Changing the way that edchats run is a difficult business. First of all, it runs against my Type A organized mind where everyone has what they need to move forward like an understanding of what's going on, and pertinent questions or links. Secondly, it gets messier the further you branch out into individual inquiry. Everyone is working on different stuff and that has to be honoured and supported in its own way. Last, it feels deadly slow on Twitter. Like crawling slow. And after emerging from an era of fast-paced, neck-breaking Twitter chats, it's a sharp contrast.
We've shaken up our resolution/goal chats by using Google Docs to document community progress. We have found there are those who prefer to share via Twitter, some who house their Google Docs privately, and others who have no problem with sharing. We welcome any and all of those methods.
We've also included templates for people to follow to outline their goals. Alternatively, they are of course welcome to make their own. Anything goes when it's your goal. It should be your plan, not mine.
The good:
The bad:
So far, the good outweighs the bad. I welcome any and all feedback from #bcedchat participants and beyond: what do you think about slower, more reflective Twitter chats? What about ones that encourage you to plan, outline, and write about your goals and inquiries?
We've shaken up our resolution/goal chats by using Google Docs to document community progress. We have found there are those who prefer to share via Twitter, some who house their Google Docs privately, and others who have no problem with sharing. We welcome any and all of those methods.
We've also included templates for people to follow to outline their goals. Alternatively, they are of course welcome to make their own. Anything goes when it's your goal. It should be your plan, not mine.
The good:
- The community is checking in with each other about their goals. They're asking good questions, sharing resources, and providing words of support and valuation.
- People are sharing! Some have even started their own blogs as a result of these chats! This extends the conversations beyond the confines of our single hour on Sunday night.
- We're all thinking. Deeply thinking. We have more time to be reflective and thoughtful and focused on the things that need to change or move in our inquiries.
The bad:
- These chats can be messy. As a moderator, I feel like I'm not always sure when and where to support participants. I also am trying to model what to do (answering questions, reflectively thinking, writing a blog post) while supporting people in tasks.
- Like in any chat, participants can duck in and out, and be loud or quiet. It's hard to tell what's going on because in deep reflection, engagement can look the same as checking out.
So far, the good outweighs the bad. I welcome any and all feedback from #bcedchat participants and beyond: what do you think about slower, more reflective Twitter chats? What about ones that encourage you to plan, outline, and write about your goals and inquiries?
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