You can’t teach people everything they need to know. The best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it.
Seymour Papert
Connected educators love learning. They do not necessarily limit their love of professional learning to traditional delivery models—at least not for all of their professional learning needs. Instead, they find ways to learn from other educators any time, anywhere, and by any means that best suit their learning goals. Much has been written in recent years about a move toward personalizing learning for students (Clarke, 2003; Freedman, 2009; Gardner, 2010; Schneiderman, 2010). Yet much less has been written about personalized learning for educators (Freedman, 2009). However, connected educators around the world have taken matters into their own hands and begun “personalizing” their learning by reaching out to colleagues near and far in an effort to learn as much as possible about how to continuously get better at what they do. Connected educators have found that the best people from whom to learn are, quite simply, other educators who are facing similar issues and are similarly seeking new ideas and new solutions for the challenges they face. As but one example of the need and desire to learn from job-alike colleagues, an art teacher teaching in a school at which she is the sole art teacher may well find some professional learning events offered at the school or district helpful to what she is doing in her classroom; however, much of what an art teacher needs to learn to get better and grow can only be obtained by collaborating with other art teachers. By connecting with other art teachers around the world, she is able to personalize her own learning, getting what she really wants and needs to know in order to improve as an art teacher. Connected educators find ways to connect with others who share their learning interests so they can learn what they want to learn.
Connected educators—like almost all educators—are extremely busy and cannot always maximize their own learning opportunities during the course of “regular” school business hours. Instead, many find that learning outside the scope of the school day provides them not only the flexibility they desire, but also a more comfortable, relaxed environment for learning. At many schools in which we have worked, we find that dedicated professional learning hours are few and far between. If you are teaching in a typical public school today, chances are slim that you spend even an hour a week learning something new about your practice that is embedded into your school work schedule. Sadly, there is simply not enough time during work-week hours for connected educators to learn all that they need and want to learn. Moreover, oftentimes our days are so action-packed that by the end of the school day, all we want to do is go home and relax for a while. Attending workshops of an hour or more at the close of a busy school day is not always the best time to learn new ideas for becoming better at what we do. As a result, connected educators have begun finding time in the evening hours and even on weekends to learn and grow professionally; they seek out and find opportunities to learn when they choose to.
“Many find that learning outside the scope of the school day provides them not only the flexibility they desire, but also a more comfortable, relaxed environment for learning.”
In the past decade, connected educators have begun learning what and when they want, not limiting themselves to the learning topics offered through their school districts or the hours for which they are contractually obliged to be present. They are actively engaged in “anytime” learning about topics they find personally and professionally relevant. In addition to connecting with others when they want about what they want, connected educators also determine how they learn best and intentionally plan to learn in the ways that suit their learning styles. We have already suggested that Twitter is the “how” for many connected educators with whom we have worked. The use of Twitter as a professional learning resource for educators is a refrain throughout this book. In this chapter, we look at certain aspects of Twitter that are ideal for educators wishing to learn what they want, when they want, and how they want.
On Twitter, the # sign has become known as a “hashtag.” According to Twitter support personnel, “the hashtag is a symbol used to mark key words or topics in a Tweet” (Using hashtags on Twitter, 2014, para. 1). Like so much else about the Twitter community, it was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages. People use the hashtag symbol before a relevant phrase or keyword in their tweets to categorize them and to connect with others who are interested in the same topic. Connected educators use Twitter hashtags at times to share and find tweets that include references to and/or resources for a topic about which they are trying to learn more. As an example, just now in looking at our Twitter feed, we saw the following tweet from Mike Nitzel (@MikeNitzel), a principal of a K-6 school in Rock Island, Illinois, “10 Awesome Ways to Inspire Others #leadership zite.to/1kSOGl3”.
In this tweet, Mike—who, as a school principal, is very interested in leadership—has shared a link to an article about how leaders inspire others, and included a hashtag: #leadership. By including the hashtag, Mike is first and foremost sharing an article that he found worth reading about a topic that is near and dear to his professional learning interests. In addition, he included the #leadership hashtag so that others who see the words of his tweet (“10 Awesome Ways to Inspire Others”) will know it is an article about leadership. People who are, like Mike, interested in leadership may well click on the hashtag. When the user clicks on any hashtagged word, it reveals a column of any other tweets that were marked with that hashtag. So by clicking on “#leadership” in Mike’s tweet, someone on Twitter can find scores of other comments, ideas, questions, quotes, and links to resources on this topic of interest.
