Digital CoPs

The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time for both educators and academic centre practitioners. This "unprecedented" time urged many to innovate with little time and resource which caused an insurmountable amount of stress.

In 2020, I was using Twitter (now infamously known as X) to document my thoughts and share my practice. The activity that we saw across social media was powerful but also triggering for many so it required a delicate balance.

I recall posting daily tweets using the #SCTLTips hashtag in an effort to provide smaller bites of knowledge. Although I thought that I was supporting others with these stories, I recall one instance where a trusted faculty colleague sent me a note indicating that these notes were creating anxiety for some new educators. This was great feedback which permitted me to deviate and modify my approach in journaling both my success and challenges at the height the pandemic.

Highlighting the limitations in my practice humanized the learning experience for everyone and created a sense of ease that was not only welcomed but required to move forward in our learning.

Although these tweets/posts have been purged on the platform due to poor archiving processes, the lesson that I learned in this exchange has impacted my practice to this day. I would later balance my timelines with humanizing stories of challenges, celebrations, and non-work related reflections to reground myself in my own values.

I retired my X/Twitter account a few years ago but I find myself reluctant to delete it as it contains many cherished memories of my reflections and practice. The following list curates a few examples from these digital communities.