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Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell is the blogger behind musicuentos.com, the author of the Calico Spanish Homeschool Learning Series, and a founding moderator of #langchat. Find her on Twitter as @secottrell.

When today's sixth-graders were born, Facebook and Twitter did not exist. Most people would not have known what a smartphone was; and for most teachers, a "personal learning network" consisted of the teachers at one's school, or perhaps the colleagues met once a year at a conference. These days, however, technology is shrinking the world and transforming communication in every way, and professional development has felt the changes in a good way: teachers have access to professional learning and collaboration that no one would have dreamed of just a few years ago.

From social to professional

Through online social networks, teachers have found a place to discuss problems and successes. In January of 2011, a small group of world language teachers decided to organize this discussion on Twitter through the hashtag #langchat. Via Twitter, teachers can share whatever they like in 140 characters or less, and simply adding #langchat to each "tweet" allows this communication to easily followed or searched. Today, hundreds of teachers use the hashtag anytime to share resources and ask questions, and many "meet" online weekly to discuss a specific topic voted on during the week, from the flipped classroom approach to effective feedback and everything in between.

No limits

Conferences and workshops can be helpful, but they may fall outside a teacher's reach because of constraints like budget or location. However, French teacher Cristy Vogel lauds #langchat as an opportunity to learn, share, and network with other world language professionals, and not just locally or even regionally, but around the country and the world, points out blogger Amy Lenord. As Japanese instructor Colleen Lee-Hayes says, "The biggest benefit of #langchat is 24-7 ideas... not limited by geography, budgets, or time zones." It is a virtual place where you can be exposed to "ideas and experience beyond the scope of one's own school, system, state, or region," says French teacher Kris Climer. #Langchat offers teachers a place to learn and collaborate with people they may never meet otherwise.

Putting the "best" in "best practices"

Another benefit of #langchat is that teachers can discover trends that are not only innovative but also informed by the latest research, notes world language teacher and presenter Diego Ojeda. Evaluating practices can be tricky, but as Don Doehla, director of the Berkley World Language Project, points out, teachers discover and discuss "best practices in world language teaching and learning." Teachers can challenge their thinking and find out what makes best practices so good. Author and teacher trainer Kristy Placido likes the "vast network of perspectives" a community like #langchat offers because it helps a teacher "reflect upon and hone teaching practice." PBL enthusiast Laura Sexton summarizes #langchat this way: "If you want to know what you're doing wrong or how to do it right, there is always someone who can help point you in the right direction and offer assurance or suggestions."

Connections for life

The connections teachers make on #langchat are not limited to the internet. President of Calico Spanish Erica Fischer points out that within the chat community teachers have the opportunity to develop online professional relationships that lead to real-world connections and friendships, often at regional and national conferences. Kris Climer has also enjoyed the "permanent, ongoing access" the online learning network offers, "more than just one workshop, session or conference."

Indeed, #langchat is a perfect example of how technology removes obstacles. In #langchat, Twitter offers teachers a place to creatively and effectively improve practice by connecting with some of the best teachers in the language teaching profession.

All of the educators mentioned in this article are also moderators of #langchat. Meet @CoLeeSensei, @msfrenchteach, @dr_dmd, @CalicoTeach, @krisclimer, @DiegoOjeda66, @SraSpanglish, @alenord, and @placido there anytime or at the organized chat on Thursdays at 8 PM ET, 5 PM PT.

For more information about #langchat, including past archives and summaries of chats, visit langchat.pbworks.com. Also, meet the #langchat moderators and learn more about how to collaborate via #langchat at a special workshop at ACTFL 2014, Saturday, November 22, at 10:00 AM.