There are hundreds of hashtags commonly used by connected educators. Middle school educators looking to connect with other middle-level educators or find resources relating to middle school may include the #middleschool hashtag in their tweets at times. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is becoming an increasingly popular focus for educators around the world, so when sending STEM-related tweets, connected educators may choose to include the #STEM hashtag. Similarly, educators passionate about Project Based Learning (#PBL), Social Emotional Learning (#SEL), or mathematics (#math) will, at times, include the appropriate hashtag to focus attention on the topic about which they are tweeting. A very common hashtag found on Twitter and included by users of all career paths is #FF, which stands for “Friday Follow.” Every Friday, some Twitter users send out a tweet with the #FF hashtag suggesting people to follow on Twitter. Connected educators use this as a way to recognize colleagues who have been helpful resources to them, knowing that if they find the person a supportive member of their own PLN, others they are connected to may want to follow the person as well.
In addition to sending out tweets with a hashtag relating to a topic of interest included, connected educators can also simply search a topic of interest by typing a hashtag into the search box available on Twitter. For example, after typing the #classroommanagement hashtag into the search box just now, we immediately found a dozen or more resources relating to the topic which looked not only relevant, but also very practical for anyone interested in getting better at this important area of our work. Whether the goal is to share ideas/resources or to get ideas/resources on a topic of interest, using hashtags is a helpful way for connected educators to focus their professional learning when communicating via Twitter.
One of the single most powerful ways educators connect with others is by participating in Twitter chats. Twitter chats are a pre-arranged online discussion about a specific topic that anyone can join. Typically, Twitter chats for educators occur each week at the same time. A Twitter chat is another way that hashtags are used on Twitter. Each time someone participates in a Twitter chat, they include the hashtag describing the chat (for example, #IAedchat for Iowa Edchat that Jimmy co-founded and co-moderates) at the end of each tweet. The hashtag associates your tweet with the particular Twitter chat and topic. You must have a Twitter account to participate. Many members of our PLN find that using Tweetdeck.com is a helpful platform when participating in a Twitter chat. Every Twitter chat has a moderator—or co-moderators—who hosts the chat. They start by tweeting out reminders up to a week before the chat, letting educators who may be interested know what the topic is on any given week and reminding everyone when the chat will occur. During the actual chat, over the course of an hour the moderator(s) poses a series of questions related to the topic. Typically, a chat poses approximately seven questions spaced out over the hour time block. Educators participating in the chat can then respond to each question and respond to another participant’s answer to the question. The Twitter chat forum for exchanging ideas on a specific topic has become an increasingly popular way for educators around the world to engage and connect.
“One of the single most powerful ways educators connect with others is by participating in Twitter chats. Twitter chats are a pre-arranged online discussion about a specific topic that anyone can join.”
We strongly encourage you to read the information and resources in the Follow 5, Find 5, Take 5 section below, where you find links to very helpful Twitter chat resources as well as steps to take for participating in a Twitter chat. Be sure to take a look at the official schedule of educational tweet chats. This document lists over 300 educational chats that occur weekly and is organized by the day of the week on which chats are hosted. We can honestly say that there is a regularly scheduled Twitter chat for you, no matter what your role is in education. Whether you are an elementary school counselor (#escchat: 8:00–9:00 p.m. CST Thursdays), a new teacher (#ntchat: 8:00–9:00 p.m. ET Wednesdays), or a music teacher (#musedchat: 8:00–9:00 p.m. ET Mondays), there is a chat just for you which includes educators who, like you, are passionate about their jobs and interested in connecting with others who are equally passionate about a specific role in education. Chat participants are eager to exchange ideas about how to keep growing and getting better in that particular role.
In addition to very job-specific chats focusing on aspects of a job that would appeal primarily to certain subject area or grade-level teachers, there are many chats that are geared toward general educational topics. Examples include #edchat (twice each Tuesday, 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET and 7:00–8:00 p.m. ET), a Twitter conversation that any educator can join to discuss and learn about current teaching trends, how to integrate technology, transform their teaching, and connect with inspiring educators worldwide. Through #edchat, participants also discuss education policy, education reform, and often have leaders in the field of education from around the world join in the chat. Other examples include the weekly state chats that occur in more than 40 of the 50 United States (for a complete list of state edchats, please see http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/05/28/state-twitter-chats-438/2/.
