Celebrating 10 Years of #LTHEchat: Building a Community of Learning and Leadership
Sue Beckingham, Deb Baff and Teresa MacKinnon
Social Media for Learning in HE Conference #SocMedHE24
#LTHEchat = a weekly tweetchat
Takes place on Wednesday 8-9pm GMT in Twitter X at @LTHEchat
Is relevant to all educators in higher education
A blogpost is published at https://lthechat.com/
Six questions are posted to stimulate a discussion around a topic relating to learning and teaching in higher education
#LTHEchat
312 tweetchats have taken place
+
Monthly dual #AdvanceHE_chat
+
Collaborative extra chats with
Behind the scenes of #LTHEchat
1
Identify a Guest to provide a topic and 6 questions
The guest is asked to write a short blog post about their chosen, provide a bio and photo, and provide and provide 6 questions
2
Create and publish a blog post
The organising team create the post in Wordpress and promote the forthcoming tweetchat. .
3
Manage the tweetchat
The organising team schedule the intro and the questions. A back channel is set up to liaise with the guests.
@LTHEchat
2014-2024
Looking forward
Source: Jay Graber 2024 https://bsky.app/profile/jay.bsky.team/post/3lbd2eav4x22r
Rebuilding connections and extending our #LTHEchat community
https://bsky.app/profile/lthechat.bsky.social
@lthechat.bsky.social
LTHEchat.com views
A decade of volunteers
What does the #LTHEchat mean to you ?
What does the #LTHEchat mean to you ?
Recognition
Many volunteers who have been part of the organising team have found it to be an opportunity for leadership and professional development, providing evidence for SFHEA, NTF and CMALT applications.
Team members gain valuable experience in event planning, digital communication, and even mentorship, as they guide new members through the process.
Recognition
Participants can download this image and add to their blog or place of choice
…but was there more we could offer?
Open Badges
Where did open badges come from?
Created in response to Badges for Lifelong Learning Competition (2011) funded by the MacArthur Foundation, administered by HASTAC in collaboration with the Mozilla Foundation.
“A powerful new tool for identifying and validating the rich array of people's skills, knowledge, accomplishments, and competencies...(to) inspire new pathways to learning and connect learners to opportunities, resources, and one another.”
#LTHEchat Badge Family ..
#LTHEchat Badge Family ..
#LTHEchat Mentor Stats
#LTHEchat Organising Team Member Badge Stats
What’s next ?
#LTHEchat guest badges
This will be coming soon and will be awarded to recognise those individuals that have led guest tweetchats,.
What can you do with them?
Celebrate by showing your badge openly
Update from Virtual Teresa
Finding out more:
#LTHEchat Blog
https://lthechat.com/lthechat-open-digital-badges/
Badge Wiki
https://badge.wiki/wiki/Main_Page
Designing your own badges https://remixer.visualthinkery.com/g/c/uSPaSi
Badge design resources https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n0d_rnD9eePk5pc62o6a-DoM518VNqPtdAqQHxeAfgg/edit?usp=sharing
Open Badges
Have you given or attained an Open Badge?
Designing your own badges
What could you create a badge for?
Designing your own badges
https://remixer.visualthinkery.com/r/j4tbG2Va0N7Bm83X1cMA/9HzQDc1rAgHeSkoS6jy4
Badge resources and publications:c
Designing your own badges https://remixer.visualthinkery.com/g/c/uSPaSi
Badge design resources
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n0d_rnD9eePk5pc62o6a-DoM518VNqPtdAqQHxeAfgg/edit?usp=sharing
https://remixer.visualthinkery.com/a/supersimplebadge
Recognising participation in virtual exchange: open badges and the Clavier contribution.
in Designing and Implementing Virtual Exchange: a Collection of Case Studies. published by Research-Publishing.net https://research-publishing.net/book?10.14705/rpnet.2020.45.9782490057726
Innovating Language Pedagogy Report https://research-publishing.net/manuscript?10.14705/rpnet.2021.50.1236
Summary
�This session highlights the evolution of #LTHEchat, a thriving Learning and Teaching in Higher Education tweet chat that has hosted over 300 discussions. We’ll explore how participants benefit from professional development, shared resources, and global connections. Additionally, we’ll showcase the developmental opportunities for the organising team, including leadership, communication, and event planning skills. Join us to celebrate this milestone and discover what’s next for the #LTHEchat community.
Session outline
Join us as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of #LTHEchat, a Twitter chat (now known as X) that has fostered a vibrant community of higher education professionals. Over the past decade, more than 300 chats have taken place, creating a space for educators to exchange ideas, share resources, and engage in meaningful discussions about the future of teaching and learning.
In this session, we’ll take a look at the journey of #LTHEchat highlighting key milestones, collaborations with other organisations, and the evolution of the weekly chats. Participants will gain insights into how the chat provides informal professional development, connecting educators globally and offering access to valuable resources.
Additionally, we’ll explore the developmental opportunities for those behind the scenes, from volunteering on the organising team to mentoring new members. We’ll also highlight the open badge system that recognises the contributions of organisers, mentors, and guests.
Finally, we’ll reflect on the impact of #LTHEchat and share our vision for the next decade of fostering innovation, collaboration, and leadership in higher education.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn how #LTHEchat benefits participants by providing a platform for professional growth, resource-sharing, and networking.
- Discover the leadership, recognition and development opportunities available to members of the organising team.
- Celebrate the achievements of the #LTHEchat community and gain insight into future directions for the chat.