PLN Plan Part 1a

The twitter chat that I chose to participate in was #sschat. It is a chat made up of social
studies teachers from all around the United States and I believe there were even a few teachers
from Canada on there as well. The topic of the chat was how to incorporate breaking news into
the social studies classroom. This chat and topic are very relevant to me and what I teach in my
classroom. Since I teach social studies, bringing in breaking news into the classroom is very
important. This has been especially true when we are talking about what has been going on with
the government. Many days I would begin my government class with a current event/breaking
news about what our government has been up to. As was discussed by several in the chat, it is a
good way to engage the students and help them develop a broader view of the world when they
can stay up to date on whats going on.
This #sschat has been brought up to me and the others in my department by our
curriculum director and others as a good place to go to for ideas. In the past I had somewhat just
written it off. This is just my third year of teaching, so especially that first year I was just trying
to tread water the best I could. When this project came around that chat popped back into my
head. I am glad that I chose this one and I know that I will want to continue in the future. I was a
bit overwhelming at times. Many of the people participating have been teaching for decades and
have their Ph.D.s. They were making comments about how they incorporated teaching about
9/11 and Columbine in their classrooms when it happened, while Im thinking about how I was
just in fifth and third grade respectively. That depth of knowledge is what makes me want to go
back though.
Twitter is a great tool for enhancing teaching. It allows educators and experts in their
fields to connect 24/7. The collaboration time doesnt have to stop just because the bell rang. The
group collaborating isnt limited by geography either. Just as I mentioned earlier, the #sschat was
made of a diverse group of people from all around the United States and Canada. Twitter is the
best tool for teachers to grow their personal learning networks. The amount of resources and
knowledge that can be shared is endless and the ease of using Twitter means there should be no
excuses to not get on and expand your networks.