Teachers and social networks: uses and motivation

Abstract

Digital social networks have become as an open space for communication and the exchange of ideas and resources between teachers. In addition, they can provide informal learning opportunities that teachers use for their professional development. In this article we intend to provide information about which digital social networks teachers use and what are reasons for their use. The research approach is a "survey" type and for this a questionnaire was designed that was answered by 447 teachers of non-university education. Instagram is the network that most teachers use continuously. It is followed by Facebook and Twitter. In the case of Twitter we find a higher average value of use in men, while in Facebook and Instagram the average is higher among women. We found differences in Instagram use between younger and older teachers. The results show that teachers are motivated to use social networks to the extent that they represent a space to find digital resources, materials prepared by other teachers that they may consider of interest.