1. Get off the “couch”
P r e s e n t e d b y T J N e v i l l e
How can Twitter get you up off the “couch”? This seems like an odd question…because sinking into a comfy couch and scrolling through your timeline can be soooo satisfying. As much as I love doing that, by
staying on the “couch”, I’m choosing to let life pass me by.
2. This also applies to some teachers and their approach to professional growth. But before we move on let me clarify something. At this point you are probably confused…and maybe even a little jealous that my
district provides comfortable couches for staff to sit on during PD...well unfortunately that isn’t the case. My PD is more like this...
3. 😃
😩 😩
😩😡 😡😭 😴
😭
😩
😴😡😴 😴😭
Does this look familiar? I like so many teachers, receive most of my PD in concentrated doses a few times a year (e.g., August PD, Election Day). All too often these experiences are dominated by lectures,
traditional workshops, a lack of collaboration, a lack of teacher autonomy…and unfortunately, a lack of couches.
4. W R I T E A T I T L E I N T H I S S E C T I O N
Our Vision
Ongoing Collaborative Reflective
That type of top-down PD, the kind that emphasizes implementation without active participation in knowledge construction has been criticized by teachers (Carpenter, 2015). Also, research suggests that the
most effective PD occurs during extended experiences that are ongoing, collaborative (i.e., educators learning from each other), and reflective (Carpenter, 2015).
5. But here’s the thing, getting up off the “couch” and attempting to grow professionally, even if you take your time and go slow, it still means you’ll lap everybody who still sitting on the butts. We just need to give
teachers a reason to get up and get going…and I think Twitter is the answer.
6. While all educators have experienced PD in some form or another, unfortunately traditional approaches to PD have convinced some teachers that it's not worth getting up off that “couch” to participate, which in
turn has led to a lack of professional growth.
7. FlexibleOngoing
Community
Free
So why should we get up off the couch and how can Twitter help us do that? First and foremost, research into the use of Twitter for PD suggests the following benefits….Its free, its flexible, and it an ever-
present community that provides ongoing PD opportunities.
8. Free
Teachers
Did I mention it was FREE? We all know how much teachers LOVE free stuff. Unfortunately many school districts are unable to set aside sufficient funds for high quality PD, which includes being able to send
teachers to conferences where they can connect, collaborate, and learn with fellow educators.
9. Twitter however allows teachers to do just that and it costs the teacher and district…nothing...nada...zilch. And while some admins are concerned about their staff using social media, when you tell them that it
is a FREE form of PD…they may be more willing to support its use.
10. Resource sharing/acquiring
Collaboration with other educators
Networking
Participate in Twitter chats
Backchanneling
Emotional support
Communication with students
Communication with parents
In-class activities for students
Out-of-class activities for students
Second it is flexible, unlike the traditional PD many of us have experienced, it has the capacity to support different PD needs and activities (Carpenter, 2015). In one study, teachers described the following 10
different ways they used Twitter for PD.
11. Resource sharing/acquiring
Collaboration with other educators
Networking
Participate in Twitter chats
Number of Teachers
0 25 50 75 100
Here are the top four uses. Even though participating in Twitter Chats is fourth on the list, I would argue it offers the most bang for the buck. Because when teachers participate in Twitter chats they most likely
do first three things as well.
12. Participating in Twitter Chats brings us to the third benefit of using Twitter for PD, it provides teachers with “...access to an instant community, complete with networking opportunities, emotional support and the
chance to give back” (Fingal, 2016).
13. “Until now, sharing nuts-and-bolts resources has been the main focus of most online teaching sites” (Stokes, 2015). But if you want conversation between teachers where do you go? TWITTER! This off
course brings us to the theory behind why Twitter chats are an excellent form of PD.
14. Social Constructivism
According to the theory of social constructivism every conversation between two or more people, whether in person or on Twitter, presents an opportunity for the construction of new knowledge or for present
knowledge to be expanded. (Lynch, 2016).
15. So Twitter chats are not only a great place to collaborate with fellow teachers and construct knowledge that will lead to professional growth, but they also can provide emotional support and decrease the feeling
of isolation that many teachers have. They can also be a source of empowerment.
16. Participating in Twitter chats allows teachers to give back, help other teachers, and have a greater sense of purpose.. A number of teachers in the study I referenced earlier said they felt that “...using Twitter to
share resources with other educators was meaningful” and that it made the feel useful (Carpenter, 2015).
17. Ongoing
Professional
Development
The fourth and final benefit of using Twitter is that it provides teachers with ongoing PD. As I said earlier, most teachers experience concentrated PD a few times a year rather than having ongoing extended PD
experiences. Unfortunately, research suggests that this approach is not as effective.
18. Researchers have found “...that a substantial time investment is required for PD to affect student learning…” (Yoon, 2007 as cited in Carpenter, 2015). The use of Twitter throughout the school year could
provide teachers with the ongoing, extended, PD experiences that are required to positively affect student learning.
19. #SlowChat
A specific type of Twitter chat, called a slow chat, can provide teachers with even more flexibility. Unlike synchronous Twitter chats that occur on a specific date and at specific times, slow chats run over the
course of a day or a week and can provide teachers with a “...continuous stream of relevant professional conversations…” that teachers can Tweet their way into, if they choose (Carpenter, 2015).
20. So get up off that couch and join a Twitter chat...or I guess you can stay on the couch because its super comfortable, but make sure you still participate in the chat. It’s free, its flexible, and will it provide you
with an ever-present community in which you can experience amazing ongoing PD.
