ENTER TWITTER CHAT . . .
A Twitter Chat (or Tweet Chat) is actually a Twitter conversation that revolves around one unique hashtag. Like-minded tweeters (professionals, fans, friends) tweet at a predetermined time using a specified hashtag. This can be an overwhelming event with #hashtagged postings hyperspeeding by.
This event can be controlled if you use a Twitter Chat tool like TweetChat. TweetChat is a tool that captures the relevant tweets and places them on the screen for you to read and reply.
NOTE: I am now using tchat.io for engaging in Twitter Chats. I was having some problems with Tweetchat and tchat.io has been problem-free for me so far. (3/1/15)
Even with these wonderful tools, I have lost track of the "Twitter Train of Thought." A friend of mine told me that the strategy for getting the most out of a Twitter Chat:
"To successfully experience a Twitterchat, you should identify a handful of participants that make sense to you and follow them during the session. Find some new people to follow on Twitter for the future. After the session, you can get more information from the event by returning to the transcript and mining more nuggets of information."
I just spent an hour with Iowa Educators at #iaedchat tonight. They had 5 questions that were used to direct the discussion throughout the evening. There were a great number of dedicated educators who were sharing their ideas and opinions on good teaching. GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
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Here are a number of Education Tweetchats listed by day and time (Eastern Standard Time.) There are MANY more Tweetchats available in the resources at the end of this posting:
Sunday
9 pm ET #iaedchat Iowa Education Chat (Bettendorf & Fairfield)
Monday
7 pm ET #engchat English Chat
7 pm ET #sschat Social Studies Chat
8 pm ET #edtechchat Educational Tech Chat
8 pm ET #flipclass Flipped Classroom Chat
9 pm ET #kinderchat Kindergarten Chat
9 pm ET #tlap Teach Like a Pirate Chat
Tuesday
12 pm ET #edchat Education Chat
7 pm ET #edchat Education Chat
9 pm ET #spedchat Special Education Chat
Wednesday
9 pm ET #ECETechchat Early Childhood Ed Chat (added 3/1/15)
2nd & 4th week #digcit Digital Citizenship Chat
@ 7 pm ET
Thursday
Noon ET #edtechex Ed Tech Examples
8 pm ET #tichat Technology Integrators
Friday
7 pm ET #gtchat Gifted and Talented Chat
7 pm ET #satchatOC Saturday Ed Chat in Oceana (Around Australia)
Saturday
7:30 am ET #satchat Education and Leadership
2 pm ET #globalclassroom Global Classroom (2nd Sat of month)
References
Bearden, S. (9/23/13) 13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out
ChatSalad Realtime Homepage for Twitter Chats
Cybrary Man Education Chats on Twitter
Smarty, A (May 8, 2012) 5 Steps to Hosting Successful Twitter Chats: Your Ultimate Guide.
Weekly Twitter Chats - This is a schedule of chats on a weekly basis. HUGE list of topics.
Which TwitterChats do you like to follow? Share your suggestions in the comments section.
