The Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) community worldwide organises online #AppleEduChat with fellow ADEs, Apple Teachers, EdTech champions and Apple aficionados on Twitter to discuss technology-infused pedagogy…and more importantly, to share resources they would like to recommend to colleagues.
This creates a chain of goodwill and creates a ripe space for ideas to travel. Seasoned practitioners also share examples from their classroom that often inspire educators following the chat, synchronously or asynchronously, to try these ideas with their students.
Each region hosts its own chat: America, Europe, Asia and other regions organise their own chats that respond to the needs expressed by colleagues from that geographic region. Indian educators forayed into these online chats by participating in #AppleEduChat organised by hosts from other regions. These are poignant in terms of content but not always adapted to the Indian time zone and/or local contexts, thereby making it sometimes difficult for Indian teachers to participate despite their willingness to engage.
Is there an India-specific #AppleEduChat?
Yes! We are delighted to share that we now have an #AppleEduChat India. It is organised on Thursdays – guruvar in Hindi – to honour teachers (gurus). Since teacher’s day is celebrated on 5 September, the next scheduled chat is on 9 September. This is free of cost and does not require any registration. The hosts are organising this on an honorary basis, with a lot of heart.
Who is the intended audience?
Teachers interested in technology-infused learning are the intended audience. Typically, the repeat audience comprises of Apple Distinguished Educators, Apple Teachers and educators/parents interested in using Apple technology to instruct. Having said that- all teachers are welcome.
How to locate chat archives and identify the next chat?
In a web browser of your choice, search for #AppleEduChat, you will find a repository of links directing you to related content.
The Apple Education Twitter handle @AppleEdu is a good place to start searching for curated resources, upcoming education challenges…and upcoming events across the world. On Twitter, you can also search for the hashtag #AppleEduChat to access relevant content.
What to expect?
There is no video call – no Zoom call or live video streaming. It happens entirely on Twitter with written messages. It is participatory, the chat creates a space for participants to share their responses via Twitter.
After a quick introduction, the host will share one question on Twitter every 7-8 minutes. During that time, participants will respond to the question on Twitter. The total duration of this online chat is no longer than 40-45 minutes. Here is an example of a question that awaits you on 9th September:
After the host posts the question with an image, participants respond with “Answer 1 (their reply)” They add the hashtag: #AppleEduChat and tag: @AppleEdu and the Twitter handles of the hosts so that the hosts may respond/react to their answer.
Sample tweet by a participant for question 2:
“Answer 2. Your response. #AppleEduChat @AppleEdu @lissachazot @mcopp”
The dialogue is entirely on Twitter, it is in written mode during the time provided between each tweet.
For more details, please refer to this link. Even if you are new to Twitter, it explains how to join an AppleEduChat.
Put simply here are the steps:
- Sign up/log onto Twitter
- Search #AppleEDUchat, @AppleEdu or the hosts: @lissachazot, @mcopp at 5 pm on 9th Sept
- Join in the latest conversation and start posting your responses as tweets. You can also ask questions that can be responded to by the hosts/participants.
- There are five questions. For each question please mention question number, @AppleEdu, the hashtag #AppleEduChat and tag the hosts so that other participants may find your response(s) easily and the hosts may get a notification about your tweet. To ensure the participatory nature of this chat it is essential to add the hashtag and tag the three accounts, this enables hosts and participants to be informed of each other’s responses.
In this edition of the chat, we will feature an expert, Mark Coppin @mcopp, who will share very useful resources. He is a renowned speaker invited by international organisations such as UNESCO to talk about digital inclusion. You will also learn about resources adapted by fellow educators to the Indian context from the chat participants… this is your space to learn and showcase your best practices. The objective of this chat is to share good practices, resources and ideas which can bring value to other educators by tapping into a repository of resources or their own classroom practices.
How to prepare for the chat?
There is no preparation as such. If you are a seasoned practitioner, you can prepare links and images related to the topic that will be discussed during the chat. You can share these as you respond. Please ensure you have the copyright or authorisation to share these resources. Please share India-specific examples and ideas that have worked for you and your students.
Looking forward to meeting you on Twitter this Thursday, on 9th September for India’s own #AppleEduChat!
