Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/29842
easier than researching it only on my own.” Social networking has opened up the world to educators in terms of professional development. Teachers, who often feel iso- lated in their classrooms, can connect with one another in a revolutionary way and im- prove their craft — and it’s an alternative to one-size-fits-all professional development that has been the standard of many school districts. Twitter is the social net- working site of choice when it comes to professional develop- ment. The reason is that educa- tors can share noteworthy news, plug real-time events or invite participants to join on- line conversations or webcasts. Some have compared Twitter to a giant conference that is always taking place. (For more in- formation, see “Twitter education chats” below and find CTA at twitter.com/ cateachersassoc.) Sullivan says the best thing about social networking is receiving ideas and support from teachers she might otherwise never encounter. “You can’t attend every con- Bey-Ling Sha ference, so this is a great way to expand professional learn- ing,” she says. “With Twitter, you might start by following an expert you’d never have the nerve to talk with face to face, and pretty soon you are col- leagues sharing ideas back and forth. I have found it’s a great way for teachers to collabo- rate, push each other and question each other. It’s a way to see out- side one’s grade level, school site and dis- trict. I guess you could say that for me, it’s a window to the world.” in the classroom by Sherry Posnick-Goodwin Skype (skype.com) is an online service that provides free phone and video communication over the Internet, and “Skype in the Classroom” is a community of educators who use Skype to hear and see one another on computers across the globe (education.skype. com). The service has provided second-grade teacher Jennifer Auten with opportunities to bring guest speakers into her classroom at Montclaire Elementary School. The Cupertino Education Association member signed up for Skype’s pilot project in January, and continues to use the service now that it has launched nationwide. “I was interested in Skype because I thought it would give my students a great opportunity to connect with people they wouldn’t normally connect with, and they could learn about things from conversing with actual people instead of just from textbooks and paper and pencil assignments,” says Auten. “I think it provides exciting learning tools for students in a medium they are very comfortable with.” 18 California Educator | APRIL 2011 Among the recent “visitors” on Skype were Mona Kerby, an East Coach author who answered questions from students about her book Owney, the Mail-Pouch Pooch, and a nutritionist from Santa Clara University, who enjoyed a lively discussion with students about healthy eating habits. One of Auten’s students — who is going to Australia for an extended visit — will be “skyping” classmates and reporting on cultural and environmental differences in that country while he’s away. Eventually Auten hopes to connect with other teachers and classrooms around the globe. Using the website, teachers can create profiles that describe their classrooms and teaching interests, and search a directory of teachers all over the world by student age, range, language and subject. “I highly recommend it as a great teaching tool,” says Auten. “It’s free; there’s no cost involved. I have a MacBook computer with a built-in camera, and I just connect it to a projector, which projects the video image on a white board.” above: Fourth-grade teacher Adina Sullivan finds professional support from the social networking site Twitter. Twitter education chats The social networking phenomenon Twitter can become your own personalized learning network. You can gather a group of colleagues and throw out questions to them. They’ll respond in real time. You can also join chats for educators. These groups generally have a live chat once or twice a week; times shown are Pacific Time. • General education chat: #edchat Tuesdays, 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. • Chat for science educators: #scichat Tuesdays, 6 p.m. • Chat for new and pre-service teachers: #ntchat Wednesdays, 5 p.m. • Chat for parents and teachers: #ptchat Wednesdays, 6 p.m. • Chat for arts educators: #artsed Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. • Chat for music educators: #musedchat Mondays, 5 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. • Chat for ELL educators: #ellchat Mondays, 6 p.m. • Kindergarten chat: #kinderchat Mondays, 6 p.m. If you’ve registered for Twitter, you can use tweetchat.com to participate in chats. For example, to participate in the #edchat discussion, go to tweetchat. com/room/edchat. For additional information about these and other chat hashtags, see cybraryman.com/ chats.html. This list was recommended by Edutopia.org, an online resource for innovative ideas in education. Learn more about how to use Twitter at edutopia.org/ blog/twitter-expanding-pln. • Chat for math educators: #mathchat Thursdays, 4 p.m.; follow-up Mondays, 12:30 p.m. • Chat for educators teaching in the elementary level: #elemchat