Using Social Media in Teacher Preparation Programs: Twitter as a Means to Create Social Presence (Munoz et al., 2014)

This exploratory study aimed to understand whether the use of Twitter impacted students’ sense of belonging to a community of learners. Analysis of the students’ blog and tweet postings revealed five main themes: field experience, emotions, cooperating teacher, class, and relationships. The intended recipients of the postings were also categorized as aimed at other students, the instructor, or no one in particular. The Twitter-online group had the most interactive and engaged postings, while the micro-blog-online group had very limited dialogue. However, survey results showed the Twitter-online group felt the least connected and satisfied. The findings suggest Twitter can facilitate connections and discussions among pre-service teachers, but more research is needed on its effectiveness, especially for culturally and linguistically diverse students in online courses.

Munoz, L. R., Pellegrini-Lafont, C., & Cramer, E. (2014). Using Social Media in Teacher Preparation Programs: Twitter as a Means to Create Social Presence. Penn GSE Perspectives on Urban Education, 11(2), 57–69.