Wednesday, October 16, 2013

TCS Tweet-In

Last night a group of TCS teachers met at the central office for a face-to-face discussion of Twitter and participation in the evening's scheduled #edchat, a discussion that takes place via Twitter twice every Tuesday and brings together educators from all over.

It seemed appropriate that the night's chat topic was the popularity of Edcamps, grassroots professional development gatherings that offer an alternative to traditional professional development.  Both allow participants to re-think how their professional learning can and should look.

The best part of the evening was the conversation among participants as the chat wound down.  Moving forward from a nuts-and-bolts how-to of Twitter, we dug into the why.  And, more broadly, we discussed what it takes for PD experiences to be truly meaningful for educators.  Some of the best nuggets of the night are these:

  • We are learners first.  We have to serve as models in that capacity for our kids.
  • Everyone brings to the table different experiences with tech and with teaching.  In our conversations and our professional learning, we must value the perspectives that all participants have to offer.
  • We can be catalysts for powerful, positive change in our schools.  It's never been easier to share what we know.

Considering the evening's festivities were in celebration of Connected Educator Month, I think those take-aways are evidence of time well-spent.

Laren Hammonds is an 8th grade English teacher at Rock Quarry Middle School.  She's @_clayr_ on Twitter and blogs about her classroom experiences at Game to Learn. 

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