My teacher preparation program prepared me to participate in PLCs – Personal Learning Communities. But most educators refer to PLCs most frequently as educators who teach the same content, or grade level as them. These communities do not traditionally extend beyond the walls of your school. While attending ISTE this year, the buzzword “PLN” was thrown around every where. What I learned was these PLNs, or Personal Learning Networks, were built up of educators from around the world. The best way to grow your PLN? Twitter.
Twitter is pretty boring if you’re not following people. The best way to find inspiring educators to follow? Hop in on a Twitter chat. A Twitter chat is a scheduled discussion that uses a common hashtag, lasting 30 minutes to an hour. The moderator will post a question, using Q1 or Q2. Those who want to participate will answer with A and the number of the question they are responding to.
Twitter chats are also great because you don’t have to devote a large chunk of time for them. Last night, I took part in/lurked on four different chats. You can choose to open up tabs and flip back and forth between multiple chats, or try using Tweet Deck to view multiple threads. Even if you don’t feel comfortable responding to the Qs the first time, lurk and take in some advice of the participating educators. Find those you feel the most inspired by and follow them.
Most Twitter chats have schedules. Find chats that fit your schedule, connect with educators in your location (you can always join in on chats for other areas, too), and grow your PLN! Don’t forget to view live posts instead of top to make sure you don’t miss a beat. Here are some that I’ve participated in:
#delachat – Delaware educators (Remember, anyone can join regardless of location) Thursdays 4:30pt/8:30et
#moedchat – Missouri educators Thursdays 6pt/10et
#RCEchat – Remind’s education discussion 1st and 3rd Thursdays 5pt/8et
#Schoologychat – Schoology educators monthly on Tuesday 6pt/9et
#elachat – English language arts teachers first and last Tuesday every month 5pt/8et
#NCTEchat – 3rd Sunday of each month 5pt/8et Follow @ncte for updates.
Hope to see you in an upcoming Twitter chat! Leave a comment and share other great chats you know of and when they take place.
Kannengieszer's Class 