The article abstract reads as follows:

Self-directed educator professional learning is commonplace, and such activities increasingly span multiple digital spaces and formats, and blur boundaries between online and offline. In this exploratory research, we analyze the case of the #CharlasEducativas, a dynamic professional learning ecosystem that began in 2020 and is based in Spain. We describe the platforms, modalities, and activities that comprised the #CharlasEducativas from 2020鈥�2023, and how these different elements combine to create a multiplatform learning ecosystem. Relying upon multiple data sources, we also analyze the topics and content associated with various components of this unique ecosystem, and share participant perceptions of the #CharlasEducativas. Although the ecosystem was first developed relying mostly on YouTube and X/Twitter, the #CharlasEducativas have evolved over time to include additional platforms, and even in-person events, with different spaces functioning in overlapping and distinct ways. These spaces have been employed in synchronous and asynchronous ways, using text, images, voice, and visuals to discuss and share information on a wide array of education topics. Many participants reported perceiving the #CharlasEducativas as a space of learning and community building, and credited this learning and community with sparking reflection upon and changes in their own teaching practices. We discuss how the #CharlasEducativas reflect opportunities and challenges of contemporary educator professional learning in the context of ubiquitous social media platforms. Finally, we define implications for research and practice, highlighting the need to advance understanding of educators鈥� multiplatform professional learning activities.

Students in the “Children’s Literature and Arts Integration” course, taught by Associate Professor of Education Lisa Buchanan, were able to visit and work with first-year teachers participating in the Teach for Alamance program. The 黑料不打烊 scholarship program provides full tuition remission and a small stipend to teacher-candidate graduates of the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education who wish to enroll in聽黑料不打烊鈥檚 master of education program.

The Fellows must commit to two years聽of teaching in the聽Alamance-Burlington School System聽(ABSS) and must be employed by ABSS at the time of matriculation to the Master of Education program and for the duration of their studies. The Fellows were also able to visit and work with the undergraduate students in their 黑料不打烊 course.聽Meghan Malone ’24 G’26, who teaches at South Mebane Elementary School, came to campus and shared a mock read-aloud lesson.

“It’s been really rewarding,” said Malone. “It makes me reflect on how far I’ve come from being an undergrad and being in their shoes. Coming back and being able to share my experience makes me feel really confident.”

On Jan. 24, four of the five Teach for Alamance Fellows participated in a Q&A session with the undergraduate students in the McEwen dining engagement space. The group was also joined by several Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education faculty who taught the Fellows as undergraduate students including Erin Hone, senior lecturer in education; Heidi Hollingsworth, associate professor of education; Lisa Thompson, adjunct instructor of education and Melaine Rickard, instructor of education.

“It’s been a really eye-opening experience to see how well they’ve been succeeding and be in a first-year classroom,” said Sophie Patella ’27, an elementary education and special education major in the “Children’s Literature and Arts Integration” course. “I’m feeling so much more confident in myself. All of them have said ‘Be confident in yourself. You’re going through this program, you’re going to come out prepared. Just be yourself. You have to be flexible. You’re going to make mistakes and that’s okay.'”

The Fellows shared advice on building up their classroom library, juggling a master’s degree program while working full-time, their first-year teacher struggles and how 黑料不打烊 faculty have made a difference in their career.

“This has been an incredible full circle experience as faculty,” said Buchanan. “I have learned alongside these five teachers through their undergraduate program, even supervising three in the field before student teaching, and now, in my graduate classes as they engage the Teach for Alamance program. It’s been amazing to see their growth as teachers. But the most rewarding part of our partnership is聽to be in their聽classrooms with their聽students observing their teaching craft as they partner with my class and teacher candidates鈥攊t is such a beautiful full-circle opportunity.”

Carpenter, whose research interests include the use of social media in education, said educators’ use of TikTok “has been relatively less social, compared to some of the other platforms where networks, communities, and relationships are a bit more important.”

Initially, a聽Jan. 17 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled that the law could remain in place.聽The app briefly went offline Jan. 19 but came back on hours later, citing Trump’s promise to sign the executive order. The Jan. 20 order, signed hours after Trump was sworn into office, will delay the law for at least 75 days.

Read more of Carpenter’s insights, including an impact the ban could have on educators, in .

Carpenter studies the use of social media by educators and said 2025 is going to be unpredictable. The U.S. surgeon general has recommended social media come with a mental health warning, which has been praised by many educators, according to “Education Week.”

