Announcing the April 16 TweetMeet on ‘Teaching Happiness and Social-Emotional Learning’


Every year, March 20 marks the International Day of Happiness, a campaign launched by the United Nations that is now celebrated worldwide. This program aligns with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals that aim to end poverty, reduce inequality and protect our planet.

In support for the UN campaign and to raise awareness for the emotional well-being of students as well as teachers, we invite you to participate in the next #MSFTEduChat TweetMeet of April 16.

In this edition of our monthly global and multilingual Twitter conversations, we’ll discuss the role that happiness and social-emotional learning (SEL) play in classrooms around the world.

Keep reading for detailed information about this TweetMeet.



Language tracks and SuperSway


We offer seven simultaneous language tracks this month: English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish and Serbian. The new SuperSway offers a TweetMeet Invitation in each of these languages:

For each language track, we have one or more hosts to post the translated questions and respond to educators. As always, we’re super grateful to all current and former hosts who are collaborating closely to provide this service.

The #TweetMeetXX hashtags for non-English languages are to be used together with #MSFTEduChat so that everyone can find the conversations back in their own language. For example: Polish-speaking people should use both #TweetMeetPL #MSFTEduChat. English-speaking educators may use #MSFTEduChat on its own.


TweetMeet Fan? Show it off on your Twitter profile!


Every month more and more people discover the unique flow and characteristics of the TweetMeet events and become excited to participate.

Show your passion for the TweetMeets right from your own Twitter page by uploading this month’s #MSFTEduChat Twitter Header Photo to the top of your own Twitter profile.

In the same file folder, the Twitter Header Photo is available in many other languages and time zones.



Looking back on the March TweetMeet on ‘MakeWhatsNext & STEM’

The March #MSFTEduChat TweetMeet inspired educators around the world to share ideas, insights and resources. We captured highlights from this Twitter conversation in this @MicrosoftEDU Twitter Moment.


Why join the #MSFTEduChat TweetMeets?


TweetMeets are monthly recurring Twitter conversations about themes relevant to educators, facilitated by Microsoft Education. The purpose of these events is to help professionals in education to learn from each other and inspire their students while they are preparing for their future. The TweetMeets also nurture personal learning networks among educators from across the globe.

We’re grateful to have a support group made up exclusively of former TweetMeet hosts, who volunteer to translate communication and check the quality of our questions and promotional materials. They also help identify the best candidates for future events, provide relevant resources, promote the events among their networks and, in general, cheer everybody on.


When and how can I join?


Join us Tuesday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT on Twitter using the hashtags #MSFTEduChat, #TeachingHappiness, #SEL and #MicrosoftEDU (which you can always use to stay in touch with us). Be sure to double-check your own local event time, as this may be different this month. You can find the event time for 215 countries with this time zone announcer.



Too busy to join at event time? No problem!


From our monthly surveys we know that you may be in class at event time, busy doing other things or may even be asleep–well, no problem! All educators are welcome to join any time after the event. Simply look at the questions below and respond to these at a day and time that suit you best.

You can also schedule your tweets in advance. In that case, be sure to include the entire question in your tweet and mention the hashtag #MSFTEduChat so that everyone knows to which question in which conversation you are responding.

The exact question timings are in this helpful graphic:


Resources to help prepare for the TweetMeet


Microsoft Education has just announced the availability of the full report: Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI. The new report is based on global research by The Economist Intelligence Unit supported by Microsoft.

Read the blog post Happy International Day of Happiness: New Research Suggests Happy Students Achieve More.



Discussion Questions


Fasten your seatbelts. Because of the significance of this month’s topic, we will start and end the TweetMeet with a bonus question. Watch the animated GIF with all the questions:


Hosts



Meet the 15 hosts for this month’s TweetMeet! They are all passionate about #TeachingHappiness and #SEL and very eager to engage with you.

