Using Twitter for Professional Development
Jacqueline Sheppet
Lord Byng Secondary School
Twitter hash tags:
#mathchat
#edchat
People to follow:
@Kehyslop
@jsteffenhagen
@lindsaykines
@BCeSIS
@AlgebraFact
@mr_stadel
@k8nowak
@Mathalicious
@rvdemerchant
@JohnAllenPaulos
@MrHonner
@alfiekohn
@renomyclass
@ddmeyer
@BCAMT
@geogebra
@MatthewMaddux
@themathforum
@Ministry_Maths
@grey_matter
@ThinkThankThunk
@fawnpnguyen
@republicofmath
@themathforum
@AlgebraFact
@Desmos
@numberphile
@delta_dc
@mathschallenge
@mpershan
Websites:
(project based teaching story)
Back in October I was not able to go to the North West Math Conference in Victoria. However, I felt as if I was there because I followed along on twitter using the hashtag #nwmc2012.
The keynote speaker Dan Meyer may have been unknown to many at the conference but I knew who he was (@ddmeyer) and his work in math education because of Twitter.
How wide is your Professional development community? Do you collaborate with math teachers at your school? Other subject teachers at your school? In your district? In BC? In Canada? North America? The World?
Twitter makes it possible to connect with people all over the world. Your Professional Development community will become wide open.
I started on Twitter because of my hobby. I am a geocacher and the geocaching website is integrated with Twitter. Many of my friends joined Twitter so it was a way of participating in group conversations and easily sharing pictures and links.
It was during the time of the BCTF job action. I started following political conversations. Vanpoli, BCpoli, Cdnpoli.
I stopped reading MSM and started following journalists. I get my news via Twitter now too.
But the best use of all is professional development as I follow so many wonderful teachers. Teachers I would never have had access to otherwise.
Professional development involves two main areas: 1. Sharing resources and 2. Self-reflection. Twitter is a perfect tool.
The big “issues” and controversies in math education have had huge visibility on Twitter eg: Khan academy. Flipped classes. US trends, “Common Core”.
Twitter is the new blogging. Every message is a maximum 140 characters and it is quick and immediate.
Primarily you can link to other resources and discuss them using Twitter. I’m not an expert at all, but I use it daily for professional and leisure reasons.
Twitter is about BROADENING YOUR HORIZONS.