鈥淲e are going to have this complicated federal context where the president owns a social media company, and one of his main associates owns another,鈥� Carpenter told “Education Week,” referencing businessman 黑料不打烊 Musk who bought Twitter before changing the name to X. President-elect Donald Trump owns Truth Social.

Due to what Carpenter says may be a conflict of interest at the federal level, this could open the doors for social media regulations by state.

Read the in Education Week.

Carpenter, who studies educators’ use of social media, said he’s seen a lot of 鈥渘ostalgia for that time鈥� when Twitter was the main place for the K-12 community to gather but doesn’t know if that will be replicated.

鈥淧eople just don鈥檛 use one platform anymore,鈥� Carpenter told Education Week. He added that it鈥檚 not necessarily a bad thing that there won鈥檛 be just one space for educators to gather.

鈥淭here are a lot of niches in education,鈥� he said.

Read the full article in聽.

Learning is a constant. It鈥檚 what allows us to evolve, adapt, and thrive鈥攁nd is why Stephen Byrd, associate professor in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, is excited to be part of the Center for Engaged Learning (CEL) at 黑料不打烊.

In his recent blog post titled, “” for the CEL, Byrd reflects on his lifelong learning journey.

“Even as you read this, take a moment to think about your strengths and ways that you are strong, and ways that you learn. Neurodiverse learners have strengths, too,” he wrote.

As a seminar leader for the 2024鈥�26 CEL research seminar , Byrd has the privilege of working with six teams of researchers from across the globe. He will explore diverse facets of neurodiversity in higher education, from the design of inclusive engaged learning spaces to strategies for empowering neurodivergent students to self-advocate. In his blog post, Byrd says these discussions are incredibly rewarding because they push him beyond the boundaries of his previous professional experiences, enriching his understanding of neurodiversity in new and exciting ways.

With a focus on special education, Byrd’s research work centers on families and their perceptions of disability, information and special education services. He regularly presents at local, state, and national conferences. Byrd also engages in undergraduate research and serves as the program coordinator for special education in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education.

The IAFOR Research Centre fosters connections between people and ideas through diverse events and platforms, championing and highlighting the value of interdisciplinary study. The organization remains actively involved in global, cross-sectoral initiatives, collaborating with prominent universities, think tanks, research institutions such as the East-West Center, The Center for Higher Education Research and The World Intellectual Property Organization, as well as government and international organizations such as the government of Japan through the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office and the United Nations in New York. The organization also partners with leading media entities, including “The Wall Street Journal,” “JWT,” and HarperCollins, on various projects.

In an individual paper session focused on language development and literacy, Vehabovic鈥檚 presentation, titled, 鈥淭raversing Languages and Literacies: Fostering Care, Dignity, and Healing Across University-Community Initiatives Serving Children, Youth, and Families from Refugee Backgrounds,鈥� illuminated the ways in which teacher candidates were able to acknowledge and honor the broad range of languages and literacies that occur in homes and across culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Specifically, reading and writing emerged as historically responsive literacies among teacher candidates and multi/translingual children, youth and families from refugee backgrounds, engaging them in ways that fostered identity, skill development, criticality, intellectual growth and joy. These findings are based on two years of ethnographic data collection鈥攊ncluding fieldwork, written and digital reflections, audio recorded shared reading sessions, and impromptu interviews.

鈥淚t was really exciting to witness a well-attended session and interest in this important work that situates community and global engagement,鈥� Vehabovic said. 鈥淚 also served as the chair of the session. This opportunity enabled me to be in community with other presenters and attendees from countries such as Australia, Cameroon, Malaysia, Spain, and Thailand.鈥�

This participation highlights Vehabovic’s dedication to the field of literacy education, particularly in fostering community and global connections, while also emphasizing the university’s commitment to inclusive and impactful research that serves multi/translingual children, youth and families in Alamance County and extends beyond.

Funding for the research was made possible through a faculty research grant from the Center for Research on Global Engagement (CRGE) and two Community Partnerships Initiative (CPI) grants from the Kernodle Center for Civic Life.

Carpenter collaborated with Hege Emma Rimmereide and Keith Turvey of the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and Brighton University, England, respectively. Their article, “Exploring and comparing teachers’ X/Twitter use in three countries: Purposes, benefits, challenges and changes,” is .

