There are a lot of people who have written great posts about why you should be on Twitter ( Laura Walker
Jason Renshaw to name two).
This is not one of them.
Well, not really.
I just wanted to take a moment to post some screen shots from this weekend. I was working on writing a paper for my graduate class on learning theories where I was asked to imagine what education might look like in the future. My plan was to narrate a day in the life of a typical high school student in 2020 and I wanted an idea of what a 2020 math class might look like. I’m an English teacher. I needed help.
So I posted this
And here was my first reply:
And then…
(keep in mind, replies that I’ve taken pictures of in chunks read from the bottom to the top)
It gets better
I know it’s a bit confusing to read those chunks from the bottom to the top but you get the idea right? My professional learning network on Twitter makes me a better teacher. Connectivism at work.
You might also want to check out Why would teachers want to use Twitter?
Why Rodd thinks you should be on Twitter:
Twitter is my 24/7 learning – right now I find myself learning at 3 and 4 in the morning. Even though I’m on maternity leave, I’m still connected to the education world and to a strong community of educators. It’s great!
Danika, I’ve seen the power of Twitter many times over the past year. I was hesitant to join in the first place (I never used social networking sites before this), but I’ve learned so much from all of the wonderful people I follow, and I know that I’ve become a better teacher as a result. Just seeing the number of replies you got to your question over such a short period of time shows the incredible power of the “tweet.” I hope that others in your course consider joining Twitter too … they will not be disappointed!
Aviva (@grade1)
I love Twitter for bouncing ideas off of people! Great to get conversations going, get feedback, and find out if you’re on the right track or really off base. If it helps, I’ve created a list of Ed-Tech (ish) Academics — these people help me the most in grad school bc they are not only teacher practitioners but also researchers. Many of the peeps in my Twitter network are willing and open to share research and talk through ideas. It’s like a secondary sounding board for me, outside of my own little network of grad school classmates.
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As everyone has said, Twitter is one way to untether ourselves from the geographic limitations of our communities and the more immediate professional community. Perhaps I have reached a broader audience for my ideas and shared some things of value. More importantly, I have been able to be an audience for so many more and a desperate group of people have become my mentors.
Danika, I have a confession. This is huge for me. I was really unsure about the benefits of Twitter until last week. Since ECOO2010, I secretly like it more than Facebook. I like having snippets of real information better. I also think it makes me a better writer. @banana29
Wow! Thanks for that feedback, everyone! You’re all fantastic!
Twitter brings ‘just in time’ pd right to me…
Short, to the point posts from people that I have chosen to follow (for a whole variety of reasons) arrive directly to my hand held and provide awesome resources to extend my practice and give me food for thought.
From an assessment standpoint, I LOVE reading the backchanneling that happens on Twitter after I’ve presented on a particular topic. The #hashtag posts help me determine if I got my message across properly, and tweeps often build on ideas I had never thought of… PLUS, Twitter feeds during conferences allow others who cannot attend the event f2f to follow and learn along; AND contribute from a distance.
Come on in… really, it’s worth the drive! Once you get here, you won’t ever go back!
See you soon,
Tania from Ontario, Canada
@taniasterling
For me Twitter is the fastest, most tangential learning tool; perfect for the way I think! So many inspired people sharing ways to become better technology users in the classroom. It’s how I keep my tech knowledge on the edge. It’s only been one year, but I cannot imagine how far behind I’d be without my PLN.
Every connected teacher knows that Twitter is a great place for an online PLN.
It also gives me something else I did not initally expect.
I’m a pretty ‘techy’ chemistry teacher. I like to play around with technology, not just chemicals in the lab.
There aren’t that many teachers at my school that like to do the same thing, so it’s a bit hard to find people to play with. Sometimes I feel like I might be one of the only teachers at my school that likes to play in this way.
It’s really easy to find _good quality_ people to play with through Twitter.
It takes a little time, but soon you’ll have a list of people you follow that will enrich you in ways you did not expect! It is _more_ that worth the effort to get started.
Can I suggest that we not use the terms “PLN” and “Twitter network” interchangeably? It might not be a good idea to think of your Twitter network as your PLN, but rather a piece of it. I’m not saying this to devalue the people we interact with on Twitter (see my comment above) but rather to emphasize that professional learning comes from many places, people, and media, not just one. I’d prefer if we don’t confuse those two terms.
Contrary to what the name may suggest (you may have heard Twitter is for twits), Twitter is for those who want to connect with other like-minded individuals and to stay connected. This is by far the best way to ‘spread the word’ about anything and everything. Twitter goes beyond being my PLN (Personal and/or Professional Learning Network) to being my network. Period.
Thanks again for your comments, everyone.
Adrienne: I agree with you. Twitter is a big part of my PLN but isn’t the same thing as my PLN. Thanks for making the distinction.