Like anything new that one tries, getting started with Twitter chats can be challenging at first. In large chats, sometimes the tweets are coming at you so fast that it may be difficult to figure out how to keep up. Other times, you may find that there are only a few people participating and you may not feel as if you are getting any new ideas. We implore you to stick with it; the more you participate in Twitter chats, the more likely your circle of PLN members will expand, allowing you access to more and more educators sincerely interested in making a difference. Do not be afraid to reach out to your PLN for help: we have found that members of our PLN are always willing to do whatever it takes to help a colleague who is just getting started as a connected educator. Moreover, your persistence will pay off as you begin learning, growing, and connecting through Twitter chats. It is virtually impossible to follow every tweet that is written during the course of a Twitter chat, even if there are a small number of educators participating in a given chat, and to help with this, most chat moderators archive the entire chat (using a tool such as Storify) and share the record of all tweets posted during the entire chat so participants—and others who may have missed the chat—can go back and review what was discussed and shared. Twitter chats are a perfect example of connected educators learning what they want, when they want, and how they want.
“Twitter chats are a perfect example of connected educators learning what they want, when they want, and how they want.”
Although Twitter is an ideal way for us to learn anything, any time, and anywhere, we said at the outset of this book that connected educators do not limit their learning solely to online opportunities. In fact, although Twitter is an extremely effective and efficient professional learning resource, nothing beats learning alongside other connected educators face to face. One such type of “in-person” learning event that has gained a great deal of momentum recently is known as an “Edcamp.” An Edcamp is a type of “unconference,” a loosely structured conference that emphasizes an informal exchange of information and ideas between participants, rather than following a conventionally structured program of events with keynote speakers and planned sessions led by experts on a topic who have prepared to deliver a formal presentation. In unconferences, such as Edcamps, the learning is driven more by the participants than it is by the organizers.
“In unconferences, such as Edcamps, the learning is driven more by the participants than it is by the organizers.”
In the past several years, organizers around the world have scheduled hundreds of official Edcamps. The number of official Edcamps has grown from 8 total in 2010, to 51 in 2011, to 125 in 2012, and to 191 in 2013 (Edcamp Foundation, 2014). They have convened around the globe, from Stockholm, Sweden, to Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada, to Cape Girardeau, Missouri (Edcamp Foundation, 2014). In addition, more and more schools and school districts are devoting a portion of their precious professional learning time to hosting informal Edcamps within their own school or district. Edcamps allow all who attend to have an equal voice in what they learn and to what extent they will actively participate in any session they join. Although Edcamps vary widely in terms of locations in which they occur, they are all more alike than different. All Edcamps share the following in common:
Edcamps typically begin with a free breakfast of some sort and also include a free lunch for all who attend. They often occur on a Saturday morning and involve approximately two hundred participants. Often, someone from the host site welcomes attendees and then the fun begins: there is a call out to everyone in the audience who wants to see a session offered on any topic to come to the microphone and share what exactly they are hoping to learn more about through an informal dialogue with others in attendance who are also interested in the topic. The person suggesting the session topic does not necessarily “lead” the session, though they may facilitate the conversation. Sessions last for approximately an hour and there tend to be four sessions throughout the day. Although session topics at Edcamps can run the gamut of all possible ideas relating to education, according to Kristen Swanson (@kristenswanson), the topics “aren’t merely fluffy concepts. They are specific, practical strategies and ideas that educators are sharing and investigating at Edcamps all over the nation” (Swanson, 2013, para. 11). Swanson (2013) also analyzed the responses Edcamp attendees have written subsequent to attending an Edcamp. She found that the most common themes mentioned by participants were:
Many educators (including each of the authors of this book) still make it a priority to attend traditional professional conferences held at the local, regional, and national scale. At the same time, an increasing number of connected educators are looking to non-traditional professional learning conferences—or unconferences—to broaden their knowledge base, increase their skill set, and meet like-minded educators with whom they can build lasting professional relationships beyond the conference itself. Professional learning events like Edcamps are another example of connected educators seeking opportunities to learn what they want, when they want, and how they want. At the outset of this chapter, we referenced a quote that wisely points out the futility of trying to teach a person everything there is to know about any topic. This includes ourselves: we simply will never know all there is to learn about education. This reality holds true and is worth noting not only when we decide what, when, and how to teach our students, but also when we are trying to learn ourselves. Connected educators hold this truth as self-evident and, as a result, position themselves to be able to learn: what they need to know, when they choose to learn it, and how they go about gaining the learning they need to grow continuously.
