Using social media to develop ‘networked’ pre-service teachers and prepare them for teaching with technology

This mixed methods study investigated preservice teachers’ beliefs about their use of social media to develop a personal learning network (PLN) during a first-year teacher education technology course. As new technologies are emerging rapidly and preservice teachers are being trained to educate future generations, technologies courses in teacher education need to focus on developing educators who are prepared to be life-long learners. The technologies course in this study was designed to transform the preparation of preservice teachers by teaching them how to develop a PLN, access professional development, resources, and advice outside of traditional university instructional channels. This paper presents preservice teacher beliefs about the use of social media in a PLN and how becoming a ‘networked’ teacher will prepare them for teaching with technology in the future.