Twitter PD #DFTBA

Slice of Life Challenge, Day 15

Graphic by Shawn Campbell

Some of my best professional development ideas happen early each Saturday morning. No really! Every Saturday morning at 7:30, I take to Twitter for #satchat, a weekly Saturday morning discussion with over a hundred teachers, principals, administrators, and other school leaders.  This morning's discussion of feedback, both for students and teachers, engaged educators across the globe interested in sharing resources, connections, and reflections on how to encourage learning. I participate in the chat with my Pinterest and EverNote accounts up, ready to cut and paste links to great ideas and capture the resources that go flying by on my screen. The expertise that is available each Saturday morning during the #satchat hour is astonishing. Nationally recognized teachers and administrators chatting with first-time Twitter hashtag followers. This is the power of Twitter.

Graphic by Zaneology

Over the years, I have heard many people dismiss Twitter as the 140 character playground of teenage narcissism.  But if you are an educator not yet on Twitter, you are not engaged with some of the best {free} professional development available today. Whether it is #satchat or the weekly English teachers' discussion #engchat, connecting with fellow National Writing Project teachers through #nwp or learning about new models for learning like #flipclass or #20time / #geniushour.  If you are not on Twitter, you are not a part of the conversation. And it is a conversation we really need more teachers engaged in.

New to Twitter or to weekly Twitter chats?  Start with the Cybrary Man, Jerry Blumengarten's websites. Here's his introduction to Twitter and to weekly Twitter chats. Join the conversation!

Pencil metaphor adapted from Lindy Orwin's work and graphic from Steve Wheeler's blog