Almost 14 years ago as a student teacher, I remember being asked by my fellow classmates if I "had" to attend the dreaded back-to-school inservice. I thought it was strange that so many were not looking forward to this experience, and they had not even become teachers. I did have to attend because my cooperating teacher felt like I should experience every aspect of what it meant to be a teacher. I was definitely not motivated by two days of meetings, but I was also not discouraged. I wanted to teach, and I knew it was part of the game, a hoop to jump through, if you will. What I did not realize then was that PD was really supposed to be designed to help me grow as a teacher, not to fill time. Too many districts use PD as a time-killer, I mean filler.
Teacher inservice has always gotten a bad rap, so they started calling it Professional Development (PD), and now we are supposed to call it Professional Learning (PL) - to which I say, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, so Romeo would, were he not Romeo called." Ok, so that was just my attempt to work in some Shakespeare. I am very lucky to teach in a district that works tirelessly to make PD as individual as possible (shout-out to Cindy Couchman and Mary Frazier). This year teachers were able to sign up for about 6 different breakout sessions that would address areas that we had questions or wanted to improve. How lucky were we? Yep, Powerball ain't got nothing on that.
In this tough, financial time in Kansas, PD is one of the first things that a district must cut, which is a bunch of malarky if you ask me because learning opportunities are being taken away from the very people educating our children. But really, as educators, we have an opportunity to participate in online professional networking that DOESN'T COST A THING! In the past two weeks, I have participated in two "Twitter Chats". Here's what I've learned about the process:
1. You need a Twitter account to participate. I was worried about Twitter because I thought it was like Facebook where I would be sharing information about my kids, etc. While I could do that, Twitter is my professional social networking. It is where I go to post ideas about teaching and learning. It is where I go to learn from other educators, bloggers, and journals. It is not where I am going to post what my kids got for Christmas from Santa - those updates are for Facebook.
2. A Twitter Chat is usually led by one person (sometimes two) who moderates by asking questions. No one has to invite you - join in if you want to chat and learn from other educators. Find one that works for you - a time is usually given a week in advance.
3. You follow these questions by searching the live feed using hashtags. #leadupchat #edthink #satchat are great ones to follow!
4. The chat moderator will begin asking questions and will post questions about every 5 minutes.
5. Then others post their answers using "A" for their answer and "3" for the question they are answering. They end by using the #hashtag that is chosen for the chat. (FYI - You can put that hashtag anywhere in the tweet!)
6. Keep reading the live feed between questions! "Like" a post. "Retweet" if you want. "Follow" a teacher who you think has good ideas. The dialogues continue long after the questions and answers have been posted.
So now, after two Twitter Chats, I know this: A.) I have no clue what I am doing, but that is okay. B.) I am still learning how to follow the original posts and times for the Twitter Chats that interest me. C.) These fellow educators are fan-freakin'-tastic! D.) I leave the chat feeling elevated and celebrated by other teachers who value education as much as I do. E.) If you wait until you fully understand it, you'll never start.
Using social media to promote what is happening in our classrooms and to learn from others is not "bragging" - it is sharing. I am proud of what I do, the people I teach with each day, and the students I teach, SO I SHARE! Using social media is one way that we, teachers, can change educate the public about what teaching is really like. It is the closest a person can get to being in our classrooms without actually being a student. So until next time, I be Tweetin'; I hope you be Tweetin', too! Give it a try.
