Where are the Good Conversations?
In October, I will be running a workshop through Math for America titled “Professional Development Through Social Media”. The goal of this two-hour workshop is to provide an overview of the opportunities for professional growth, collaboration, and reflection that teachers can find on various social networks.
As part of the workshop, participants will be invited to peruse interactions–posts, comments, exchanges, conversations–that highlight the nature and strengths of the various digital professional communities. I have a number of good starting points in mind, but I’d love to have more.
I invite you to leave a suggestion in the comments. Provide a link to something great and give a brief description of what this highlights about the online professional world. The workshop will include both math and science teachers, so links to non-math resources are definitely welcome. And please feel free to suggest your own work!
Thanks in advance for your help. Assuming this is successful, this post itself will become an example of the value of being connected!
10 Comments
Simon Gregg · September 18, 2013 at 2:58 pm
The facebook group Mathematics Teachers Exchange has had some good exchanges;
https://www.facebook.com/groups/182365128512083/
MrHonner · September 18, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Thanks, Simon. This is especially helpful because I don’t use facebook very much, so thanks for giving me a helpful FB resource to share.
Simon Gregg · September 18, 2013 at 3:09 pm
I think I probably get more via twitter and blogs – but fb seems to have a different community and a different kind of exchange.
Amy Hogan · September 19, 2013 at 8:04 pm
Patrick, this sounds like a great workshop. Some great FB follows that I use for my statistics teaching: Harvard School of Public Health, The International Year of Statistics, and The American Statistical Assoc. In fact, the ASA magazine just had an article recently “Incorporating Social Media in the Statistics Classroom.”
MrHonner · September 20, 2013 at 6:20 am
Thanks, Amy, and thanks for sharing the recent ASA piece. Again, I’m glad to get more Facebook stuff to share because I really don’t use FB for professional purposes.
Sam Shah · September 19, 2013 at 11:35 pm
There’s this: http://mathtwitterblogosphere.weebly.com/ (and most especially this: http://mathtwitterblogosphere.weebly.com/)
and starting on October 6th, there’s this: http://exploremtbos.wordpress.com/
The presentations in the comments here might lead you to some nice things: http://samjshah.com/2013/02/17/have-you-given-a-presentation-about-the-mathtwitterblogosphere/
Here were some nice conversations: http://samjshah.com/2012/02/10/an-important-question-how-do-you-plan/
and
A scavenger hunt I made: http://samjshah.com/scavenger-hunt-on-the-mtbos/
Sam Shah · September 19, 2013 at 11:39 pm
Whoops, that second (repeated) link should be: http://mathtwitterblogosphere.weebly.com/cool-things-weve-done-together.html
Sorry!
MrHonner · September 20, 2013 at 6:35 am
Sam-
Thanks for the links! I was definitely planning to share “Explore the MTBoS”; the workshop is happening after the official start date, but I’m sure people can jump right in.
And your “How Do You Plan?” is a great starting point. I already had the discussion you hosted on trig identities on the menu, but I’ll gladly add another.
Your scavenger hunt piece is followed by a comment from an MfA’er–do you have a connection to the organization?
Sam Shah · September 21, 2013 at 8:50 am
You’re welcome!
Not really. (Though I have been to math prom for the past three years!) My friend Chris co-led a 3 day workshop this summer for MfA-ers who were about to enter their own classroom this year (starting their 2nd year in MfA), and I gave a 90 minute thingamijig on the online math teacher community and resources that are out there. I made the scavenger hunt for that thingamijig.
Sam
Hilary Allen · October 15, 2013 at 1:34 pm
Sam, it’s the best thingamajig around!
Patrick, Sam’s also been at PCMI.
You two should meet up and become best friends– stat.