#ProfessionalNetworking

"Start a conversation, explore your interests, and be in the know," (Twitter). This is a more sophisticated description of how I always perceived Twitter, (constant status updates) but I think that it is more accurate. The options along the task bar on one's twitter page support these concepts as well - "@Connect," " #Discover," "Me." Twitter certainly does provide opportunities to form connections, discover new information and share your own.

#langchat on 10/03/13

I followed the Twitter Chat (a group of people tweeting about a specific topic), #langchat this week. As a first time Twitter user, I was not entirely sure what to expect. I joined in the chat about halfway through the scheduled time, so at that point it was unclear to me how it had been started or what the format was. I did not know if there was a specific topic for the evening, but it appeared that most of the participants were simply tweeting questions and replying to others. I later scrolled to the beginning of the chat and found that there was a topic, a moderator, and even an invitation to share some introductions (what level/what do you teach). This structure and order becomes less clear as the chat progresses. I found it a little difficult to follow and slightly overwhelming sorting through an endless list of questions and side conversations. 

Overall, I do see great potential for forming connections easily and quickly with other foreign language-teaching professionals; I am following the 2013 ACTFL teacher of the year! However I think it will take some adjusting and exploring. The Twitter Chat appears most helpful if you have the time to spend and can engage from the beginning, while simply following other education professionals requires less time commitment, but also less predictability (specific topics or ideas). I think this can be a good form, but not necessarily the best form of professional development for me.