A Chaperone: Twitter for Professional Guidance, Social Support and Personal Empowerment in Online Workshops
Abstract: This research examines the benefits of Twitter as a support tool for the enhancement of social interaction among participants in an online induction workshop; to aid the workshops' moderator in monitoring the group and enhance and support the early-service teachers' growth. The 6914 Tweets that were posted during the induction workshop enabled the workshops' moderator constant monitoring of the participants' progress, lows and highs. They reveal a process of socialization among the participants which leads to personal and professional support, thus enhancing the new teachers' professional growth Keywords: Twitter, pre-service teachers, online workshop, teacher empowerment.
Presider: Thomas Argondizza, The Pennsylvania State University