The abstract reads as follows:

“In recent years, social media platforms have become key elements in many teachers’ professional lives. In particular, teacher professional activities on X (formerly Twitter) have received attention from scholars. However, research has rarely explored X/Twitter use with attention to the diverse national contexts in which teachers work. To address this literature gap, this qualitative study collected data via individual and focus group interviews with teachers (N鈥�=鈥�29) in three countries: England, Norway and the United States of America. Inductive analysis yielded findings related to purposes for, changes in and benefits and challenges of K-12 teachers’ X/Twitter use. Participants from all three contexts described professional learning activities that included sharing and/or acquiring knowledge and resources, and building professional networks and/or communities via X/Twitter. Multiple participants across contexts also referred to similar challenges such as avoiding negativity from other users. However, differences in X/Twitter use were also noted across teachers from the three national settings, such as only Norwegian participants speaking about using X/Twitter to find collaboration partners for teaching and learning projects. We discuss our findings in relation to literature, theory and practice around teacher professional learning in an era of widespread social media.”

In the first article, Carpenter collaborated with Eric Richter, Andr茅 Meyer and Dirk Richter of the University of Potsdam, Germany. The article, titled “Digital Social Support Among Educators in Social Media: An International Comparative Study of Tweets and Replies in #teachertwitter and #twlz” is The article is in the journal Computers & Education, and its abstract is as follows:

Asking questions on social media acts as a stimulus for professional learning among educators, while the answers can offer them valuable resources. Framed by the concept of digital social support and using a cross-cultural comparative approach, we investigate what type of digital social support educators seek when using educational social media spaces, and what they receive from other users who answer their questions. Analyzing 2,274 tweets and 2,020 replies from two hashtags popular among German and US teachers, #twlz and #teachertwitter, we find that educators mainly seek instrumental support (e.g. materials). Yet what is being sought influences the likelihood of getting the desired response, not the user’s characteristics. Differences emerge between the two hashtags in the kinds of support educators seek and the way educators respond to requests. The findings highlight the need for educators to possess digital competencies to fully utilize social media spaces.

In the second article, Carpenter collaborated with Annie Oliveri from the University of Texas Austin. The article, titled “Refreshing the affinity space concept: Evolving understandings of learning via social media platforms in an algorithmic age” is in the journal Information and Learning Sciences. Its abstract is as follows:

Purpose

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe how the affinity space concept has been used to frame learning via social media, and call for and discuss a refresh of the affinity space concept to accommodate changes in social media platforms and algorithms.

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by a sociocultural perspective, this paper reviews and discusses some ways the affinity space concept has been used to frame studies across various contexts, its benefits and disadvantages and how it has already evolved. It then calls for and describes a refresh of the affinity space concept.

Findings

Although conceptualized 20鈥墆ears ago, the affinity space concept remains relevant to understanding social media use for learning. However, a refresh is needed to accommodate how platforms have changed, algorithms鈥� evolving role in social media participation and how these technologies influence users鈥� interactions and experiences. This paper offers three perspectives to expand the affinity space concept鈥檚 usefulness in an increasingly platformized and algorithmically mediated world.

Practical implications

This paper underscores the importance of algorithmic literacy for learners and educators, as well as regulations and guidance for social media platforms.

Originality/value

This conceptual paper revisits and updates a widely utilized conceptual framing with consideration for how social media platform design and algorithms impact interactions and shape user experiences.

The research of Heidi Hollingsworth, associate professor and director of the master of education program and Mary Knight-McKenna, professor emerita, sheds light on the critical role of teacher preparation programs in fostering future educators who are not only skilled in teaching but also committed to advocating for equitable policies for young children, families and the early childhood profession.

The study focused on an undergraduate course that embedded a policy and advocacy project designed to increase students鈥� understanding of inequities in early childhood education. Through qualitative analysis of students’ written reflections, the researchers explored how this project shaped students’ knowledge about inequities and their attitudes toward taking an active role in advocacy.

Findings from the study revealed a range of outcomes: while some students developed surface-level knowledge of equity issues, others experienced deeper insights, particularly in areas directly related to their project focus. Notably, a few students described new insights on equity-minded leadership, recognizing the importance of advocacy in addressing systemic inequities. Several also expressed a heightened awareness of inequities beyond their own projects and a commitment to confronting these challenges through advocacy efforts.

The article underscores the importance of early childhood teacher preparation programs in cultivating not only teaching skills but also a passion for social justice and policy advocacy. The authors discuss the implications for teacher education, calling for a stronger emphasis on advocacy training to empower future educators to champion equitable policies that support all children and families.

This publication highlights the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education’s dedication to preparing educators who are both classroom leaders and advocates for meaningful, lasting change in the field of education.