As social media use explodes in popularity, teachers can now share resources and interact with a broad international audience of colleagues, scholars, students, and the general public. Teachers use sites such as Twitter to develop and hone their professional identities and manage others impressions of them and their work. This text draws on extensive research to provide guidance about teachers use of social media for professional development and identity formation. A conceptual framework drawing on Goffmans Theory of the Presentation of Self in Everyday Life and research into how users interact online informed the case studies of preservice teachers experiences with social media. A secondary function of the book is to guide teachers through the process of conducting action research projects in their own classrooms. Use of social media involves more than just sharing links or scattered thoughts; savvy users consider a wide variety of methods and forms of interaction. This text shares research-based best practices for these forms of information sharing, including the effects of these practices on different audiences.Twitter and other forms of social media offer an easily accessible, free mode of communication; however, while asking a question and obtaining answers from people all over the globe is exciting, and while this process can be empowering for both the questioner and the responder, it can also be problematic as viewed from a quality control perspective. Is the information accurate? Does it reflect research-based best practices? What are some of the ways that teachers can and should form personae and identities on social media? What are the risks? This text chips away at these crucial questions.

Foreword; List of Tables; List of Figures; Why Social Media?; Using This Text; Research Support and Conceptual Framework; Research Support; Conceptual Framework; Summary; Extension Activities; Social Media: A Comparison; Details about Social Media Use; Blurring the Lines; Challenges; Summary; Extension Activities; Professional Development Opportunities on Social Media; Building a Professional Learning Network; Summary; Extension Activities; Social Media in the Classroom; Calls for Use of Social Media in Education; College-Level Uses; K12-Level Uses; Summary; Extension Activities; Developing an Identity on Social Media; The Fragmentation of Online Identities; Social Media Identities: Not Always a Choice; Your Varying Identities; Summary; Extension Activities; Developing a Professional Identity on Social Media; Professional Uses; Summary; Extension Activities; Effects of Your Emerging Identity; Effects on Oneself; Effects onOthers; Summary; Extension Activities; Methods of the Study; Research Questions; Methods: Data Collection; Methods: Data Analysis; Limitations; Extension Activities; Findings: The Survey; Extension Activities; Case Study One: Nora; Tweets; Noras Story; Extension Activities; Case Study Two: Marina; Tweets; Marinas Story; Extension Activities; Case Study Three: Callie; Tweets; Callies Story; Extension Activities; Case Study Four: Kate; Tweets; Kates Story; Extension Activities; Cross-Case Analysis and Discussion; A Way of Life; Tensions and Opportunities; Persona and Identity Formation; Summary; Extension Activities; Implications; Implications for Beginning and Practicing Teachers; Implications for Teacher Educators; Implications for Researchers; Summary; Extension Activities; Conclusions and Next Steps; Extension Activities; References.