Utilizing Twitter Chats for Professional Development
Each week, educators from around the world take part in various conversations on Twitter known as “chats.” These conversations have become an excellent way for educators to connect on relevant topics, share resources and best practices, all while challenging each other’s thinking. The premise of a Twitter chat is simple. Each lasts for 60 minutes, moderators pose questions on a predetermined topic, and participants use a consistent hashtag (#) to communicate.
Questions are posed in a sequential “Q1, Q2” (Question 1, 2, etc.) format over the 60-minute time period. Participant responses begin with “A1, A2” (Answer 1, 2, etc.) to indicate the question to which a participant is responding.
A variety of tools such as Tweetdeck, HootSuite, Tweetchat, etc., can be utilized to aggregate the chat into a single stream to ease the conversation process.
Recently, I pulled together six educators from around the country who are leaders in this area. Joe Mazza (@joe_mazza) and Dana Sirotiak (@sirotiak02) moderate #ptchat; Scott Rocco (@scottrrocco), Bill Krakower (@wkrakower) and Brad Currie (@bcurrie5) moderate #satchat; and Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) is a moderator of #edchat. The conversation below on the Power of Twitter Chats was designed to share the value of this mode of professional development with other educators.
Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) has cataloged a list of Twitter chats, which can be found here. For a weekly view of what’s available, check out this resource.
Some recommended chats include:
#Edchat — Conversations surround various education topics and trends. Participants vote on the weekly topics. Moderated by Tom Whitby (@tomwhitby), Steven Anderson (@web20classroom), Shelly Terrell (@shellterrell), Nancy Blair (@blairteach), and Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1), this chat occurs at noon-1 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. on Tuesdays.
#PTchat — Parent/teacher chat focuses on improving home-school partnerships. Moderated by Joe Mazza (@joe_Mazza — principal), Dana Sirotiak (@sirotiak02 — teacher), Gwen Pescatore (@GPescatore25 — parent), Zack Malamed (@ZakMal — student) and Steve Constantino (@SMConstantino — superintendent). This chat occurs Wednesdays from 9-10 p.m
.#Satchat — Similar to #edchat, #satchat conversations revolve around a variety of educational topics and trends. Moderated by Scott Rocco (@scottrrocco), Brad Currie (@bcurrie5), and Bill Krakower (@wkrakower), this chat occurs Saturdays at 7:30-8:30 a.m. Eastern and 7:30-8:30 a.m. Pacific.#SBGchat — Grading is the primary focus of this new chat. Standards Based Grading (SBG) chat is moderated by Darin Jolly (@drjolly) and Tom Murray (@thomascmurray) and occurs Wednesdays from 9-10 p.m. Other curriculum-related chats include: #flipclass, #pblchat, #ellchat, #spedchat, etc.
#SSchat — Social studies teachers from around the world collaborate on this chat, which occurs Mondays from 7-8 p.m. It is co-moderated by Dan Krutka (@WSUSocStudies), Michael Milton (@42ThinkDeep), and Melissa Seideman (@mseideman). Other grade-level and subject area chats include: #engchat, #scichat, #mathchat, #kinderchat, #1stchat, #4thchat, etc.
#Edchatri — Some educators have joined together to discuss education in their state, however, educators from all over the world usually join the conversation. Edchat Rhode Island is moderated by Don Miller (@dmiller212001) and Alan Tenreiro (@alantenreiro) and occurs Sundays from 8-9 p.m. Other state chats include: #iaedchat, #njed, #wischat, #caedchat, #txed, etc.
Twitter chats have evolved into an excellent, differentiated form of professional development. Share your insight, gain feedback and get connected through an upcoming chat that meets your needs.
Note: All times listed above are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted.
