A look inside #satchat by co-founder Brad Currie

<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6036366797052324" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every Saturday morning at 7:30 EST/PST educators from around the world</span></b><br /><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6036366797052324" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">share their thoughts, resources and experiences using the hashtag</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">#satchat. This great social media vehicle was founded by </span><a href="https://twitter.com/scottrrocco"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scott Rocco</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bcurrie5"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brad Currie</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on April 14, 2012. </span></b><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6036366797052324" style="font-weight: normal;"><img height="183px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ZeCS3yFUS8oF2nzGdS0wDLiNApo4ZRmv01JKAT8_u6IXO0_2MNjCLtaM97UzZkSH3_UANkpqDXYHzZLyHg8q_uClusfIlkc7c83BhKDHkL8bMcYUQi7C" width="275px;" /></b> </b><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In its</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">infancy #satchat averaged around 20-25 participants a week. Fast</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">forward to the present and it has exploded to around 110 participants</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">each week. </span></b><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact recently #satchat hit the 200 participant mark for the first time in its history. The chat enables current and emerging school leaders to</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">share their insight on topics ranging from social media, professional</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">development, crisis management, vision, bullying, leadership and</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">teacher recruitment. Recently #satchat has expanded its influence to</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the west coast where </span><a href="https://twitter.com/burgess_shelley"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelly Burgess</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/dculberhouse"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Culberhouse</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/drjolly"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darin Jolly</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><a href="https://twitter.com/DirectorAmy"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amy Illingworth</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> co-moderate the extended session.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The power of #satchat is quite remarkable and is a true example of</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">collaboration. Each and every week educators are able to share ideas</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and instantly turn them into something that can have a profound impact</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on a wide array of school stakeholders. The tools of #satchat enable</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">participants to also see the value of certain web 2.0 tools in an</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">educational setting. Twitter is the main tool of the chat and allows</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everyone to have a voice and collaborate 24/7. Leading up the chat</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">various tools such as </span><a href="http://audioboo.fm/boos/953127-satchat-promo-8-15-12"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Audioboo</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://bufferapp.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buffer</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/saturdaychat"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are used to</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">promote and inform. Once the chat has finished, </span><a href="http://storify.com/bcurrie5/satchat-recap-east-coast-9-8-12?utm_campaign=&utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=t.co&awesm=sfy.co_h8Rh"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Storify</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is then used</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to archive the session and share with the Twitter world. School based</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">utilization of these tools are many and allow stakeholders to be</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">engaged in the educational process.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a personal level the world of Twitter and all it has to offer has</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">been a game-changer in my professional life. Not only do I get a</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chance to co-host #satchat, but I also participate in other chats on a</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">weekly basis. Some that come to mind are #ptchat, #edchat, #sschat,</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">#njed #21stedchat and #edhire to name a few. Having access to outstanding minds in</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the educational world is also added benefit of Twitter and hashtag</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">based conversations. Being able to connect with inspiring educators</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">like </span><a href="https://twitter.com/NMHS_Principal"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eric Sheninger,</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/coolcatteacher"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vicki Davis</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ToddWhitaker"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Todd Whitaker</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/principal_el"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Principal El</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">others, brings a sense of community like no other. I am very proud of</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all that #satchat has done for educators during this past year and is</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">just one example of how educators go above and beyond their call of</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">duty to better themselves professionally and in turn promote the</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">success of all students.</span><br /></b><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6036366797052324"><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About the Author: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Brad Currie is the Middle School Dean of Students and Supervisor of Instruction for the </span></span><a href="http://www.chester-nj.org/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chester School District</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Chester, New Jersey. He is the co-founder and co-moderator of #satchat on Twitter. Brad has a tremendous passion for social media, PLNs and technolgy integration in the classroom setting. You can follow Brad on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bcurrie5" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read his </span><a href="http://www.bcurrie.wordpress.com/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">blog</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to learn more about his commitment to doing “what’s best for kids” each and every day. </span></i></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><img height="235px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/oUy66qmqkhneVjLyVKcNXuuPgjuF8IFjTTKEVYPnJo1e40aYjST8xg2l-yuOZADq4gygRsabUbC-XpZw_HXHe0AZizwTyC5G-kUigtjObXn77KAUxCc9" width="314px;" /></span><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;">---------</b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>From Vicki:</b> There are many chats on Twitter. Jerry Blumengarten has <a href="http://cybraryman.com/chats.html" target="_blank">a great list of Edchats</a> for you. I wanted to take you inside a chat that I enjoy that happens each Saturday. I asked one of the organizers, Brad Currie, to share with you a little about this chat and what it means to him and others. </i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>There are MANY educational chats on Twitter that have a great history and stats. This isn't to leave you out. If you have a chat that you'd like to share, please email me at vicki at coolcateacher dot com and I'll see what I can do. If you're a spammer or out to sell something, don't waste your time. I prefer real educators who disclose all relationships.</i></span>

A look inside #satchat by co-founder Brad Currie

Every Saturday morning at 7:30 EST/PST educators from around the world share their thoughts, resources and experiences using the hashtag #sa...

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