What is Microblogging

Social media's rise has affected human interactions in significant ways, and such media may support learning. But how to prepare teachers who can maximize the educational potential of these technologies remains unclear. In this chapter the authors aim to summarize and synthesize extant research concerning social media use in teacher education, specifically attending to methods, theories, and findings. They begin by defining and situating social media with an eye towards affordances and drawbacks. The authors discuss pertinent research through the lens of experiences various mediums afford individuals and groups, including enhanced interaction, discussion, collaboration, community, feedback, mentoring, and support. Opportunities and challenges associated with the use of social media in the preparation of teachers in and for the digital age are discussed, and the chapter concludes by detailing implications of the existing literature for theory, practice, and future research.