A survey of K-12 teachers’ utilization of social networks as a professional resource

Teachers are increasingly using social networks, including social media and other Internet applications, to look for educational resources. This study shares results from a survey examining patterns of social network application use among K-12 teachers in the United States. A sample of 154 teachers...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education and information technologies 2018-03, Vol.23 (2), p.633-658
Main Authors: Hunter, Leah J., Hall, Cristin M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Differences
Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Computer Oriented Programs
Computer Science
Computers and Education
Education
Educational Resources
Educational Technology
Elementary Secondary Education
Equipment and supplies
Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet)
Internet
Internet software
Predictor Variables
Professional development
Research Methodology
Resource Teachers
Social Media
Social Networks
Teacher Surveys
Teachers
Teaching
Teaching methods
Technological Literacy
Technology Uses in Education
Use Studies
User Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 Technologies
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Summary:Teachers are increasingly using social networks, including social media and other Internet applications, to look for educational resources. This study shares results from a survey examining patterns of social network application use among K-12 teachers in the United States. A sample of 154 teachers (18 males, 136 females) in the United States answered questions about their use of social network applications, their comfort with Web 2.0, and their use of empirically-based resources from social networks. Results provide a user update on factors that predict overall engagement with social networks, which included comfort and trust in using social networks, as well as higher age. We also explored the most popular applications used by teachers and the most popular reasons for their use. Finally, we implemented a new survey methodology to gauge responses about empirically-based posts on social networks and discuss results in the context of balancing free resources with high-quality pedagogical information.
ISSN:1360-2357
1573-7608
DOI:10.1007/s10639-017-9627-9