Editor's Note: Our guest blogger this week is Eric Brunsell, who is the facilitator of both the STEM group on Edutopia as well as the bi-weekly #scichat (more below).
If you have ever been to an education conference, you will probably agree that a lot of the best learning comes from the discussions between sessions, dinner, or at other "unscripted" times when you have the opportunity to share with other passionate professionals. We need these types of interactions to keep moving our craft forward.
#scichat provides a way for scientists and educators to engage in an ongoing discussion with the goal of sharing ideas, growing professionally and improving the teaching of science. This "hashtag" can be used at any time to share your thoughts or resources with other science educators. However, the real power of #scichat is to develop a community through real-time events every other Tuesday night (9:00 Eastern). The topic for each event will usually be selected in advance by the community.
Last week, educators from around the world participated in the first #scichat on Twitter. Participants shared ideas on how to increase the relevancy of school science. The discussion ranged from the role of textbooks, to discipline integration, to the incorporation of authentic projects and real-world events. A few of the participants took steps to collaborate on a project to have their students analyze TED videos this fall. A full transcript is available here.
Join us for the next #scichat! Use the Twtpoll or suggest a future topic in the comment section below.
The Next #scichat
Tuesday, June 22 @ 9:00 Eastern (Every two weeks)
Moderators: Eric Brunsell (@brunsell) & Jeff Goldstein (@doctorjeff)
Dr. Eric Brunsell, a former high school science teacher, is an assistant professor of science education at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, he is engaged in projects related to integrating technology into the science classroom and professional development. His research explores how educators use social networking for professional growth. Eric co-authors the “Science 2.0” column for the The Science Teacher, authored Readings in Science Methods, K-8, and co-facilitates #scichat on Twitter .