OMG! Exploring and Learning from Teachers' Personal and Professional Uses of Facebook

Abstract

Members of the Net Generation are increasingly using social networking sites. The authors employed a mixed methods approach to examine Facebook site features preservice educators use and how those features are utilized personally and professionally. Results indicate that interaction on Facebook is reciprocal; that is, the number of posts made to a wall was significantly related to the number of updates made by the profile owner. Qualitative, descriptive data indicated emerging professional use of Facebook, with profile owners utilizing peers for instructional ideas and ongoing classroom support. Recommendations for future research are described.