Prior to taking this class on technology and education, Twitter was just another perplexing corner of
Twitter is an extremely easy and effective way to build a Professional Learning Network, also known as a PLN. A PLN is "an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve". Twitter is the perfect place for connections to be made, articles to be shared, and information to be learned. Many well respected publications, companies, and subject experts have Twitters that they use to share articles or information that they have published or researched, making it an excellent source for a 21st century learner who has an interest in the world around them.
What is Twitter and how do you use it you may ask? It is easy enough to understand, but it takes some getting used
to, especially if you are like me and think in paragraph form rather than 140-character blurbs called a "Tweet". Prior to this class, I hadn't dared venture into the "Twitter-verse" so I had to learn the basics as well as how to incorporate it as an educational tool. According to the website, Twitter is an information network made up of 140-character messages called Tweets. It's an easy way to discover the latest news related to subjects you care about. To start, you simply go to the Twitter website and create an account. Twitter is accessible on almost any device: computer, iPhone, iPad and most other types of tablets. When you create your account, you also need to come up with a username, then add a profile picture, and find people to follow! Twitter provides you with a variety of suggestions of people who you should follow to get you started.
The aforementioned "tweets" can consist of a maximum of 140 characters. They can include anything
Twitter can be extremely useful for teachers, but one of the greatest aspects of it definitely has to be the hashtag. They can help teachers connect through similar interest and impactful articles or ideas that are shared with a specific hashtag attached. Some of the more popular education hashtags are #getyourteachon, #iteach, #edtech, #elemchat, #stemed, #putkidsfirst, and my personal favorite #teacherprobs. Teachers use these hashtags to share ideas, articles, and suggestions. They also are able to meet other teachers from all over to share in the positive and negative aspects of teaching with somebody who understands and can relate. Twitter is a quick and easy way to connect and share resources, which is why it is a rapidly growing resource for those who are wishing to grow a PLN.
Personally, I don't think Twitter will completely change my life and provide me with an endless
supply of knowledge and resources. However, it is very convenient because I can keep up with teachers that I have either seen in action at The Ron Clark Academy or have read their books that I admire. They share special lessons that they taught in their classes that day, which I store away in the back of my mind. My eyes were opened during this project because originally, I viewed Twitter as strictly a social tool. After I delved deeper into the Education realm, I was surprised to discover that Twitter is so much more than than that. I started following a few educators like, Hope King, Ron Clark, and Kim Bearden. I also started following a variety of different education pages including, Education Post, Edudemic, EdWeek, and Huffpost Education. Through these Twitter accounts I learned a lot of cool classroom management strategies and lesson plan ideas.
Edudemic is a great resource for those of us who struggle a little bit more with incorporating technology into the classrooms. Their goal is to teach educators who may be a little more apprehensive about technology easy, foolproof ways to incorporate it into their classrooms. I have really enjoyed reading their suggestions because I could myself implementing them in my future classroom.
Huffpost Education is run by the Huffington Post. Their Twitter feed has articles about the hottest news in the world of education. For those who like to stay in the loop with education in politics, this Twitter account is a must for your following list.
Hope King's account is by far my favorite account to follow. She is a 5th and 6th grade English/Science teacher at The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. She is known for her impressive classroom transformations and over the top creative lesson plans. I always have so much fun scrolling down her feed because her ideas are absolutely spectacular. She has taught basically every grade from 1st-6th so she also has a lot of advice for educators and frequently offers advice and answers questions.
If I'm being completely honest, I haven't really utilized Twitter account for the actual Twitter website that much. I have, however, taken full advantage of one of the applications through Twitter called Crash Course. She shares advice and stories to other teachers in a book club like setting. This sparked my interest in using Periscope in my future classroom. I have always been interested in having optional bookclubs with my students to spark their interests in reading. If students aren't able to stay late or come to school early for meetings, then they would be able to tune into Periscope for a teacher led bookclub. Periscope give you the option of making your broadcasts private, only allowing viewers with passwords to get into the "scope". Once they are connected, they are able to comment for everybody to read.
