Digital Citizenship Week Twitter Chat

Today is the beginning of Digital Citizenship Week. "As parents and educators, we want to raise kids to be safe, responsible, and ethical in the digital world. Giving kids a solid understanding of how we expect them to behave -- both online and off -- starts everyone off on the right foot. When it comes to navigating social media, online games, smartphones, and the Internet, it's best for kids to get their info from a trusted source." So where do we go from here?

The Carroll Instructional Technology Specialists will be hosting a "slow chat" this week to discuss digital citizenship. You can join by following the hashtag #dragonslearn. If you are new to a Twitter chat, read more here. 

What to expect during a slow chat?

• The chat will begin Monday, October 19, with only one question asked per day. Format = Q1 for Question #.
• Teachers, staff, parents and students are asked to answer the question using the format "A1" = Answer to Question #. Because only one question is asked per day, the question will be tweeted at 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm. 
• Be sure to share resources if possible when answering questions.

Don't forget that if you are new to Twitter and Twitter chats, be sure to read this blog post for a few tips on participating in a Twitter chat. See you online!

Resources:

Commonsensemedia.org,. (2015). Digital Citizenship Week 2015 | Common Sense Media. Retrieved 19 October 2015, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/digitalcitizenshipweek

What is a Twitter Chat?

Repost from May 2015 CISD Instructional Blog Post - by  Kristie Johnson

What is Twitter chat? A Twitter chat is a live Twitter event, usually moderated and focused around a general topic. To filter all the chatter on Twitter into a single conversation a hashtag is used. A set time is also established so that the moderator, guest or host is available to engage in the conversation.

Why should you participate in a Twitter chat? Twitter chats can be a fun way to talk about a topic, meet some people interested in the same thing as you are, grow your own network and have some fun learning. "The word from educators in the trenches is that these chats are making a profound difference in how educators are improving their professional practice, providing ideas, resources and inspiration in ways never thought possible."

Interesting in giving Twitter chats a try? Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Use a tool like Tweetdeck or Tweetchat to follow the chat.
• Before the chat begins, it is useful to warn your followers about an upcoming unusual number of tweets, so they are not surprised and don't unfollow you.
2. It's okay to lurk (which means to follow the discussion, but not participate) at first. Lurking is learning!
3. When participating in a chat, don't forget to include the chat hashtag, 
• When you answer a question (Q1), tweet with the appropriate number (A1) so people know to what you are answering..  
4. Some chats move very quickly and it can be difficult to keep up with all the chatter. Don't be intimidated or feel that you have to read everything! Just catch what you can. Many chats are archived afterwards.
5. Don't go off topic. If you want to start a different discussion with a member of the chat, do so separately.
6. If you answer to a specific tweet, tag the original author with the @ sign.
7. Don't hesitate to favorite and/or retweet posts that you find interesting, smart and useful.

Resources:

13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out -- THE Journal
Thejournal.com, '13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out -- THE Journal'. N. p., 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Why You Should Participate In Twitter Chats
Social Media Today, 'Why You Should Participate In Twitter Chats'. N. p., 2014. Web. 11 May 2015.

Why I Love Twitter Chats

What is Twitter chat? A Twitter chat is a live Twitter event, usually moderated and focused around a general topic. To filter all the chatter on Twitter into a single conversation a hashtag is used. A set time is also established so that the moderator, guest or host is available to engage in the conversation.

Why should you participate in a Twitter chat? Twitter chats can be a fun way to talk about a topic, meet some people interested in the same thing as you are, grow your own network and have some fun learning. "The word from educators in the trenches is that these chats are making a profound difference in how educators are improving their professional practice, providing ideas, resources and inspiration in ways never thought possible."

Interesting in giving Twitter chats a try? Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Use a tool like Tweetdeck or Tweetchat to follow the chat.
• Before the chat begins, it is useful to warn your followers about an upcoming unusual number of tweets, so they are not surprised and don't unfollow you.
2. It's okay to lurk (which means to follow the discussion, but not participate) at first. Lurking is learning!
3. When participating in a chat, don't forget to include the chat hashtag, 
• When you answer a question (Q1), tweet with the appropriate number (A1) so people know to what you are answering..  
4. Some chats move very quickly and it can be difficult to keep up with all the chatter. Don't be intimidated or feel that you have to read everything! Just catch what you can. Many chats are archived afterwards.
5. Don't go off topic. If you want to start a different discussion with a member of the chat, do so separately.
6. If you answer to a specific tweet, tag the original author with the @ sign.
7. Don't hesitate to favorite and/or retweet posts that you find interesting, smart and useful.

Check out this list and infographic of my favorite Educational Twitter Chats:

• Educational Chat Calendar by Jerry Cybraryman (be sure to click through the calendar to change the date)
• Link to Infographic

Resources:

13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out -- THE Journal
Thejournal.com, '13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out -- THE Journal'. N. p., 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Why You Should Participate In Twitter Chats
Social Media Today, 'Why You Should Participate In Twitter Chats'. N. p., 2014. Web. 11 May 2015.

Twitter Chat

Give a Chat a Chance...that is a Twitter Chat!

What is a hashtag?
It is a keyword or phrase that is preceded by the # symbol.  Hashtags help connect people with similar interests. Some popular education-related hashtags can be found at this website:   http://www.teachthought.com/twitter-hashtags-for-teacher/  Many hashtags have scheduled meeting times each week.  This creates a Twitter Chat.

What’s a Twitter Chat?
It is usually a weekly event where many users participate in a discussion via tweets on a specific topic, usually using a predetermined hashtag at a designated time. Larger chats can involve hundreds of participants and thousands of tweets.  If that is overwhelming to you as a newbie you can just follow the chat without tweeting until you are comfortable with the format.  Some of the chats like #edchat discuss broad educational issues while others are based on topic, content area, grade level, job type, or geographical region.  A few examples:

#enghat:  This chat for English teachers happens every Monday at 7pm ET
#mathchat:  This UK-based chat for math teachers and students happens twice a week at 8pm ET on most Thursday nights and 8:30 pm on Mondays ET
#cpchat:  The cp stands for Connected Principals.  It happens every Wednesday at 5pm PT/8pm ET 
#mschat:  Middle school topics for MS teachers happens Thursdays 8pm ET

Here is a list of more education-related chats.  http://bit.ly/officialchatlist

Why Chat?
There are many reasons to join a chat including resource sharing, networking, and contributing to the profession.  Chats give a voice to teachers who may not otherwise have the opportunity.  Chats are immediate and concise.  They provide an opportunity to connect with educators across the globe.  Chats have become the new Professional Development format.  Like a webinar, you do not have to leave your home. There are more than 150 free online PD workshops/chats a week in the twitter world.

Tips
Many times chat moderators will number their questions  with Q1 and Q2 so participants can respond with their answers as A1 and A2.  Also, free services such as TweetDeck or HootSuite can be used to link to your Twitter account  and allow you to manage tweets and chats. 

Other Resources
http://www.teachhub.com/twitter-chats-educators

http://blogs.techsmith.com/for-educators/twitter-chats-in-education/