The early 2000s have produced many huge developments in social networking and social media. Many, if not all, social networks are created with the purpose of connecting people, whether it is friends, people who share the same interest or people who are looking for a significant other. Twitter created in 2006 was initially developed for the purpose of sharing information. Since it’s inception, twitter has transformed the way information and simple thoughts have been shared and has contributed to transformation of education.
If you are an educator and have not thought about participating in the world of twitter or are opposed to social media and twitter as a whole, please allow me to explain a few of it’s benefits. If you are new to twitter, please click here to familiarize yourself and learn how to navigate the world of twitter, if not please join me on this journey in becoming a better educator.
Educational twitter chats are essentially conversations between educators from all around the world. Every chat is different, but many of them virtually meet on twitter at a designated time, a question and/or topic is posed and the conversation begins. All you need is the #hashtag for the desired chat, and you are ready to join the conversation.
Twitter’s mission is “to instantly connect people everywhere to what is most meaningful to them.”
Educators have a common interest in the idea of spreading knowledge and positively influencing others, but educators also have special interests such as urban education, special education, science education or hip-hop education etc. Through educational twitter chats, educators have the opportunity to virtually meet not only fellow educators, but those of which who share the exact same interest – all from the comfort of their home (or wherever you are).
Participating in educational twitter chats allows educators to “follow” researchers in their field of interest and stay current with the most recent findings. Resources are always shared amongst educators through different chats; everyone understands how amazing it is to receive tips and free resources to use in your practice.
Lastly, educational twitter chats are comparable to Professional Development sessions that all educators must participate in. While participating in an educational twitter chat, educators are learning, growing, sharing and most importantly becoming better educators. Educational twitter chats develop positive communities of educators, parents and even students who are willing to share ideas, learn from one another with the goal of transforming education.
#EdChat – Arguably the most popular educational twitter chat, #EdChat is a global chat that is held every Tuesday at 12pm and 7pm Eastern. Participants of this educational chat discuss all topics related to education and share valuable information and resources that any educator would find helpful.
#HipHopEd – A weekly educational twitter chat, held every Tuesday at 9pm Eastern, where educators and fans of Hip-Hop gather to discuss the relationship between music, culture and education. Every Tuesday morning a topic for discussion is posted and people from around the world contribute to the conversation.
#UrbanEd – A twitter chat where educators discuss topics relevant to the subject of urban education. The #UrbanEd chat is held on the first Sunday of each month at 9:00 pm Eastern.
#EdTechChat – Interested in incorporating more technology in your classroom? #EdTechChat is an amazing chat to share, receive and keep up on current updates regarding the use of technology in the classroom. This chat takes place every Monday at 8pm Eastern.
#NTChat – A weekly chat for new and pre-service teachers. This chat focuses on mentoring and providing resources for new teachers around the world. Seasoned educators are also encouraged to join the conversation to provide resources and advice to novice teachers. This chat takes place every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. If you already participate in educational twitter chats, please share a few of your favorites in the comments section. If you are looking for more education chats, click here for a list of every educational chat on twitter. Enjoy!
Photo: mrsdkrebs/Flickr –
