To Tweet or not to Tweet?

It’s actually not even a question at all for me anymore. The overwhelming response is that as a teacher you should be tweeting and using Twitter often.  Before coming into this class, Twitter was something I decided that I didn’t need.  It seemed pointless to me. I have Facebook, and I am able to keep up with family and friends that way.  I didn’t need another way to tell anyone that I was going to the movies or watching my favorite show. When you throw in the fact that I only get 140 characters to convey my message, I just didn't see the purpose.

I was surprised to learn during the introduction videos that some of my classmates used Twitter for PD.  How do you even get PD from Twitter?   As I have said before Twitter is a foreign land for me.  I knew about it, but I never had much of an interest in attempting to use it.  For someone, like myself, that has no real knowledge about the inner workings of Twitter, I just want to say that I love the setup of the book “Web 2.0 how-to for educators.”  I love that it is divided up into who, what, when, where, why and how sections and everything is very straightforward and not overwhelming.  The section that I really needed to focus on was the “why”.  Once I was able to understand that, all of the other pieces should just naturally fall into place.  The authors explained that essentially Twitter is a place where educators can connect, share information and viewpoints, and get advice.  In my building, we meet in content areas which is our PLC (Professional Learning Community). I love the chance to meet with my PLC and have face to face discussions and bounce ideas off of my colleagues. Certain buildings may not have the time set aside or some teachers may not have a partner that teaches their same subject in their building. I personally think of the art teacher, FACS teacher and industrial technology teacher in my building who have no one to talk to about their subject.  They are pretty much on their own. When you have a PLN and you have access to them non stop via Twitter, you have a constant stream of support, advice and encouragement. Educators don’t need to feel that they are alone.

I loved the section that contained the different ways teachers can use Twitter.  Now that
the “why” makes sense to me...let me hear those ideas! There were ideas for a variety of
subjects, but I wanted some more ideas of how to incorporate Twitter into an English classroom.
I found some good ideas at Red Pen Confessions. The only problem for me is that a lot of the ideas are geared towards high school where students are old enough to sign up for their own for various social media accounts.  I did see an idea about using Today’s Meet for classroom collaboration, ideas and advice which could offer a solution for younger kids to be able to practice and share their ideas in a safe environment.

Now that I understand why Twitter is a powerful tool for educators, I just have to put myself
out there.  I jumped into the Twittersphere yesterday by signing up for my account.  You can
find me on Twitter and follow me at @loweteacher. There is a lot to take in and learn, but I am
encouraged to find great educators to add to my PLN.

Here are a few resources that I found helpful when trying to learn more about Twitter and how to
use it as an educator.

http://www.schrockguide.net/twitter-for-teachers.html
http://www.edudemic.com/guides/guide-to-twitter/

Both of these pages have a ton of information, but I saw them as a one-stop shop for all things
Twitter.