Educators’ Perceptions of the Use of Twitter as a Professional Learning Network

Abstract

This qualitative study was conducted to examine educators’ perceptions of the useof Twitter as a professional learning network. Specifically, the purpose of this researchwas to study educators’ experiences with the use of Twitter as a professional learningnetwork as a means for professional development. This study was also conducted todetermine what educators perceived to be the benefits and drawbacks of using Twitter asa professional learning network. The results of this study can be used by educationalleaders to understand the value of using Twitter as a professional development tool. Forthe five participants in this study, the benefits of using Twitter as a professional learningnetwork outweighed the drawbacks of using Twitter. The findings of the study showedTwitter allows participants to make global connections, ability to learn, curate ideas, andshare resources. The significance of this study could add to the understanding ofeducators’ perceptions of the use of Twitter as a professional learning network. Thefindings from this study provided evidence regarding the value of utilizing Twitter as aprofessional learning network. The results of the study demonstrated that the crosssection of educators used across five regions of the United States thought using Twitter asa professional learning network was invaluable to their professional growth, their abilityto curate ideas, and feeling less isolated. The results of this research lead to arecommendation that school administrators and professional development coordinatorsinvestigate the potential of training their teachers to utilize Twitter for a professionallearning network.