Welcome to Fourth Quarter! We’re on the downhill slide; the homestretch of the school year, and I don’t know about you but this is the time of year that I feel always goes too fast. I still have so much to accomplish and so little time in which to do so! Toward the end of the week during February and March, I also find myself even more drained than usual. It’s almost like someone has pulled my plug – I know you feel my pain. To keep myself charged up for the remainder of the year, I turn to awesome and inspiring edubooks, great conferences and workshops (I’m looking at you, EdCampSEMO – that I’ll have to miss this year!), and social media. Perusing Pinterest and Facebook can provide great resources and ideas to keep teachers on our game throughout the year, but my favorite social media tool for PD is Twitter!
Hashtags that are #awesome
Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend METC AND MCSS in the same month, literally a week apart. I am so thankful that I work in a building and district where the administration recognizes the importance of conferences and workshops for teachers. My focus word for 2018 is “better” and to become better at my I need to learn and collaborate with other awesome teachers! I started planning this post mentally during one of my sessions at MCSS (Missouri Council for the Social Studies) when I said, “follow me on Twitter @Bethany_Petty and use #illuminateED to tweet your thoughts and questions during our time today.” I scanned the room and saw many puzzled looks. After the session, I checked my phone, which typically includes a few notifications with thoughts or questions about the session, and there were none. Most of the participants were not on Twitter. Holy moly, friends! Jump on Twitter. Twitter itself isn’t going to revolutionize your life or be the silver bullet that will solve all of your problems or answer all of your questions. BUT, Twitter is a great place where educators can share resources, ideas, experiences, and collaborate with colleagues from around the world. Search one of the hashtags below to find resources, conversations, and ideas relating to a variety of topics. It’s fabulous! Check out these hashtags:
- #edchat
- #edtech
- #edtechchat
- #tlap
- #globaledchat
- #moedchat (Missouri edchat)
- #illuminateED <– MY BOOK hashtag!!
- Check out this resource for MORE chats!
Twitter Chats
Think of Twitter chats as a focused conversation among teachers/instructors/professors/authors/bloggers/pre-service teachers/coaches/edtech strategists about a specific topic relevant to their role in education. Most chats are held weekly and are led by moderators who create and share specific questions. Twitter chats use a specific hashtag, like those listed above. For example, #moedchat, and chat and hashtag for Missouri educators (like me!), takes place on Thursday nights at 9:00. Any tweet that includes #moedchat will wind up in the conversation … important Twitter chat decorum: don’t use the hashtag unless you’re part of the chat! Also, there’s no need to ask permission to join a chat – hop right on in! If you’re like me, you can’t block out a time to only participate in a specific chat. I frequently pop in and out of chats and then search through the chat for resources and information later. You can also use a tool like Participate to “participate” in Twitter chats and access archives of past chats. Check out this resource for more information!
Awesome “Tweachers”
Twitter is full of amazing educators who are just waiting to meet you and learn from you! Definitely check out these inspiring “Tweachers!”
- Vicki Davis (@CoolCatTeacher)
- Holly Clark (@HollyClarkEDU)
- Trevor McKenzie (@trev_mackenzie)
- Kasey Bell (@shakeuplearning)
- George Couros (@gcouros)
- Dave Burgess (@burgessdave)
- Jennifer Gonzalez (@cultofpedogogy)
How do you use Twitter to level up your learning?
Thanks for reading 🙂
