The issue of public tracks and traces of learning exchanges is an appropriate point to address professional benefits and recognition for informal learning through social media.
The significant majority of participants indicated that social media aids them in finding information and links to resources that are useful to their professional life. But are these types of learning and CPD recognised by employers or professional bodies? In her interview Laura comments:
“I don't think [informal learning through social media] is actively recognized. I think it's recognized that I get invited to things or make connections or learn things or find out about new research, but how I do that is kind of irrelevant. I think it's okay that it's that way, too. Professional development is aided by social media, but it isn't just being on social media. If I had a thousand twitter followers I seriously doubt anyone reviewing my dossier for promotion would be impressed.”
Laura’s account shows clear personal benefits of participation but not of organisational recognition for social media specifically. If social media is merely a tool for exchange than this may be appropriate. However the types of informed debate, scaffolding and rich learning activities that appear to be taking place in social media spaces may be significantly less visible than comparative processes taking place at conferences, in formal publications etc.
Professional bodies do, however, appear to be attempting to engage with social media, providing some form of recognition and forums for exchange. A significant number of the niche social media sites mentioned in questionnaire responses cater to specialist affinity groups (Gee 2004), with several being run by formal professional bodies, including Laura’s:
“Yeah -- I'm on some professional body interest groups. We have Google groups and we have a listserv. I'm also on one for another data interest group which is similar -- a Google group and a listserv. The American Library Association hosts ALA Connect, which is a Drupal-based social network site for librarians. It's pretty great and well put-together but I must say I don't use it very much away from the conferences.”
These spaces may provide a recognised space for participation but their specialist nature does not, based on Laura and others’ accounts, afford the same possibilities for serendipitous discovery and connection to unknown nodes in the wider network that can make mainstream tools so fruitful (see also Neylon 2012).
CPD activities traditionally result in some form of recognition or reward, whether a certificate, promotion or simply the record of having attended a recognised event. Informal learning can be accommodated in records of CPD activity but the precise ways in which the time, benefits and learning resulting from informal CPD activity in social media may be assessed are unclear. Significant time and effort is being invested in participation in these spaces with benefits for professional knowledge and practice. There is therefore an increasing need to capture and recognise such participation, and perhaps to reward influential acts of scaffolding that support and nurture the learning of colleagues and peers.
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