Module 6.5 EDU 776: Professional Learning Networks and Twitter

 To be honest I was looking forward to diving deeper into Twitter and learning a new way to use it to gain resources, tips, and connect with other educators. I mostly used Twitter to follow my local politicians, a few celebrities, some social justice authors, and the Chicago Teachers Union. With the rise in popularity of TikTok and Snapchat among my students, I thought Twitter was dying out, but although the number of users has declined over time, the quantity and quality of tweets has increased. 

As I was scanning the lists of available Twitter chats that I might be interested in I found a few that I planned on participating in. Unfortunately, the biweekly #psychat is no longer taking place. I was so looking forward to it, because the psychology Facebook groups I belong to are so active and helpful. I ended up participating in the #sschat which is designed for teachers in the Social Sciences. I admit that I didn't realize that ALL my responses in the #sschat would be public and others could read them in my Twitter feed, that was a bit uncomfortable. Do I want my family and friends reading what I'm writing about my job, or my colleagues reading about something I tweeted about a show I watch? I try to keep my two worlds separate, but I only have one Twitter handle-- something to think about!

Below you'll find some of my tweets during the #sschat in response to a variety of prompts by the moderators. 

Question 1: Name, subject, grade level, school district: 

Image Source: Personal Twitter Account

Question 2: What was a struggle you witnessed during remote learning? I discussed having a student teacher and the struggles of making real life connections on a virtual platform.

Image Source: Personal Twitter Account

Question 3: What's something you're currently reading or binging? One of the participants was watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, so I shared a recent article from NPR regarding one of the real chess masters mentioned in the show. 

Image Source: Personal Twitter Account

Question 4: What's one closed door meeting or historical debate you would have wanted to witness? I chose being in the room when Karen Lewis and Rahm Emanuel went head to head during the 2012 CTU strike. 

Image Source: Personal Twitter Account

I'm not sure what I expected the Twitter chat to be like, but I thought it would be a bit more "productive" and less social. I didn't feel like I walked away from the chat with a lot of profound or new knowledge -- perhaps other chats are more productive. However, the group does sponsor a book club for social science teachers and shared the books they are going to be reading. I think I would be interested in participating in that, because there would be a clearer focus. 

                                                                            Image Source

By following a variety of educators and educational groups I did find some resources I was excited about. These included some ideas for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, a "Teach Change Changemaker" Kit, and a link to free posters celebrating Latinx heroes. I'm definitely glad I cleaned up and revamped my Twitter account and would like to tweet more often and use it professionally. 

**If you're interested in some of the educators and organizations that I'm following, check out my list below:
@teachinghistory

@SHEG_Stanford
@Ed4Democracy
@NCSSNetwork

@icivics

@AntiracismCtr

@DrIbram

@lauriesantos

@myerstalkpsych

@splcenter

@EduColorMVMT

@FacingChi

@AP_Trevor

@Educationweek

@UNESCO

@historybookgrp

@AdvocateforEd

@WeAreTeachers

@Edutopia

@MindshiftKQED