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So, I attended the edtechchat on Twitter last night. I liked the ability to answer questions and see the answers to questions from the moderators. Everyone was very supportive of each others' remarks and it was very interesting to see viewpoints of many different people across the country. It was nice to see that there were other teachers that have used Chromebooks and iPads in the classroom.
The topic of discussion was eBooks. When I first entered the discussion, I was hesitant as to how I would integrate creating eBooks into classroom instruction. I didn't exactly know how to create them or even how to help my students create them. After the hour long discussion, I started to develop my ideas on how I could help my students create eBooks and I even integrated those ideas into a lesson today.
Here's some major considerations about using twitter chats as professional development:
#1. You don't have to know a lot about the topic to join. As a person who didn't know a great deal about eBooks before yesterday, it is a great place to start talking and seeing how people simply use technology to enhance instruction.
#2. You can communicate with people that have successfully integrated technology into the classroom and get ideas from them. The conversation does not have to be limited to the main questions.
#3. Don't be afraid to ask questions yourself. I answered a few questions about eBooks from other participants and it seemed to be very useful for them. For example, I have seen eBooks be used in the younger grades when I substitute taught, so this was useful information for an undergraduate student that's trying to think of some of the basics on how it's used.
The downside to Twitter is the constant refreshing. It bugged my eyes after a while. I hope I can find another way to update the website without hurting my eyes in the feed.
Therefore, this is useful if I am trying to get involved in learning the basics of different types of technology. I hope I can find other types of Twitter accounts that may help me with Chromebooks especially in the math classroom.
It was great to see both sides of the chat you attended. I think it helps prospective users to see what they would be getting themselves into into if they attended a chat. A good idea when reviewing is to present the good and the bad and it was nice to see both here.
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