Follow 5: These five educators from our PLN stand as models in the area of learning any time, anywhere, in the way that works best for them, which we have written about in this chapter. We have listed their names along with their Twitter “handles.” We encourage you to follow these exemplary educators on Twitter and interact with them to enhance your life as a connected educator. Here are short insights from these experts in the field on learning what you want, when you want, and how you want:
1. Tom Murray (@thomascmurray). State and District Digital Learning Director, Alliance for Excellent Education, Washington, DC. Tom moderates #edtechchat, which takes place on Mondays from 8:00–9:00 p.m. EST. Tom also regularly participates in #edchat, #IAedchat, #satchat, and #ptchat. According to Murray,
Twitter chats offer an engaging, relevant, differentiated form of professional learning for all involved. These conversations have become an excellent way for educators to connect on relevant topics, share resources and best practices, all while challenging each other’s thinking. Twitter chats are a regular component to my own personalized learning plan.
2. Maria Galanis (@mariagalanis). Instructional coach, Deerfield Public Schools District 109. Maria regularly participates in #IAedchat, #iledchat, #satchat, #akedchat, #aledchat, and #educoach. According to Galanis,
Being a connected educator means loving what you do so much that you want to continually become better at it, and grow. One of the most powerful ways for me to do this is by finding a little time, and joining in on weekly Twitter chats. I consider them passion-based learning opportunities, and love the connections with others from all over, near and far, who are interested in the same thing. Being a little vulnerable by sharing your thoughts on a topic, and hearing different points of view, can make you grow exponentially as a person, and as a professional.
3. Lauren Taylor (@LTaylorELA). Eighth grade reading teacher, Kansas City, MO. Lauren moderates #innoed, which takes place on Mondays at 6:00–7:00 p.m. CST. Lauren also regularly participates in #sblchat, #weirded, #engchat, #nbtchat, and #moedchat. According to Taylor,
I believe that it is important for teachers to take control of their own learning. Professional development should allow educators to choose what they want to learn and how they want to learn it, much like how we provide options for our students. Twitter is the perfect platform for that. It grants us access to brilliant educators around the world in order to build a PLN and take part in PD when we choose. I call it “world wisdom at my fingertips.”
4. Dr. Joe Mazza (@joe_mazza). University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education instructor, digital strategist, innovation coach. Joe moderates #ptchat, which takes place on Wednesdays at 9:00–10:00 p.m. EST and #pennedchat are a part of the @MCDPEL school leadership efforts. According to Mazza,
For me, today’s professional learning has become a lot more personalized than it used to be. By choosing to be connected, every day I have the opportunity to learn from others whom I consider to be not only good people, and educators, but inspirers and thought-provokers around the world in the educational community. I no longer have a need to wait for my local school district or employer to set the table for my own professional learning. The best part about this personal learning movement for educators: it doesn’t require approval nor a purchase order on the part of administration.
5. Daisy Dyer Duerr (@DaisyDyerDuerr). Pre-K-12 Principal, Arkansas. Daisy moderates #arkedchat Thursdays, 8:00–9:00 p.m. CST. She also regularly participates in #satchat, #ptchat, and many state Edchats. According to Duerr,
Edchats have provided an amazing forum for educators to share ideas on various topics and even more importantly MAKE CONNECTIONS with each other. Edchats have been instrumental in the building of my Professional/Personal Learning Network. I have taken away many great ideas from my various interactions on Edchats, but even more importantly, I have taken away lifelong connections with AWESOME educators that help me grow as a professional daily!
Find 5: We have found these five online resources/tools to be particularly useful in finding your personal path to professional learning. These are links to resources that we have learned about via our PLN and that we have used ourselves to improve some aspect of our job performance:
Take 5: We conclude each chapter by recommending five action steps you can take to get started or continue as a connected educator. Here are five steps we suggest you take in order to learn what you want, when you want, and how you want: