In the last 6 months (my lifespan on Twitter) I've made so many great connections and my PLN continues to grow each and everyday! The connections I have have opened so many doors for me professionally, my classroom and for my students. Today is a perfect example of that in action.
Yesterday while I was out for a run, it occurred to me that this week was a #digcit chat (7PM on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays) and that I should entice my students to join in. Then I got thinking that it might be overwhelming for them since that chat can go pretty quickly and get very energetic. Then the light bulb went off! Why not have a chat in class? Why not invite some of my Tweeps who are active on #digcit to join?? I tweeted @mbfxc (professor in CT who teaches #digcit courses to current and soon to be teachers) and asked if there was any possibility she could join us. I'm not going to lie, I figured she would be way too busy and politely decline. Instead, I got an enthusiastic YES from her!! Now the wheels were spinning! This could be a perfect time to get my administrators (who are very supportive of me and of my outside the box ideas) to experience a chat and to see the students engaged, learning a new digital skill, participating in a chat that would go beyond my four walls and also practicing their good #digcit skills!
@mbfxc and I decided to create a Google Doc so we could collaborate on the questions to ask and so that we could share resources (read that as @mbfxc graciously sharing all of her amazing knowledge and resources and me soaking it all up) and also prep for the discussion.
We decided to use the #digcit so that anyone who was monitoring that # could jump in. And they did! We had over 10 other people involved, which never would have happened if I had held a simple class discussion. The students were thrilled when people they didn't know favorited or retweeted their tweets. They felt like their message (tweets) had meaning and were actually going someplace!
We held the conversation for 35 minutes. They couldn't believe how fast the time went! They were able to follow the format and pose questions of the discussion participants. They were able to post pictures and links to help with the chat. They were able to make connections that were only afforded us because of Twitter.
They are excited to join the conversation tonight and I can't wait to have them there!!
I am so thankful for all the help of my PLN today! Especially #mbfxc! Thank you!
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