Are you thinking of joining a Twitter chat? Wondering how to participate in a chat? First, consider Twitter chat as a virtual place for people to meet with like-minded people. It is a great platform for getting in touch and sharing ideas with fellow educators.
Many people don’t know, Twitter chats are a wonderful and useful networking platform. This enables you to share your resources and ideas with other educators and them to you. Joining a PLN is a great way to expand your knowledge and connect with teachers on a global scale. In addition, it helps build relationships with like-minded educators and educators who will expand your thinking.
By now, you might be well-versed on the importance of Twitter. Are you ready to join a chat, but not sure how? In this post, I have tried to show you the steps for joining a Twitter chat.
Create A Twitter Account
Let’s start with the basics. The first step is to create a free account. This is an easy step; all you have to do is fill your information, add your profile picture (optional) but I highly recommend it. People like being able to put a face with a tweet. If still unsure, I have known friends to use a bitmoji instead. Once you have filled out the information, you can either follow the moderator/s of the chat or search for the #hashtag in the search function.
Finding a Chat to Join
Now, there are hundreds of chats that take place every week. Without a doubt, there is a chat related to every niche. When you are looking for the chat to participate in, it might be difficult to know which one you should join. You can either follow educators that moderator regularly or search for key topics like EdTech or PYP.
Another way to search for the chats is through monitoring hashtags that are available on the Twitter stream. Just click on the hashtag that seems interesting and know what everyone is talking about. It is great for learning about new things and expanding your knowledge.
For more information on different chats that I have participated in and people who I find inspiring please check out my other blog: “Professional Learning On the Go”.
Know Who is Moderating the Chat
It is advised to know who the moderator of the chat is. This will help you know who is posting questions. The tweets will move quickly if the chat is large. I co-moderate the Twitter chat #pypchat that discuss the Primary Years Programme and all things related and is on every other Wednesday.
Add Hashtags
Every Twitter chat has a specific hashtag. The designated hashtag helps everyone keep track of the conversation. If you want to participate in the chat, your tweets must include the proper hashtag, for example, #pypchat. Without a hashtag, your tweet will not be visible when people search for that specific hashtag.
Engage with Others
In most Twitter chats the format to respond is usually Q1, Q2, Q3 and respond with A1, A2, A3.
I always suggest observing a few times to see how it works and the speed of which the conversation takes place, but by engaging and connecting with others you will help get the most out of the chat.
With these easy steps, join the Twitter Chat that you are interested in. Also, look out for opportunities to share your thoughts with others’ posts and comments.
Please, let me know if you find a great Twitter chat and comment down below how it went!