It's all about the hashtag! Essential chats for educators

It's all about the hashtag!
50+ popular hashtags for educators.

For me, Twitter is a powerful educational tool, not only because it allows me to engage with like-minded professionals and expand my ever-growing PLN (Personal Learning Network), but also because it provides an opportunity for me to reflect and question my own teaching practice. However, with so many hashtags covering so many topics, where do you start. Here is my guide to some of the best Edu hashtags on the web:

Using the Hashtag

The hashtag (#) symbol is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created by Twitter users as a way to categorise messages.

You can use the hashtag symbol before a relevant keyword or phrase in your Tweet to categorise your Tweets and help the right people find your tweets more easily. Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message also shows you all other Tweets marked with that keyword. Education examples:

Education technology: #edTech #eduTech

Education chat: #edChat #UKEdChat

For more help on using hashtags, visit the official twitter hashtag guide: Using hashtags on Twitter

General Edu Chats:

#AussieEd – #AussieEd is a weekly #edchat which unites educators from around the world to share best practice and explore the latest educational theories. It is hosted by Brett Salakas - @MRsalakas – Brett is a primary school teacher based in Australian educator and is passionately committed to turning educational theory into real classroom practice. Join Brett every Sunday, 8.30am AEDT / (11.30 BST/10.30 GMT).
#Edchat - #Edchat started as a weekly Twitter conversation where educators could join to discuss and learn about current teaching trends. Founded and hosted by Shelly Sanchez Terrell (@ShellTerrell), #EdChat explored topics such as how to integrate technology, transform teaching & learning, and connect with inspiring educators worldwide. #EdChat has since become one of the leading hashtags for sharing about all things education.
#NT2t (New To Twitter chat) - #NT2t is an edchat session designed for teachers that are new to twitter. Supported by a plethora of experienced educators, #NT2t aims to help new tweachers to navigate the twitter-universe by recommending who to follow and how to tweet. #NT2t is also a great place for sharing best practice and exploring how to integrate technology to enhance teaching and learning. #NT2t is hosted by Julie Szaj (@shyj) – Join Julie for #NT2t every Saturday morning at 2pm GMT / 3pm BST.
#PedagooFriday – Weekly slow chat where teachers share / discuss their best moments of the week. – Every Friday (All day)
#PrimaryRocks – A weekly Twitter chat for Primary school teachers, based in the UK, to share best practice. Hosted each week by guest moderators, PrimaryRocks explores everything from pedagogy to leadership. – Join PrimaryRocks every Monday, 7pm – 8pm GMT.
#SatChat – General chat about education and leadership - Saturday, 7.30am ET.
#SunChat – General chat about education - Sunday, 9am ET.
#Teacher5oclockclub - Hosted by @PaulGarvey4, this is an essential edu chat for all you early risers and a great way to start your day.
#UkEdChat – Like #Edchat, #UKEdChat started as a weekly Twitter based discussion for educators but timed more convenient for UK based educators. Each week, a guest hosts discussed a variety of education related topics. Similarly to #EdChat, #UKEdChat has since become a leading hashtag for sharing about all things education.
#WhatIsSchool – #WhatIsSchool is an award winning #edchat which provides teachers from around the globe a voice in shaping the future of education. WhatIsSchool is hosted by Craig Kemp (@mrkempnz) and Laura Hill (@CandyLandCaper) – both are passionate 21st century educators and a huge advocates for the use of Social Media to support teaching and learning. - Every Thursday evening (11pm GMT / 12pm BST).
#AsiaED - AsiaEd is a regular slow chat designed to connect educators throughout Asia. Each week a new host will release a thought provoking question each day.
#FutureEdChat - Another hashtag that started as a regular chat. Originally hosted by Eoin Lenihan (@EoinLenihan), Paul Kesselring (@kesselring) and Jennifer Williams (@JenWilliamsEDU), FutureEdChat was a monthly Twitter chat hosted the first Sunday of every month and designed to connect educators globally. #FutureEdChat, like many other edu chats, has become a commonly used hashtag for all things education related.
#BehaviourChat - General hashtag to discuss issues around behaviour and attendance.
#addcym – Welsh language education chat.
#edchatie – Weekly edchat for Irish educators.
#TwinklTeach - Fortnightly teacher led chat held on a Tuesday night (8-9pm GMT).
#TinyVoiceTalks - A weekly chat, moderated by @Toriaclaire, where shyer/ quieter/ less well-known edutweeters can ask questions, tweet thoughts & let their voices be heard.
#BAMEed - Hashtag for celebrating diversity in education. Open to ALL!
#MMMonday - Another great hashtag for finding and sharing other educators to follow on Twitter (Every Monday)

