Reflection #3

Creating a Social Learning Community with Twitter Chats

This past semester I have been exploring using different social media platforms as a means of connecting with other teachers in my online course EDCI 338 – Social Media and Personalized Learning. During this exploration, one of the most exciting new digital platforms I have discovered is Twitter Chats. Twitter Chats are online conversations that happen on a weekly basis at a given time using a set twitter hashtag. For more information about how Twitter Chats work, check out my other blog or this video! (Please note that this video uses the hashtag #aussieed to showcase how Twitter Chats work; however, there are many other great Twitter Chats out there that can be found via online searches.)

As Crosslin (2018) and Bates (2019) identified in their respective articles Effective Practices in Distributed and Open Learning and Understanding Technology in Education, there are many factors that can make online learning experiences more positive for learners. Here are the factors that I find make Twitter Chats so powerful!

Twitter Chats allow participants to explore topics of interest and allow for self-directed learning. This is highly beneficial to those who are no longer in school but still seeking learning opportunities. As an elementary school substitute teacher, some of my favourite Twitter Chats to participate in are: #MMPD #elemchat #N2t2 and #bcedchat
Twitter Chats are a communicative form of media that allow for active, teacher-teacher interactions (Bates, 2019 & Crosslin, 2018). As a TTOC (teacher teaching on call) who works in many different schools, I do not have a consistent school community of other teachers and administrators to work with. This can make my job feel very isolated at times. Twitter Chats have been helpful, as they have enabled me to begin building a professional learning community of other teachers from around the world who I can ask questions, gather resources from, and brainstorm with.
Twitter Chats can be both synchronous and asynchronous (Crosslin, 2018). Although most Twitter Chats are synchronous (i.e. scheduled sessions in which participants interact within a specific 1-hour period), slow Twitter Chats provide an asynchronous option for participants (i.e. questions are posted and participants respond when they can). Personally, I enjoy participating in synchronous Twitter Chats, because I find they help humanize the experience of online learning by “creating ways to connect learners with each other […] across the distance of online learning” (Crosslin, 2018). Participating in an online discussion in which I can connect with others from all around the world and receive immediate feedback and ideas helps me not to feel so isolated as a learner and professional.
According to the SAMR model, I would say that Twitter Chats are a great way of redefining online professional development, as they create new opportunities for professionals to connect in a way that is “inconceivable without the use of technology” (Bates, 2019).
Twitter Chats forces participants to be brief in their written communication as each tweet is limited to 280 characters. In turn, I find that this encourages the inclusion of a variety of rich multimodal media sources including videos GIFs, links to articles, and so much more (Bates, 2019)! For example, many teachers will share pictures or videos of student work and activities, which allows others to have a little glimpse into their classrooms and lives.

All in all, I love using Twitter Chats to get connected and learn from others in my field and I would highly encourage others to see what Twitter Chats are going on in their respective fields!