passive roles. Such schooling yields neither the learning nor the learners the modern world requires and can exhaust and demoralize teachers. We assert that students must assume greater responsibility for their learning in order to attain deep understanding and transferable skills that benefit them throughout their lives. Curriculum and instruction must therefore pay greater attention to developing skills that allow students to take such ownership of their learning. We identify and discuss three foundational skills that enable students to assume more responsibility for learning: self-regulation, collaboration, and academic mindsets. After reviewing current research on factors contributing to these non-curricular learning skills and exploring their importance within school contexts and beyond, we discuss the need for more classroom-based research on interventions aimed at their development.
Like other social media, the microblogging service Twitter appears
to offer affordances for colla... more Like other social media, the microblogging service Twitter appears
to offer affordances for collaborative learning. This study investigated the required use of Twitter as a part of a face-to-face, undergraduate teacher education class. Data included student and instructor Twitter activities, an end-of-semester survey of students’ perspectives on their use of Twitter, and a
focus group. Participants noted several benefits to Twitter use in the course, including enabling communication and interaction within the class and with the professional education community. Twitter facilitated connectedness and resource sharing that was collaborative in nature, and functioned as one of several tools students utilised for collaboration. Recommendations are given regarding the use of microblogging in education and future research.
While the microblogging service Twitter is increasingly popular among educators and offers numero... more While the microblogging service Twitter is increasingly popular among educators and offers numerous affordances for learning, its relationship with formal education systems remains complicated by generally ambivalent educator attitudes and institutional policies. To better understand the role Twitter plays in education, we conducted a survey of 755 K-16 educators that yielded quantitative and qualitative data concerning how and why the medium is used. Respondents reported intense and multifaceted utilization of the service, with professional development (PD) uses more common than interactions with students or families. Educators valued Twitter’s personalized, immediate nature, and the positive and collaborative community it facilitated. Many cited Twitter’s role in combating various types of isolation and described it as superior to traditional professional development. We finish by discussing implications for educators, researchers, and educational institutions.
Journal articles by Jeff Carpenter
Comunicar, 2017
This article examines student and teachers’ use and perceptions of Twitter, based on a mixed-meth... more This article examines student and teachers’ use and perceptions of Twitter, based on a mixed-method comparative approach. Participants (N=153) were education majors who used Twitter as a part of required coursework in their programs at two universities in Spain and the United States. The theoretical background covers research on international work carried out on Twitter as well as a brief overview of the introduction of technology in two educational national systems. Quantitative data were collected via a survey, while qualitative data were obtained from students’ reflective written texts. The majority of participants from both contexts perceived educational benefits to Twitter. However, their use of Twitter, and the nature of their perceptions of its educational value, appeared to differ in important ways. The U.S. participants’ longer and more frequent use of Twitter was accompanied by more positive beliefs regarding the educational relevance of Twitter. While many Spanish participants saw value in the use of Twitter to find and share information, U.S. students highlighted interactive and collaborative uses. The study uncovers some challenges for learning related to Twitter’s short format. In the conclusion section we discuss implications for learning and teaching in an age of ubiquitous social media.
Uploads
Papers by Jeff Carpenter
This article explains the basics of Twitter, hashtags, and moderated chats. It will also detail why you should chat, who organizes them, how to participate, what to do if you miss a chat, and how to start one. There are also recommendations for various popular education-related chats that in which to participate.
teachers for professional purposes. In order to better understand Twitter’s role in education, we conducted a survey of educators regarding their use of the service. This paper delves into the
data from the 109 English teachers who responded to the survey. These educators described frequent and versatile use of Twitter. Respondents provided a variety of examples of uses of
Twitter to communicate with parents and students, as well as specific learning activities that incorporated the service. However, Twitter was most popular among the teachers as a tool for
professional development. The respondents valued how Twitter facilitated resource and idea acquiring and sharing, and also praised the service for providing them a way to connect to other
educators beyond their local schools and districts.
to offer affordances for collaborative learning. This study investigated the required use of Twitter as a part of a face-to-face, undergraduate teacher education class. Data included student and instructor Twitter activities, an end-of-semester survey of students’ perspectives on their use of Twitter, and a
focus group. Participants noted several benefits to Twitter use in the course, including enabling communication and interaction within the class and with the professional education community. Twitter facilitated connectedness and resource sharing that was collaborative in nature, and functioned as one of several tools students utilised for collaboration. Recommendations are given regarding the use of microblogging in education and future research.
Journal articles by Jeff Carpenter
This article explains the basics of Twitter, hashtags, and moderated chats. It will also detail why you should chat, who organizes them, how to participate, what to do if you miss a chat, and how to start one. There are also recommendations for various popular education-related chats that in which to participate.
teachers for professional purposes. In order to better understand Twitter’s role in education, we conducted a survey of educators regarding their use of the service. This paper delves into the
data from the 109 English teachers who responded to the survey. These educators described frequent and versatile use of Twitter. Respondents provided a variety of examples of uses of
Twitter to communicate with parents and students, as well as specific learning activities that incorporated the service. However, Twitter was most popular among the teachers as a tool for
professional development. The respondents valued how Twitter facilitated resource and idea acquiring and sharing, and also praised the service for providing them a way to connect to other
educators beyond their local schools and districts.
to offer affordances for collaborative learning. This study investigated the required use of Twitter as a part of a face-to-face, undergraduate teacher education class. Data included student and instructor Twitter activities, an end-of-semester survey of students’ perspectives on their use of Twitter, and a
focus group. Participants noted several benefits to Twitter use in the course, including enabling communication and interaction within the class and with the professional education community. Twitter facilitated connectedness and resource sharing that was collaborative in nature, and functioned as one of several tools students utilised for collaboration. Recommendations are given regarding the use of microblogging in education and future research.