SLT / Leadership

#SLTChat – Discussions about school leadership (Aimed at Senior Leaders/Managers) – Sunday, 8-8.30pm GMT.

Trainee Teachers

#ITTchat – General hashtag for anyone embarking on Initial Teacher Training.
#PGCE - General hashtag for all things PGCE related.

NQTs

#NQTchat – General hashtag for anyone entering teaching.

Subject Specific chats:

Art

#ArtsEd - General hashtag for all things Art related.

Business Studies / Economics

#Ecbusteach - General hashtag for all things Business / Economics related.

Computing

#CASchat – #CASchat is a weekly Twitter chat session for teachers to share ideas on teaching the new computing curriculum. Hosted each week by guest moderators, CASchat explores ways to deliver the new Computing Programme of Study – Tuesday, 8pm GMT.
#CompEdUK - General hashtag used to discuss all things Computing.

English

#EngChatUK & #LiteracyChat – English & literacy chat every Monday 8pm GMT.
#EngChat - General hashtag for all things Business / Economics related.

Geography

#GeographyTeacher - General hashtag for all things Geography related.

History

#histedchat - Histedchat is a bi-weekly Twitter chat where history teachers can connect, share resources and exchange ideas - Every other Wednesday at 8:30pm 10:30am GMT.
#HistoryTeacher - General hashtag for all things History related.

Maths

#MathsChat – Maths related chat every Wednesday, 8pm GMT.
#MathsCPDchat - Weekly Maths related chat every Tuesday, 7.00 pm GMT.

Modern Foreign Languages

#mfltwitterati - Hashtag for sharing all things MFL related.
#Langchat – General hashtag for language teachers.

Music

#MusEdChat - General hashtag for all things Music related.

Physical Education

#PEGeeks - Hashtag for discussing the use of education technology in PE.

Religious Education

#RETeacher - General hashtag for all things RE related.

Science

#ASEchat - #ASEchat is a weekly online science education discussion group conducted via twitter that takes place on Monday evenings from 8.00-9.00pm GMT.

#SciChat - General hashtag for all things Science related.
#PhysicsEd - General hashtag for all things Physics related.

Other:

Further Education

#FEchat - General hashtag for all things FE related.
#UKFEchat - Weekly edchat for FE teachers every Wednesday, 9-10 pm GMT.

STEM/STEAM

#STEM - General hashtag used for all things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) related.

Early Years

#EYtwittertagteam
#EYMatters

SEND

#SENChat - #SENchat is a weekly chat about Special Education Needs. Run by Thomas Norman (@DJTom3) – Every Tuesday 8pm GMT.
#SENexchange - Weekly micro chat (30mins) on everything related to Special Education Needs - Every Wednesday 8pm GMT.
#spedchat – Weekly chat, every Tuesday night - 8:30 pm EST, for discussing all things special education needs related.

Gifted & Talented

#GTChat - General hashtag used for discussing strategies for supporting G&T students.

Education Technology

#EdTech - General hashtag used for discussing the use of technology in education.
#eLearning - Hashtag for discussing eLearning.
#GBL - General hashtag for Game Based Learning.

Teacher / Student well-being

#Teacher5aday - General hashtag used for discussing teacher & student well-being.

Misc.

#TT - Teacher Tuesday: Hashtag for suggesting teachers to follow.
#FFEd - Follow Friday Edu: Hashtag for recommending teachers to follow.
#FFBWednesday - Follow @deputygrocott every Wednesday for #FFBWednesday to meet like-minded educators and grow you PLN (Professional Learning Network).

Have I missed anything?

Send me a DM @clcsimon and I'll add it to the list.

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It's all about the hashtag!
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