The framework of a “third space”–a hybrid space where participants are on more equal footing–is relevant to various aspects of teacher education, such as with service learning outside of a school, or with the interactions of a student teaching supervisor outside of practicum sites and university coursework.  I view social networking sites such as Twitter as a third space where interactions can be extended or take on different qualities from the “official” spaces of interaction. After an initial, informal pilot study of the frequency and possible motivators for teacher education students’ participation in professional networks on social media, I plan to conduct a longer-term, more formal, mixed methods study of these factors.  A related but secondary focus of the study will be how and why connections on social media develop among scholars at/around professional conferences.