Last week I wrote a post about my feelings about #edchats. With my schedule calling for me to moderate #bcedchat the following Sunday, I needed to make a change.

I talked to a lot of educators around the globe who shared my feelings. Some gave me advice. Others told me how they were changing their chats. After chatting with Andrew Thomasson from #flipclass, I knew I had to go for it. Flash blogging... this was it. Let's get more of the community sharing what it was that they were going to focus on professionally for the rest of the school year.

Christine Younghusband and I chatted to put this chat together. It was to be a blend of the old model: the Q1/A1 format, and a new one: openly planning resolutions as an inquiry project. We used this document to organize our community's thinking and to focus on a single resolution.

​After people threw their resolutions down, we got them to start planning. The next thing we'll focus on? Sharing. 

If you're curious to see the flow of the chat tonight, check out the Storify. Stay tuned to see how the #bcedchat community progresses with their New Year's goals!

When I stumbled upon Twitter chats back in 2013, they were like a breath of fresh air. First, they gave me new information and ways to improve my teaching practice. Next, when I began to put my own tweets out there, they gave me connections and friendships. Finally, they led me to author my own works and thoughts on education, including my blog and YouTube channel, and helped me to gain admission to the UBCMET Masters program.

I am eternally indebted to Twitter chats and the connections I made there. They brought me multiple opportunities to attend conferences, to learn and share my practice, to become a part of incredible educator communities like Apple Distinguished Educators and Google Certified Innovators/Education Trainers. Heck, I even found my future husband on a Twitter chat! (Though that’s not a typical part of the experience, I hear :)

​But... yes, you knew there was a but... here it is: I am not getting what I need out of Twitter chats anymore.

I know I’m not the first one to write about my fading love for Twitter. But as someone who has enjoyed so many positives from the service, this bothers me. A lot. Especially as a co-founder and moderator of #bcedchat. 

I want to make one thing clear: the mission for #bcedchat has always been to bring educators together. To spark conversation and get people talking to one another across the province. I think that is still happening today, after 2.5 years of existence. We have many BC educators pop in and out of the regularly scheduled Sunday night chats (it’s at 7pm PST for those who don’t know). It’s great to connect with an incredible mod team and educators from all over BC and beyond.​