As education reform in the US continues to make headlines, researchers work toward understanding how these changes impact the lives of teachers, students, and society. This paper outlines the findings of an interdisciplinary study conducted by information scientists, educators, and computer scientists that explores how the tweets of teachers are contributing to this conversation. Using a dataset comprised of almost one million tweets, we explore whether and how teachers are using Twitter as a space to discuss the profession and politics of teaching. To explore these questions using “big data”, we employ a Deweyian lens developed through a reading of his seminal work, Democracy and Education (1997/1916) that outlines a vision for educational practice for social change. Specifically, we explore the following questions:
Are teachers developing community on Twitter, per Dewey?
How can teachers’ use of Twitter be read through Dewey’s joint concepts of democracy and education?
What are some challenges to democratic discussion of educational issues on Twitter?