Norwegian White Paper 44 makes strong arguments for social networking sites (SNS) as a support for learning (MER, 2008- 2009). It is argued that SNS can contribute to young people’s critical reflection, development of basic competencies, social relations, and for building a bridge to young peoples’ lives. According to Ess (2009) there are fundamental ethical differences between digital and analogue media. The ethical aspects of combining personal and professional information are not discussed in the legislative document. The study is an action research self-study (Sandretto, 2009; Vanassche & Kelchtermans, 2015) with a group of PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) student teachers who are being mentored through social media. As a teacher educator I was member of a Facebook group consisting of the 22 students in my seminar group. The students accepted me as a “friend” on Facebook. This meant that I combined my role as a mentor for the students with my status as a “friend”. The focus of the study was: What experiences do I as a teacher educator and my student teachers gain from combining the role as a teacher (mentor) and as a friend in social media? What can prospective teachers learn from my experiences? The students answered a questionnaire at the beginning and the end of their practicum period about their experiences.

Ess, C. (2009). Digital media ethics. Cambridge: Polity Press. MER, (2008-2009). White Paper 11, [Undervisnings- og forskningsdepartementet] [UFD]. The Teacher. Role and Education. [Læreren Rollen og utdanningen] Sandretto, S. (2009). Theoretical and methodological tensions in a poststructural, collaborative self-study research project. Studying Teacher Education, 5(1), 89–101. Vanassche, E. & Kelchtermans, G. (2015). The state of the art in Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices: a systematic literature review. Journal of Curriculum Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00220272.2014.995712