The Launch of #Educhat

Editor’s Note: Before there was #EdChat, there was #EduChat.
This post by Rodd Lucier originally appeared on his blog on March 2nd, 2009.

For the past many weeks, bloggers and other journalists have been leveraging Twitter to host live synchronous chats on a variety of topics related to the field journalism. On Monday evenings in Twitter you’ll notice a spike in the use of the hashtag #journchat as a wide-ranging discussion is hosted by a user with the same name.


What might happen if educators take a cue from Journchat?
Over at the Twitter for Teachers evolving e-book, there are many uses of Twitter being shared, and one event that we’d like to launch is the first formal #Educhat.

When will the first Educhat take place?
The first formal Educhat is slated for next Monday, March 9th, from 8:30-9:30 Eastern Time. The first chat will last one hour, with future chats lasting from 1-2 hours in length.

What do I need in order to participate?
1] Follow @Educhat on Twitter
2] The use of a tool like Tweetdeck, Monitter, or TweetGrid is recommended to follow the discussion.
3] If so inclined, suggest a question/topic.
4] Set aside time to participate.
5] Use the tag #educhat in your responses.

Who hosts the meetings?
I’ve created a Twitter ID called @Educhat that can be shared among moderators of the discussion, any given week. To participate, you simply need to follow this user, and to respond to the prompts.

What will we talk about?
Questions and topics are now being accepted in an online survey over at the Educhat page. While we could discuss many topics in a given evening, it is currently thought that each week would see discussions focused on a single broad topic. Topics might include: Assessment & Evaluation; Boys and Reading; Media in the Classroom; Personal Learning Networks; Google Tools; Communicating with the Community; Web 2.0 Apps; Role Playing; Assessment & Evaluation

Why use Twitter?
Twitter allows anyone and everyone to respond, and offers a simple way to collect the responses of participants. As opposed to a live audio chat, the microblog interface allows you to split your attention among lesson planning; television shows; parenting and the engaging conversation via Educhat.

What if I miss it?
The entire discussion will be accessible by simply searching the tag #educhat via Twitter Search.

Will you join us?
Please feel free to leave a comment on Why? or Why not?