Daily Dish: Last Night’s #FutureReady Schools Twitter Chat with Education Secretary Arne Duncan
October 27, 2015 04:45 pm
Last night, the twitter-sphere was buzzing with excitement about Future Ready Schools. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made a special guest appearance and moderated the weekly #edtechchat on Twitter as part of Connected Educator Month (#ce15). The topic? Future Ready Schools, a free, bold effort to maximize digital learning opportunities and help school districts move quickly toward preparing students for success in college, a career, and citizenship.
.@usedgov launched #FutureReady 1 year ago as part of #ConnectED & joined w @all4ed & coalition partners to run 13 Summits #edtechchat #CE15
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) October 27, 2015
During the chat, educators, administrators, organizations, and any other interested parties had the unique opportunity to interact with Secretary Duncan on topics related to the Future Ready Schools effort, including asking and answering his questions and discusses pertinent issues. This was Secretary Duncan’s third and final Connected Educator Month Twitter chat, as he steps down from his position as Education Secretary at the end of December.
Excitement and enthusiasm for the chat and the work of Future Ready Schools was palpable as over 750 people engaged in the conversation, sharing close to 5,200 tweets at a rapid pace of about 83 tweets per minute. In case you missed the action, check out some highlights below:
The conversation included some highlights of what it means to be Future Ready:
#FutureReady educators recognize that ALL students need access to high-quality learning experiences. #edtechchat #ce15
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) October 27, 2015
#futureready schools are collaborative, implement personalized learning, and encourage educators to be connected #ce15 #edtechchat — Lani Ritter Hall (@lanihall) October 27, 2015
The chat was conducted in a question and answer format, with Secretary Duncan posing questions in a Q1, Q2, Q3 format, and users responding with A1, A2, A3 to correspond with specific questions.
When asked “What are characteristics of #FutureReady districts/schools, leaders, teachers and students?” one participant answered:
A1. Future ready schools have engaged leaders &Ts who are willing to learn and be innovative. #edtechchat
— Danielle Brown, NBCT (@TeachDB17) October 27, 2015
In response to “How can #FutureReady school leaders best create a culture of innovation inside their school or district?” one user said:
A2: High levels of trust and collaboration, effective use of technology that goes beyond replacing worksheets. #FutureReady #edtechchat
— Mary Reynolds (@maryjr40_mary) October 27, 2015
Alliance President Bob Wise chimed in to lend his wisdom to “What does effective personalized student learning look like?”
A6: Effective personalized learning meets the needs of ALL students. Pedagogy first. Technology second. #FutureReady #edtechchat #ce15
— Bob Wise (@BobWise48) October 27, 2015
During the chat, Secretary Duncan gave a nod to Alliance President Bob Wise and staff member Tom Murray:
Thanks for being an amazing partner in this work! https://t.co/EgWsBhZyuJ
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) October 27, 2015
Thanks Tom for all your leadership in this work! https://t.co/FYBHglXNrc
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) October 27, 2015
In a tweet that conveyed the importance and power of technology, one user summed up the twitter chat experience with Secretary Duncan in a concise, humorous manner:
Isn’t chatting on Twitter w/ @arneduncan U.S. Sec. of Edu. proof enough that technology shatters all obstacles & connects us? #edtechchat
— Rabbi Michael Cohen (@TheTechRabbi) October 27, 2015
Learn more about the Future Ready Schools effort at www.futurereadyschools.org and follow @FutureReady on Twitter. To participate in a #edtechchat, tune in every Monday night from 8-9pm EST via the hashtag #edtechchat.
Future Ready