TWITTER CHATS: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL

Bobby DoddPrincipalGahanna Lincoln High School (OH)Twitter: @bobby__doddEmail: doddb@gjps.org

I AM LIVING PROOF• Something as simple as a Twitter Chat could change your

professional life.

• I began using social media, especially Twitter about 5 years ago. One of the first things I did was join #satchat each Saturday.

• Build connections and explain your educational and leadership styles.

• Look at it as 24/7 and 365 days of Professional Development.

Why Should You Use Twitter Chats?• Professional Growth

• Increase the Amount of Educators You Connect With

• Help Your School and Classes Improve• Get Best Practices From Other Educators

• Help Other Educators Around the World Get Better• Share Your Best Practices with Others

Professional Learning Networks Growth• Your Support Group Will Grow

• More Followers Means More Ideas and Help• Followers from Different Occupations Will Help

• New Ideas Will Allow you and Staff to Take Risks• Try new things that may or may not work

• You Will Give Other Educators New Ideas• Great Things Will Happen to You and Your School

How to Participate in a Chat• Utilize Twitter• # are called hashtags. The majority of chats occur on threads based

on certain hashtags• For example, Ohio’s educator chat is on Monday nights and the hashtag used

is #ohedchat

• Almost every educational chat in the world is on Jerry Blumengarten’s site (@cybraryman1)

• Include the hashtag in each post in the chat

• Q1, Q2, etc. = questions

• A1, A2, etc. = for your answers

Different Chat Tools & Resources• Manage Your Chats

• Tweetdeck, Tweetchat, Twubs, HootSuite

• Use bitly to shorten web addresses and Topsy to search old tweets

• Participate in As Many Chats as You Like• #satchat, #iaedchat, #ohedchat, #edchat

Start Your Own Chat• Communicate Your Hashtag

• Get Others to Help you Promote Your Chat• Call on Your PLN

• Get Staff and Stakeholders Involved• Get Educators From Nearby Schools to Participate

• Select Topics Others Will Learn From and Resources They Can Use• Let People Take Away Concrete Examples

Grow Professionally for Kids