POCOMOKE – A new initiative will give local educators access to professional development through social media.
Beginning next month, Worcester County teachers will be able to use Twitter to participate in regular education chats. The online conversations will enable educators to ask questions, share success stories and provide each other with feedback on various classroom issues.
“The idea with the teacher chats is we can learn from each other and you can do this from anywhere,” said Annette Wallace, the principal of Pocomoke High School who is behind the new initiative.
Wallace said she brought the concept to Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor after seeing firsthand how informative Twitter chats could be. By using a particular hashtag — in this case #WoCoTeachChat and #WoCoLeadChat — anyone using Twitter at the designated time can take part in the conversation, which Wallace expects will include six to eight questions during a one-hour period. Each chat will feature a different theme.
Though the Worcester County chats are still in the planning stages, Wallace hopes to host one weekly or bi-weekly beginning in August. She believes they’ll increase communication among the county’s teachers and potentially even others as the program expands.
“It makes your world so much bigger,” she said, pointing out that people from anywhere could share ideas with social media platforms. “I think it could open doors and be expanded to other places.”
It will also give teachers a chance to discuss issues and ideas from wherever they are, without having to physically get together at a particular location.
“It’s a popular way online to get professional development in a casual atmosphere,” Wallace said.
Because they’ll be instructional, the chats will be considered continuing education. Wallace said 15 hours of Twitter chat would earn a teacher continuing education credit.
“Professional development is expensive,” Wallace said. “This is free. At a time when budgets are still tight it’s a great way to expand your circle of learning.”