Periscope. Periscope is a live-broadcasting tool that allows users to either broadcast themselves through the camera on their smartphone or watch other users' broadcasts from around the world. My personal favorite one to watch is the ones done by various Ron Clark Academy teachers. Kim Bearden does weekly book talks about her newest book
I have started following a few other teachers and education accounts on Twitter who regularly post articles that allow me to stay up to date in the world of education. It seems that the current trend in classrooms across the world is converting to a "paperless community". Many articles I have read online that I came across on Twitter share many ways that can help you with this change if you so wish to implement it into your classroom. They encourage the use of technology over paper in order to promote a more ecologically friendly school.
I have really enjoyed the articles that WeAreTeachers posts. They are full of very insightful tips that you wouldn't normally think of. From classroom management to grading strategies, it has been very interesting reading up on some untraditional methods that educators from around the world have been testing out in their classrooms and the effects they have had on their community of learners.
I have enjoyed using Twitter to further my knowledge of the field of education. While I understand how some educators are able to implement it into their classrooms, I think it is almost a better tool for educators to use to connect with one another so they can share tips and tricks as well as interesting articles.
Twitter isn't just the next social media craze. It provides a way to connect with friends, but it also connects you with other teachers, professionals, and organizations. You can also share your ideas and opinions with the world. While I'm not sure whether or not I will use Twitter after this project, I definitely happy I was exposed to it so that I will have it as an option for my future education needs.
References
All Things PLC. (2006). Retrieved December 11, 2015, from http://www.allthingsplc.info/about
Can Tweeting Help Your Teaching? (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2015, from http://www.nea.org/home/32641.htm
Edudemic is a great resource for those of us who struggle a little bit more with incorporating technology into the classrooms. Their goal is to teach educators who may be a little more apprehensive about technology easy, foolproof ways to incorporate it into their classrooms. I have really enjoyed reading their suggestions because I could myself implementing them in my future classroom.
Huffpost Education is run by the Huffington Post. Their Twitter feed has articles about the hottest news in the world of education. For those who like to stay in the loop with education in politics, this Twitter account is a must for your following list.
Hope King's account is by far my favorite account to follow. She is a 5th and 6th grade English/Science teacher at The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. She is known for her impressive classroom transformations and over the top creative lesson plans. I always have so much fun scrolling down her feed because her ideas are absolutely spectacular. She has taught basically every grade from 1st-6th so she also has a lot of advice for educators and frequently offers advice and answers questions.
If I'm being completely honest, I haven't really utilized Twitter account for the actual Twitter website that much. I have, however, taken full advantage of one of the applications through Twitter called Crash Course. She shares advice and stories to other teachers in a book club like setting. This sparked my interest in using Periscope in my future classroom. I have always been interested in having optional bookclubs with my students to spark their interests in reading. If students aren't able to stay late or come to school early for meetings, then they would be able to tune into Periscope for a teacher led bookclub. Periscope give you the option of making your broadcasts private, only allowing viewers with passwords to get into the "scope". Once they are connected, they are able to comment for everybody to read.Periscope. Periscope is a live-broadcasting tool that allows users to either broadcast themselves through the camera on their smartphone or watch other users' broadcasts from around the world. My personal favorite one to watch is the ones done by various Ron Clark Academy teachers. Kim Bearden does weekly book talks about her newest book
I have started following a few other teachers and education accounts on Twitter who regularly post articles that allow me to stay up to date in the world of education. It seems that the current trend in classrooms across the world is converting to a "paperless community". Many articles I have read online that I came across on Twitter share many ways that can help you with this change if you so wish to implement it into your classroom. They encourage the use of technology over paper in order to promote a more ecologically friendly school.
I have really enjoyed the articles that WeAreTeachers posts. They are full of very insightful tips that you wouldn't normally think of. From classroom management to grading strategies, it has been very interesting reading up on some untraditional methods that educators from around the world have been testing out in their classrooms and the effects they have had on their community of learners.
I have enjoyed using Twitter to further my knowledge of the field of education. While I understand how some educators are able to implement it into their classrooms, I think it is almost a better tool for educators to use to connect with one another so they can share tips and tricks as well as interesting articles.
Twitter isn't just the next social media craze. It provides a way to connect with friends, but it also connects you with other teachers, professionals, and organizations. You can also share your ideas and opinions with the world. While I'm not sure whether or not I will use Twitter after this project, I definitely happy I was exposed to it so that I will have it as an option for my future education needs.
References
All Things PLC. (2006). Retrieved December 11, 2015, from http://www.allthingsplc.info/about
Can Tweeting Help Your Teaching? (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2015, from http://www.nea.org/home/32641.htm