Check out all the hosts, see what they are tweeting about and consider following them: https://twitter.com/TweetMeet/lists/MSFTEduChat-2019-04/members


List of host names and their profiles

  • Aoife Cantwell @acantwelled (Spanish and English teacher, focused on student well-being, personal development and providing a happy atmosphere in life – Dublin, Ireland)
  • Brian Romero Smith @BrianRSmithSr (Passionate about meeting each and every student where they are in order to make learning addictive from their inside out – Grand Prairie TX, USA)
  • Gizelle Simpson @Gizelle_Simpson (Passionate about inspiring students to reach their full potential and also equipping them to be future-ready – Cape Town, South Africa)
  • Hayfa Majdoub @haymajd (English language teacher, passionate about ICT, eTwinning Coordinator – Ben Arous, Tunisia)
  • Javier Ramos Sancha @javiramossancha (Primary English teacher at Colegio San Gregorio (Aguilar de Campoo) MIE Expert, MIE Fellow, ClassDojo Ambassador and eTwinning Ambassador – Burgos, Spain)
  • Jessica Pilsner @jess_pilsner (Middle school teacher with a passion for human‑centered design and emerging technologies – Renton, WA USA
  • Karolina Żelazowska @KsieznaKarolina (Educator, teacher, trainer, tutor, mentor and PhD-student (digital humanities). Member of SuperBelfrzyRP, Coding Masters and Digital Dialog teams – Warsaw, Poland)
  • Khalid Bayla @Bayla_Khalid (Primary school teacher, MIE Expert, MIE Master Trainer, Skype Master Teacher, E2 Singapore attendee, changemaker, speaker, coder, designer, author, founder of “21st century child project” and “ICT and Innovation club” – Settat , Morocco)
  • Katie Felix @MrsKFelix (Kindergarten teacher who brings tech, play, and learning together – Tacoma WA, USA)
  • Mirjana Kokerić @MirjanaKokeric (Math teacher and Life coach passionate about personal development and happiness in education – Smederevo, Serbia)
  • Robert Dunlop @dunlop3339 (Educator and technology consultant with a passion for happiness in education – Niagara Falls, Canada)
  • Rohit Kumar @rohit2093 (Co-founder Khoj Community School, an SEL-integrated School by Apni Shala, and Community and Social Responsibility Coordinator at American School of Bombay – Mumbai, India)
  • Surani Maithripala @sue_maithri (Lifelong learner, educator and edtech guru passionate about preparing future-ready students – Colombo, Sri Lanka)
  • Toney Jackson @HeRhymesWithMe (Classroom superhero with poetry powers. 4th‑grade teacher, speaker & passionate learner putting fun into the fundamentals of any subject – Hackensack NJ, USA)
  • Tullia Urschitz @utullia (STEM teacher and trainer, Scientix Ambassador, using ICT, robotics and tinkering to promote learning and social & emotional skills – Verona, Italy)


Flipgrid


Our hosts are thrilled for the upcoming TweetMeet. Each of them wants to invite you to the event in their own way.


What are #MSFTEduChat TweetMeets?


Every month Microsoft Education organizes social events on Twitter targeted at educators globally. The hashtag we use is #MSFTEduChat. A team of topic specialists and international MIE Expert teachers prepare and host these TweetMeets together. Our team of educator hosts first crafts several questions around a certain topic. Then, before the event, they share these questions on social media. Combined with a range of resources, a blog post and background information about the events, this allows all participants to prepare themselves to the full. Afterwards we make an archive available of the most notable tweets and resources shared during the event.

TweetChat expert Madalyn Sklar recently published this helpful introductory guide:
Your Complete Guide to Twitter Chats: Why You Should Join & How to Make the Most of It

Please connect with TweetMeet organizer Marjolein Hoekstra @OneNoteC on Twitter if you have any questions about TweetMeets or helping out as a host.


Next month’s event: Inclusive Classrooms and Accessibility 


The theme of next month’s Tweetmeet on May 21st will be Inclusive Classrooms and Accessibility. We’re looking forward to this event and hope you’ll spread the word!



How to participate in a TweetMeet


We recommend setting up a Twitter dashboard TweetDeck and add a column for the hashtag #MSFTEduChat. If you are new to TweetDeck, then check out this brief TweetDeck tutorial by Marjolein Hoekstra.

When a tweet appears that you want to respond to, press the retweet button and type your comments.

Don’t forget to add the hashtags #TeachingHappiness, #SEL, #MSFTEduChat and #MicrosoftEDU.

Additional tips are offered in this animated GIF that you can share with newcomers: