East Meets West: Transcontinental Chat Magic

Shiver me timbers! When could be more entertaining that a dress up party for the launch of the first transcontinental NYEDChat and TLAP online chat last night. It may not have been the Golden Globes or the Bammy Awards, but it was a celebratory event just the same.  The lead pirate, Dave Burgess, author of the well-know professional text, Teach Like A Pirate, brought together an amazing cast of pirates from coast to coast to sail his PIRATE ship. Along with Dave, three members of the moderating team, Vicki Day, Carol Varsalona, and Blanca Duarte, dressed in high seas' garb, brought a sense of revelry to the launching of the East meets West online connection. Co-host, Tony Sinanis of the Bammy Award for Elementary Principal fame, charted the course while the moderating team of Bill Brennan and Starr Sackstein cheered from their quarters on land. 

When East met West on January 27, 2014 there was no ceremonial golden spike as on May 10, 1869, the day that marked the completion of the first transcontinental railway. What occurred last night during the linking the #nyedchat and #TLAP professional learning communities was a celebration of educational Voice. Fun was in the house. Rapid fire conversations, cross-tweeting, and an amazing flow of thoughtful answers were the fare of the day. While the Twitter chat flowed online, the team in the photos above enjoyed "hanging out" on Google as Dave's first mates and firing replies to the parade of questions posted by the evening's moderator, Tony Sinanis. As the ship set sail, Shipwreck Tag was offered to lure tweeps on land to join the conversation. Pam Moran, among others, heard the call and jumped on board, while Tom Whitby could only send his regards. 

Throughout the chat, technology rocked the ship back and forth with Tweet Deck, Tweet Chat, and Twitter providing the platforms for the firing of Qs and the reporting of A 1s to A 6s. To navigate the sea of responses that were floating in the Twittersphere, multiple screens were used by the crew, a phenomenon unbeknown to the pirates of yesteryear. Thanks to the craftsmanship of the lead pirate, Dave Burgess, the ship that set sail at 9:00 pm EST disembarked one hour later, laden with a rich bounty.  Gold coins were not plundered during the trip. Instead, golden words for a week of charting new waters in education were captured from the take away booty. East and West Coasters left, voices linked in unison and map in hand to chart new waters to bring passion to the classroom.  

History.com notes that the linking of the east and the west upon completion of the first transcontinental railroad was the "realization of a dream." So too, the virtual connection of East and West Coasters was the realization of a linked world of passionate and committed educators who look beyond the dream to reality.  

Aye, I believe all would agree that our sail last night was worth the trip and that a pirate's life is grand. Signing off, until we meet again. 

Teaching Pirate Style to Bring Passion to the Classroom

When I first heard of the TLAP (Teach Like A Pirate) phenomenon, I wondered, "Pirates in Education! Really?" Little did I know that there could be a "good" connotation to the word, pirate. The "aha" moment followed after virtually meeting Dave Burgess, the pirate-teacher himself, during two different Twitter chats. I credit all to my #nyedchat co-moderators, Vicki Day and Tony Sinanis, who had the good sense to facilitate book studies and Twitter chats using Teach Like A Pirate as the core for generating active discussions about teaching. With each chat that I engaged in, I felt a certain comfort with the notion of pirates in education. Linking this with a warm, engaging memory of  Disney World's Pirates of the Caribbean exhibit, solidified the image. Pirates are passionate risk takers setting their course and moving full speed ahead with gusto toward their treasure.

Dave Burgess, the lead learner of the pirates in education community, brings a zest for learning to the classroom in his book, Teach Like A Pirate. His thoughts empower teachers to become risk-takers and innovators. As they artfully hone their craft, they dig deep into lessons, make learning come alive, and in turn, empower students to become lifelong learners and meaning makers. Dave Burgess, an inspirational teacher and speaker, delivers a powerful message on transforming the classroom into a powerful place of teaching and learning and brings a fresh look to what education has to offer young learners.

With a handful of hope (phrase taken from the mini-series, Klondike) and a genuine desire to grow #nyedchat into the Voice of New York State, I pursued the NYEDChat Moderating Team's dream to reach out, connect, and bring notable figures in the education and Twitter worlds to our bimonthly chat forums. Dave Burgess, wishing to spread passion for teaching and learning, agreed wholeheartedly to co-host a chat with us and so the story of #nyedchat hosting its first transcontinental network connection with the lead pirate of education unfolded.

 Smore created by Vicki Day

Intrigued by the prospect? Tune in to #nyedchat on January 27, 2014, 9:00 EST for a conversation with Dave Burgess, author, teacher, and pirate extraordinaire. #nyedchat will combine with #TLAP (teach like a pirate PLN) to broaden its scope and connections across the states. Be brave. Be daring. Even if you are not a tweeter, you can lurk and learn with the NYEDChat and Teach Like A Pirate professional learning networks. For first time tweeters, following the Twitter conversation as a lurker allows access to fast-paced thoughts without having to worry about tweeting.

There will be no walking the plank on Monday night, only perching on the edge of your seat to capture thoughts on how to "increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator." (from Teach Like A Pirate book cover) Join the NYEChat Moderating Team of Bill Brennan, Vicki Day, Blanca Duarte, Starr Sackstein, Tony Sinanis, and me, as we don our pirates hats and connect with Dave Burgess on January 27th from 9:00-10:00 PM EST. 

From East to West, NYEDChat connections will broaden, bringing topics of interest to our viewers.

Reminder: On Monday night, go to twitter.com and type in the hashtags #nyedchat and #tlap to become a spirited pirate of teaching and learning.