Are You Using Twitter Chats?

     Education is a life-long journey and this mindset is something that is best modelled by educators.  I mean, how can we expect our students to develop a natural love for learning if we are unwilling to continue on the journey ourselves?  School divisions regularly incorporate professional development throughout the school year but these are often sporadic and not necessarily aligned with each individual teachers’ interests; rather they often centre on a general theme or a specific divisional goal.

     While there are numerous conferences, classes, programs that educators can participate in to further their own education these options usually have an associated cost and may require travel or time away from work.  These stipulations often limit the amount of personal professional development an educator undertakes, especially if they are in a rural or remote location.

     Enter the wonderful world of social media…  specifically Twitter and the use of Twitter chats.  Twitter chats are an informal way for educators to participate in professional development with their colleagues from the comfort of their own home!  If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a Twitter chat, check out the introductory video below:

     Twitter chats address many of the realms of effective professional development as identified by Penuel et al (2007).

1) Duration & Time Span 

“Professional development that is of longer duration and time span is
more likely to contain the kinds of learning opportunities necessary for
teachers to integrate new knowledge into practice” (p. 929)

– Most Twitter chats are weekly events so educators can revisit an idea multiple times through the chat setting or continue the conversation outside of the chat network with the colleagues they connect with

2) The Role of Colleagues

“…those that make extensive use of teacher collaboration
are particularly successful in promoting implementation” (p.929)

– Twitter chat extends an educators circle of colleagues or Professional Learning Network (PLN) drastically
– Many schools/divisions also have a designated hashtag for their employees to connect with one another
– This can be especially helpful in smaller settings where there may be only one educator who specializes in a particular topic and may not have any local colleagues to discuss program specifics

3) Active Learning

“Professional development that incorporates
time for instructional planning, discussion, and consideration of underlying
principles of curriculum may be more effective in supporting implementation
of innovations” (p. 931)

– Good Twitter chats have effective moderators that will allow for a topic to develop and for participants to examine all aspects necessary for implentation
– This may be introduced in one 1-hour chat but also revisited through the chat cycle as different moderators may focus on different aspects of the same topic
– Ongoing discussion with colleagues who are at various stages of their own personal implementation can assist in sharing experiences

4) Coherence

“Coherence refers to teachers’ interpretations of how well aligned the professional
development activities are with their own goals for learning and their
goals for students.” (p. 931)

– Since participation in a Twitter chat is a personal choice, educators can decide on the topic that best addresses their needs
– Due to their informal nature, educators can also tune in and out of the conversation as they see fit

Not Sure Where to Start??

A wonderful group of 5 educators have put together a dedicated list of Twitter chats.  Scroll through the 100s of options to find a topic that works with your interests and schedule.
https://sites.google.com/site/twittereducationchats/education-chat-official-list

Education Chats Screenshot. (2018). Uploaded to Google Sites. Available online at: https://sites.google.com/site/twittereducationchats/education-chat-official-list

You can read more about Twitter Chats and their use as professional development at Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/introduction-twitter-education-chats-robert-ward

Beginning next week ManACE will be starting a Twitter “slow chat” which will run for a month rather than simply 1 hour.  This is the perfect opportunity to check out a Twitter chat, join the conversation, and get used to the nature of Twitter before jumping into something faster.  Hope to see you there!

Follow us for more details! Something exciting is kicking off this October: ManACE will be bringing you monthly Twitter slowchats! pic.twitter.com/ila3rW9QUH

— ManaceMb (@manace_manitoba) October 9, 2018

Penuel, W., Fishman, B., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L. (2007). What makes professional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921-958.